Mythmaking as Business Driver

Wednesday, December 9, 2009
By Rick
And you thought War and Peace was long

And you thought War and Peace was long

Both New York magazine and Details featured a fascinating book in their most recent issues. The book in question, Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made.

Ok, Kubrick is a famous director and Napoleon is certainly a major historical figure, but why the attention to this book? Let’s hear from publisher Taschen:

“Ten books in one tell the fascinating tale of Kubrick’s unfilmed masterpiece

Tucked inside of a carved-out book, all the elements from Stanley Kubrick’s archives that readers need to imagine what his unmade film about the emperor might have been like, including a facsimile of the script. This collector’s edition is limited to 1,000 numbered copies.”

Hmm, that sounds interesting. Tell me more:

“TASCHEN’s sumptuous, limited-edition tribute to this unmade masterpiece makes Kubrick’s valiant work on “Napoleon” available to fans for the first time. Herein, readers can peruse a selection of Kubrick’s correspondence, various costume studies, location scouting photographs, research material, script drafts, and more, each category of material in its own book. Kubrick’s final draft is reproduced in facsimile while the other texts are tidily kenneled into one volume where they dare not interfere with the visual material. All of these books are tucked inside of—or shall we say hiding in?—a carved-out reproduction of a Napoleon history book.”

 Wow, now this is a story in and of itself. Wait, what else do I get?

“Unlimited accessto online image library: 17,000 Napoleonic images downloadable.”

This is crazy, how much does it cost?

Stanley Kubrick’s Napoleon: The Greatest Movie Never Made
Castle, Alison (Editor)
Hardcover with 10 smaller books inserted, includes image database, 29.5 x 37.3 cm (11.6 x 14.7 in.), 2874 pages
$ 700.00
 
A 2,800 page, $700 dollar book about a movie that was never made. That’s how you sell a book. And just like those restaurants that have $1,000 omelettes, it’s not about that item, it’s about telling a story and generating awareness about your brand. Moving forward, I will associate the name Taschen with books that are uncomparably researched, crafted and produced. They would be my first source if I wanted a very specific book for a friend.
For me, this book is a myth within a myth. Indeed, Kubrick’s attempt at making this film makes Coppola’s efforts with Apocalypse Now look like small potatoes. But the story of the book itself now takes on a mythic quality.
Here’s a behind the scenes video of the project:
If you can see this, then you might need a Flash Player upgrade or you need to install Flash Player if it's missing. Get Flash Player from Adobe.
The next time you are working on a project, instead of cutting corners, go the opposite way.
  • Share/Bookmark

Tags: ,

Leave a Reply