A Note on Kubrick.

Stanley Kubrick is an Artist. Once a photographer, now a filmmaker, forever seen as a legend, a messiah, a true visionary. Stanley Kubrick… Born in 1928 on July 26th, Passed 1999 March 7th. Now I know there are millions of Kubrick fans, from you’re a typical film fan who indulges in film every so often, to your film-elitist - whom can not breathe without any Kubrick, to your would-be-filmmakers, to people like Steven Spielberg, who was ’friends’ with Kubrick. Every one knows the name and his art, much like everyone knows a painting of De Vinci. His name is household and on many, many peoples favorite lists. From a Clockwork Orange to The Shining, every one knows his name, From Lolita to 2001, every one knows his name, from Spartacus to Dr Strangelove, every knows his name. I was introduced to Kubrick ages ago when I had watched The Shining on a Free HBO day on cable. I never forgot the film, but at the time “STANLEY KUBRICK” never meant anything to me. It was a name, in a list of names who where in a film that I as a young one, was watching. Then some years later, I had heard of A Clockwork Orange, a film that had quite a bit of controversy around it, at this time I had been watching more and more Cult films like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, Fight Club, and it was only a natural progression to head into Kubrick land. I had rented it from Blockbuster, I watched it and was lost in it, I had no idea what was going on and it made me feel something only a few films had at that point. It made me feel hopeless and disgusted. I didn’t know what the think and I never went back to it. Eventually, a friend of mine was (and probably still is) obsessed with A Clockwork Orange, she admired the film for her reasons, she had read the book, she had watched the movie, she could quote the book or the film with her eyes closed and out of nowhere. Reluctantly I decided to give the film a second chance and on a whim, I bought it. Now why would I buy a film which disturbed me? I couldn’t tell you, maybe it was the need to show my friend “That, Hey! I’m cool too!” or maybe it was something more real, like I wanted to know why it bothered me. I watched it again, and again, and again, over time It grew on me, much like Taxi Driver did, and Blade Runner. I finally understood most of the film at this time (at the age of 16). Then eventually I would end up owning the book. But I needed more of that feeling, it was like an addiction and still is. I ended up watching the Shining again, and loved it, I ended up watching Full Metal Jacket and loved it, I ended up watching Eyes Wide Shut and loved it, Every movie this man put out was like gold to me at the time. He quickly became one of my favorite directors and had given me a lot of influence in filmmaking and photography which is something I now notice. Stanley Kubrick is an artist and I thank him for disturbing me enough to fall in love with his work. Where ever he is, I hope he is enjoying his solitude. And as for me, I am off to write something else that has nothing to do with anything important. And I don’t need to recommend or even boast about Kubrick, everyone else does and those people have better things to say. Again, thank you for reading.

- Andrew.