Director's Corner: Stanley Kubrick

                     Director’s Corner: Stanley Kubrick

Cinema Wellman’s Kubrick Mt. Rushmore

Hello and welcome to Cinema Wellman. I am your host David and today is the second episode in our “Director’s Corner” series. 

Our first focused on Alfred Hitchcock, and today we’ll take a look at Stanley Kubrick. This series actually came about after my cousin John requested an episode about Stanley Kubrick, so this one's for you, Johnny. 

Since each director is unique, we’re hoping to do something different with each of our “Director’s Corner” episodes. 

I had seen 38 films directed by Hitchcock, so for that episode, we did a Top 13.

Stanley Kubrick only directed 16 movies (including shorts) over the years, so what we’re going to do for him is present our “Mt. Rushmore” of Kubrick films. 

Linking Mt. Rushmore to movies is nothing new since the monument has been featured in several films over the years including National Treasure: Book of Secrets and Team America: World Police.

Mars Attacks redid the “Famous Four” with Martian images, but I liked that trick the first time I saw an alien takeover of the monument which was in Superman II when General Zod and his crew replaced our presidents.

Arguably the most famous use of Mr. Rushmore in movie history is in Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest where the monument is used for a climactic chase sequence. 

Since Hitch was our first guest on “Director’s Corner,” it makes total sense that he would have a link to the second in the series. 

When it came to Kubrick, choosing just four films directed by this legendary, controversial, award winning, critically acclaimed filmmaker was quite a task! 

Kubrick’s films were nominated for a total of 27 Academy Awards, winning nine. Kubrick himself was nominated 13 times, but only won one Oscar (Best Special Effects: 2001: A Space Odyssey), which is a shameful total for such an influential filmmaker. Kind of like Hitchcock, who won zero. 

A lot of thought went into our choices, and we think you may be surprised at what misses being etched in our cinematic granite.

If you stick around, I may run through all 16 Kubrick films, because, yes, I did rank them all…

But first, Cinema Wellman’s Stanley Kubrick Mt. Rushmore.

In no particular order since George, Abe, Teddy, and TJ aren’t in an order either. 

Unless it’s an order I don’t know about. Was that part of National Treasure: Book of Secrets?! I’m not sure, I fell asleep IN THE THEATER for that one. Ask Dakota and Hannah. I shit you not. But that’s another story for another day (maybe).

But first, we will begin with one of the best war movies of all time. 

Paths of Glory (1957)

AP/88 min./IMDb: 8.4

Not only is Paths of Glory considered one of the best war movies of all time, but it’s also considered one of the best anti-war movies of all time. 

Generalissimo Francisco Franco (who is STILL dead!) banned the film in Spain for its anti-military message.

The film was also banned in France for its negative portrayal of the French Army. 

Winston Churchill, a WWI veteran, claimed that it was extremely accurate in its depiction of trench warfare.

Like many of Kubrick’s films, Paths of Glory got a lot of worldwide attention. 

He just made those types of movies.

Paths of Glory is an unflinching look at the horrors of war. And, as wars go, World War I is considered to be one of the most horrific.

Kubrick touches on the unfairness of war, how soldiers are looked at as disposable, corrupt officers letting innocent men be executed to cover their mistakes, and the meaning of cowardice in this heartbreaking film.

You wouldn’t think it while watching, but this film was shot for under $1,000,000, which is absurd when you think of movies these days. Amazingly $300,000 of that $1 million budget went to Kirk Douglas’ salary!

The title comes from Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” “The paths of glory lead but to the grave.”

So true.

Kubrick was known for doing take after take after take, sometimes infuriating his actors. We’re talking 40, 50, even 70 takes! Other directors are known for their speed and “one takes,” not Stanley. 

If you haven’t seen it, Paths of Glory would be a tremendous opener to a WWI double feature, followed by Sam Mendes’ powerful 1917.

Sam Mendes would probably be the first to tell you how much he was influenced by Paths of Glory while making 1917.

Next up is another war movie. Parts of it are just as horrifying, but this one is also insanely funny. 

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

NR/95 min./IMDb: 8.4

Nominated for 4 Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Actor (Sellers), & Screenplay

This film is the answer to the trivia question, “What is the longest title for a movie nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?”

It will also have you wondering how much of this Cold War satire is absolutely true when it comes to our military. I think some of what goes on is closer to the truth than we’d like to believe. 

The great Peter Sellers was paid 55% of the film’s $1,ooo,ooo budget, but he does play three roles in the film. Kubrick quipped that he “got three for the price of six.”

And Sellers is amazing in this movie. 

Although he’s the title character, Dr. Strangelove isn’t on screen that long. But I guarantee you will be laughing every time he shows up. The recurring gag of him misspeaking by calling people “Mein Fuhrer” and physically restraining himself from giving the Hitler salute are hysterical. 

In an instance of a movie world/real world collision, a plane in this film was forced down over Greenland after unknowingly filming a secret U.S. military base. 

Luckily the real-world people in charge weren’t like the movie people in charge, or that plane would just have been shot down. 

Another real-world connection: when President Reagan was elected, he thought the White House had a “War Room” since he had seen it in this movie. A binder in this war room was labeled, “World Targets in Megadeaths.”

There is no such room.

The cast in this film is top notch. Along with Sellers, we have George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, James Earl Jones, Keenan Wynn as Col. “Bat” Guano, and Slim Pickens riding that bomb all the way down. 

This was Kubrick’s last black & white film, and I only mention this because 75% of today’s “Mt. Rushmore” is made up of black & white films.

The only color entry is next, and it’s one that I remember watching with my mom at least two or three times. 

