Stanley Kubrick's Cinema

Feature Films of Stanley Kubrick:

Fear and Desire (1952)

Killer’s Kiss (1955)

The Killing (1957)

Paths of Glory (1958)

Spartacus (1960)

Lolita (1962)

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Barry Lyndon (1975)

The Shining (1980)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Stanley Kubrick directed 13 feature films over his career with the 1950s and 1960s being the most prolific decade with 4 films each decade:

1950s: Fear and Desire (1952), Killer’s Kiss (1955), The Killing (1957), Paths of Glory (1958)

1960s: Spartacus (1960), Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

The 1970s and 1980s each brought 2 films per decade: A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987).

And then there was the final film, Eyes Wide Shut, released in the summer of 1999, a few months after Kubrick passed away at the age of 70.

1950s: War and Noir

The 1950s are book-ended by two War films and two Noir films in the middle. This pattern makes sense as the end of WWII meant that War films started emerging in 1950s while Noir was still kicking around in the 1950s following their emergence in 1940s. However, neither of the two war films are conventional ones, although budget played a part in one of the film’s decisions.

Kubrick’s debut feature Fear and Desire is a war film set in an unnamed country. The film shows four soldiers navigating a forest after their plane is shot down. It is very clear from the outset that the forest isn’t in Europe or Latin America but it is a park in USA. Clearly, budget played a part in that decision. The location impacts believability of events although not for lack of effort on the part of Kubrick and the film crew. It is clear the film is made by someone who has a keen understanding of cinema techniques from the variety of camera angles (close-ups when needed) and the usage of music to heighten emotions.

Killer’s Kiss, The Killing and Paths of Glory are technically miles ahead of Fear and Desire and depict what a talented director can do with more production budget and better script. Incredibly, all 3 films were released over a 6-year period following Kubrick’s debut feature. Killer’s Kiss and The Killing are solid noir films enhanced with some brilliant technical flourishes. One of the best sequences in Killer’s Kiss is the boxing fight sequence which has some creative camera angles. This sequence has shots that build on Kubrick’s work from his documentary short Day of Fight (1951). The documentary showed the prep that goes before a fight and features a shot that depicts the other boxer via the legs of his opponent. This same shot is incorporated in Killer’s Kiss which also shows realism in the fight sequence. The black and white boxing ring fight scenes are a precursor to those incredible images in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980). Both noir films also feature voice-over narration by the main character, an aspect that was found in Kubrick’s first two documentary shorts (Day of Fight, Flying Padre).

Paths of Glory highlights Kubrick’s progress as a director and can still be rightly considered as one of the best war films made. Or anti-war movie to be exact. The film shows the egos, rules and regulations, hierarchy of the military and is a perfect illustration of the phrase “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. Paths of Glory depicts events that unfold when an egoistical general puts the lives of his soldiers at risk by sending them on a suicide mission. Not all the soldiers comply, and the loyal Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) defends his men in a court-martial trial. There are some realistic war trenches scenes, but the power of the film is from sequences which question blind orders.

1960s: New genres explored

The 1960s showed a different side to Kubrick’s craft and this decade resulted in two of his best films ever made. Although, the decade started out with a historical epic film with Spartacus (1960), Kubrick then tackled the hot potato of Lolita (1962), a film which showed the dark comedic hand of Kubrick for the first time. Next, he followed up with the brilliantly savage Dr. Strangelove (1964) which combined elements of war, satire, dark comedy in a remarkable manner. The decade ended with his first sci-fi film, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), which is still one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time.

1970s-1990s: Sci-fi, Drama, Horror, War, Thriller

The next 3 decades only resulted in just 5 films but all 5 are stellar works and images from these films have become cultural points of reference.

Think of all the memes from A Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) that have permeated many other cinematic, TV and works of popular culture. Barry Lyndon (1975) is often cited as a classic must-see film that pops up in many best films list while Eyes Wide Shut (1999) is a film that finally seems to be getting the appreciation long after its release.

Ranking all Features in order of preference:

1. Dr. Strangelove (1964)

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

3. Paths of Glory (1958)

4. The Shining (1980)

5. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

6. A Clockwork Orange (1971)

7. Barry Lyndon (1975)

8. The Killing (1957)

9. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

10. Spartacus (1960)

11. Lolita (1962)

12. Killer’s Kiss (1955)

13. Fear and Desire (1952)

Michel Franco’s Memory and Dreams

A double bill of Michel Franco’s two recent films:

Memory (2023)

Dreams (2025)

This two-film spotlight follows another Franco double bill of New Order and Sundown from few years ago. In terms of theme, Dreams is closer aligned to those two films. New Order and Sundown were set in Mexico and depicted violence and class difference. That aspect of class difference is at the core of Dreams but the film also uses that aspect to further examine power dynamics of a relationship and illustrate a commentary on our world today. Dreams could easily be called “The Existing Order” or “Status Quo” to contrast it against the imagined New Order.

Dream carefully

In Dreams, Jennifer (Jessica Chastain) belongs to a wealthy family, the kind that highlights how they are using their wealth to better society via philanthropy including investments in the arts. As Jennifer’s father and brother spell out, it is ok to invest in the community but it is forbidden to have a relationship with those on the lower rungs of society, especially if someone comes from the other side of the border such as Fernando (Isaac Hernández). The forbidden love has been a staple of films from the earliest days (even Shakespeare depicted it) from Hollywood to Indian cinema. Franco isn’t interested in depicting just that kind of film. There are more thorny issues he wants to explore. One such example is Fernando’s illegal border crossing to visit Jennifer. Fernando is a talented ballet dancer and once he crosses the border, he wants to stay with Jennifer. So he goes about depicting his talents outside a ballet performance catching the eye of someone in charge of the San Francisco ballet company. Fernando gets his shot and he duly performs to earn his place. However, Fernando’s illegal status is a source of contention for some around him in the ballet institute and is also a threat of deportation, which does come into play. Fernando’s case isn’t unique here and Franco is using that example to shed a light on countless others in this situation, especially since he shows that the border crossings are fluid only in one direction while restrictive in the other.

