Susan Granger’s review of “Color Me Kubrick” (Magnolia Pictures)
If you’re a fan of Stanley Kubrick, director of memorable movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey” and “Dr. Strangelove,” or just a die-hard film buff, you may find this weird, semi-documentary an absolute hoot. I did. For several years, a garish British swindler named Alan Conway (John Malkovich) passed himself off to unsuspecting fans as the mythical, reclusive filmmaker. It wasn’t difficult since Kubrick didn’t do interviews or submit to photographs. If anyone questioned the deceptive Conway, he brushed it off, explaining he’d recently shaved off his beard. One after another, gullible, starstruck strangers allowed themselves to be fleeced, just for the opportunity of associating with the promiscuous homosexual whom they thought was Kubrick. Afterward, most of the victims were too embarrassed to press charges, so the scammer was able to keep operating, even when the real Stanley Kubrick found out. Eventually, when Conway brazenly struck up a restaurant conversation with New York Times writers Frank Rich and his wife, Alex Witchel, introducing himself as Kubrick, they became curious, confirming the suspicious of a London journalist (Robert Powell) who’d heard of Conway’s exploits. Written by Anthony Frewin, Kubrick’s former real-life assistant, and directed by Brian Cook, who assisted on “Barry Lyndon,” “The Shining” and “Eyes Wide Shut,” it’s a series of vignettes that add up to an amusing portrait of a con-artist. Although it lacks the scope of impostor tales like “Catch Me If You Can” and “Shattered Glass,” it’s chameleon-like John Malkovich’s creepiest romp. He’s supported by talented Leslie Phillips, Honor Blackman, Ken Russell, Terence Rigby, Richard E. Grant, Luke Mably, Jim Davidson – and hilariously miscued Kubrick film music. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Color Me Kubrick” is a sly, bizarre 7 – a “true.ish” story.