Spartacus (1960)

NR/197 min./IMDb: 7.9

Won 4 Oscars (Costume Design, Art Direction-Set Decoration, Cinematography, & Supporting Actor (Ustinov)

Also nominated for Best Film Editing & Music

I am Spartacus.

If you’ve seen the film, you know what I’m talking about. It’s one of the most iconic scenes in film history and when it was suggested to Kubrick, he told star Kirk Douglas it was a “stupid idea.”

Even great directors aren’t right all the time.

Describing Spartacus as “epic” would be an understatement. This $12 million film (remember this is 1960) about a slave rebellion boasted a cast of roughly 10,500. Uniforms and armor were borrowed from museums to dress soldiers! There were only 187 stuntmen working in Hollywood at the time and ALL of them were trained as gladiators and worked on this movie!

This has an overture AND an intermission. That is mammoth stuff!

Once again, the cast is phenomenal. Along with Kirk Douglas we have Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, John Dall (Rope), and Woody Strode.

My favorite performance is by Peter Ustinov as a slave trader. He is so snarky and such a kiss up to superiors; he serves as a bit of comic relief (a tiny bit) in a very serious movie. I guess I’m not alone in my opinion of this performance since it won Ustinov a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. 

It was written by then blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, and it was good to see his name on the screen which I believe was done during the restoration of the film post HUAC hysteria.

Kubrick himself had a lot of problems with Spartacus and disowned it since he wasn’t given complete control over the filming, and he clashed with studio heads and Kirk Douglas. 

A scene that was quite controversial and actually cut from certain prints of the movie involves a bathhouse conversation between Olivier and Curtis and the merits of snails vs. oysters. 

The first time I watched this, I had no idea what they were talking about.

The second time I saw it, I knew exactly what they were talking about. 

I wonder if my mom sat through that scene that first time thinking to herself, “God, I hope he doesn’t ask.” :)

The final head on our Kubrick Mt. Rushmore is the first film in which he worked with an entirely professional cast and crew, and I’m sure my inclusion of it on my Kubrick Mt. Rushmore will surprise some people. 

The Killing (1956)

AP/84 min./IMDb: 7.9

IMDb: “Crook Johnny Clay assembles a five-man team to plan and execute a daring racetrack robbery.”

Like any director, there are actors that show up over and over in their films. Think the Coen Brothers, Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater…

Today’s quartet features Kirk Douglas twice and Sterling Hayden twice. When Douglas saw this film, he wanted Kubrick to direct him in Paths of Glory. But Douglas and Hayden are leads, I think the real meat is the character actors that directors use over and over.

Joe Turkel is one of those for Kubrick. Not only is he in Paths of Glory and The Killing, but he’s also prominently featured in another Kubrick film you may be familiar with. He’s Lloyd the bartender in The Shining.

Turkel was also Mr. Tyrell in Blade Runner.

The Killing features voiceover narration. Kubrick hated it and didn’t want to include it. The studio insisted, so Kubrick had the narrator give mostly false and misleading information. I love that. 

The man wanted control.

The Killing employs non-linear storytelling which I enjoy when it is done properly. This film and Pulp Fiction are both examples of when it’s done properly. 

This film is a hidden gem of sorts. I think it’s underrated when it comes to Kubrick’s films. I wish Kubrick made more film noir films because he was magnificent at it. 

So, speaking of non-linear storytelling, there are some other things to look for when it comes to screening a Kubrick film. 

I did this with Hitchcock, and I hope to do it with every director who visits our corner. IMDb has once again been extremely helpful with a little film you can watch if you search for Kubrick. It’s extremely well done.

Kubrick’s films feature:

*Emotionally distant characters who are often dehumanized

*Dangerous Worlds

*Controversial Social Themes

*Bold, Simple Colors

*Fluid Camera Movement & Steadicam Mastery

Two more that I hoped were there, and they were, are Kubrick’s use of symmetry or “one-point perspective,” and what is now known as the “Kubrick Stare.”

The one-point perspective is something once used by Renaissance artists that involves the creation of a frame that forces our eyes to the direct center.

And when Kubrick does it, it looks like EVERYTHING is perfectly lined up. It’s amazing to see over and over once you know what you’re looking for. 

The “Kubrick Stare” involves a one-shot of a character who stares directly into our eyes with their heads slightly tilted down. Sometimes it involves the raising of the head a bit.

Again, when you know it’s there and it’s something a director does, it’s wild how often it’s done.

It’s magic.

Both of those short films can be seen on the Interwebs with a minimum of searching. Just look on YouTube for “Kubrick’s One Point,” and “The Kubrick Stare,” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It’s wild seeing them all cut together in a montage. 

Before we go, I wanted to give you my 16-5 in case you wondered where your favorite Kubrick film I didn’t talk about today ended up.

Here we go:

16) Eyes Wide Shut HATED IT!

15) Lolita So creepy. So gross.

14) Barry Lyndon Overblown garbage/HATED IT!

13) The Seafarers

12) Flying Padre

11) Day of the Fight

10) Fear and Desire

9) Killer’s Kiss

8) A Clockwork Orange Will be included on an upcoming episode of “Great Movies I NEVER Want to See Again”

7) Full Metal Jacket May also end up on that list!

6) 2001: A Space Odyssey Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em. And get ‘em if you don’t.

5) The Shining So many people hate this film, Stephen King included, but I really like it.

And you already know the “Final Four.”

Well, that is a wrap from here at Cinema Wellman. Hard to believe that there are only three episodes left in Season Two! Don’t forget to send us any “Wish List” items for our Second Annual Holiday Wish List where we will once again run down things we wish movies would start or stop doing!

We hope you join us next week for a special holiday edition of our “Which Was Worse?” series! You know I’m going to pick on a couple of trashy Christmas horror movies, don’t you?

I am. 

Well, we hope you’re here anyway, and until then, take care.