Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick
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6. Spartacus (1960)
After Stanley Kubrick made a splash in the late 1950s with successes like "The Killing" and "Paths of Glory," he was granted a studio film. Not just any studio film, one of the most ambitious historical epics, 1960's "Spartacus." The film follows the titular Spartacus, whom leads a rebellion of slaves against the tyrannical Roman empire. Written in secret by the blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, "Spartacus" had political echoes of the McCarthyism taking place in the U.S. in the previous decade. It's most famous scene even celebrates those who did not 'name names' to the House Un-American Activities Committee. While this touch does add some political context to the film, it still makes for one epic experience.
5. Lolita (1962)
Labelled as a 'black comedy," 1962's "Lolita" remains one of the most controversial films of all time. The film centers on a man who marries a woman in an attempt to sleep with her 14-year-old daughter, the titular Lolita. Beyond the outright pedophilia, what makes it even more controversial is that this element is played more sympathetically than critically. Perhaps the film would hold more artistic merit if our protagonist's action were observed through a scathing lens. However, its attempt at 'romance' makes the piece perverted rather than its story or themes.
4. The Killing (1956)
Stanley Kubrick's very first non-independent film, 1956's "The Killing" is also his most pulpiest film of his career. In a sort of proto-"Ocean's 11" plotline, the film centers on a group of men who come together to plan and execute a heist at a horserace track. Every member of the team has an independent and unique part in the scheme and it takes every individual doing their part to pull it off. However, because it is a Kubrick-penned film, it does not go off without a hitch and the final scene will have you feeling as empty as the characters. Although "The Killing" did not do well as the box office, the critical praise and the admiration by MGM provided Kubrick to make another self-penned production the following year and set him headlong to his destiny of the auteur films we know him for now.
3. Paths of Glory (1957)
While his 1956 film "The Killing" demonstrated his ability to make a viable commercial picture, the 1957 war film "Paths of Glory" proved that legendary director Stanley Kubrick could be an auteur in his own right. Based on the 1935 novel of the same name by Humphrey Cobb, "Paths of Glory" centers on the French military during the First World War, as they designated three men at random to be executed for an entire battalion's inability to march forward during a suicide mission. The absurdity of war, the anti-logic, and the anti-humanism of those in power are all on full display, rending the climactic results of the film's plot infuriating. This baffling absurdity is brought to life with Kubrick's framing of his images, from the grainy, gritty realism of the trenches and battlefield (made to look like an old war newsreel) to the wide-framing opulence of the commanding officers' palaces. "Paths of Glory," due to its criticisms of war and its misrepresentation of the French army with English-speaking actors, was steeped in controversy. However, the film has only fulfilled its intention over the years, making it one of the greatest war films ever put to screen.
2. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
During the midst of Cold War anxieties, Stanley Kubrick made one of the most pointed, satirical, and hilarious comedies that deals in this U.S./Russia tension. His 1964 film "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" centers on a U.S. General who loses his marbles and sends nukes to Russia, to the concern and panic of higher officials. The result is a film drenched in black comedy and ridiculous scenarios. Due to the uniqueness of its characters, its pointed satire, its laughably ridiculous people, and the absurdism of its catastrophic and apocalyptic scenario, it is considered one of the greatest comedies of the 20th century. Its existence in the middle of Cold War anxieties makes it all the more relevant to its context. "Dr. Strangelove" a film that makes one laugh at the absurdity of our post-war situation and the inevitable threat of nuclear fallout. It's a film that makes you laugh to keep from crying. In the end, you just have to stop worrying and love the bomb.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Not only is "2001: A Space Odyssey" one of the most iconic films ever made, its vastness of ideas has made it one of the most analyzes and discussed films ever. Its images and concepts opened the doors to filmmakers like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and spring boarded the new era of Hollywood to create massive, technologically advanced filmmaking. It is hands-down one of the most influential and sought after works in film history. The plot centers on humanity's attempt to find universal truth and, in doing, so reckon with the purpose of existence. Throughout the film, humanity (even unknowingly) continue to search for meaning and purpose. The sense of purpose is instilled into us through the symbolic monolith, the Promethean figure that imbues humanity with evolutionary concepts. Our quests to uncover the monoliths signifies our yearning for truth or meaning. At a time when the U.S. and Russia were in a race for the moon, Stanley Kubrick reckoned with humanity's attempts at reaching the echelons of knowledge, wherein our unyielding search would result in removing the mechanisms that destroy us and embracing the fragility of our limited lives. The end of the film's message is clear: we must return to a childlike state of innocence once again. Only then can we understand the true meaning and purpose of our existence.
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