Research Theme: Stanley Kubrick

For my research theme I was given Stanley Kubrick to research into, one of the most famous auteurs of the past century and controversial. I'm really happy I got given Kubrick because he's one of my favorite film directors so this gives me an excuse to find out everything I can about him.

Stanley Kubrick

July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999

Director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and editor.

Filmography:

1953 'Fear and Desire'
1955 'Killer's Kiss'
1956 'The Killing'
1957 'Paths of Glory'
1960 'Spartacus'
1962 'Lolita'
1964 'Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'
1968 '2001: A Space Odyssey'
1971 'A Clockwork Orange'
1975 'Barry Lyndon'
1980 'The Shining'
1987 'Full Metal Jacket'
1999 'Eyes Wide Shut'

Favorite typeface: Futura

(same as Wes Anderson!)

 

Stanley uses alot of One point perspective in his filming, creating a very similar look throughout, perfect. Due to his background in Photography and knowledge of how camera lenses worked because of this. So alot of the framing is done in this way so that the image isn't distorted by his heavy use of wide-angle lenses.

Kubrick is found all over in Pop culture too, Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance' music video takes heavy inspiration from his films 'Clockwork Orange' and '2001: A Space Odyssey' video below is of the music video.

Here are the comparisons to the video with stills to the films referenced:

It's not just the video's she has him referenced it's also in her lyrics to 'Dance in the Dark'

"Find your freedom in the music.

Find your Jesus, find your Kubrick"

Dance in the Dark - Lady Gaga 

It's not just the Lady Gaga that does this, Kubrick's films are also the Simpsons most reference used in the cartoons. Even with a full episode based around the Shining! (South park recently did this too)

He even had to withdraw his own film Clockwork Orange in 1971 after receiving death threats:

Clockwork Orange, 1971

Stanley Kubrick’s most controversial film was adapted from Anthony Burgess’s bestselling dystopian novel about Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, and his gang of violent “droogs” who get their thrills  killing tramps and raping women. Given an X rating by the BBFC, Kubrick himself withdrew the film from British screens in 1973 and his widow has since revealed that he did so on police advice after threats were made to his family

Also employed advanced techniques of film-making also made him well known in the film industry, for his big break he used back-lit screening, a type of what would be today Green-screening but using mirrors and projections to project a image behind a set to make it appear as if they were really there. This takes heavy usage at the start of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Then with the Shining he was one of the first few to make use of the Steadicam.

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He also broke records with his final film, 'Eyes wide shut' for the longest continuous shoot:

'...At 15 months, the shoot for Eyes Wide Shut is included in the Guinness Book of World Records, for the ‘longest constant movie shoot’ of any motion picture in the history of Hollywood, which included an unbroken span of 46 weeks. Tom Cruise was filmed 90 times walking through a doorway, which accounts for a second entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for Eyes Wide Shut. Stanley died 4 days after delivering the final cut of the film...'

I really loved this scene from 2001: A Space Odysessy, it was a fully built wheel which revolved, this jogging scene was just him stood on the spot jogging but thanks to the camera made it seem as if he was actually jogging around a revolving wheel in space. Similar to what was done in 'Inception' corridor scene. Except his was done in 1968. The film 2001, was made before even the moon landing! 

I find Kubrick a really interesting person, his confidence in what he was doing, even from the initial negative press every one of his films got when they came out they're now seen as been some of the best films of their time. I'd like to focus maybe the research down into one of his films or perhaps feature all of them.

“If  it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed.”

- Stanley Kubrick

(July 2, 1928 – March 7, 1999)

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/5247331/Simon-Cowell-polished-Jack-Nicholsons-axe-for-The-Shining.html

http://www.thefoxisblack.com/2012/12/11/saul-bass-poster-sketches-for-stanley-kubricks-the-shining/

http://www.kikidm.com/shop/home.php

http://www.directlyrics.com/lady-gaga-dance-in-the-dark-lyrics.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2012/nov/10/censored-cinema-in-pictures#/?picture=399161542&index=6

http://kentroversypapers.blogspot.co.uk/2006/03/eyes-wide-shut-occult-symbolism.html

http://filmjive.wordpress.com/tag/2001-a-space-odyssey/

http://www.angelfire.com/la3/aries1b/

http://www.underview.com/asohow.html