History Creator / StanleyKubrick

* ''Film/TheShining'' (1980) -- Radically different from the [[Literature/TheShining novel]], to Creator/StephenKing's distaste. It's now considered a great classic of the genre, provoking a number of [[UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories fan explanations]] and much like ''2001'', Kubrick eschewed conventional genre features by bringing in highbrow elements. Features one of Creator/JackNicholson's most famous performances and its extended production, with the gigantic set built in England and his treatment of Shelley Duvall, cementing Kubrick's reputation as a perfectionist. Also notable among videophiles for being Kubrick's first film to be explicitly shot in open matte, meaning it was filmed in Academy ratio[[note]]an aspect ratio just ''slightly'' wider than 4:3[[/note]] but cropped to a widescreen aspect ratio in theaters (thus allowing it to avoid PanAndScan when broadcast on television and included on home media releases before the mass adoption of 16:9 [=TVs=] by simply uncropping the vertical space of the picture), a practice he would carry onto his next (and last) two films[[note]]Kubrick already shot his movies in Academy ratio even before ''The Shining'', but this was the first time he consciously did so with the intent of using the extra vertical space on television sets, owing to the rapid rise of home media in the latter half of the 70's[[/note]].

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick His incredibly thorough article]] on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} lacked an infobox[[note]]those boxes usually found on the top of "traditional" wikis that are like mini [=CliffsNotes=] about the subject of an article[[/note]] for twenty years; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_7#No_Infobox there was quite]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_9 a debate over it]] before one was added in 2021.

* ''Film/DrStrangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb'' (1964) -- A jet-black satire on the UsefulNotes/ColdWar with a screenplay by Terry Southern that ends with [[KillEmAll the whole world dying]] to the strains of Vera Lynn. Starring Creator/PeterSellers in three brilliant and very different roles, but also George C. Scott, Creator/JamesEarlJones, a second appearance by Creator/SterlingHayden and a scene-stealing turn by Slim Pickens.

* ReclusiveArtist: To the point that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Conway one conman]] successfully managed to impersonate him ''in front of an experienced film critic''. [[note]]Kubrick's wife was horrified when she heard about Conway's impersonation, but Kubrick apparently found the idea very amusing.[[/note]] It should be noted though that Kubrick was only reclusive in terms of being a public figure and Hollywood celebrity. He was generally accessible to critics who wanted to interview him about his films, such as Michel Ciment of Positif, and he also maintained friendships with producers and directors and kept up to speed with new film-makers. He also sent fan letters to film-makers he admired, [[http://www.cinematheia.com/stanley-kubricks-letter-to-ingmar-bergman-in-1980/ such as this one]] to Creator/IngmarBergman.

* BadBoss: UpToEleven. In making ''Film/TheShining'' he deliberately treated Shelley Duvall horribly [[EnforcedMethodActing so she would be sad and scared all the time for real.]] She even lost a lot of hair from the stress.

Born to a middle-class Jewish family in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, Kubrick was a college dropout (albeit one who was also a [[SelfMadeMan voracious reader and autodidact]]). From an early age, he was [[TheMovieBuff a cinephile]] who was especially fond of foreign films and arthouse film-makers such as Creator/JosefVonSternberg and especially Creator/MaxOphuls (who he cited as his favorite, and his biggest influence).

The UsefulNotes/FallOfTheStudioSystem began when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of an antitrust suit that broke up the monopoly of film distribution formerly held by major studios, and an indirect effect of this was the nurturing of independent theaters, and by extension, independent cinema. Kubrick could make documentary newsreels and find a way to distribute it without having to cross many hurdles, and he quickly taught himself the nuts-and-bolts of film-making without dealing with the studio system, cultivating an independent sensibility that he carried with him to the end of his life.

His early films, ''Fear and Desire''[[note]]Which Kubrick has shelved because he was dissatisfied with it[[/note]] and ''Killer's Kiss'' were made entirely on his own, and Kubrick on his first feature served as not only his own director, but his own cinematographer, editor and sound-man, which provided him a thorough technical knowledge of film-making. ''Film/TheKilling'' proved to be his first success, and with that film, produced by associate James B. Harris, Kubrick found a foot in Hollywood, and he attracted the attention of Kirk Douglas who partnered with him to make ''Film/PathsOfGlory'' which became his BreakthroughHit, earning him respect and good notices from America and England. The interim period between that film and ''Film/{{Lolita}}'' (his first film made in self-imposed exile in England) featured a period of striving in the Hollywood system, including an attempt to collaborate with Creator/MarlonBrando on ''Film/OneEyedJacks'' and ''Film/{{Spartacus}}'', produced by Kirk Douglas, who brought Kubrick in after firing original director Creator/AnthonyMann. Although ''Spartacus'' was a major success, Kubrick felt dissatisfied because the project was clearly Douglas' (and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo's) more than his, he didn't feel personally invested in the subject and was generally too independent-minded to do journeyman work. [[TheDeterminator He resolved to maintain his independence]] against all odds. He went to England to make ''Film/{{Lolita}}'' and never returned to America, citing a fear of flying[[note]]Which biographer Bill Krohn believes [[UnreliableNarrator is a rather convenient excuse]]. He notes that during the making of ''Lolita'', Kubrick shuttled back and forth between England and America to shoot the footage for the exteriors, which he did not delegate to second-unit[[/note]].

