It’s their biggest exhibition of the year, a major event for the Cinémathèque française, celebrated with numerous special events; a complete retrospective of the master’s films (of course), but also a 300-page catalogue and the first ever DVD box set of all of his films… Time to learn all there is to know about Stanley Kubrick !

Stanley Kubrick‘s films are quite a diverse lot, but there’s a subtlety in the treatment that pleases some as much as it confounds others. If you’d like to understand the background, mindset and work of this great filmmaker, the Cinémathèque française has an exhibition that should help you make sense of it all, probably the biggest exhibition about the man ever devised.

Exceptionally, the Kubrick exhibition will fill two floors of the building, with a space for each film, a photography room, and an area dedicated to the music of Kubrick’s films. An audioguide is available in three languages, with the English version narrated by none other than Malcolm McDowell! It’ll cost you 3€ at the door, or 1.99€ on iTunes.

And if you can’t get down there, or would like to continue learning more at home, a ‘virtual’ version will be available on the cinémathèque site from 21st March 2011, as well as a section dedicated to artists on the web that have taken the work of Stanley Kubrick as inspiration. Why not start with the rather fine paintings of Carlos Ramos, or look for more spooky animated gifs on ace site If We Don’t, Remember Me…

And don’t forget the showing of all Kubrick’s films, another cycle of films influenced by him, six talks, the 300-page catalogue for the exhibition, new copies of his films doing the rounds all over France (including digital copies for the first time ever) and a special box set of his films en DVD (19 DVDs!) together with a 544-page book.

For more info, go to the cinémathèque site here (all in English!), or check out the press release below (click ‘fullscreen’ to save your eyes).

The Stanley Kubrick exhibition is at the Cinémathèque française (here) from 23rd March – 31st July 2011.

Open every day except Tuesdays from midday – 7pm (8pm during the school holidays). Late night closing on Thursdays – 10pm. Closed 1st May.

Admission: 10€ / 8€ / 5€.

Bonus for French-speakers! The trailer for the exhibition…