Meet the producer of ‘greatest film never made’

It was dubbed “the greatest film never made” — Stanley Kubrick’s epic portrayal of Napoleon that never saw the light of day.

Years after the death of the legendary director, the project is back on the cards with the original screenplay due to be released instead as a TV mini series by Steven Spielberg. 

In May, Bermuda’s budding screenwriters and storytellers will get the chance to learn first hand from the original film’s producer Jan Harlan who will produce this most-anticipated profile of the French revolutionary and conqueror. 

Harlan produced some of Kubrick’s best films including Full Metal Jacket, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut and he was also the filmmaker’s brother-in-law.

The workshops will also be taught by international screenwriting department director at the European Film College Jim Fernald. They were made possible by local filmmaker Lucinda Spurling who won a Cultural Legacy Fund that has helped to finance the week-long programme as well as a number of scholarships for young people who may not have the resources to attend. 

She said of Kubrick’s work: “The film just kind of derailed — it was an epic movie that cost a lot of money and if you pair that with a director who is obsessive then that is very expensive. It takes a lot to get the right amount of funding. 

“Kubrick probably spent years and years through the 70s researching and developing this epic film about Napoleon which never got made. 

“He was famous for being, like a lot of auteur filmmakers – Hitchcock was the same way — extremely precise and picky and particular and so all of his films were well researched and devised. 

“It is not surprising he didn’t make it.”

There is a lot being done to keep Stanley Kubrick’s memory and filmmaking alive lately including an exhibition in Los Angeles while Jan Harlan directed a documentary called Kubrick Life In Pictures about his life andwork.

Spurling said the market is ripe for a series such as Napoleon as there are so many popular period and war-related series making it on to the small screen.

“Napoleon is definitely happening and I think a TV mini series will probably work better for it as it is such a long history.

“The time is right for it now — we have The Game of Thrones which is fantasy but has a similar epic war theme. 

“Spielberg has been involved in Pacific and Band of Brothers, audiences have appetites and they really have a great appetite for this now — look at Downton Abbey — they are all television series”. 

Spurling said she wanted to give young people the opportunity to get into the art of screenwriting and storytelling/producing as she believes there are many opportunities for them in the industry.

Through the Cultural Legacy Fund, as well as sponsorship from the St George’s Club, Bermuda College and British Airways, some 15 scholarships have been made available.

Those eligible to apply for scholarships will be accepted through five main partners: The Chewstick Foundation; Bermuda College; Raleigh International; Family Centre; and the Coalition for the Protection of Children. 

There are also plenty of non-scholarship funded places for anyone interested in purchasing week-long tuition. 

Tuition for locals is now at the reduced price of $350 while anyone from overseas will pay $475. (See info box for full details.)

Everyone who signs up to the workshop will be making it possible for another student to have a scholarship to the event,” said Spurling. 

The workshop focuses on screenwriting and story telling through film.

Spurling said: “There is a misconception about producers — people think they deal with the money and are glorified event planners. The fabric of a film is so complicated — especially when you get to the higher echelons of filmmaking — it is all a fabric of decisions and the producer has a huge part to do with that. From locations, and hiring and firing the director and everybody else. 

“They are at the top of the food chain — they steer the whole project. The screenwriter writes the basic plan and the producer will decide to make the film. Often directors are producers too. It is those three at the beginning. 

“The producer is there from day one to the very end of the day — that is why they are awarded the Best Picture at the  Oscars.”

Spurling has been in talks with Fernald about setting up a film school in Bermuda once the economic climate is right. 

He came to Bermuda on a previous trip and loved it so much he contacted Spurling which is how
the workshops came about. 

The Screenwriting in Paradise International Screenwriting Workshop runs from Monday, May 13 to Saturday, May 18 from 9am to 5pm at the Bermuda College — Room G301.