In England, Kubrick was able to cultivate [[ShroudedInMyth a sense of mystery and excitement about his work]]. At a remote distance from Hollywood, he was able to assert control over all aspects of film-making from pre-production to editing and sound-mixing, from advertising to exhibition[[note]]No, [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer seriously]]; Kubrick would appoint [[BigBrotherIsWatching staffers to go to different theaters across America]] and England, and if he received reports and complaints that a projectionist was screening his film in the wrong aspect-ratio, or if the theatre had bad lighting, [[ControlFreak he would personally call the projector during the screening and tell the man how to screen it correctly]][[/note]]. He was able to do this thanks to support from excellent producers such as James B. Harris and Jan Harlan (who was also his brother-in-law) and the fact that his films were, relatively speaking, less expensive than other Hollywood super-productions of the time, and they were generally successful at the box-office.

During this time, Kubrick also became, so to speak, a ReclusiveArtist. He would give interviews as per his convenience and would be inaccessible to journalists and celebrity gossip-columnists and generally interact only with his collaborators and producers. As such, a number of legends cropped up about him.

People he had worked with have described him as [[NotGoodWithPeople acidic to others but amazingly fond of animals, particularly cats]], and very close to his wife and children. Actors who worked on his films described him as manipulative, distant and aloof. Creator/MalcolmMcDowell thoroughly enjoyed working with him on ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', but was [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately snubbed after shooting was complete]]. Others, such as Ryan O'Neal, Creator/JackNicholson, Creator/TomCruise and Creator/RLeeErmey, however, enjoyed working with him and described him fondly.[[note]]On average, however, his relationships could be defined by the making of ''Film/DrStrangelove''; actors that did exactly as he said walked away with their paychecks (unless they were named Peter Sellers or R. Lee Ermey, who got to do a surprising amount of {{Improv}}). Slim Pickens [[EnforcedMethodActing was never told he was making a comedy]], implying that his character was the hero of the film, heroically delivering the bomb that ''ends the world''. Pickens was okay with it in the long run, spinning the publicity into a highly successful career. On the other hand, Creator/GeorgeCScott wanted to play General Turgidson as a dignified WellIntentionedExtremist, so Kubrick tricked him by [[FalseReassurance assuring him that]] [[BlatantLies the cameras were off]], and that Kubrick and the rest of the cast and crew are the only ones seeing him. He proceeded to use those takes, leading to Scott swearing to not work with Kubrick again.[[/note]] In other cases, most notably his treatment of Creator/ShelleyDuvall on the set of ''Film/TheShining'', his behavior went beyond controlling and became abusive, to the point of what some even describe as psychological torture.[[note]]In short, forcing her to work 12-hour days for over a year, isolating her and constantly yelling at her, forcing dozens of takes no matter how minor the scene, including 127 takes of the exhausting baseball bat scene. Duvall at the time came to Kubrick with clumps of hair that had fallen out of her head due to stress, and the experience may have contributed to the detachment from reality and intense mental illness that she has suffered from later in life, though she has denied it being the case.[[/note]]

%% On Shelley Duvall, please try to use the Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement. While it was not the experience of all actors under Kubrick, Duvall's experiences were undeniably horrifying and merit inclusion in Kubrick's legacy rather than being papered over or chalked up as YMMV. Also, may be more myth than fact as most of what's found supporting the abuse is on sites like Quorra and Reddit without citations. It's entirely likely that he didn't treat her any differently than any other actor but that her own dedication to the craft combined with his perfectionism damaged her mental health rather than being a product of abuse.

