Achieving such shots of ‘zero-gravity’ by creating a giant rig that rotates to give the effect of such weightlessness, Stanley Kubrick, Geoffrey Unsworth and John Alcott demonstrated talent way beyond their technological boundaries. One of the greatest science fiction films of all time, 2001: A Space Odyssey is responsible for inspiring countless films to date thanks to its innovative, hypnotic visuals that make it a pioneering masterpiece. As demonic, shadowy forces in their town, the moment in which the Droogs beat up a homeless man in an overpass serves as a scene indicative of the group’s mindless terror. Alex and his droogs are violent contradictions, embracing the art and nuance of Beethoven whilst using this to inspire scenes of disturbing violence.
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A Clockwork Orange (1971, Cinematography: John Alcott)Īdapted from the iconic novel of the same name from Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange is a controversial classic that sees Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his gang of droogs wreak havoc on a strange futuristic English town.Ī violent attack on the higher powers, the concepts of cultural control and the morality of free will, A Clockwork Orange has much to say beneath its provocative surface. A strange film with a magnificent vision, the allure of Kubrick’s final film is in the anxiety, jealousy and paranoia of the central character, heightened by the contrast of New York’s glitzy pretentiousness. The great, understated Eyes Wide Shut stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a couple going through a tumultuous relationship when they discover the smutty, corrupt underbelly of New York.Īn intoxicating dream that is more akin to the works of David Lynch than of Kubrick’s own previous films, Eyes Wide Shut sees Cruise’s Bill Harford stagger around the city as the director’s vessel to explore the ethereal underworld. Eyes Wide Shut (1999, Cinematography: Larry Smith) Despite much of the film being filmed in the English countryside of the Norfolk Broads among other locations, Kubrick and cinematographer Douglas Milsome do well to transport the viewer to a faraway nightmare well-illustrated by this haunting shot. The separation helps to expose the true ugliness and brutality of war, giving the audience time to attach to the characters before they’re brutally thrown into battle. Stanley Kubrick’s penultimate film tackles the mid-20th century conflict of the Vietnam War and takes shape in two distinct parts the first covering the training of the recruits themselves, and the second delving into the horror and torment of combat.
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Full Metal Jacket (1987, Cinematography: Douglas Milsome)
The 10 greatest shots of Stanley Kubrick 10.