Listening to Stanley Kubrick: The Music in His Films

by Christine Lee Gengaro

The musical scores of Stanley Kubrick’s films are often praised as being innovative and forward-looking. Despite playing such an important part in his productions, however, the ways in which Kubrick used music to great effect is still somewhat mysterious to many viewers. Although some viewers may know a little about the music in 2001 or A Clockwork Orange, few are aware of the particulars behind the music in Kubrick's other films.

In Listening to Stanley The Music in His Films, Christine Lee Gengaro provides an in-depth exploration of the music that was composed for Kubrick’s films and places the pre-existent music he utilized into historical context. Gengaro discusses the music in every single work, from Kubrick’s first films, including the documentary shorts The Flying Padre and Day of the Fight, through all of his feature films, from Fear and Desire to Eyes Wide Shut. No film is left out; no cue is ignored.

Besides closely examining the scores composed by Gerald Fried for Kubrick’s early works, Gengaro pays particular attention to five of the director’s most provocative and acclaimed films—2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, and Eyes Wide Shut. For each film, she engages the reader by explaining how the music was excerpted (and changed, in some cases), and how the historical facts about a musical piece add layers of meaning—sometimes unintended—to the films.

Meant for film lovers, music lovers, and scholars, Listening to Stanley Kubrick is a thoroughly researched examination into the musical elements of one of cinema’s most brilliant artists. Appropriate for a cinema studies or music classroom, this volume will also appeal to any fan of Kubrick’s films.

Genres: Music, Film

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2012

Reviews

[Baard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listening to Kubrick: Music in His Films is an interesting and thorough exploration of the music used by Stanley Kubrick in his films. While many of the essays are quite informative, some of them feel a bit too long-winded. The book does a great job of highlighting how music can be used to add to the atmosphere of a film and how it can affect the viewers' experience. However, the organization of the book could be improved. Overall, it's an interesting read, but not quite as enjoyable as similar books on the subject.

[Gerardo Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como fanático de Kubrick, me sentí obligado a leer este libro... pero se me quedó corto. El libro se limita a resumir y describir las escenas, explicando cómo la música se integra a ellas, pero no va más allá de lo superficial. En mi opinión, no aporta nada nuevo a quienes ya conocemos bien su filmografía y las historias detrás de cada película. Esperaba un análisis más profundo que explorara aspectos como el ritmo, la tonalidad, y la conexión emocional y psicológica que la música genera en sus películas, así como su contribución a la narrativa de sus obras.

[Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must admit that I haven’t fully read this book. I just wanted to refer to it to get a track-list for one of Kubrick’s Movies. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of the detail regarding each piece of music and it’s place in the film with a detailed synopsis of the movie and discussion of the timing of the piece within it.

This is an essential book for any serious Kubrick fan.

[Madison]

Moog synth over everything