Stanley Kubrick

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Stanley Kubrick is one of the most influential and daring filmmakers to ever put his mark on the silver screen. He has created a large body of very influential works spanning several decades and many genres. Throughout his whole collection there are many elements which are repeatedly used to enhance the viewer's experience. There are also many recurring themes in Kubrick's works that are commented on both by the context in which they are brought forth and the techniques used to expound upon those themes.

In this paper I will be specifically discussing five of my favorite Kubrick films to demonstrate various aspects of Kubrick as an auteur: Dr. Strangelove, the cult classic dark comedy about nuclear warfare, 2001: A Space Odyssey, a benchmark science fiction film, A Clockwork Orange, a dystopian commentary on our society, The Shining, a horror film that follows few rules, and Full Metal Jacket, a Vietnam movie filmed entirely in England.

Kubrick is very fond of the three act structure. In fact, all of the aforementioned movies follow a three act structure except for 2001. Dr. Strangelove divides neatly into the beginning where the story is introduced, then a period of escalating tension after the doomsday device is introduced, and the closing action revolving around the continued efforts of the single remaining B-52. A Clockwork Orange's three acts include the ultraviolent actions of Alex and his gang, the Ludovico treatment (containing possibly one of the most recognizable scenes in film), and Alex's life after being reformed. The Shining has The Interview, The Overlook, and after Jack loses his last grip on sanity. Full Metal Jacket is broken into Bootcamp, Vietnam, and (as Kubrick's characters referred to it) The S...

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...callousness of the soldiers as they negotiate price and acts is also a pointed statement about both attitudes toward sex and the American views of Vietnamese during the war. In contrast, 2001 seems to ignore sexuality completely. The complete lack of sexuality in the future imagined by Kubrick is interesting, and seems to fit with that films overall unemotional nature of the mankind presented.

Stanley Kubrick certainly has a style of film making all his own, and no matter where he is taking you with the film, it is almost unmistakably him taking you there. In every Kubrick film I have seen there are always new elements to consider and connect back to aspects of his other films, and it is always worth the time to watch one. His genius transcended genre and his images spanned millions of years and miles, and a huge range of the gamut of human activities and life.

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