Because of his high artistic ambitions (he was obsessed with originality and doing things that had never been done before), his insistence on personally researching each aspect of pre-production (a side-effect of his autodidact origins[[note]]For ''Film/BarryLyndon'', Kubrick would personally scour countless paintings to create reference material for the film's look, costume and production designer, work that other film-makers -- including great directors -- would properly delegate to others but which he felt he had to do himself[[/note]]) and his insistence on doing a film that interests him thoroughly, his production pace slowed down drastically. He made four films in TheSixties and five films in the next three decades, much of his time spent on pre-production for unmade projects such as a planned {{Biopic}} on UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, a film on UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and a science-fiction project about an android. The former two he abandoned because he felt he had been beaten to the punch[[note]]By Sergei Bondarchuk's adaptation of ''Film/{{Waterloo}}'' in TheSeventies and ''Film/SchindlersList'' by Spielberg in TheNineties[[/note]]. The latter project was subsequently completed after his death by Creator/StevenSpielberg as ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' as per Kubrick's suggestion.

** Jack in ''Film/TheShining'' is an incredibly self-centered and abusive [[TheAlcoholic alcoholic]], and his SanitySlippage over the course of the film slowly peels back the layers separating AffablyEvil, FauxAffablyEvil, and AxeCrazy.

* PrimaDonnaDirector: The TropeCodifier. After earning his AuteurLicense, every one of his movies were productions which extended for years where he controlled every tiny detail and forced the actors to do over 20 takes ''at minimum''. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This resulted in great films]]. It also ensured that virtually no actor worked with him twice.[[note]]except Sterling Hayden, Philip Stone, and Peter Sellers, who had two movies, and Joe Turkel, who had three.[[/note]]

** ''Paths of Glory'' was banned in France until 1970 due to its critical depiction of the French Army.

%% On Shelley Duvall, please try to use the Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement. While it was not the experience of all actors under Kubrick, Duvall's experiences were undeniably horrifying and merit inclusion in Kubrick's legacy rather than being papered over or chalked up as YMMV.

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick His incredibly thorough article]] on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} lacked an infobox[[note]]those boxes usually found on the top of "traditional" wikis that are like mini [=CliffsNotes=] about the subject of an article[[/note]] for several years; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_7#No_Infobox there was quite]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_9 a debate over it]] before one was added in 2021.

-->--From an interview with ''East Village Eye'' in 1968

* TheConspiracy: A running motif in his movies is characters undone by fate, institutions, machinations by unknown figures who are mysterious, powerful and whose interests and motives they cannot seem to comprehend, and to whom they will always remain small-fry. Whether it's Alex [=DeLarge=] finally [[spoiler:being cured and engaging in ultra-violence with the support of the dystopian government, Humbert being undone by Quilty and Lolita, Dave Bowman being undone by HAL and then the Monolith, Redmond Barry by society and class]]. Film/EyesWideShut directly uses conspiracy as a major element and its left ambiguous how much of it [[spoiler:is an actual conspiracy and how much of it is just Hartford imagining and projecting his paranoia and sexual frustration externally]]. Even in the credits, Kubrick showed a conspiracy theorist side of his own-- pay close attention to the closing credits for the German versions of ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' and ''Film/TheShining'', and you'll see a very subtle hint that [[spoiler:he did not believe in the Moon landings]].

* TheConspiracy: A running motif in his movies is characters undone by fate, institutions, machinations by unknown figures who are mysterious, powerful and whose interests and motives they cannot seem to comprehend, and to whom they will always remain small-fry. Whether it's Alex [=DeLarge=] finally [[spoiler:being cured and engaging in ultra-violence with the support of the dystopian government, Humbert being undone by Quilty and Lolita, Dave Bowman being undone by HAL and then the Monolith, Redmond Barry by society and class]]. Film/EyesWideShut directly uses conspiracy as a major element and its left ambiguous how much of it [[spoiler:is an actual conspiracy and how much of it is just Hartford imagining and projecting his paranoia and sexual frustration externally]].

* ReclusiveArtist: To the point that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Conway one conman]] successfully managed to impersonate him ''in front of an experienced film critic''. [[note]]Kubrick's wife was horrified when she heard about Conway's impersonation, but Kubrick apparently found the idea very amusing.[/note]] It should be noted though that Kubrick was only reclusive in terms of being a public figure and Hollywood celebrity. He was generally accessible to critics who wanted to interview him about his films, such as Michel Ciment of Positif, and he also maintained friendships with producers and directors and kept up to speed with new film-makers. He also sent fan letters to film-makers he admired, [[http://www.cinematheia.com/stanley-kubricks-letter-to-ingmar-bergman-in-1980/ such as this one]] to Creator/IngmarBergman.

