(Rodney Ascher, US 2012, 102 min., DCP)
After the commercial failure of Barry Lyndon, Stanley Kubrick took on a more commercial project: an adaptation of a bestselling thriller by Stephen King, whose Carrie had delivered major box office a few years earlier. Of course, the end result, The Shining, befuddled just as many critics, even as it steadily gained recognition as … what? A statement about the breakdown of patriarchy? A disguised study of the Holocaust? An allegory for the genocide of Native Americans? An apologia for Kubrick’s helping to fake the moon landing? Director Rodney Ascher takes on these theories and more in Room 237, which explores the divergent readings of a group of devout fans and film scholars in the manner of a suspense thriller. A darkly funny deconstruction of Kubrick’s masterpiece and our desire for fixed meanings, Room 237 is a must for any of his fans.
Upcoming Events in this Series
Film Screenings | Crimson Peak (35mm)
Summer Chills Director Guillermo Del Toro returns to his gothic roots with this tale of hauntings, both of the spectral nature and that of family history.
Film Screenings | Eyes Wide Shut (35mm)
The Complete Kubrick | Summer Chills Stanley Kubrick’s final directorial effort was released twelve years after his previous film and four months after his death. Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 Traumnovelle (or Dream Story), Kubrick waited until he had a real-life couple that could commit to his demanding production schedule to make the film.
Film Screenings | Eyes Wide Shut (35mm)
The Complete Kubrick | Summer Chills Stanley Kubrick’s final directorial effort was released twelve years after his previous film and four months after his death. Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 Traumnovelle (or Dream Story), Kubrick waited until he had a real-life couple that could commit to his demanding production schedule to make the film.
Related
The Complete Kubrick
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16 Films on Screen Director Stanley Kubrick occupies an indelible place in film history. Known as an exacting technician, his films have been pored over by academics, filmmakers, fans, and cineastes alike.