Stanley Kubrick

"A filmmaker has almost the same freedom as a novelist has when he buys himself some paper." (Kubrick) Stanley Kubrick was born to a Jewish family in New York City on July 26th, 1928. He did not excel in school and he did not start reading (for pleasure) until the age of 19. To many, Kubrick would be seen as a slacker and a complete failure. Kubrick would not find his true calling until the early 50s, when he started to take an interest in film making. He went on to become one of the most prolific filmmakers of all time. Kubrick died on March7th, 1999, six days after screening a final cut of Eyes Wide Shut, his last film.

Kubrick began pursuing his passion by independently funding his own films. Eventually, Kubrick would gather the attention of MGM, who began to fund his movies after the completion of his film The Killing. Kubrick's directing style was very atmospheric and surreal, and the scenes he shot crept along slowly to give the audience time to take in the environment that Kubrick had prepared. Dark and flamboyant imagery were a staple of his directing style.

Some of his most prominent works are A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut (Which Kubrick regarded as his Magnum Opus). One of Kubrick's biggest impacts was his inspiration to George Lucas. George Lucas used 2001: A Space Odyssey as his benchmark for what a Science-Fiction film should be. "Stanley Kubrick made the ultimate science fiction movie, and it is going to be very hard for someone to come along and make a better movie." (Lucas)

Stanley Kubrick left his mark by releasing a collection of unique and stimulating cinema. Stanley Kubrick influenced future films by breaking the boundaries of what was considered appropriate for cinema. His 1961 movie, Lolita, detailed the romantic relationship between a man and an adolescent girl, which for the time was considered outrageously over the top. Without Kubrick's movie, Lolita, disturbing matters such as statutory relations may still not be capable of being touched upon in film.

Stanley Kubrick has had a huge impact on me personally. Kubrick's work inspires me because of its bizarre nature and overall dark tone. Kubrick's work displays a level of creativity that I find almost overwhelming. The exhilaration that I receive from watching a Stanley Kubrick film motivates me to do something great. The work of his that has had the biggest lasting impact on me was his 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, which happens to be my favorite film.