The main item of discussion in Dreams has to do with benefits of class privilege which are on display throughout the film, subtle at first, but loud as the film progresses. Class difference governs the relationship between Jennifer and Fernando which is different behind closed walls and the outside world:  they behave as per societal norms when they are in front of others. When the two are alone, Jennifer is more than happy to relinquish all control to Fernando to do as he pleases with her. However, that control is illusionary. Fernando can be control as long as he follows the external rules. Once he breaks those, then the true face of Jennifer is shown. Dreams highlight that it is perfectly acceptable for those on the fringes of society to have dreams of a better life but they have to respect the unwritten rule of modern capitalist society and ensure their dreams don’t interfere with the plans of the wealthy. If someone meddles with the plans of the rich, like Fernando does, there will be consequences and the rich can just easily pick up and get back to their comfortable lives while leaving others to pick up the pieces. The film’s ending illustrates this aspect of our contemporary world perfectly.

Broken Memories

Memory (2023) was released 2 years before Dreams and also stars Jessica Chastain and examines a relationship. However, the relationship in Memory isn’t defined by wealth. It is instead decided by that other aspect which forms a critical aspect of social standing: mental wellbeing. People can be rich or poor but they are ultimately judged how they behave in society. In Memory, Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) is well off financially (not elite like characters in other Franco films but comfortable middle class) yet that doesn’t matter given his behaviour of sleeping outdoors, getting lost and disappearing from home. All these behaviours are put down to his dementia which causes his family, especially his brother, to be protective about Saul. That is why Saul’s brother is wary of Saul’s interactions with Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) especially how the two meet in the first place.

Late one night, Sylvia is aware of being followed by a man (Saul) after she leaves a high school reunion. She notices the man is outside her apartment late at night. The next morning, she finds him sleeping outside her apartment near the garbage bins. Her reaction to discover Saul the next morning is different from her reaction the night before when he was following her. The previous night she thought of him as a threat but the next morning, she clearly sees that he needs help. This is due to her job as a social worker where she deals with people discarded by society. That is why she doesn’t call the police on Saul but instead finds his ID and then goes about calling social officers to assist with Saul. After she learns about Saul’s dementia from her family, she continues to interact with Saul. At first, her interactions feel out of sympathy but it turns out there is another motive. Sylvia recognizes Saul as someone who sexually assaulted her in high school along with his friend. This memory of Sylvia is proven to be false by Sylvia’s sister who finds out that Saul attended the same high school a year after she left that school. This topic isn’t thrown in randomly but points to a past trauma which is further examined near the film’s end causing us to view Sylvia and her interaction with her family in a different light.

The relationship in Memory is between two broken people carrying their trauma and the film shows how their lives are shaped by their past. There is an element of family control depicted in the film as well, like Dreams. Memory and Dreams compliment each together to show how two people can find comfort in a relationship even though others, including their own families and society in general, don’t think the relationship is healthy.

Thorny items to ponder on

The four recently seen Michel Franco films, New Order, Sundown, Memory, Dreams, highlight that he doesn’t make easily classifiable films. His films aren’t commercial nor are they pure art-house. They straddle the boundary in between these two sides. They explore thorny and uncomfortable topics but do so in a framework we are used to. He highlights complicated issues and he may push the envelope slightly but not too much either. Franco’s films have premiered at major film festivals and he has won awards in the past but his isn’t a name that I recall hearing too much about when the festival was completed. I have seen enough to ensure I will look out for his next film.

Best Canadian Films of all Time

My Top 10 Canadian Films of All time

1. One Day in the Life of Noah Piugattuk (2019, Zacharias Kunuk)

The film documents a historical encounter in 1961 Baffin Island between a Canadian government agent and the Inuit leader Noah Piugattuk. The agent wants Piugattuk to send kids from the Inuit communities to schools in a city/town. The film shows a conversation with no violence but it is clear that the next encounter will involve force. Given the recent discovery of children’s remains buried around residential schools in Canada, it is clear that the implications of a ‘friendly conversation’ in Kunuk’s film extended beyond the confines of Baffin island and tragically impacted all parts of Canada.

2. The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (2019, Kathleen Hepburn/Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers)

3. A Married Couple (1969, Allan King)

4. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001, Zacharias Kunuk)

5. Les Orders (1974, Michel Brault)
6. The Barbarian Invasions (2003, Denys Arcand)
7. The Sweet Hereafter (1997, Atom Egoyan)
8. Montreal Main (1972, Frank Vitale)
9. Incendies (2010, Denis Villeneuve)
10. Fire (1996, Deepa Mehta)

Honourable Mentions:

The Red Violin (1998, François Girard)

Vic + Flo Saw a Bear (2013, Denis Côté)

Universal Language (2023, Matthew Rankin)

Videodrome (1983, David Cronenberg)

Mon Oncle Antoine (1971, Claude Jutra)

The Forbidden Room (2015, Guy Maddin)

Bollywood Bound (2002, Nisha Pahuja)

BlackBerry (2023, Matt Johnson)

I Killed My Mother (2009, Xavier Dolan)

My Winnipeg (2007, Guy Maddin)

The World Before Her (2012, Nisha Pahuja)

Waydowntown (2000, Gary Burns)

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie (2025, Matt Johnson)