Newsgroup: it.arti.cinema
Titolo: Una piccola FAQ sui film di Kubrick

01- Was HAL, the computer in 2001, named after IBM?
02- Was 2001 based on the book or is the book a novelization?
03- What does the title A Clockwork Orange mean?
04- Why doesn't the film of A Clockwork Orange include the final chapter
of the novel?
05- What and where are the subliminal messages I've heard about in A
Clockwork Orange?
06- Where is the real Overlook hotel used in The Shining?
07- Why was the Overlook hotel room number 217 in the novel changed to
237 in the film?
08- What does the title Full Metal Jacket mean?
09- I saw the restored version of Spartacus. What was restored?
10- Are there "director's cuts" available of his other films?
1- Was HAL, the computer in 2001, named after IBM? 
It is rumored that the name HAL was created by using the letters in the
alphabet which precede the individual letters of I.B.M. However, both
Kubrick and screenplay co-author Arthur C. Clarke deny this, claiming it
is a surprising coincidence. According to Clarke, the H stands for
Heuristically and the AL stands for Algorithmic, as in "heuristically
programmed algorithmic computer." 
2- Was 2001 based on the book or is the book a novelization? 
Kubrick initiated the project as a film by hiring science-fiction
novelist Arthur C. Clarke to co-author the screenplay. The first drafts
were written in novel form, as a way to explore the potentials of the
story. The screenplay was then written from this prose treatment. Clarke
reworked the novel version and it was published after the film was
released. 
3- What does the title A Clockwork Orange mean? 
Originally, it comes from an old Cockney expression where one might say
something odd was "as queer as a
clockwork orange," it being incongruous that something organic would
have mechanical works. 
4- Why doesn't the film of A Clockwork Orange include the final chapter
of the novel? 
When the book was released in America the final chapter was dropped by
the publisher, hence, two versions of the novel existed in the world.
Kubrick became aware of the longer version of the novel during his
writing of the screenplay. He dismissed the final chapter, which
concerns the rehabilitation of Alex, as unconvincing and inconsistent
with the style of the book. 
5- What and where are the subliminal messages I've heard about in A
Clockwork Orange? 
The moment in question is during the fight between Alex and the Cat
Lady, when he strikes her on the head with a piece of sculpture. At the
moment of impact, Kubrick uses a quick-cut montage of closeups of the
various erotic paintings on view around the room. This sly editing
effect is so brief that many people don't notice it on first viewing.
The single frames however contain no hidden messages. 
6- Where is the real Overlook hotel used in The Shining? 
The Overlook hotel exists only on film. All principal photography for
the film was shot at the EMI studios in Borehamwood, England. While the
exterior, establishing shots of the Overlook are of a real hotel--the
Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood in Oregon--the interior of that hotel is
completely different than the Overlook depicted in the film, and there
is no hedge maze outside. A facade of the rear of the Timberline Lodge
and the hedge maze were built on the studio lot in England. The interior
sets were modeled on various hotels from around the United States.
For example, the blood red mens-room was modeled on a mens-room in a
hotel in Arizona designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The opening sequence
showing the car driving up mountain roads was shot in Glacier National
Park in Montana.
7- Why was the Overlook hotel room number 217 in the novel changed to
237 in the film? 
The Timberline Lodge has a room 217 but no room 237. The management was
concerned that guests might not want
to stay in room 217 after seeing the film so they asked that the number
be changed. 
8- What does the title Full Metal Jacket mean? 
Technically, it refers to the outer casing, or jacket, of a bullet.
According to screenplay co-author Michael Herr, Kubrick picked the title
after reading the phrase in a gun catalog, finding it "beautiful and
tough, and kind of poetic."
9- I saw the restored version of Spartacus. What was restored? 
Mainly the color, which had faded over the years. The only full scene
restored was the infamous "snails and oysters" scene where Tony Curtis
is seen bathing Laurence Olivier. Also restored is a brief scene within
a montage where parents bury their dead baby. The order of some shots in
that montage was also changed. Other restored shots throughout the film
are little bits of ultra-violence such as Olivier getting blood squirted
on his face, Kirk Douglas twice stabbing a guard in a pool, a Roman
soldier getting his arm chopped off, and a slave being run through with
a sword. 
10- Are there "director's cuts" available of his other films? 
Kubrick has often trimmed scenes between preview and opening, and
sometimes after opening. Paths of Glory was trimmed. Dr. Strangelove
lost a pie fighting sequence at the end. 2001 was cut by 19 minutes.
After playing in theaters for some time, A Clockwork Orange had frames
cut to reduce its X rating to an R. The Shining initially had a 2 minute
scene cut, and later Kubrick cut another 20 minutes for the film's
international distribution. There are no special edition director's cuts
of these films available presumably because Kubrick made all of these
cuts himself. However, video versions of The Shining do restore the
footage cut from the international theatrical release.

 Technically, it refers to the outer casing, or jacket, of a bullet.
Questo però lo si intuiva dal dialogo con Palla di Lardo nei cessi
mentre carica il fucile con le pallottole blindate.
[IT] Advanced Squad Leader (TM)