Stanley Kubrick Ranked Part 3
We've finally made it! I love these films. This post will definitely reflect that.
I’m not gonna waste any space. Here are my top five films:
#5 Barry Lyndon (1975)
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Among Kubrick’s incredible filmography, this one probably is the one people skip or save for last since it’s a three-hour period drama. While it grossed over $20 million at the time of its release, it pales in comparison to some of his other works at the time. But if that’s your only knowledge of Barry Lyndon, you’re doing a big disservice to yourself.
In my opinion, this isn’t just Kubrick’s best-shot film, it’s one of the greatest films in terms of cinematography ever made. I’m not hyperbolizing, it’s that good.
Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott went above and beyond since they didn’t want to have the same boring, artificial light you will find in most period pieces. Kubrick wants to make you feel like you are in 1750s Europe. Most interior scenes are lit by candlelight, which was an astonishing innovation at the time1. There are shots that look like beautiful Victorian paintings. The camera uses long double shots, which ended with a slow backwards zoom, to show the characters out in the British countryside. But the camera crew was at the complete whims of Mother Nature, so we watched as the amount of light in the camera changed. This may not seem like anything now, but it was remarkable at the time.2
Among Kubrick’s incredible filmography, this one probably is the one people skip or save for last since it’s a three-hour period drama. While it grossed over $20 million at the time of its release, it pales in comparison to some of his other works at the time. But if that’s your only knowledge of Barry Lyndon, you’re doing a big disservice to yourself.
In my opinion, this isn’t just Kubrick’s best-shot film, it’s one of the greatest films in terms of cinematography ever made. I’m not hyperbolizing, it’s that good.
Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott went above and beyond since they didn’t want to have the same boring, artificial light you will find in most period pieces. Kubrick wants to make you feel like you are in 1750s Europe. Most interior scenes are lit by candlelight, which was an astonishing innovation at the time. There are shots that look like beautiful Victorian paintings. The camera uses long double shots, which ended with a slow backwards zoom, to show the characters out in the British countryside. But the camera crew was at the complete whims of Mother Nature, so we watched as the amount of light in the camera changed.
The cinematography could’ve been just for style, which I would have been totally fine with. But it goes with the themes of the subdued story. The film follows Irish rogue, Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal), as he climbs the ranks of the army and eventually aristocratic life. Barry marries rich woman Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson), changes his name to Barry Lyndon and presents himself as a noble man. He lies, gambles, murders and cheats his way to do it, eventually leading to his downfall.
But what makes Barry’s story interesting is the dumb luck it took him to get where he goes. The film shows how it was random chance he didn’t get killed in the army or in a duel. Things could change on a dime and that’s thematically shown through the long shots of the changing weather in England and Ireland.
Kubrick uses this theme of luck to show comically how ridiculous and insane some of the values of the time were. For example, the army just walking into formation is shot in a way that comedically looks like the soldiers are walking toward death. Or how one tiny dispute over horses can lead to a duel, and thus, a man dying. Similar to The Killing, the serious and stoic facade hides very funny undertones.
Of course, Barry’s luck turns on him as his finances and marriage fall apart after stepson Lord Bullingdon (Leon Vitali) gets lucky himself and beats Barry in a duel. Barry is forced to sell off his earnings and divorce Lady Lyndon. To end it, Kubrick calls into question the luck of aristocratic life. It’s not divine intervention. Rather, it’s the randomness of the world, a very atheistic view. And once they’re all dead, they are all equal.
#4 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
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If you thought that Barry Lyndon, The Killing were subtly funny, this is straight up hilarious. The zany performances and sexual humor are the perfect contrast for the grave nature of the height of the Cold War. When writing the screenplay, Kubrick originally planned for the film to be a thriller. But once he saw the funny paradoxes of mutually assured destruction (MAD) and Cold War paranoia, he decided to make a black comedy.
Boy, was that the right decision. The film takes place in three confined spaces: the Pentagon war room, an army base and a bomber plane.
