For my first Director of the Month, I'm starting with an easy one, and arguably the greatest director of all time. A perfectionist, stickler for detail, and madman, Stanley Kubrick was the living embodiment of the saying "Make movies for yourself first, audiences second."
The only potential rival to Kubrick's mastery of genre is Hollywood veteran Billy Wilder, but his movies lacked the artistic, daring elements that made Kubrick's great. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is one of the top-rated comedies of all time (second only to Chaplin's Modern Times) with its timeless satirical commentary on foreign policy and world politics. The Shining (1980) is a horror film that has scared multiple generations- but it's so much more than that. Anyone who has seen it can see the touch of an artist ingrained into every shot, whether it's through carefully constructed cross-fades, innovative camerawork as we chop through the bathroom door, or the unforgettable shot thrusting us into Danny's head- literally. Where Kubrick took the idea of a commentary piece on war and turned it into a comedy with Dr. Strangelove, he turned a complete 180 with Full Metal Jacket (1987). Every movie chronicling the subject has tried to capture that old saying: "War is Hell", but this vision of hell is haunting in every aspect, though some argue that the second act is disappointing when compared to its exceptional first. Regardless, FMJ is a movie that shows but doesn't tell, warns but never preaches. Now we come to Kubrick's one and only rated-X movie: A Clockwork Orange (1971) , which combines elements from drama, sci-fi, and crime. The prominent juxtaposition of violence and beauty is what really takes this film over the top when it combines 'Singin' in the Rain' with a brutal rape scene, and Beethoven with reformatory torture. With respect to the films that will go unlisted here: Eyes Wide Shut, Barry Lyndon, Lolita, Spartacus, The Killing, Paths of Glory, and Fear and Desire, none could surpass what is credited as the best science fiction movie of all time. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) has been dismissed by some as boring, overly artistic, and lacking meaning, but I think this is because audiences have come to expect a beginning, middle, and end from movies. This movie hardly satisfies that expectation, but that should not classify it as a let-down. The opening scene is awe-inspiring to say the least, and though the ending is confusing and hard to comprehend, so is the future. It's difficult to name a movie that so beautifully captures what it means to be human.
Three Shots that Define Stanley Kubrick as a Director
The only potential rival to Kubrick's mastery of genre is Hollywood veteran Billy Wilder, but his movies lacked the artistic, daring elements that made Kubrick's great. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) is one of the top-rated comedies of all time (second only to Chaplin's Modern Times) with its timeless satirical commentary on foreign policy and world politics. The Shining (1980) is a horror film that has scared multiple generations- but it's so much more than that. Anyone who has seen it can see the touch of an artist ingrained into every shot, whether it's through carefully constructed cross-fades, innovative camerawork as we chop through the bathroom door, or the unforgettable shot thrusting us into Danny's head- literally. Where Kubrick took the idea of a commentary piece on war and turned it into a comedy with Dr. Strangelove, he turned a complete 180 with Full Metal Jacket (1987). Every movie chronicling the subject has tried to capture that old saying: "War is Hell", but this vision of hell is haunting in every aspect, though some argue that the second act is disappointing when compared to its exceptional first. Regardless, FMJ is a movie that shows but doesn't tell, warns but never preaches. Now we come to Kubrick's one and only rated-X movie: A Clockwork Orange (1971) , which combines elements from drama, sci-fi, and crime. The prominent juxtaposition of violence and beauty is what really takes this film over the top when it combines 'Singin' in the Rain' with a brutal rape scene, and Beethoven with reformatory torture. With respect to the films that will go unlisted here: Eyes Wide Shut, Barry Lyndon, Lolita, Spartacus, The Killing, Paths of Glory, and Fear and Desire, none could surpass what is credited as the best science fiction movie of all time. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) has been dismissed by some as boring, overly artistic, and lacking meaning, but I think this is because audiences have come to expect a beginning, middle, and end from movies. This movie hardly satisfies that expectation, but that should not classify it as a let-down. The opening scene is awe-inspiring to say the least, and though the ending is confusing and hard to comprehend, so is the future. It's difficult to name a movie that so beautifully captures what it means to be human.
Three Shots that Define Stanley Kubrick as a Director
The iconic jogging scene is one of the most technically impressive scenes in film history. Achieved by constructing a wheel inside of a wheel (so that the structure could move multiple directions at once) this shot is a perfect example of practical effects creating just the same magic as CGI.
The Shining is a movie that undoubtedly pushed the limits of camerawork. Although I would not consider this to be the most stunning shot from the movie, the use of a low Steadicam is a Kubrick innovation, and the suspense created with texture + noise is eerie.
SPOILER ALERT: DO NOT WATCH IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN FULL METAL JACKET
To end, I had to choose my favorite scene from any of Kubrick's movies- the infamous FMJ bathroom scene. There's really nothing like it when it comes to experiencing the horrors of war.
To end, I had to choose my favorite scene from any of Kubrick's movies- the infamous FMJ bathroom scene. There's really nothing like it when it comes to experiencing the horrors of war.