Topic: The Stanley Kubrick Appreciation Thread

[lurganboy]

I hit search and found a few mentions of Kubrick dotted here and there, but no dedicated thread. The old master deserves one, so here goes.

I've always liked Kubrick, since seeing The Shining on an old Betamax player shortly after it came out.
Last Chrimbo I got his recent boxset. It begins with Lolita and runs through to Eyes Wide Shut. Eight movies. So of his major movies missing only Paths of Glory and Spartacus. There's also a documentary DVD as well. Great value for the £25 I paid.

I love the way each of his films is so different, yet so fully realised.
My favourite is probably either Dr Stranglove or Barry Lyndon, with 2001, Clockwork Orange and The Shining close behind.

I love the stories people tell of him too. He had a real wit on him. Malcolm McDowell was mindful of the fact he was notorious for shooting the same scene dozens of times - and in one case getting Shelly Duvall to do the same scene more than 100 times (that 'end of her tether' look in the movie was Stanley's doing as much as Jack's)
So McDowell said: "Stanley, I'm not sure I've got a handle on this scene. How do you think I should approach it?"
Kubrick fixed him with a dead stare and said: "I'm not fucking RADA."

Anyway. Any other Kubrick heads in?

[DarrenKaye]

What about Eyes Wide Shut? You didn't even mention it. I remember when it came out, 99% of the cultured critics dismissing it as a farce and a couple of years later calling it a masterpiece. Full Metal Jacket also great. I can't pick one or two. I just love watching them over and over again.

[rafathegaffa83]

Barry Lyndon is my favourite Kubrick film. Beautifully shot and woefully underrated.

[JohnnyDrama]

Love Full Metal Jacket

[Okkervil]

Arguably the greatest director ever. Love pretty much all his films. Clockwork Orange for me is his masterpiece and is my favourite Kubrick. Closely followed by The Shining, 2001, and Full Metal Jacket.

[Henry Chinaski]

The man wanted to make the best film in every genre. Arguably, he has made the most interesting film of every genre. Undoubted genius.
My current favourite must be Dr. Strangelove. A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, Lolita, Full Metal Jacket, the Shining, ... it's endless.

[Dan86]

Good to Barry Lyndon getting some mentions. My favourite Kubrck film & the best rise & fall story ever told.

Saw Lolita for the first time the other week, really enjoyed it. Great director.

[lurganboy]

What about Eyes Wide Shut?

Yes I did, read the post.

Barry Lyndon is utterly superb. Kubrick used special lenses that had never been used in filmaking before (I think he got them from NASA, who were using them for watching the skies) to film the candlelit scenes in the movie.
Probably the most beautifully shot movie I have ever seen.

[cornelius]

2001 had a huge impact on me. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket and Clockwork Orange are awesome and amongst my favourite films.

Barry Lyndon on the other hand is totally dreadful. Plenty of Kubrick's trademarks yes but that doesn't make it a great film. It's tedious, abysmal and the self induldgence is whopping even for Kubrick! Ryan O' Neal is just fucking awful. In fact just thinking about that film makes my blood boil. I'll never get those 3 hours of my life back. Of course if you're pretentious, you'll no doubt love it.

The less said about Eyes Wide Shut the better.

[lurganboy]

Barry Lyndon received Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Musical Score. Kubrick was nominated three times, for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Its Scorsese's favourite film, its Brian Eno's favourite film. It is renowned for its cinematography, its music is fantastic, the Prussian War battlefield shots are superb too.

Agree about O'Neal though. He was wank.

[Henry Chinaski]

Feel like watching Barry Lyndon again tonight after reading all this.

[Dr Cornwallis]

Why a thread now? Has he died again?   

[Canada Loves Anfield]

I havent seen too many movies in my life - but Dr. Strangelove is by far - my favorite movie of all time

[cornelius]

Barry Lyndon received Academy Awards for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Musical Score. Kubrick was nominated three times, for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Its Scorsese's favourite film, its Brian Eno's favourite film. It is renowned for its cinematography, its music is fantastic, the Prussian War battlefield shots are superb too.

To be fair most of the awards won were for technical elements of the film rather than artistic which I did say were trademark Kubrick and thus brilliant but as a piece of entertainment the film is just monotony personified. I'd rather pour turps in my eyes than sit through that film again. And Brian Eno? Like I said, the pretentious love this film for reasons known only best to them and you can't get much more pretentious than Brian Eno.

