Stanley Kubrick Filmography

Throughout his fifty-year film-making career, Stanley Kubrick retained his fascination for cameras and lenses, and his photographer's eye for precise visual compositions. As a director, Kubrick was entirely self-taught, making a series of short documentaries and independent features completely by himself. For these early films, he was not only the director but also the producer, cinematographer, writer, editor, and sound recordist.

Kubrick's films are unique for the diversity of their subject-matter and the consistency of their artistic quality. He moved from genre to genre, epitomising and redefining each one in the process. Each of his films is a masterpiece, and each is his own singular vision. Kubrick involved himself, to the minutest detail, in every aspect of film-making, often personally operating the camera, for example (especially for hand-held sequences).

He also supervised the post-production of his films, including their trailers and posters (even personally mixing the Spanish, Italian, German, and French dub tracks of his later films). He was equally concerned with video releases, and collaborated with Criterion on laserdisc versions of Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths Of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr Strangelove, and 2001. He also supervised the laserdisc transfers of A Clockwork Ornage, Barry Lyndon, and The Shining for Warner.

It is known that Kubrick worked on a documentary about the World Assembly of Youth in 1952, though the extent of his involvement is unclear as the film is no longer extant. He also worked as a second-unit director for Norman Lloyd's five-part Omnibus television mini-series Mr Lincoln (broadcast in 1952-1953; Kubrick was photographed on the set by The Kentucky Courier-Journal, 26/10/1952). Marlon Brando asked him to direct and co-write One-Eyed Jacks (1961), and they collaborated on a revision of the screenplay, though in the end Brando directed the film himself and Kubrick did not receive a screen credit. He also worked briefly (again uncredited) on the set of Lewis Gilbert's film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), lighting the 'supertanker' set under condition of anonymity.

The ultimate 'auteur' director, Kubrick avoided the Hollywood system by living and working in England, where he spent several years in the making of each film. His extensive retakes and obsessive editing revisions demonstrate his absolute perfectionism.

Day Of The Fight (1951)

16 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.37:1.

Directed, produced, written, and photographed by Stanley Kubrick. A documentary about boxer Walter Cartier preparing for a match in New York, released as part of RKO's This Is America series (though an alternate version omits the This Is America title). Cartier was the subject of a photo-spread by Kubrick for Look, and was therefore a natural choice for this suitably fast-paced film. Kubrick, who worked uncredited as the film's sound recordist, also appears in the film himself: he can be seen loading his camera at the ringside.

Flying Padre (1951)

9 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.37:1.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. A documentary about Fred Stadtmuller, released as part of RKO's Pathe Screenliner series. Stadtmuller, a priest from New Mexico who travelled around his parish by aeroplane, is an unusual topic for a Kubrick film, and the subject-matter was presumably imposed on the director rather than chosen by him. Consequently, Flying Padre has little of the kinetic energy Kubrick demonstrated in Day Of The Fight. Though no screen credit is given, Kubrick was the film's writer and cinematographer.

The Seafarers (1953)

30 minutes, 1.0 mono, colour, 35mm, 1.37:1.

Directed and photographed by Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick was commissioned by the Seafarers International Union to produce this promotional documentary, and The Seafarers serves this purpose though it seems much more of a pedestrian exercise than a typically Kubrickian film. It is significant, however, as it was Kubrick's first film in colour. Some versions begin with a few seconds of silent footage from the workprint.

Fear And Desire (1953)

68 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.37:1.

Directed, produced, photographed, edited, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. An existential drama set during an un-named war, starring Frank Silvera and Paul Mazursky. Fear And Desire was filmed with a skeleton cast and crew of less than ten people, and Kubrick even publicised the film himself (photographing the stars for posters and lobby cards).

Kubrick subsequently regarded the film as below his later standards and suppressed its distribution, however there were occasional screenings of archival prints at American film festivals. The film was initially available only as a bootleg video, though a restored version was released after Kubrick's death.

Killer's Kiss (1955)

67 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.37:1.

