Stanley Kubrick is one of the most acclaimed and iconic filmmakers in the history of cinema. Period. That’s almost undeniable. But that doesn’t mean that everything he did (or has inspired) is respected and beloved. Such as the way that Kubrick’s methods inspired the Wachowskis during the creation of the two ‘Matrix’ sequels. According to cinematographer Bill Pope, working on those films was almost enough for him to want to dig up Kubrick just to kill him.
Speaking on the Team Deakins podcast, cinematographer Bill Pope explained the trials and tribulations working with the Wachowskis on the ‘Matrix’ sequels, especially after working so well with the duo on previous works such as “Bound” and the first ‘Matrix’ feature. Apparently, the pressure combined with the filmmakers’ adherence to a Kubrick-ian method of directing made his work on the blockbuster sequels a bit, uh, tiresome.
“Everything that was good about the first experience was not good about the last two,” Pope explained. “We weren’t free anymore. People were looking at you. There was a lot of pressure.”
He continued, “In my heart, I didn’t like them. I felt we should be going in another direction. There was a lot of friction and a lot of personal problems, and it showed up on-screen, to be honest with you. It was not my most elevated moment, nor was it anyone else’s. The Wachowskis had read this damn book by Stanley Kubrick that said, ‘Actors don’t do natural performances until you wear them out.’ So let’s go to take 90! I want to dig Stanley Kubrick up and kill him.”
Of course, the fact that “The Matrix Reloaded” and “The Matrix Revolutions” shot back-to-back made the working conditions that much more unbearable, considering the production time was twice that of a normal film.
“There is something about making a shoot that long, 276 shoot days, that is mind-numbing and soul-numbing and it numbs the movie,” Pope said. “You think about ‘The Hobbit,’ where they [shot] one, two, and three, and the movies are just numbing. In the books, you don’t feel that because you pick it up and put it down. In a movie shoot, it’s too long. There’s a limit from what you can take in.”
While there may be other reasons, it would appear that this sort of experience could have contributed to the fact that Lana Wachowski is using a new DP for “The Matrix 4,” which is in production now. And the experience of blockbuster filmmaking 20 years ago clearly didn’t scare off Pope, who has continued to work on massive features such as the ‘Spider-Man’ films, “Men in Black 3,” “Alita: Battle Angel,” and the upcoming Marvel film, “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”