Kubrick's Marketing Man Speaks

Posted by Peter Smith

The Guardian has published an enlightening interview with Mike Kaplan, a former marketing executive and now film producer, on his relationship with Stanley Kubrick:

"His [Kubrick's] laser-like eyes locked mine: 'Why doesn't Pauline Kael like my movie?' My mind raced. I had been nervous enough rehearsing what to say. . . My answer had to meet his challenge. Perhaps a minute elapsed. Triggered by a survival instinct from some deep memory recess, I countered, 'She thought The Bible was the best movie of the year.' Our eyes didn't move but his body shifted slightly. It was my acknowledgment."

— Faisal A. Qureshi