With the US government trying to stop rouge Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (Sterling Hayden) from nuking the Soviet Union, the film shows the ridiculousness of MAD. The whole idea of MAD is basically that they have these world-ending nukes to deter the other from using them. But once the Soviets reveal they secretly have a doomsday weapon3. What’s the point of having deterrent weapons if you aren’t going to tell the other you have it?
This is cleverly pointed out by Nazi scientist turned American advisor Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers). Even when the world ends, Strangelove pitches an idea of bunkers so humanity can survive. Sellers also serves as the US President and a British RAF officer who is stuck with Ripper at the army base. It’s a dynamite performance(s) from the actor and my personal favorite from him.
But Sellers’ roles scratch the surface. In the war room, General Buck Turgidson (George C. Scott) is borderline insane, fighting the Soviet ambassador and convincing the President to fully commit to bombing Russia. Hayden’s stern demeanor goes perfectly with the crazy ideals of his character. Ripper thinks the Soviet Union brainwashes Americans and looks to steal their precious bodily fluids. He also found these ideas through sex. Bonkers.
Irony is everywhere in this film. From exceeded authority and a peace sign featured in a battle scene to the bomber pilots thinking they are comitting a noble act by following orders, it goes to show how crazy and nonsensical this time period was. Even the ending, where Major King Kong rides the nuke (no, I’m not making that up) into Russian lands, we see clever irony through the music. As the ensuing bombs go off, the song “We’ll Meet Again” plays as the world ends. Ironic till the very end. Perfectly Kubrick.
#3 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
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Most Kubrick films were lukewarmly or negatively received when they were originally released. This was no different. What separates this, though, is that Kubrick was never around to defend it since he died right after he got done editing it. The reviews were not kind. The Washington Post’s reviewer Stephen Hunter called it the “dullest orgy ever seen”.
While the erotic, psychological thriller may come on a dull or uninteresting, it might be one of Kubrick’s finest crafted pictures. The film tackles sex (of course), dreams and high-class society through the story of fictional couple Bill and Alice Harford, played by then-actual celebrity couple, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
The dreamlike quality of the film is shown through the long steadicam takes, the lighting and vivid colors. While it seems the Harford’s have it made, with Bill being a doctor, they are secretly and sexually unsatisfied4 with one another. They put so much emphasis on their wealthy status and superstars looks that it makes them empty on the inside. It’s almost as if Kubrick, a man who stayed away from the spotlight, is saying something about celebrity culture.
This is where the subconscious comes in. Alice reveals her dissatisfaction through explanations of her dreams while the couple has an argument while high. On the surface, she may not think this. But that’s the brilliance of the film, subconscious5 feelings are hidden and will eventually pop out.
The revelation comes as a shock to Bill, who then goes on a vengeful bender. It leads him to a stripper, crossdressers and eventually, a sex cult full of wealthy, powerful people.
The second half of the film follows Bill trying to retrace his steps. The film makes us question if Bill’s journey was actually a dream. There are remarkable similarities and differences from the night before, with many of the women Bill encounters strike a shocking similarity to Alice and their daughter. The hidden details throughout the film aren’t easter eggs, they are fuzzy remembrances.
It’s one of my personal favorites from Kubrick because how well-crafted it is. The film is nearly perfect. Nearly.
#2 The Shining (1980)
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What makes Kubrick’s filmography so awesome is that none of his films are that similar. What I mean by this is that, with the exception of the few war movies, they are all different genres. And in nearly every genre, Kubrick’s respective film defined or redefined it. For erotica, it’s Eyes Wide Shut, for romance it’s Lolita and for comedy it’s Dr. Strangelove.
With horror, my favorite genre, Kubrick offers The Shining. It’s a legendary film. If there’s any one of his films you’ve seen, it’s probably this one as a Halloween movie. I could talk about the various conspiracy theories6 or the fact that Stephen King, the legendary author of the source material, hated the film, but I won’t.
I really just want to talk about how goddamn creepy The Shining is. The invisible, malevolent forces of the Overlook Hotel rarely ever show themselves as they torment Jack (Jack Nicholson), Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd).
