Stanley Kubrick Movies

#13 Fear and Desire (1953)  From Wikipedia….. “Fear and Desire (1953) is a military action/adventure film by Stanley Kubrick. It is Kubrick’s first feature film and is also one of his least-seen productions. Kubrick served as the film’s director, producer, cinematographer and editor.” Kubrick would later try to purchase all known prints of the movie, in the hopes it would never be seen in public again. When prints of the movie started to show up in the mid 1990s…..Kubrick issued a statement that severely downplayed the film’s value, and he called Fear and Desire “a bumbling amateur film exercise.” He succeeded in making it difficult to locate…..but I actually tracked down and watched this movie.  A nice first effort….but this is a confusing movie that does not even bother to try and explain itself.

#12 Killer’s Kiss (1955)  After his first movie, Fear and Desire, which was family and friend financed, failed to make a dent at the box office, Kubrick raised the money for his second movie, Killer’s Kiss, by going to different friends and different family members. Killer’s Kiss had a budget of $40,000 but only returned about $21,000 to its producers. The movie which is about a boxer, a gangster and a dance hall girl, received mixed reviews….Kubrick not only co-produced but also directed, photographed and edited the venture from his own screenplay and original story…a true low budget film. One of the better reviews came from the New York Times….they said it looked like Kubrick had some promise.

#11 The Killing (1956) This is the first movie Kubrick made that was not by being banked by his friends and family. With a budget of $320,000 dollars, Kubrick and Jim Thompson (of The Grifters fame) wrote the screenplay based on the novel Clean Break by Lionel White. The drama features Sterling Hayden (who would later play Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove) and Elisha Cook, Jr. The movie did not make its money back but established Kubrick’s reputation as a budding genius among critics and studio executives.

#10 Paths of Glory (1957) Stanley Kubrick’s first great film. Paths of Glory is a 1957 anti-war film based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb. Set during World War I, stars Douglas as the commanding officer of French soldiers who refused to continue a suicidal attack. This movie shows the insanity of trench warfare, Douglas is awesome in his role. In 1992, the film was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. This is my 2nd favorite Stanley Kubrick film.  Outstanding supporting roles and Kirk Douglas is outstanding in the lead role.

#9 Eyes Wide Shut (1999) The last film to be directed, produced and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. The film was based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 Traumnovelle (Dream Story). This is one of my least favorite Kubrick movies. I have only seen it one time and that was enough for me. The movie earned over $87 million in adjusted for inflation box office dollars. It’s 75% critic audience score is the second lowest of all the Kubrick movies. Kubrick died four days after showing the final cut to the stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. FYI.  The next time you watch Eyes Wide Shut….notice how there is a Christmas tree in almost every scene in the movie.

#8 Full Metal Jacket (1987) Considered by some to be the best Vietnam movie ever made. For my money I think Platoon is easily the winner of that argument. Full Metal Jacket follows some infantry riflemen from basic training at Paris Island to the Tet Offensive in 1968. It took Kubrick almost seven years to make this film. Vincent D’Onofrio and R. Lee Ermey are outstanding in the first half of the movie, neither makes it to the second half. IMDB has Full Metal Jacket ranked 86 on their Top 250 list.

#7 Lolita (1962)  Lolita is a 1962 comedy-drama based on the novel by Vladimir Nabokov. James Mason plays Humbert Humbert, a 40-something British professor of French literature who falls in love with a fourteen-year old girl named Lolita. Murder, mayhem and a very funny Peter Sellers (he was Oscar® nominated for his role) take place in the movie. This was Kubrick’s 5th biggest box office hit. Jeremy Irons took over the James Mason role in the 1997 remake.

#6 The Shining (1980) Easily my favorite Staley Kubrick movie. No matter how many times I see this movie, it still can creep me out. Nicholson is fantastic, the sets are awesome, Shelly Duvall is memorable, and Danny Lloyd (his only film) as the son gives a great child performance. The Shining was Kubrick’s 4th biggest hit with $134.40 million in adjusted for inflation box office dollars. For some unknown reason to me, it received no love from the Oscar® or Golden Globe® people, not a single nomination. One of the best movies based on a Steven King book to be filmed.

#4 Barry Lyndon (1975)  When people mention their favorite Kubrick movie, not too many people offer up 1975’s Barry Lyndon. Despite the movie’s lackluster box office (9th of his 13 movies), it earned seven Oscar® nominations (the most of any Kubrick film) and won four Oscars® (tied for most with Spartacus). The movie follows Ryan O’Neal’s character Barry Lyndon from the 1750’s to 1789. In Sight and Sound’s 2002 critic poll, Barry Lyndon was ranked #27 of all-time.

#3 Spartacus (1960)  After veteran director Anthony Mann was fired after the first week of filming by producer Kirk Douglas. Douglas turned to Kubrick to take over the film. Douglas had appeared in Kubrick’s 4th film, Paths of Glory, and felt that Kubrick could handle the $12 million dollar budget with a cast of 10,500.

#2 Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964) Dr. Strangelove was a 1964 black comedy movie that satirized the nuclear scare. The American Film Institute’s 100 years…..100 laughs poll ranks Dr. Strangelove as the 3rd funniest movie in American cinema history.  Kubrick earned his first ever Oscar® nomination for Best Director for this movie.  Peter Sellers was actually supposed to play 4 characters in the movie.  There is great debate about why he never filmed the 4th part.