Great Directors: Stanley Kubrick

Quote: “I don’t think that writers or painters or filmmakers function because they have something they particularly want to say. They have something that they feel. And they like the art form; they like words, or the smell of paint, or celluloid and photographic images and working with actors. I don’t think that any genuine artist has ever been oriented by some didactic point of view, even if he thought he was.”

Known as: A relentless perfectionist. Kubrick often subjected his actors to dozens of takes, and made only six films in the 35 years that followed Dr. Strangelove. He was notorious for being a reclusive genius and a cynical misanthrope, charges that may not have been quite accurate. He died shortly after completing but before the release of Eyes Wide Shut.

Debut: Fear and Desire (1953)
Breakthrough: Paths of Glory (1957)
Masterpieces: Dr. Strangelove (1964); 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Biggest Failures: Lolita (1962); Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Overlooked Gems: The Killing (1956); Barry Lyndon (1975)

Influences: Max Ophuls
Disciples: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999)

Image from Dr Strangelove with Peter Sellers.