The film makes us sit in suspense at what the Torrances are dealing with. A good example of this comes early in the Torrances’ stay at the Overlook. When Danny turns and sees the iconic twin ghost girls, the camera zooms in on him. But it stays on Danny’s face for an extended period of time. This subtle editing choice by Kubrick and editor Ray Lovejoy doesn’t make the film overtly scary, it makes it unsettling.
We are constantly on edge with Steadicam movements that feel like there are levitating, evil spirits that stalk the family. Kubrick even messes with the 180-degree rule to throw off our viewing experience. Of course, the music from Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind makes everything sound creepy. Even when Jack just angrily walks to the hotel bar, it sounds like something bad is about to happen.
But the most terrifying part of The Shining is probably the story itself. The lack of action and presence from the spirits calls into question if the characters are just imagining these horrible things. And if so, the story becomes quite simple: it’s a man trying to murder his wife and child with an axe. It’s a deeply horrifying thought that our loved ones would ever be so deranged to kill us. So for a horror film, what’s scarier than that?
#1 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
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I could talk about this film for a very very very long time. It’s Kubrick at his absolute peak and it’s my favorite film of all time. I rewatch 2001 every year because I always find something new in it.
That’s the brilliance of it. 2001: A Space Odyssey is not an easy film to watch since it’s not the most digestible story. What I mean is that you may not understand what is going on. The film will jump from prehistoric monkey times to astronauts fighting an evil A.I., the iconic HAL 9000 (Douglas Rain) to one of those said astronauts, David Bowman (Keir Dullea), ascending into a higher form of being.
Some call it pretentious, which I can understand to a point. But the film is meant to be interpreted, serving as a great tip of the iceberg for the world of interpreting cinema. I’ll stop babbling about the legacy of this film and bluntly say what I enjoy about it.
First, it subverts the standard conventions of the sci-fi genre. We don’t start in space, instead with monkeys fighting over a watering hole. It’s important we start here because we see the true story of the film: alien beings help the journey of man. It starts a storyline that spans millennia. As to connect the monkeys and future humans, Kubrick makes one of the greatest cuts in history. After a monkey throws a bone in the air, we cut to a spaceship, thousands of years in the future. The sudden jump comes unannounced but shows the connected journey of humans.
We then see the beauty of space through an iconic montage of a spaceship docking. It’s accompanied by Johann Strauss’ musical piece, “The Blue Danube”. Classical music was never associated with sci-fi before this. But if you’re trying to emphasize the sublime qualities of space, why not use one of the most famous waltzes ever? Even for 1968, the spaceships and space look brilliant, reminding me of the ships in Star Wars7.
I’ll save the last of my email length to the ending. It’s supposed to be beautiful and confusing. But don’t be intimidated, interpret in your own way. It offers an awe-inspiring and unique story of the tale of humans. We are constantly in search of meaning in life, and 2001 helps us ponder that existence. It doesn’t have to be scary and meaningless, it’s meant to be explored and interpreted. Just like film8.
To achieve this, Kubrick had to buy a camera that NASA used for the Apollo moon landings. There were only like 12 in existence, and Kubrick got one. If you are actually interested in this subject, check out this cool explainer video that goes into great detail about Barry Lyndon’s cinematography: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOLZMr52Wcc&t=589s.
I also think this is cool now, but that might be me being a nerd.
Years after the film’s release, it was revealed that the Soviet Union had a similar sort of secret doomsday weapon called Dead Hand. Sometimes the world is more ridiculous and crazy than the movies.
Amazing precursor for the eventual divorce of Cruise and Kidman. I mean, this is a picture of Kidman celebrating the divorce.
The film is obviously Freudian. Makes sense since the source material was written by a guy who was pals with Freud.
There’s a fun documentary that presents all of The Shining’s conspiracy theories called Room 237. It makes even me wonder if people look into films a little too much.
George Lucas said in 1977 that 2001’s effects were better soooooo idk what to tell you.
Yes I know this is super cheesy but I don’t care.