Anyway since when did the academy awards become a parameter of how good a film is? They've got it wrong on so many occasions and generally their attitude down the years has been extremely snobby. Films like Barry Lyndon always get the nod at the Oscars while many great films get overlooked because of their percieved populism.

No amount of great camera work can make up for a dull story, full of dull characters, played by dull actors.

[lurganboy]

Anyway since when did the academy awards become a parameter of how good a film is?
No amount of great camera work can make up for a dull story, full of dull characters, played by dull actors.

Fair enough. Your view's your view. You didn't like it. I do, so do a lot of other people. But it is a little patronising to accuse anyone who likes it as being pretentious.
It is a very slow-paced film certainly, but I never found it dull. Movies often are fast-paced, the big American ones particulary and that often makes them predictable, and, well, dull.

I think Kubrick was aiming to recreate the mood of the period, and did it incredibly well. Part of that was the costumes, the lighting, and it was also the slow pace. Life is a lot faster today.

[cornelius]

I think Kubrick was aiming to recreate the mood of the period, and did it incredibly well.

If the mood of the period was miserable as fuck then yeah he certainly succeeded because that's how I felt!

But it is a little patronising to accuse anyone who likes it as being pretentious.

Aggressive maybe but not patronising.

It is a very slow-paced film certainly

I don't mind slow pace, hell I like slow pace, but slow pace and boring are not a good match.

[Rorus]

Fantastic director. One of the very best.

Dr Strangelove's my favorite. 2001 a close second. A true work of art.

The less said about Eyes Wide Shut the better.

Why so down on Eyes Wide Shut? It was Kubrick's favorite movie (of those he made). I don't like Tom Cruise much (at all actually ) but he was perfect for the role. A cocky shit who's oblivious to the reality of the world he's in.
There isn't a wasted scene in the film, everthing is there for a reason. Lot's of overt and subtle symbolism. Like the rainbow theme for example. The female actresses clothing follows the colours of the rainbow throughout the film.
Deffo a film that merits repeated viewing.

[That Kennedy moment]

Paths of Glory is a beautiful film, poetic, poignant, angry, brilliant battle scenes, great acting. Kirk Douglas turns in a superb performance. One of the great war films.

And Spartacus is still the best sword and sandals epic ever made.

A genius director, up there with the likes of Hitchcock and Lean for me.

Lived and died in St Albans didn't he?

[Ray K]

I love that he filmed all the Vietnam scenes in Full Metal Jacket on the Isle of Dogs cos he didnt want to leave england.

I love that one of the most control-freak of directors let Peter Sellers do whatever he wanted on Strangelove cos he knew he was a genius (even putting a dedicated camera on him at all times)

I love that he could move from brilliant social dystopia to brilliant period drama to brilliant horror without any bother. (And Barry Lyndon is a great film, btw).

And I hate that his last film is utterly unwatchable.

[davidg]

The criticism of Eyes Wide Shut has always baffled me, I thought it was mesmerising.

[zimmie'5555]

Dr. Strangelove & Full Metal Jacket are great. No so keen on 2001 or Clockwork Orange though

[DizzyMunchkin]

Not seen all of kubricks stuff but the ones I have see I hated Clockwork Orange  pile of pretenious bollocks, 2001 was an utterly boring pile of shite, (only good thing it cure my mates insomia!), Eyes wide shut   arthouse porn & awful at that!   However do love Full Metal jacket & Spartacus.

[Degs]

Love Kubrick.

So hard to compare the different genres but for me his best is 2001.

[Dan86]

No amount of great camera work can make up for a dull story, full of dull characters, played by dull actors.

It was the story that made it for me. Loved the rags to riches & back the gutter tale, especially the last hour when his life is unravelling & he's falling to bits. Utterly gripping.

[Rorus]

I love that he filmed all the Vietnam scenes in Full Metal Jacket on the Isle of Dogs cos he didnt want to leave england.

There is the film's fatal flaw for me. Look at others in the genre (Apocalypse Now for example; gorgeous scenery) and they're at least shot in the right part of the world. Good movie, one his most popular but let down greatly by not going to SE Asia at least.

