Stanley Kubrick – Cinematic Genius

Love his films or hate them, there’s absolutely no denying the influence and legacy that Stanley Kubrick has left on the cinematic industry. So much so that film historians have been quoted as saying that his films are “among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century”

I know I have a rep for going on about Tarantino every second I get (and rightfully so!) but Kubrick is another director whose work I do have much love for and talk of.

He was born 26th July in New York City in 1928. After not doing too great in school he developed many other interests – mostly reading, photography and teaching himself film-making.

After making a few shorts and working on the Kirk Douglas war movie Paths of Glory followed up by the epic Spartacus, Kubrick moved to the U.K after being slightly disillusioned by the Hollywood system. He remained living here for the rest of his life until passing away 7th March 1999.

So what does his legacy consist of? His influence in modern Pop-Culture is very much felt. If you ask ANY film-maker working in Hollywood or the indie scene today, there’s a very good chance that Stanley Kubrick’s name will come up as an inspiration. Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and George Lucas have all borrowed heavily from his work (Kubricks next film in pre-production was A.I:Artificial Intelligence when he died. The project was taken over by Spielberg) Chances are you probably think about or say a reference to one of his films without even knowing it.

A notorious perfectionist and a stickler for detail, his methods and techniques are the stuff of legend! One of his films, which I personally consider his masterpiece, is his adaptation of Stephen Kings The Shining apparently took nearly a year to film, the infamous “HERE’S JOHNNY!!” scene took 3 days and multiple doors and the making of the film took its toll on lead actress Shelley Duvall, who ended up suffering from nervous exhaustion. Jack Nicholson has also stated that most scenes in that film would end up being in excess of 50 takes.

(Not the clearest pic, but the detail is there)

I might cover more of this film at Halloween.

Other Kubrick films that are must see are:

2001: A Space Odyssey

Dr Strangelove or:How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb

A Clockwork Orange

Barry Lyndon

Full Metal jacket

 

  

And also – if rumours and conspiracy theories are to be believed, it was actual Stanley Kubrick who directed and filmed the original Moon Landings footage with Neil Armstrong setting foot on the Moon. Still to be proved though…..

It’s been a bit of an “all over the place” post but I felt Stanley was someone who deserves a bit more than a standard birthday post I’d usually put up. Hopefully there’s something here that has been informative or will make you want to seek out one of his films. I, along with a few others, was fortunate enough to get some time with his brother-in-law and frequent producer Jan Harlan back in 2014 through the BFI. He spoke about the art of film-making, Kubrick himself and the best route to take to get your screenplay made.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Ian (It’s me! It’s me!)