Sydney Pollack on Stanley Kubrick

Sydney Pollack talks about his experience working with Stanley Kubrick on "Eyes Wide Shut".
October 22nd, 2005

[gtb]

Pollack hits the nail on the head. When I watch a Kubrick film I just can’t take my eyes off the screen. Everything in the scene is interesting.

[Kuspecibasi]

One of the best descriptions of Kubrick's genious I have ever listened.

[joestimemachine]

Pollack was wonderful in Eyes Wide Shut. His performance was intentionally underplayed but yet he gave a presence of power and importance. That scene of him in the bathroom wearing just pants and suspenders with the passed out hooker is burned in my memory. I don't know why but that image is always haunting to me.

[charlesc]

This is the most accurate description of Kubrick's films ever. Ive been totally engrossed in his films for 20 years now and to be honest at surface level most of his films are "ok" in the traditional sense, but there's something in every single shot of every single movie that just grabs onto you and will keep you coming back.

Take for instance Barry Lyndon, my favorite out of all of them. An unbelievably boring film, but truly and sincerely one of a kind. No other period film captures the sense of scope and authenticity (I would imagine) as that film.

[Goldenspiderducck]

I read that Kubrick stopped shooting on The Gold Room scenes in The Shining (I’m not sure if he had to actually reshoot - I think he did, but I’m not positive) because he noticed that the *ashtrays* on the *back* tables in the ballroom were not 100% period accurate.

Somebody in the production said, “Stanley, nobody watching this is going to be able to see those ashtrays. They’ll never know.”

Kubrick said, “I’ll know.”

[fabiengerard]

Great respect for both Pollack & Kubrick. Thanks for this very insightful testimony.

[bodhisoha]

Pollack really nails what is so compelling about Kubrick films -- they are not real in the ordinary sense of the word, although also not "surreal", I'd say they are "hyperreal" in that they extract from dramatic situations the essence of the psychological dynamics at play and this distillation is presented in visually extremely precise, unforgettable ways.

[lancelotdufrane]

Pollack was a great Director himself.. seeing his name in a project, always gave me the green light.

[yp]

For his extensive dialogue with Bill (T. Cruise) while playing snooker, mr Syd. Pollack deserved an acad. Award for supporting actor in the role of V. Ziegler. In his personal "Weltanschauung" he fully encompasses the spirit of the society of the XXI century, that was about to come.

[ctafrance]

Listening to someone with Pollack's experience and ability talk about Kubrick is...just a treasure. A treasure to experience.

[VladWFPReviews]

Pollack gave a fascinating and totally honest answer - and it helps me understand why I love Kubrick so much - his films are not "real" - they are hyper-real and exist inside their own universe - which is an amazing place to spend some time.

[GeorgeDamon]

I really liked Sydney Pollack, both as an actor and a director, and I felt a genuine sense of loss when he died. He left us too soon.

His analysis of Kubrick is spot-on, in my opinion.

[shadowfilm]

He was one of my all time favorite Directors. My favorites being “Three Days Of The Condor” and “Tootsie”. He died way way too early. We miss you! Your talent!

[asmodeus]

Sydney Pollock is quite right. Stanley Kubrick's films have a definite surreal quality to them. His films are hypnotic films even if one does not really like them.

[romanclay]

Pollack's character was named Ziegler = bricklayer = Mason.

[jesustovar]

Pollack's definition of Kubrick's films is accurate, you may not like all of his films (I personally like them all), but I think that's the magic of doing different genres, he never wanted to repeat himself, the colors and symmetry of the shots, it's hypnotical, cryptic and enigmatic, they're films that are critical about life, society and the system. I watched A Clockwork Orange in my early teens and I know it isn't for everyone, I wasn't supossed to watch it, but I hadn't seen anything like it before, after that I researched more about Kubrick and his films, it changed the way I watched and analyzed movies, there was no going back.

[MultiStats]

What he said starting at 3:07 is very accurate. There is something mesmerizing or hypnotic in a lot of Kubrick's films.

[johnwatts]

kubrick is so good, he even captured the mundane aspects of life better than anyone else.

[paulcolbourne]

"Stanley couldn't help doing it that way". Very good observation. Kubrick's movies aren't always good but they are interesting, hypnotic and beautiful. He brought a peculiar quality to his films which resonate.

[RidgeRunner-lzko]

Hard to believe this guy directed Jeremiah Johnson. He did, and did a helluva job with it.