Lionised by critics and feted by the studios, Stanley Kubrick's status as a film-maker was unassailable. But, preferring the privacy of his Hertfordshire estate to the red carpet escapades expected of the famous, he withdrew from public life. And, as
the gaps between his later films grew longer, apocryphal tales of his hermetic madness flourished. By the time of his death in 1999 he had inherited Howard Hughes' mantle as our foremost celebrity recluse.
Here, as a prelude to Channel 4's Kubrick season, Jon Ronson profiles this mysterious auteur in absentia, probing the countless boxes of research material he left behind. It's a daunting task, with even Ronson, long accustomed to chronicling extreme behaviour, expressing wonder at both the extent of the archive and the degree to which Kubrick's obsessive nature often seemed counterproductive.
For Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick, searching for the perfect doorway in which to frame a brief exchange, had seemingly every front entrance in London photographed only to finally opt for an ersatz sound-stage substitute. A mooted Holocaust project fell prey to his glacial working pace: in the two years Kubrick spent meticulously researching his opus, Spielberg had finished his movie, which rendered it redundant.
Yet amid these tales of creative zeal Ronson reveals an admirable method to Kubrick's madness. Genius works to its own rhythms, and without such manic and methodical scrutiny Kubrick's hypnotic masterpieces may have just been mere movies.
BEST HISTORY PROGRAMME
The Thirties In ColourBBC4, Wednesday, 9pm
Having previously addressed the Great War and the Roaring Twenties, the Beeb's vividly chromatic history franchise now turns its attention to the decade when colour photography finally came of age, devoting this first instalment to the astonishing work of socialite turned film-maker Rose Newman.
Documenting the idle rich at play during the twilight of the Empire, Newman's footage is extraordinary, offering us stunning Kodachrome visions of the Raj and beguiling glimpses of pre-war Europe. Alas, extracts from her journals offer an ugly counterpoint to her vibrant home movies. Often mistaking squalor for rustic charm and frequently adopting a xenophobic tone, her opinions are unpalatable to modern ears. But, my, the views from her perch are breathtaking.
Also try: Revealed: Hitler's Secret Bunkers (Five, Tuesday, 8pm). Historian Antony Beevor uncovers the subterranean world of Berlin's Nazi bunkers
BEST REALITY SERIES
Make My Body YoungerBBC3, Wednesday, 8pm
Despite a title which suggests another dreary makeover show, this offering has more on its mind than shiny veneers and Botox shots, with hosts George Lamb and Dr Andrew Curran using CSI-style visual effects to scare the unhealthy into mending their ways. This week's patient is Stewart, a twenty-something events co-ordinator whose Herculean partying has left him with the brain cells of a pensioner, a septum on the brink of collapse and a fiancée at the end of her tether. But will the alarming results of his "living autopsy" prompt the necessary change of lifestyle?
Also try: Britain's Missing Top Model (BBC3, Tuesday, 9pm). The consciousness-raising modelling contest heats up as the aspirants face their biggest challenge yet: a genuine catwalk
BEST DRAMA
George GentlyBBC1, today, 8pm
Possibly the first non-maverick hero in TV cop history, Martin Shaw's Inspector Gently is a by the book detective, exiled to the Gulag of 1960s Northumberland after exposing corruption in Scotland Yard. All pained expressions, starched shirts and stoic indignation, he's the perfect protagonist for this atmospheric anti-Heartbeat.
Also try: Bonekickers (BBC1, Friday, 9pm). More adventures in archaeology as our heroes uncover some mysterious human remains and another historical conspiracy with contemporary ramifications
The full article contains 618 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