Directed, co-produced, edited, and photographed by Stanley Kubrick. A Noir thriller whose archetypal plot involves a boxer throwing a rigged fight, starring Jamie Smith and Irene Kane. Killer's Kiss includes a solarised sequence filmed surreptitiously on the streets of New York and a surreal fight in a mannequin factory. Kubrick was photographed on the set by Life magazine in 1954. Despite the ambiguous screen credit 'Story by Stanley Kubrick', Kubrick actually co-wrote the film's screenplay.

A scene in which Smith fondles Kane's breasts, which was cut from the film at her request, may have been present in the preview version. The film's original title, Kiss Me Kill Me, was changed to Killer's Kiss before general release, though a version with the original title is still extant.

The Killing (1956)

85 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.66:1.

Directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. With this drama about a meticulous race-track heist, starring Sterling Hayden and Elisha Cook, Kubrick experimented with a complex, non-linear narrative, constructing a series of inter-connecting flashbacks, confidently alternating between past and present. He produced the film in partnership with James B Harris, forming Harris-Kubrick Pictures, and photographed himself and Harris for a Variety press advertisement to promote the film.

Paths Of Glory (1957)

87 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.66:1.

Directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. Exposing the self-serving corruption of the generals during World War I, Paths Of Glory was Kubrick's first film with a major star (Kirk Douglas) and a realistic budget. The dolly shots in the battle trenches, and the incredible German locations, were the film's highlights.

The preview version was 89 minutes, though two minutes were cut by Kubrick before general release. The film was banned in France for nineteen years, though when it was initially released in other French-speaking countries La Marseillaise was removed from the opening titles soundtrack.

Spartacus (1960)

189 minutes, 6.0 stereo, Technicolor, 70mm, 2.21:1 Super Technirama.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. A Roman epic about a slave rebellion starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, and Jean Simmons. Spartacus was originally screened with an overture, intermission, entr'acte, and exit music. 35mm prints were released in 2.35:1 Technirama with mono sound. As the film's executive producer, Douglas fired the original director (Anthony Mann) and hired Kubrick after production had already started, with his contract stipulating that he was unable to alter the script. It is telling that Kubrick's most personal contributions - the battle scenes - are the film's most powerful sequences, despite the restrictions he worked under. He was photographed on the set in 1960 by Life magazine.

After preview screenings at 202 minutes, Kubrick cut thirteen minutes from the film and changed the placement of the intermission, resulting in a first-run version at 189 minutes. Further cuts were then made at the behest of the MPAA, with a "snails and oysters" homoerotic bathing sequence totally removed and milder alternate takes replacing some of the violent shots. The MPAA-approved, censored version was 182 minutes. The UK general release was almost identical to this, except for the scene in which Simmons attempts to seduce Douglas, which was re-edited. In 1967, a significantly truncated version (161 minutes) was released in 35mm.

In 1991, Spartacus was rereleased in a restored version (196 minutes), with Kubrick's approval. The soundtrack format was 5.1 surround sound, appropriate to the original six-channel version. The MPAA-censored shots were reinstated, as was much of the footage Kubrick himself had removed after the previews. As the original violent shots were restored, the milder alternate takes were removed. The US version of the Simmons seduction scene was used. The "snails and oysters" sequence was reinserted, though the dialogue between Olivier and Curtis had to be redubbed as the original soundtrack had been destroyed. Olivier's lines were dubbed by Anthony Hopkins, as Olivier himself had died before the restoration. Additional footage of Charles Laughton now exists as audio only, and was thus not incorporated into the restoration.

Lolita (1962)

152 minutes, 1.0, mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.66:1/1.37:1.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. A comedy drama about a writer's obsession with a nymphet, starring Sue Lyon, James Mason, and Peter Sellers, Lolita was the first of Kubrick's films to be made in England. Its paedophilia theme caused a predictable controversy, and several of its more risque innuendos were censored before its release. The MPAA also insisted upon the partial removal of the film's cot seduction sequence: in the American cinema version, the scene fades ten seconds earlier than in the British version.

