Stanley Kubrick, a legendary film director, made only 16 films but they are considered some of the most influential ever made. He started as a photographer and made his way to directing, with his films exploring the darker side of human nature. After moving to England, he made Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick was known for his perfectionism and reclusiveness, and his films regularly make top ten lists. He died in 1999.
Stanley Kubrick is considered one of the greatest film directors in the world. In his directorial life, he only made 16 films, but they are known as some of the most influential and important films ever made. His films regularly enter the top ten in the lists of films that are compiled every year.
Kubrick was born in the Bronx, New York in 1928. For his 13th birthday, his father gave him a camera. The camera paid off, as Kubrick soon began photographing and selling his photographs. At the age of 17, he became a photographer’s apprentice.
The leap from photographer to director was not great. In 1951, using his own money, Kubrick made a documentary called Day of the Flight. The path had been established and from there, Kubrick began making films like Killer’s Kiss in 1955 and Murder in 1956. Hollywood began to take notice and after directing Kirk Douglas in Paths of Glory in 1957, Kubrick was approached to direct Douglas back to Spartacus.
After the success of Spartacus in 1960, Kubrick was to direct Marlon Brando in One Eyed Jacks in 1961. Both Brando and Kubrick had their own meticulous ways of working. No deal could be reached between the two and ultimately Brando ended up directing himself. Frustrated with Hollywood, Stanley Kubrick left for England, where he lived and worked until his death. All of his films since his arrival in England have been made there.
Kubricks’ filmmaking process has been seen as painstakingly meticulous. It is said to place high demands on its actors, but for the most part, the end result has been worth it. His films often explore the darker side of human nature and many have been the subject of much controversy.
His first film in England was Lolita, based on the controversial book of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov. Kubrick took great care with this film so that the sexuality involved would not fall afoul of the British censors. His next film, in 1964, was Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The film started out as a drama, but after deciding that the nuclear war-themed ideas were too funny, Kubrick turned it into a satirical comedy.
The commercial and critical success of Strangelove gave Stanley Kubrick artistic and financial freedom. He went on to make what is considered by some to be the greatest film ever made. 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in 1968, set the standard for every sci-fi film made since. It became a cult classic, as did his follow-up film, A Clockwork Orange. The violence in A Clockwork Orange was said to be responsible for many copycats of violent incidents, and the director banned the film of him in Britain.
Kubrick’s reputation as a perfectionist had also grown during this time. The demands he placed on his actors and his commitment to his films were becoming legendary. A notoriously private man, he never gave interviews and became a virtual recluse. He continued to make films, such as The Shining in 1980 and Full Metal Jacket in 1987.
Kubrick’s last film was Eyes Wide Shut in 1999, starring Tom Cruise and his then wife Nicole Kidman. The film took two years to make and was reportedly the cause of much tension over Cruise and Kidman’s marriage. Stanley Kubrick died in 1999 of natural causes. He was a visionary director whose films were intelligent, challenging and always visually exciting.
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