Stanley Kubrick Biography

Stanley Kubrick was born in Bronx, New York on July 26, 1928.When he was a child, Kubrick had a hard time as a student. However, his intelligence was evident. One of Kubrick's passions outside of his filmmaking was chess. Chess became apart of his life at a very early age thanks to his father. It helped Kubrick cope with troubles in the classroom. On his thirteenth birthday, Kubrick was given his first camera and immediately went into camerawork. When Kubrick turned seventeen he became an apprentice photographer at Look Magazine.

Along with friend Alexander Singer, Kubrick broke into the realm of documentary filmmaking with "Day of the Fight" in 1951. After several other documentary shorts, Kubrick finally made his first fictitious war film entitled "Fear and Desire". The film was made on a small budget that consisted of Kubrick's money made from hustling chess, as well as a few investors. The film was considered a disaster, as Kubrick later denounced it as an amateur’s mistake. Personal problems abounded the shoot as well, as Kubrick divorced his high school sweetheart Toba Metz before production ended.

Despite the mixed reviews for "Fear and Desire", Kubrick was getting noticed for his directing talents. Kubrick moved to Hollywood and began work as major feature film director. He went on to make "Killer's Kiss", "The Killing", and "Paths to Glory", a war film starring Kirk Douglas. Douglas would go on to ask Kubrick to direct the epic "Spartacus", after a falling out with the original director Anthony Mann. This is where Kubrick began to get his reputation as a control freak and a perfectionist. Kubrick would be in total control of his films from then on. Kubrick became tired of Hollywood, and after his divorce from second wife Ruth Sobotka, he headed to the United Kingdom. Kubrick spent the rest of his life and career in the UK. He would go on to marry Christiane Harlan and have two children, Anya and Vivian. Kubrick adopted Katharina, Harlan's daughter from a previous marriage, as his own.

Kubrick's first film made in the UK was the controversial story of "Lolita". Kubrick followed up with the film that would give him with the creative freedom he always wanted. The film was entitled "Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb". It was a risky film for Kubrick to make, as it dealt with the topic of nuclear war from a comedic perspective in a Cold War era 1964.

Along with sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, Kubrick created "2001: A Space Odyssey". Both the book and the script were being written simultaneously. The story dealt with humanities seeming need for technology. With this film, Kubrick created what many feel is his greatest achievement, a true masterpiece of the genre and of films in general. Undoubtedly a technical marvel and a true stepping stone in the history of filmmaking.

Kubrick followed "2001" with "A Clockwork Orange". It is yet another controversial film from Kubrick, in which a band of young men assault a futuristic Britain. The film includes a rape scene, with the protagonist of the film singing "Singing in the Rain". Such subversion is a common placement with music in Kubrick's films. "Barry Lyndon" was a film that dealt with the Irish military, and it also changed Kubrick's life forever. During filmming, Kubrick was told by the IRA that because of the films content, he may have become a target for assassination. Kubrick moved the shoot out of the country. After shooting the film, Kubrick became a recluse.

"The Shining" would be Kubrick's next film. He worked diligently and demanded for perfection from both the cast and crew. His then seventeen-year-old daughter, Vivian Kubrick, made a short documentary on the "The Shining" set. It showcased Kubrick demanding such perfection from female lead Shelley Duvall. Stephen King, who wrote the book, is reported to have not like Kubrick's version of the story. Kubrick's version was too heavy in showcasing Jack Nicholson's over the top version of his character Jack Torrence, instead of showcasing the haunted Overlook Hotel. Kubrick's films usually consist of dehumanization, and the dark side of humanity. Therefore, it is easy to see why Kubrick chose the path he took.

Dehumanization is a key point in the Vietnam War vehicle "Full Metal Jacket". The story depicts what the military training process does to people in order to get them ready for war. "Full Metal Jacket" is a unique film that depicts two sides of a military person's life, which ultimately gives the feel of two different films entirely. Kubrick began to work on what was to be his next film, "AI: Artificial Intelligence". However, due to the lack of advancement of special effects in the early part of the 1990s, Kubrick decided it best to put it on the shelf.

Kubrick began working on "Eyes Wide Shut" in 1997, and showcased the talents of the then-married Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The film was finished two years later. Kubrick died of natural causes on March 7th, 1999 in England, before the film was released to critical and financial disappointment the following summer. When Kubrick had finished editing the film, he declared it his best work to date.

"AI: Artificial Intelligence" was to be the next project Kubrick were to work on. Before his passing, he was collaborating with Steven Spielberg, and suggested that Spielberg direct. Spielberg took over the project when Kubrick died and dedicated it to his memory.

One of the most controversial and respected filmmakers in history, Stanley Kubrick will be forever embedded into the very soul of American Cinema.