Kubrick himself is (inexplicably) visible in the first shot inside Sellers's mansion, walking out of the frame on the right hand side. He also personally took some of the publicity photographs of star Sue Lyon. He partially rewrote the screenplay, though uncharacteristically decided not to give himself a screen credit for this. The film was shot with alternating aspect ratios: some scenes are in Academy format, while others are matted at 1.66:1.

Dr Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)

96 minutes, 1.0 mono, black-and-white, 35mm, 1.66:1.

Directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. Peters Sellers stars in this blackly comic political satire in which a paranoid general initiates an American nuclear attack against Russia. In Dr Strangelove, the most terrifying and hilarious of the four characters played by Sellers is the eponymous eccentric Nazi who plans to create an underground master race. The cavernous War Room set is another striking element.

Kubrick personally painted the 'DEAR JOHN' and 'Hi THERE!' slogans on the film's prop nuclear bombs. An epilogue involving a custard pie fight, which altered the film's tone from satire to slapstick, was removed by Kubrick before the general release. (This footage is archived at the British Film Institute in London.) Also before the premiere, the word 'Dallas' was redubbed to "Vegas" following the Dallas assassination of John F Kennedy. In America, the film begins with a written disclaimer emphasising that it is a work of fiction. The film was shot with alternating aspect ratios: some scenes are in Academy format, while others are matted at 1.66:1.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

141 minutes, 6.0 stereo, Metrocolor, 70mm, Cinerama, 2.21:1 Super Panavision.

Directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. A science-fiction epic starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. Exploring the history of evolution, the destiny of humankind, and the existence of alien intelligence, 2001 is a visually stunning masterpiece. Its cinematography is perhaps the greatest of any film in history, with Kubrick's trademark symmetrical framing accompanied by graceful Viennese waltzes. Largely devoid of dialogue, its impact comes from a series of ambiguous episodes which culminate in a psychedelic reel of abstract images.

Kubrick is visible as a reflection in the astronauts' helmets during some sequences, and he also provided the breathing soundtrack for Dullea and Lockwood's spacewalking scenes. As the film's special effects supervisor, Kubrick won his only ever Academy Award (for Special Visual Effects). A documentary, A Look Behind The Future (1967), includes footage of Kubrick on the set, and he was photographed by Antony Armstrong-Jones for Life magazine (#60.20, 20/5/1966) during the making of the film.

Nineteen minutes were cut from 2001 by Kubrick after preview screenings, and two of the inter-titles were also added at this time; a prologue and voice-over were cut after the exhibitors' preview. The film's Cinerama version, identified by the Cinerama logo in the end credits, included an overture, an intermission, music played over a black screen before the overture, and exit music played after the end credits. There was also a non-Cinerama version, in 35mm, with 4-track stereo sound.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

136 minutes, 1.0 Dolby mono, Warnercolor, 35mm, 1.66:1.

Directed, produced, and written by Stanley Kubrick. A near-future dystopian fable starring Malcolm McDowell as a young hooligan brainwashed by an oppressive political regime. The brutal violence of A Clockwork Orange marks a stark contrast to the grandeur of 2001, though both films have the same balletic grace and both are ultimately explorations of free will. It was filmed entirely on location, in contrast to the totally studio-bound 2001. For a split second, Kubrick himself can apparently be heard laughing from behind the camera, while McDowell is being spoon-fed in hospital. More importantly, he was an uncredited co-cinematographer for the film.

The film was originally rated 'X' by the MPAA, and the version first released in US cinemas was the uncut 'X' version. The following year, Kubrick withdrew the film from US cinemas and modified two sequences with milder alternate takes. This modified version was reclassified 'R' by the MPAA, and the 'R' version was rereleased in US cinemas to replace the original 'X' version. In British cinemas, the original 'X' version was the only version to be screened, though in 1974 Kubrick withdrew the film from Britain altogether after he received death threats. (It was rereleased in Britain in 2000, after Kubrick's death.)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

184 minutes, 1.0 Dolby mono, Eastmancolor, 35mm, 1.66:1.

