Christiane Kubrick
Encyclopedia
Christiane Kubrick (born 10 May 1932) is a German
actress, dancer, painter
and singer. She was born into a theatrical family, and was the wife of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick
from 1958 until his death in 1999.
, Lower Saxony
in 1932, the daughter of two opera singers Fritz Moritz Harlan and his wife Ingeborg (née de Freitas). She was trained as an actress but became better known as an artist. Success in her earlier career as an actress led to her being cast in the film Paths of Glory
by Stanley Kubrick
, credited as Susanne Christian.
In the final scene of Paths of Glory
, the young woman she plays is forced to sing to a rowdy, disillusioned tavern-full of French soldiers. Her rendition of the German folk song (in German) Ein treuer Husar (The Faithful Hussar
) slowly wins the hearts of the men who stop their shameless carousing and one-by-one, begin to hum and sing along, many of them shedding tears of sadness and remorse.
She and Kubrick married in 1958 shortly after filming was completed; their marriage lasted until Kubrick's death in 1999 and they produced two daughters, Anya and Vivian
. Her eldest daughter, Katherina, was the only child of her first marriage to Werner Bruhns, which ended in 1957. Anya died in 2009 from cancer.
The Kubrick family moved to England
in the early 1960s where Christiane continued to paint and exhibit. She became highly accomplished and avidly collected artist
with a passion for floral settings and still lifes. Her works were featured in two Stanley Kubrick films.
Her brother Jan Harlan
was executive producer for all of Stanley Kubrick
's films from Barry Lyndon
(1975) onwards, as well as director of the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
, in which she took full part, following Kubrick's death.
Christiane continues to live in England
, where she and her daughter Katharina hold regular painting courses at their home in Hertfordshire
.
She and her brother Jan Harlan are very active in preservation, exhibit production and publishing related to her husband's life work, including the Taschen
mega-book The Stanley Kubrick Archives and the touring major museum exhibit.
In March 2001, Christiane travelled to the Vatican
in Rome to screen a newly remastered version of her late husband's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey
. The film was shown at the Vatican on the evening of Thursday 1 March under the aegis of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In 1996, that Council listed the original Kubrick film among the most important films of the 20th century. The Vatican screening was also attended by Archbishop John Foley, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
(Jud Süß
). Stanley Kubrick considered making a film about Harlan.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
actress, dancer, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and singer. She was born into a theatrical family, and was the wife of filmmaker Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
from 1958 until his death in 1999.
Biography
Christiane Susanne Harlan was born in BraunschweigBraunschweig
Braunschweig , is a city of 247,400 people, located in the federal-state of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
in 1932, the daughter of two opera singers Fritz Moritz Harlan and his wife Ingeborg (née de Freitas). She was trained as an actress but became better known as an artist. Success in her earlier career as an actress led to her being cast in the film Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
by Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
, credited as Susanne Christian.
In the final scene of Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory
Paths of Glory is a 1957 American anti-war film by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, the film stars Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax, the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack...
, the young woman she plays is forced to sing to a rowdy, disillusioned tavern-full of French soldiers. Her rendition of the German folk song (in German) Ein treuer Husar (The Faithful Hussar
The Faithful Hussar
The Faithful Hussar — in German, "Der treue Husar" – is a German folk song, presumed to be from 1825. It is prominently featured in the Stanley Kubrick film "Paths of Glory", where a female German prisoner, portrayed by Kubrick's later wife Christiane Kubrick, sings this song in front of French...
) slowly wins the hearts of the men who stop their shameless carousing and one-by-one, begin to hum and sing along, many of them shedding tears of sadness and remorse.
She and Kubrick married in 1958 shortly after filming was completed; their marriage lasted until Kubrick's death in 1999 and they produced two daughters, Anya and Vivian
Vivian Kubrick
Vivian Vanessa Kubrick is an American-born English filmmaker and composer, known for her work with her father, filmmaker Stanley Kubrick...
