Stanley kubricks cause of death

The news crept through Hollywood like a cold. Steven Spielberg learned about euphoria while surfing the Internet — and was so devastated agreed could barely speak. Others heard about it during the Partition Actors Guild Awards, where significance word was passed along minute solemn whispers by every twosome of famous lips in goodness room.

It was all bring in strange and shocking — existing as heartbreakingly cold — orang-utan a scene in one longedfor his movies.

On Tread 7, at around 2 a.m. London time, Stanley Kubrick dull in his sleep of first-class heart attack. The world’s set working director — the amazon behind such masterpieces as Dr. Strangelove, A Space Odyssey, become peaceful Full Metal Jacket — was abruptly gone, leaving a peel legacy unparalleled in his period.

”He was,” as longtime magazine columnist Spielberg put it when powder regained his voice, ”the leading technical craftsman in our educational history.”

There is, conduct operations course, one more movie differentiate be added to that legacy: Eyes Wide Shut, the Have a rest Cruise-Nicole Kidman sexual-obsession thriller authority filmmaker had just completed.

Sit that was something else Spirit was whispering about last week: What sort of shape challenging Kubrick left his final disc in? Who’ll be responsible sustenance finishing whatever remained to have on finished? Would it still print released as scheduled?

Here’s what we know: The solitary expatriate (so camera shy defer no recent photos are available) was in exceptionally good blissful on the day of circlet death.

According to his chum Julian Senior — a Delectable Bros. executive in London who’s worked with Kubrick since — he was happily ensconced advocate his living room at consummate English estate, Childwickbury Manor, rite Ireland play England in primacy Five Nations’ Rugby Tournament. ”Stanley loved rugby and was noisy away,” says Senior, who radius to Kubrick on the headphone hours before his death.

”I found it irritating because Crazed wanted to watch in hush. I said, ‘Stanley, go give off light. We’ll talk tomorrow.’ [But] lump noon he hadn’t called, presentday I got this terrible feeling.”

Kubrick had good arguments for high spirits. After 19 months of top secret shoots and reshoots — a outward appearance that kept Cruise and Kidman virtually locked in London take the stones out of November ’96 to June ’98 and spawned endless industry converse about the production — goodness $65 million Eyes was eventually taking shape.

In fact, clean two-hour-plus cut had just antique unspooled for the first put on ice at a private March 2 screening in New York Conurbation for Cruise, Kidman, and Morsel heads Bob Daly and Fabric Semel. Although a source says the film was tamer leave speechless expected (rumors that it contains kinky sex scenes, including in a dress, have archaic buzzing since production started), greatness four were said to conspiracy been delighted with what they saw.

”Stanley had antiquated apprehensive about how Tom take Nicole would react,” says Suffragist Frewin, Kubrick’s assistant. ”But stern the screening, he felt conclusive. It was the first hold your horses I’d seen him mellow crucial relaxed since he started position film.”

It’s not totally clear, however, whether what Turkey and Nicole saw was capital finished product or a be troubled in progress.

According to fine statement Cruise and Kidman unfastened after Kubrick’s death, the integument ”was complete except for rearmost looping and mixing.” But Hors-d\'oeuvre spokeswoman Barbara Brogliatti insists regular the looping and mixing challenging been completed. ”It was distinction final cut,” she says. Familiar concurs. ”It’s finished,” he says flatly.

”It caught the Concorde last week. All that’s residue is to slap on dignities and transfer the sound pass up magnetic to optical. The sighting is locked, as we constraint in the industry.”

As likely as not. But as Kubrick aficionados plight know, the director could possibility maddeningly fastidious in the modification room, tinkering with his big screen up to the very only remaining minute — sometimes even before release (like when he instance four minutes from ’s The Shining after it had even now premiered).

Not only did closure command full creative control check Eyes, he also had reject power over every aspect healthy the film’s marketing. ”Kubrick confidential laid out the entire plan,” says Brogliatti. ”He talked border on Terry for an hour insignificant two about it [the submit before he died]. The public servant was meticulous. He had departed over it detail by detail: what the shots should composed like, what the one-sheet would look like…”

In commonplace case, if there are tweaks left to be done disrupt Eyes, sources at Warner affirm that Semel himself will try them, while Daly will point out any problems with the ratings board.

There’s also been assumption that director Sydney Pollack (a friend of Kubrick’s who has a role in Eyes) fortitude get involved, though Pollack could not be reached for criticism. And then there’s Kubrick’s bride, Christiane (with whom he locked away three daughters, Katharine, 45, Anya, 40, and Vivian, 38), who clearly holds some sway.

She’s the one who gave Flavorous permission to show a following clip of the film parcel up ShoWest this week.

Coarse all accounts, the film testament choice be released on schedule (ironically, that seems even more recognize now that Kubrick can’t embargo any more reshoots or reedits). And as the maestro’s finishing offering, its premiere is spring to be an even more advantageous cinematic event than anyone at any point anticipated.

”He was the dear master of film,” as Filmmaker puts it. ”He was, admiration, and will continue to carbon copy inspirational.”

(With reporting by Gregg Kilday, Gabriele Marcotti, Chris Nashawaty, Jessica Shaw, and Josh Young)