Directed, produced, and written by Stanley Kubrick. An account of the rise and fall in the fortunes of Redmond Barry, played by Ryan O'Neal. Barry Lyndon is yet another complete contrast, the shocking brutality of A Clockwork Orange being replaced by this sumptuous and restrained period drama. Kubrick's technical perfectionism paid dividends when he used Zeiss lenses originally developed for NASA to film in candle-light.

The Shining (1980)

143 minutes, 2.0 Dolby mono, colour, 35mm, 1.85:1.

Directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. A horror film starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, in which the caretaker of a haunted hotel attacks his wife and son with an axe. Using the new SteadiCam to its fullest potential, Kubrick's cameras prowl menacingly around literal and metaphorical mazes, and Nicholson gives a characteristically manic performance as Jack. The voice of Charley, the radio weather announcer, was played by Kubrick himself, and he wielded a knife used to cut Nicholson's hand in one scene. His daughter, Vivian, directed a behind-the-scenes documentary titled Making The Shining for the television series Arena, broadcast in 1980.

After the film's premiere (running 146 minutes), Kubrick cut a short scene outside Durkin's shop and an explanatory epilogue with Duvall in hospital before the US general release. Kubrick then cut the film a second time (to 119 minutes), before its European general release (trimming the sequences that revealed Jack's history as an abusive father). Italian, Spanish, and German inserts were filmed to replace the English-language text seen in Jack's manuscript. The film was initially released on video in the Academy ratio, which was Kubrick's preferred format.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

116 minutes, 2.0 Dolby mono, colour, 1.85:1, 35mm.

Directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. Starring Matthew Modine and R Lee Ermey, this is Kubrick's take on the Vietnam war, and, though it once again displays his typically outstanding camerawork, Vietnam seems an unusual choice of subject-matter given the notable cinematic predecessors dealing with the same subject. Kubrick played the part of Murphy, the radio announcer. The film was initially released on video in the Academy ratio, which was Kubrick's preferred format.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

159 minutes, 5.1 Dolby Digital stereo, DeLuxe colour, 1.85:1, 35mm.

Directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. A sexual and psychological thriller starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, released in 1999. The narrative concerns marital jealousy and temptation, and it seemed to prefigure the collapse of Cruise and Kidman's own off-screen marriage. Eyes Wide Shut was the subject of intense speculation and rumour, climaxing in a frenzy of anticipation. The increasingly lengthy periods between Kubrick's completed film projects caused much online debate. The secrecy in which Kubrick shrouded each of his productions, and his seemingly endless filming schedules, added to the internet gossip.

Kubrick died of a heart-attack a few days after completing Eyes Wide Shut and it is perhaps no coincidence that this posthumously-released film is not available in the version he originally intended. Although Kubrick had edited the film before he died, he had neither completed the sound mix nor recorded the music. The precise state of the film circa March 1999, at the time of his death, may never be known.

The scene in which Cruise and Kidman kiss in front of a mirror was released in isolation as a teaser-trailer at the ShoWest trade fair before the film's general release. The same scene, as it appears in the film itself, is shorter, is cropped on all four sides, and utilises an alternate take for the moment when Kidman removes her glasses. The film was initially released on video in the Academy ratio, which was Kubrick's preferred format.

In America, black-cloaked figures were digitally inserted to mask the simulated sex in the film's orgy sequence, in order to secure an 'R'-rating from the MPAA. (Like A Clockwork Orange, the film's extensive nudity is exclusively female and largely gratuitous.) The digital figures were, thankfully, not present when the film was screened in the UK. However, for the UK release the orgy scene was censored in a different way: a recital from the Bhagavad Gita during the Meditations music in the orgy scene was removed from the soundtrack, replaced by meaningless chanting. Italian inserts were filmed to replace the English-language text in the warning letter handed to Bill and the newspaper article he reads.