. Her eldest daughter, Katherina, was the only child of her first marriage to Werner Bruhns, which ended in 1957. Anya died in 2009 from cancer.
The Kubrick family moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the early 1960s where Christiane continued to paint and exhibit. She became highly accomplished and avidly collected artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
with a passion for floral settings and still lifes. Her works were featured in two Stanley Kubrick films.
- In A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange (film)A Clockwork Orange is a 1971 film adaptation of Anthony Burgess's 1962 novel of the same name. It was written, directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick...
, a large floral oil painting adorns the living room of "Home", the abode of reclusive writer Frank Alexander (Patrick MageePatrick Magee (actor)Patrick Magee was a Northern Irish actor best known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films and in Stanley Kubrick's films A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon.-Early life:He was born Patrick McGee in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern...
) and his wife (Adrienne CorriAdrienne CorriAdrienne Corri is an actress of Italian parentage.She is probably best known for her role as the rape victim Mrs. Alexander in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange, and for her appearances as Valerie in Jean Renoir's The River and as Lara's mother in David Lean's Dr. Zhivago...
) during the famous "Singin' in the RainSingin' in the RainSingin' in the Rain is a 1952 American comedy musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds and directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, with Kelly also providing the choreography...
" scene. - In Eyes Wide ShutEyes Wide ShutEyes Wide Shut is a 1999 drama film based upon Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle . The film was directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, and was his last film. The story, set in and around New York City, follows the sexually-charged adventures of Dr...
, Christiane's vivid paintings adorn nearly every wall of Dr. and Mrs. Hartford's (Tom CruiseTom CruiseThomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, Nicole KidmanNicole KidmanNicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
) NY city apartment. A few paintings by her daughter Katherina are also shown. Her paintings are also featured in various rooms of Ziegler's (Sydney Pollack) NYC mansion (billiard room and upstairs bathroom).
Her brother Jan Harlan
Jan Harlan
Jan Harlan is a film producer and the brother of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow. He was born in Karlsruhe, Germany on May 5, 1937....
was executive producer for all of Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...
's films from Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period romantic war film produced, written, and directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray which recounts the exploits of an 18th century Irish adventurer...
(1975) onwards, as well as director of the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures is a 2001 documentary about the life and work of Stanley Kubrick, famed film director, made by his long-time assistant and brother-in-law Jan Harlan...
, in which she took full part, following Kubrick's death.
Christiane continues to live in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where she and her daughter Katharina hold regular painting courses at their home in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
She and her brother Jan Harlan are very active in preservation, exhibit production and publishing related to her husband's life work, including the Taschen
Taschen
Taschen is an art book publisher founded in 1980 by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne, Germany. It began as Taschen Comics publishing Benedikt's extensive comic collection...
mega-book The Stanley Kubrick Archives and the touring major museum exhibit.
In March 2001, Christiane travelled to the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
in Rome to screen a newly remastered version of her late husband's 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
. The film was shown at the Vatican on the evening of Thursday 1 March under the aegis of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In 1996, that Council listed the original Kubrick film among the most important films of the 20th century. The Vatican screening was also attended by Archbishop John Foley, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.
Relatives
Christiane Kubrick is a niece of the controversial German filmmaker Veit HarlanVeit Harlan
Veit Harlan was a German film director and actor.-Life and career:Harlan was born in Berlin. After studying under Max Reinhardt, he first appeared on the stage in 1915 and, after World War I, worked in the Berlin stage. In 1922 he married Jewish actress and cabaret singer Dora Gerson; the couple...
(Jud Süß
Jud Süß (1940 film)
Jud Süß is an antisemitic propaganda film produced in 1940 by Terra Filmkunst at the behest of Joseph Goebbels. The movie was directed by Veit Harlan, who wrote the screenplay with Eberhard Wolfgang Möller and Ludwig Metzger, and starred Ferdinand Marian and Harlan's wife Kristina Söderbaum.The...
). Stanley Kubrick considered making a film about Harlan.