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He is one of the most famous directors
of the modern age. In a time known for its obsession with
money and box office success, Kubrick was known for his
audacity and creative will. While his films were not always
well received the first time round, it is a sign of his
greatness that all but a few are now seen as classics of the
silver screen.
Stanley Kubrick was born July 26th,
1928 in New York’s Bronx district. For a director of his
reputation, it is surprising to note that he only has 16
films to his credit. His first films were labors of love,
made on shoestring budgets. Kubrick got his first camera at
age 13, and immediately fell in love with composition,
lighting and other visual arts. Kubrick got hired early on
as a photographer for Look magazine, where he got
some much-needed practice in his craft.
While he worked days, he scrounged
together enough money to do what he really wanted - direct a
movie. Kubrick had taken to visiting local museums to check
out their film exhibits and he really wanted to give it a
try. When he was 22, he made his first film with a budget of
$3,900. The film, The Day of the Fight was a
documentary on prizefighter Walter Cartier. Impressively,
Kubrick managed to sell his first film to RKO productions -
earning a slight profit of $100. He continued making small
projects over the next few years. He quit his job to
concentrate on his art and had to beg money from relatives
and friends in order to finance his work. While he didn’t
always get them their money back, he was determined to
succeed.
When actor Sterling Hayden, impressed
with one of Kubrick’s films, agreed to star in his next
project, United Artists also got on board, giving Stanley
his first real budget to work with. It was only $200,000 but
compared to his previous budgets, it was a fortune. The
film, The Killing was successful enough that they
would give him an additional million dollars for his next
film Paths of Glory. He moved another step up the
ladder of success when he took over the seat left open by
Anthony Mann at the helm of Spartacus.
Stanley Kubrick then did a really odd
thing. He picked up and moved over to England, where he set
up shop. His physical departure from Hollywood also
signified a creative rift between him and the establishment.
Kubrick immediately set to work adapting the controversial
French novel, Lolita, for the big screen.
The book was notorious for its
explicit sex and its very young heroine. When the film was
finally released, North American censors were severe and the
final cut released to audiences was toned down to the point
of tedium. Audiences expecting tawdry adventures instead had
to settle for double entendres and sexual innuendo. The
promise but not the practice.
Kubrick shrugged off the failure and
pressed on. He was an infamous perfectionist and workhorse
who was known for taking years to make a movie. Two years
after Lolita, his follow up, Dr. Strangelove or:
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb finally
came out to a mixed reception. People just didn’t know
what to make of the dark satire. It took another four years
before 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in
theaters.
2001 remains Kubrick’s most
famous film, and even today offers the litmus test against
which all other science fiction is judged. The film, which
concentrated heavily on visual and auditory experimentation
with little dialogue, confounded audiences. Many individuals
got up during the premiere and stalked out in disgust.
However, time would prove them wrong as the film has
steadily grown in pre-eminence over the past decades as more
and more people come to appreciate Kubrick’s art.
As if the controversial director
needed more controversy, his next film would shock and
disgust the world, his chosen home of England in particular.
A Clockwork Orange, a film which satirized the social
conditioning of a very violent thug, was so explicit for the
times that it was savaged by critics. It was even pulled
from English theaters after it was accused of inciting
copycat violence. Kubrick vowed that it would never again be
shown in England.
Once again, after people got over the
initial shock, a greater appreciation was given to the film
and its maker. It is much easier to watch and enjoy A
Clockwork Orange now than it was in the early 70s, but
it remains a very disturbing experience.
After Clockwork, Stanley
Kubrick continued to work, although he slowed down even
more. It took another four years before Barry Lyndon
made it to theaters to a disappointing reception. It took
another five for The Shining. The horror film is
probably his most widely recognized work aside from 2001,
but is far from his greatest. Kubrick’s next film was Full
Metal Jacket, which came out seven years after his
previous effort. The Viet Nam story is one of the oddest but
most compelling ever put to celluloid.
When Kubrick announced that he was
working on a new picture, based on another sexy French novel
- Traumnovelle- after a 12 year absence, there was a
collective gasp of anticipation heard around the world.
Finally, his legions of fans would be given a new film to
enjoy. Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole
Kidman, quickly became notorious for its long shoot, which
kept the stars in England for over a year. Critics wondered
if Kubrick would finally have the creative freedom to do
what he could not in Lolita.
Unfortunately, Stanley Kubrick died
shortly after completing Eyes Wide Shut and never got
to see his film released. He passed away from natural causes
on March 7th, 1999 in Hertfordshire England. He will be
missed.
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