Stanley Kubrick and The Limits of Control
It’s time for a little reader participation. Last night while I was at work, I managed to watch three, count them, three Stanley Kubrick films. Before last night, I had only seen two. It was a good night. The first was the unedited version of Eyes Wide Shut (believe it or not, I prefer the version the US released in theatres), the second: A Clockwork Orange, and third, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Of the five Kubrick films I’ve seen, there is one that is clearly my favorite, but I won’t say which one for now, because I want you all to vote! Here’s the first poll Bitchin’ Film Reviews has ever featured. Vote! (I don’t think you can do this in googlereader, sorry)
Before the screening of Hunger I saw on Monday, I saw this trailer:
I’m not that familiar with Jim Jarmusch’s work (I loved Broken Flowers, but had to turn Dead Man off), but this trailer looks fantastic. The cast looks fantastic, especially with Tilda Swinton in that bitchin’ blonde wig. Has anyone seen this?
Um . . . I’ve only seen like two and two-thirds of these movies. Don’t worry; I voted anyway.
It’s hard to choose, but I had to go with The Shining, because it’s beautifully shot and absolutely terrifying…
Here are my rankings of Kubrick oeuvre:
2001
Dr. Strangelove
Barry Lyndon
The Shining
Paths of Glory
A Clockwork Orange
Full Metal Jacket
Eyes Wide Shut
The Killing
Lolita
Spartacus
I haven’t seen the early docs or noirs. “Barry Lyndon” is the neglected masterpiece; if you get a chance, make that your next Kubrick.
I am a huge Jim Jarmusch fan. You should start with his early stuff — get “Stranger Than Paradise” and “Down By Law.” His ’90s films are much more of an acquired taste, so it may help to get into his aesthetic before tackling something like “Dead Man” or “Ghost Dog.”
Spartacus is your last pic, Mitch? I’ve been avoiding that one anyway. I’ve got Dr. Strangelove right now, but I’ll check out Barry Lyndon next.
And Ivy, I work at a home for the mentally handicapped. I had to work a grave earlier this week, so I rented The Shining and watched it while they were all sleeping. It scared the shit out of me. It’s certainly not the film I remember watching as a 16 year old…
“Spartacus” was Kubrick’s one and only project that was purely a for-hire studio assignment. (Actually, when you consider it, Kubrick is entirely unique among the great American film makers: he worked exclusively in the studio system, but maintained complete artistic and financial control of his projects for the entirely of his career. I cannot think of another filmmaker who managed to do that. Even guys like Wilder and Hitchcock.) The film is not without merit, but it is overly-long (which is to be fully expected for a big studio technicolor sandal epic of the time) and lacks the auteurist notes of Kubrick’s other work.
Michael Mann once said that all of “Dr. Strangelove” is a third act. That’s about right. The first time that I saw it, I rewatched it three times in the same week. I have never done that with any other movie before or since.