July 26th marks the 96th anniversary of the birth of Stanley Kubrick. The film director, screenwriter, and producer made some of our generation’s most ground-breaking films. However, because of his perfectionism bordering on mania, Kubrick only directed thirteen feature films over his 46 year career.
Born in Manhattan, Stanley was given a camera when he turned thirteen. By the time he reached his late teens, Kubrick was gaining recognition as a photographer and began receiving regular assignments from “Look” magazine. He was also an avid film fan and decided to combine his interests in the early 1950s. After directing a few forgettable short films Kubrick gained critical acclaim with 1956’s film noir, “The Killing”. The following year he directed Kirk Douglas in the classic anti-war film, “Paths of Glory” .
Spartacus and Beyond
In 1960 Kubrick directed Kirk Douglas in Spartacus, which at the time, was Hollywood’s most expensive production (12M).
Wishing to write and direct a nuclear war thriller, Kubrick found a book called “Red Alert” by Peter George and used it as the basis for 1964’s “Dr Strangelove”. Originally written as a drama, Kubrick decided that that the subject matter was too funny to be taken seriously. While audiences were amused by the dark comedy, the film set off alarm bells at U.S. government agencies. Procedures were adopted to ensure that no one individual e.g. General Jack Ripper would have access to the complete code needed to unlock a nuclear weapon.
He spent four years working on his next film, “2001:A Space Odyssey”, a science fiction masterpiece that revolutionized the use of visual effects in cinema.
1971’s “A Clockwork Orange” was a critical success but was blamed for a series of copycat break-ins and murders in England. As a result, Kubrick requested that the movie be pulled from UK theaters.
Having turned down the opportunity to direct a sequel to 1973’s “The Exorcist”, Kubrick produced his own horror movie, 1980’s “The Shining”. The film was not only a box-office success but maintains a legion of fans and scholars captivated by the movie’s symbolic imagery and subliminal messages.
1987’s “Full Metal Jacket” won critical acclaim and was another box-office success.
Directing from Afar
Kubrick moved from the United States to England in 1961 because of his dissatisfaction with Hollywood studio practices. In 1974 while filming “Barry Lyndon” in Ireland, Kubrick received death threats from the Irish Republican Army. He fled with his family back to England and became a recluse for the rest of his life.
Perfectionist to the End
Kubrick’s attention to detail was legendary and his management style could be brutal. While filming “The Shining”, Kubrick bullied the late Shelly Duvall to get her into the hysterical state he desired. Things became so stressful for Duvall that she began losing her hair. And that was before Kubrick demanded 127 takes for the classic scene where she swings a baseball bat at Jack Nicholson.
Kubrick died less than a week after the release of 1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut”, a movie that holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for longest continuous film shoot (fifteen months). An example of Kubrick’s tenacity was his forcing Tom Cruise to walk through a door 97 times before the director was satisfied. Co-star Nicole Kidman observed “I think Stanley would have been tinkering with it for the next 20 years… He was never finished. It was never perfect enough.”
Trivia
Kubrick received thirteen Academy Award nominations but won only one. Ironically, his Oscar was not for directing but for Best Special Visual Effects (2001:A Space Odyssey).
Peter Ustinov is the only actor to win an Oscar for a performance in a Kubrick film (Spartacus). The only other Kubrick-directed actor to be nominated was Peter Sellers (Dr. Strangelove).
Sellers was paid $1 million for Strangelove which was 55% of the film’s budget. In addition to the three roles he played, Sellers was slated to play gung-ho pilot Major Kong. Surprisingly the brilliant actor couldn’t perfect a Texas accent. Kubrick reached out to John Wayne and Bonanza star Dan Blocker before settling for the great Slim Pickens.
Have a great weekend. Make mine a grain alcohol with unchlorinated rainwater.
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