Inside Stanley Kubrick

Madison Forsberg

PSC 3850

Week Two: Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick was born in New York City, but the majority of his film career was spent as an expatriate living in Hertfordshire, England. Some consider the American Director as being highly mysterious or even ambiguous, whereas others would say he is pragmatic or even extensionalistic. In any event, he was said to be truthful and honest, a characteristic that I believe parallels several of his films themes, a concept to be discussed later. Early on, Stanley seemed to lack interest or passion for anything in particular. Grade school was no exception, and despite his intelligence, he made poor marks. Jack, Stanley’s father, worried about his son’s lack of direction, introduced him to two different elements: chess and the camera. Stanley took well to chess and became a highly skilled player. More importantly was his father’s gift of the art of photography. At thirteen, Stanley’s passion for photography began, quickly transitioning into that of film, music, literature, and all artistic renderings of “filmography”. He became an avid photographer and movie aficionado, which his famous film series would later reveal. For Stanley, film was an art form or expression of a complex vision by means of aesthetically stimulating visuals, musical scorns, and meticulous editing.

His photographic skills paid off at age seventeen, when he sold a photograph to Look Magazine. Look Magazine, took notice, subsequently offering him a position as an apprentice photographer. Stanley continued to become even more skillful with his photography, and soon set sights on film: this would launch his career in cinematography. Having no formal training, Stanley relied on his own insights and visions, leading him to become one of the most profound directors of all time.

A consistent pattern with Stanley was his “hands on” approach to the entire film making process, from start to finish. All of his films from early...