Stanley Kubrick's Rare 1972 Interview Lands on TCM Podcast in 2027

A rare, complete 1972 interview with Stanley Kubrick will be released January 7, 2027, as a bonus episode of Turner Classic Movies' podcast "The Plot Thickens." The recording, conducted by Newsday film critic Joseph Gelmis, runs nearly three hours and has previously been heard only in excerpts across the current season.

The news adds two bonus episodes to the podcast's existing 11-episode run, both dedicated to the director of "The Shining" and "2001: A Space Odyssey," who died in 1999 just before "Eyes Wide Shut" was released.

What does the 1972 interview contain?

The conversation dates from the era of "A Clockwork Orange." According to TCM, it "captures the famously private Kubrick in an expansive conversation with Gelmis, discussing his approach to directing actors and his beginnings as an independent filmmaker alongside personal interests, including football and his beloved pets."

Kubrick also weighs in on a perennial cinephile question: how home viewing might reshape moviegoing, even while he advocates for the theatrical experience. During the discussion of "A Clockwork Orange," Kubrick recounts wearing a copper bracelet he believed relieved shoulder pain from playing ping-pong.

Host Ben Mankiewicz said: "Kubrick had a reputation for being private, but here you get to spend nearly three hours listening to him talk about his work and his everyday life. There's pleasure in letting the conversation unfold; hearing what he takes seriously, what exasperates him, and what amuses him. What film lover isn't curious about how Stanley Kubrick sees the world?"

How does the episode fit the season?

The new season of "The Plot Thickens," titled "Stanley," was created in partnership with Criterion and explores Kubrick's life and career through archival audio and interviews with those who knew him and worked with him. New episodes arrive every Thursday.

The season coincides with renewed attention to Kubrick's catalogue. Criterion has just released a box set covering the director's entire filmography, including the much-debated, rare international cut of "The Shining."

What comes after the Gelmis interview?

TCM will release a second bonus episode on January 14, 2027: a recording of its sold-out Kubrick panel, presented in partnership with American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre. Mankiewicz moderated the discussion, held before a screening of "Dr. Strangelove." The panel features filmmaker Jason Reitman, dialect coach Elizabeth Himelstein, and former L.A. Times critic Kenneth Turan.

Both bonus episodes will be available on all major podcast apps and platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

For listeners, the January 7 release offers the closest thing available to an unmediated Kubrick monologue — three hours of the director discussing craft, pets, ping-pong shoulders and the future of cinema in his own words.