KUBRICK REFLECTION
Reflect on the style and talent of director, Stanley Kubrick.
Some questions to consider:
- What did impressed you the most about this director?
- What are his views and interests on society/humantity?
- How would you describe Kubrick's style?
- What did you like/dislike about his films? (Full Metal Jacket; Dr. Strangelove;
A Clockwork Orange; The Shining)
Stanley Kubrick had a unique ethic in directing his films. Not only did he pay incredible tribute to the original works of "The Shining" and "A Clockwork Orange," but he also played on stories about the alternative faces of humanity. In "Full Metal Jacket," Kubrick uses an infamous time in American history to reflect on the attitude of possibly, the most realistic American soldier through the character Joker,a soldier during the war in Vietnam. A playful character, wearing both a peace sign and a helmet reading "Born To Kill" Joker represents the "duality of man." In a sense, Joker conveys what he wishes for, with the peace sign, and what he has to be, with his helmet. In "A Clockwork Orange" Kubrick uses the quirky scenery of British 70s mania to emphasize the bizarreness Alex, the main character posessed, A violence-obsessed brood that is turned into a reformed psychopath after his convicted murder of a woman, Alex's story tells of man's inner violence and savagery; a beast that must be maintained and hidden from ordinary society. "The Shining" is a slow, horrific progression into the moutains of Colorado, foreshadowing not only the isolation and mystery, but the insanity for Jack Nicholson's character, offering the audience the idea that, maybe it wasn't the Overlook Hotel's dark past and solitude that drew Jack to insanity. . . maybe, it was within Jack the entire time.
ReplyDeleteIn all of these movies, Kubrick makes us want to question their meanings. What my questions have led me to is the realization: Kubrick plays on the darkness of mankind through his movies. It is a difficult genre, but Kubrick's relativity of Vietnam, quirkiness in Clockwork, and the plunge of someone whose no longer human in mind nor soul at the Overlook Hotel. Stanley Kubrick was indeed a remarkable director, making every movie individual in its quality, he set the milestone for aspiring directors, and their understandings of the Human Condition, and the possible down turns we are all in danger of.
Ryan Lepore
ReplyDeleteStanley Kubrick in my opinion is a great director that is almost above the level of most of the bigger name directors. I say bigger name because I never heard of Kubrick before this class but seen his movies that all of which are widely renown such as Full Metal Jacket. His films are great because they are very unique in the shots and the how the movie is filmed, but again the actual movie is great on top of it. For example The Shining was a great from the first minutes of the film with the camera shots from the helicopter and the frightening music that gives the film a certain feeling that made me very interested in the plot and the artistic style of Kubrick. Full Metal Jacket was a great movie also because of its themes that are portrayed and the realistic nature of the movie such as the boot camp part of the movie and the infamous bathroom scene. The bathroom scene is great too because the lighting/shadows (from the windows) in the bathroom makes it very scary on top of the music that I never seem to forget and on top of that the face and grin on Pyles face as you see him crack from reality and loose his mind. Also the second part of the film really expresses a lot of the “Vietnam” feeling by just straight forward realness and situations but also letting the person watching the film to infer the certain feelings of the soldiers. Kubrick’s style is just unique to me in terms of the shots and artistic way he shoots his film that attracts the normal watcher and will entertain the movie fanatic the same way.