The criticism of Eyes Wide Shut has always baffled me, I thought it was mesmerising.

Me too. Not his best but hardly deserving of the amount of criticism it gets. It needs to be watched more than once because of how much detail he crams into every scene.
Everything's subjective. But if there was something in the movie it's because Kubrick wanted it to be exactly that way. He felt it was his best work for a reason.

[That Kennedy moment]

There is the film's fatal flaw for me. Look at others in the genre (Apocalypse Now for example; gorgeous scenery) and they're at least shot in the right part of the world. Good movie, one his most popular but let down greatly by not going to SE Asia at least.

Spot on there mate. In the training scenes, at the barracks, you can see it's filmed in England and not America by the road markings - a right howler there.

And the battle scenes in Vietnam are atrocious. Vietnam looks nothing at all like those sets Kubrick created.

[Vinay]

Does the Box Set have The Killing?  And where can I get hold of this set for £25? 

Great Director.  Full Metal Jacket wasa bit of a joke though.

[lurganboy]

Does the Box Set have The Killing?  And where can I get hold of this set for £25? 

Great Director.  Full Metal Jacket wasa bit of a joke though.

I bought mine around Christmas time last year for £25 in HMV in Sheffield. I think it had been marked down from £35.
You could have a look in your nearest HMV or try ebay. I'm sure you'll pick it up for that price or thereabouts. It's well, well worth it.

Unfortunately it doesn't have The Killing, Killer's Kiss, Paths of Glory or Spartacus. It starts with Lolita and runs through to Eyes Wide Shut.

[Vinay]

Cheers fellah.

I downloaded and just finished watching The Killing. What a great movie!!!!

[royhendo]

some true bollocks being spoken about full metal jacket here no? have you ever heard of suspension of disbelief? it's essentially satire isn't it?

i love that film. 2001's my favourite from him, and then full metal jacket. the dialogue is bloody marvellous, and not just gunnery sgt hartman.

[CarlitoB]

Did anyone watch the documentary True Stories: Stanley Kubrick's Boxes on More4 tonight?

It was a fascinating yet ultimately sad documentary, as it made me yearn for all those films that might have been (it was also far too short).

The glorious mad bastard was taken from us too damn early.

[cornelius]

Did anyone watch the documentary True Stories: Stanley Kubrick's Boxes on More4 tonight?

I just watched it. Nice little insight into the man.

[lurganboy]

Didn't realise it was on. I'll go see if I can get it on replay. Thanks for the heads up.

[BIGdavalad]

Spot on there mate. In the training scenes, at the barracks, you can see it's filmed in England and not America by the road markings - a right howler there.

And the battle scenes in Vietnam are atrocious. Vietnam looks nothing at all like those sets Kubrick created.

Filmed at Army Training Regiment Bassingbourne in Cambridgeshire. Used to be a Yank airbase where the Memphis Belle flew from in World War 2. You can see the window that I slept under for 12 weeks in one of the scenes.

[hooded claw]

You can see the window that I slept under for 12 weeks in one of the scenes.

In high-def, the blue plaque commemorating said event is clearly visible.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Dr. Strangelove
Paths of Glory
2001

in that order.

Superb director but is he better than Huston or Ford. Not so sure.

[Dan86]

How could his last film be such nonsense? I'm watching Eyes Wide Shut for the second time. First time I thought it was wank, second time it's worse. Tom Cruise looks like it's the first time he's ben been behind a camera, he has a freaked out look despite the many, many takes. I couldn't care less about the story & hope she plays away from home.

Shame it ended like this as everything from Lolita was great.

Horrible film.

[shelovesyou]

The Shining , Great film ,
Seen it loads and still dont get it really but thats the beauty of it

The colours are amazing , the whole feel of the film very eary , especially the bit with the kid going round on that
bike and the sound of the hard floor switching to silence on the rugs , pure genius .

[kopindian]

Dr.Strangelove,full metal jacket,clockwork orange,2001,shining,paths of glory,barry lyndon-in this order.Haven't seen his other works.

[jackh]

I've been gifted the Blu-Ray boxset in the last week or so...having never actually seen a full Kubrick film, I'm looking forward to getting stuck in.

A bump for anyone looking for a film to watch, I guess.