Some of the most famous objects in film history are about to go on sale. Bonhams, an auction house in London, announced on October 6 that it will sell items from the personal collection of Stanley Kubrick, the American film director who died in 1999. It is the first time things from his collection have been offered at auction, and the sale will take place on February 3.
With Halloween this week, plenty of people will be watching scary movies, and one of the best known is Kubrick’s The Shining (1980). In the film, Jack Nicholson plays a man who slowly loses his mind while looking after an empty hotel in the mountains. In its most famous scene, he breaks through a bathroom door with an axe. That axe is now for sale, and Bonhams expects it to sell for £30,000 to £50,000 (about 57,000 to 95,000 Canadian dollars).
The blue dresses worn by the two sisters in The Shining, who stand side by side in one of the film’s creepiest moments, are also in the sale. They could bring in £40,000 to £60,000 (about 76,000 to 114,000 Canadian dollars).
The most valuable item, though, comes from a different film. In 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), the story ends with a glowing baby floating in space, known as the Star Child. The model used for that scene could sell for as much as £800,000 (about 1.5 million Canadian dollars).
Fans will also find Kubrick’s own director’s chair and copies of his scripts with his handwritten notes in the margins. Claire Tole-Moir, who leads the popular culture department at Bonhams, said, “This is a landmark moment to get closer to some of the most iconic films ever made.”
Katharina Kubrick, the director’s stepdaughter, said the family is “proud to be able to share” the items. She hopes each one will find a new home where it will be cherished.
Before the auction, everything will be shown in a free exhibition at Bonhams in London from January 18 to February 3, so anyone can see the axe up close without buying it.
Sources: The Associated Press, PA Media
Stanley Kubrick’s personal archive is coming up for auction for the first time. The London auction house Bonhams announced on October 6 that it will sell props, costumes, scripts, and equipment collected by the American director, who died in 1999. The sale takes place on February 3, with online bidding closing the next day.
With Halloween approaching and horror films back on many people’s screens, the best-known item in the sale comes from The Shining (1980), Kubrick’s adaptation of the Stephen King novel. Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a caretaker who slowly loses his mind while snowed in at the isolated Overlook Hotel, and in the film’s most famous scene he smashes his way through a bathroom door with an axe. That special-effects axe is expected to fetch £30,000 to £50,000 (C$57,000 to C$95,000). The matching blue dresses worn by the Grady sisters, the ghostly twins who appear in the hotel corridor, carry an estimate of £40,000 to £60,000 (C$76,000 to C$114,000).
The most valuable piece, however, belongs to another classic. The Star Child, the glowing infant that appears in the final scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), could sell for up to £800,000 (C$1.5 million). Also on offer is Kubrick’s annotated copy of an early outline of the story, written when the film was still called Journey Beyond the Stars.
Beyond the famous props, the sale offers a look at how Kubrick worked. Collectors can bid on his marked-up scripts for Lolita and Spartacus, a clapperboard from The Shining, the “Born To Kill” helmet from Full Metal Jacket, and the director’s viewfinder marked with his initials. Even his director’s chair is included, estimated at £8,000 to £12,000 (C$15,000 to C$23,000).
“A true visionary, Kubrick’s incredible influence cannot be overstated,” said Claire Tole-Moir, head of popular culture at Bonhams. His stepdaughter, Katharina Kubrick, said she believes he is “one of the few film directors whose life and movies continue to be extensively studied and revered,” and that the family hopes each piece will find a home where it will be cherished.
Anyone curious can see the collection without placing a bid. A free exhibition of every item in the sale will run at Bonhams’ New Bond Street showrooms in London from January 18 until the day of the auction.
Sources: The Associated Press, PA Media
