Still more lazy thoughts from this one…

Posts tagged ‘Stanley Kubrick’

Reprise – Friday Forgotten Book/Film: FAIL-SAFE

… though Red Alert came out first (and was later the source material for Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant black comedy, Dr. Strangelove), I daresay FAIL-SAFE’s story has held up better in the decades since either book’s initial release. In spite of the fact both were locked into the specific post-WWII military tension, the later novel was more relatable to latter times because of its version in the nightmare scenario. Its basis of a technical glitch I believe rang more true then, and certainly more understandable with folks today, regardless of the passage of time.

TMT: “This list… is an absolute good.”

This is the next entry in a Theatre… a Movie… and a Time, a series that was begun here. Two quite separate but relatable things induced this particular theatre, movie memory. The first being last month’s initial-viewing of the 2004 thought-provoking documentary, Imaginary Witness: Hollywood and the Holocaust. The other being my colleague ckckred’s 2012 piece, Stanley Kubrick on Schindler’s List I only recently found:

“Schindler’s List is perhaps the highest praised film of the last twenty years and one of the most heralded. Though Kubrick does have a valid point, I feel he’s missing the message of Schindler’s List. Spielberg’s story not only was about the Holocaust, but the redemption of a man. Oskar Schindler’s rescue of hundred of Jews is not only heroic and brave, but also touching to the audiences.”

Same Song, Different Movie: Gayne’s Adagio by Aram Khachaturian

Continuing my thoughts from February regarding the use of song in film, “needle dropped” tunes are not officially considered part of a film score — those orchestral, choral, or instrumental pieces some consider background music. I think both are utilized as cues by filmmakers for a specific purpose or to elicit certain reactions by the audience. I’m fascinated by this in general, and movie soundtracks have specifically intrigued me.