Outtakes and Kubrick’s first photo series for Look Magazine. (Patreon)

I managed to find a copy of the issue of Look Magazine that contained Kubrick’s first photo series titled “A Short Short in a Movie Balcony.” The description reads:

“To test a girl’s reaction to the advances of an amorous stranger, a free-lance photographer and friend recently visited a Bronx movie. They selected a total stranger, and the photographer’s friend sat down beside her. She was completely unaware that a photographer was recording the scene a few seats away on infra-red film. See below for what he recorded.”

As I mentioned in the video, this was complete malarkey. They were both friends of Kubrick and the theater was empty. Also, this really doesn’t look like infra-red film, but I don’t know enough about it to make any definitive statement. 

He gives her the eye. 

She glares back.

He slyly moves closer.

The end.   

It’s also really cool how a fair amount of rejected photos from his photo essays have survived. You can really see his process instead of just seeing the best shots of the roll. 

Here's a closer look at the example I used in the video. These photos were taken in 1946 on the streets of New York City.

And here's the iconic image:

Shoe Shine Boys (1947)

Alternate

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