Stanley Kubrick's "Napoleon". the Greatest Movie Never Made

This is so fascinating! This version is around 1,000 pages of multiple books compiled into one volume. It includes essays, research, photos and the 1969 draft of Kubrick’s Napoleon screenplay (which probably would have changed during shooting. This book is not really a “this is what the movie would have been” example, but definitely a testament to the amount of dedication and care that Kubrick put into his films, even ones that never survived pre-production. This was certainly his “White Whale” and a cinema / Kubrick fan can certainly lose themselves in this for hours and hours. It’s not designed to be read front to back; one can jump around as much as they please. Definitely recommend this along with “The Stanley Kubrick Archives” book

I have to say I have never sat down and read this book in the normal way. Instead I tend to read it by browsing through and choosing a particular section and then just enjoying that section. The way it is set up, this kind of periodic enjoyment is perfect, as there are many different sections and each has a distinct topic. In particular I enjoyed the archived correspondence and the technical details of the film planning -- budgets, camera plans, cast logistics. There are relatively few studies of large film productions from this era, so even though this film was never made, the details are fascinating to read. Be warned, this is a huge and heavy book. It is hard to hold on your lap and really needs a horizontal place of honor for storage. I hate to suggest a coffee table but maybe a Napoleonic cabinet would work.

I'm a Kubrick nut. If you're also a Kubrick nut, you will find NAPOLEON endlessly fascinating -- the literary equivalent of an ten-course meal at a five-star restaurant at the best restaurant you could ever possibly formulate in your imagination. Despite its cost, this publication does not disappoint. And what's fascinating to me is that -- despite NAPOLEON's comprehensiveness, from a "macro" standpoint -- a studious reader garners true, unbridled insight into the quotidian methodology of Kubrick's wholly astringent sensibility. This is thanks to the exhaustively collected (and beautifully reproduced) letters and memos (both from and to Stanley) and -- even more significantly -- the "hand-written annotations" that appear, throughout the material, in Kubrick's own hand. Particularly given the time-frame during which the bulk of this material was created -- in the immediate aftermath, for the most part, of 2001 -- it's fascinating to witness the means by which Stanley was leveraging his success (to ostensibly actuate his dream project), and the extent to which his reach occasionally (and ultimately) exceeded his grasp. Kubrick's insight into the workings of the Hollywood studio system is also on evidence; viz., there's a full draft of the NAPOLEON screenplay included, but the script's (somewhat schematic) side-stepping of the contemplated scope of the more ambitiously contemplated battlefield-centric production sequences (for example : Wellington appears, in the climactic clash, but has nary a line of dialogue) subtly suggests Kubrick's savvy insofar as making the project as financially palatable as possible to Hollywood's powers-that-be. As mentioned by other reviewers, the ancillary "costuming," "production design," and other magnificently-reproduced photographic volumes add immesurably to the experience. I spent a full weekend plumbing this thing, and it was a weekend well spent (and one I look forward to undertaking again, at some point in the future) (as with future viewings of Kubrick's masterpieces).

An enormous compendium of the encyclopedic research Kubrick did for his unmade film. What a fantastic project this book must have been, to retrace the research steps taken by that master Kubrick and then to present them in such a beautiful and rich form. Heirloom quality.

I agree with the last reviewer in that, design wise, they could've made some improvements. Blank back pages of binders, tiny pictures, etc. Either make it less pages or make the pictures larger! I haven't yet logged into the database with 150000 or so images. This is probably cool, though. Bottom line is this...for 50 bucks (including shipping) you can spend hours pouring through all the research stuff in here. It's awesome, and being a Kubrick fan I am overwhelmed with the information here. This movie should've been made sometime in his life. We see that after 2001 it was postponed, but why not made after A Clockwork Orange, instead of Barry Lyndon (which I love)? I'm still trying to find the answer, but it comes down to that it would cost too much. Too bad. Buy the book if you have room for it!

Yes, the new single-volume edition is rife with design compromises: unwieldy size, awkward layout, tiny pictures. But it sells for an attractive price. Whereas the original 10-volume edition is a five-star thing of beauty and wonder ... but you probably can't find it for any price, as Taschen manufactured only 1000 copies (alas).

Beautiful, Exquisitely made, full of wonder and joy!

If you like Kubrick's work - then this is a book to read - I read the script once and was astounded- this gives all the details and background. A lot of what went into Barry Lyndon would have been used for Napoleon.This was a work in progress and obviously would have changed as it was filmed- but it would have been exceptional.

Bei dem erworbenen Buch handelt es sich um eine großartige Lektüre für Fans sowohl der napoleonischen Epoche als auch von Stanley Kubrick. Kubricks bekannter Hang zur Perfektion ermöglicht dem geschichtlich Interessierten Einblicke in eine Stoffsammlung der napoleonischen Epoche, die Ihres gleichen sucht, akribisch zusammengetragen und aufgearbeitet. Am Ende steht die Erkenntnis das dieser Film, wäre er verwirklicht worden, wohl Geschichte geschrieben hätte, insbesondere da für viele der Ereignisse z.B. Borodinow nun ihr 200 jähriges Jubiläum ansteht und so die damals aktuellen Geschehnisse und getroffenen Entscheidungen heute noch Auswirkungen haben . Da es sich noch um die günstige bei Amazon erworbene Paperback Ausgabe handelt war meine Freude umso größer. Frederic Haase

Purely awesome. The binding is made in the style of a classical historical napoleon book. Just know the thing is HUGE. Heavy bugger

Semplicemente monumentale. Il testo che racchiude il lavoro di una vita: il sogno, irrealizzato, di realizzare un film su Napoleone Bonaparte. Kubrick e la sua cultura, la sua precisione, la sua curiosità nel raccogliere e catalogare informazioni, tutto racchiuso in questo immane tomo. In più, allegata, una scheda con pin per accedere al sito Taschen e visionare tutto l'archivio fotografico. Un lavoro eccellente rivolto ai profondi appassionati del grande regista. Foto, storyboard, stampe, lettere private. Imperdibile per tutti gli amanti di Kubrick

This is a wonderful book. Great insight into a brilliant mind and an inspiration to anyone who wants to make a movie. The only drawback for me is a sense of frustration that this movie never actually got made by Kubrick - so much love and care taken in preparation for it. But we did get Barry Lyndon which incorporates a great deal of the ideas and approach, in many ways this book could also be seen as a making of that The design and quality of the book are outstanding, no surprise where Taschen are concerned. A great job by Alison Castle in bringing it all together. I would happily buy similar books for all his films.

This is probably one of my favourite books I own. It's utterly fascinating to see Kubrick's process and I actually find this more appealing than some of his films I might say. It's another reason why I love the Taschen book about his archive. It's a must read if you're a fan. This book only covers Napoleon but the amount of research that went into it is staggering. The book itself is really beautiful. It's quite large and heavy and the binding is lovely. Worth every penny.