* ReclusiveArtist: To the point that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Conway one conman]] successfully managed to impersonate him ''in front of an experienced film critic''. It should be noted though that Kubrick was only reclusive in terms of being a public figure and Hollywood celebrity. He was generally accessible to critics who wanted to interview him about his films, such as Michel Ciment of Positif, and he also maintained friendships with producers and directors and kept up to speed with new film-makers. He also sent fan letters to film-makers he admired, [[http://www.cinematheia.com/stanley-kubricks-letter-to-ingmar-bergman-in-1980/ such as this one]] to Creator/IngmarBergman.

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick His incredibly thorough article]] on Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} lacks an infobox.[[note]]those boxes usually found on the top of "traditional" wikis that are like mini [=CliffsNotes=] about the subject of an article[[/note]] Although [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_7#No_Infobox they are keeping it]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_9 that way over there]] for now, there's a growing consensus from Wikipedia's editors that this should end soon.

Because of his high artistic ambitions (he was obsessed with originality and doing things that had never been done before), his insistence on personally researching each aspect of pre-production (a side-effect of his autodidact origins[[note]]For ''Film/BarryLyndon'', Kubrick would personally scour countless paintings to create reference material for the film's look, costume and production designer, work that other film-makers -- including great directors -- would properly delegate to others but which he felt he had to do himself[[/note]]) and his insistence on doing a film that interests him thoroughly, his production pace slowed down drastically. He made four films in TheSixties and five films in the next three decades, much of his time spent on pre-production for unmade projects such as a planned {{Biopic}} on UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, a film on UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and a science-fiction project about an android. The former two he abandoned because he felt he had been beaten to the punch[[note]]By an adaptation of ''Waterloo'' in TheSeventies by Sergei Bondarchuk and ''Film/SchindlersList'' by Spielberg in TheNineties[[/note]]. The latter project was subsequently completed after his death by Creator/StevenSpielberg as ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' as per Kubrick's suggestion.

As a side note, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick his incredibly thorough article]] on [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] lacks an infobox,[[note]]those boxes usually found on the top of "traditional" wikis that are like mini [=CliffsNotes=] about the subject of an article[[/note]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_7#No_Infobox they are keeping it]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Stanley_Kubrick/Archive_9 that way over there.]]

* BeleagueredBureaucrat: In ''A Clockwork Orange'', society's institutions are run by people who believe they can "fix" dangerous products of society like Alex DeLarge, without taking any responsibility for the world that created him.

In England, Kubrick was able to cultivate [[ShroudedInMyth a sense of mystery and excitement about his work]]. At a remote distance from Hollywood he was able to assert control over all aspects of film-making from pre-production to editing and sound-mixing, from advertising to exhibition[[note]]No [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer seriously]], Kubrick would appoint [[BigBrotherIsWatching staffers to go to different theaters across America]] and England and if he received reports and complaints that a projectionist was screening his film in the wrong aspect-ratio, or if the theatre had bad lighting, [[ControlFreak he would personally call the projector during the screening and tell the man how to screen it correctly]][[/note]]. He was able to do this thanks to support from excellent producers such as James B. Harris and Jan Harlan (who was also his brother-in-law) and the fact that his films were, relatively speaking, less expensive than other Hollywood super-productions of the time, and they were generally successful at the box-office.

People he had worked with have described him as [[NotGoodWithPeople acidic to others but amazingly fond of animals, particularly cats]], and very close to his wife and children. Actors who worked on his films described him as manipulative, distant and aloof. Creator/MalcolmMcDowell thoroughly enjoyed working with him on ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', but was [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately snubbed after shooting was complete]]. Others, such as Ryan O'Neal, Creator/JackNicholson, Creator/TomCruise and Creator/RLeeErmey, however, enjoyed working with him and described him fondly.[[note]]On average, however, his relationships could be defined by the making of ''Film/DrStrangelove''; actors that did exactly as he said walked away with their paychecks (unless they were named Peter Sellers or R. Lee Ermey, who got to do a surprising amount of {{Improv}}). Slim Pickens [[EnforcedMethodActing was never told he was making a comedy]], implying that his character was the hero of the film, heroically delivering the bomb that ''ends the world''. Pickens was okay with it in the long run, spinning the publicity into a highly successful career. On the other hand, Creator/GeorgeCScott wanted to play General Turgidson as a dignified WellIntentionedExtremist, so Kubrick tricked him by [[FalseReassurance assuring him that]] [[BlatantLies the cameras were off]], and that Kubrick and the rest of the cast and crew are the only ones seeing him. He proceeded to use those takes, leading to Scott swearing to not work with Kubrick again.[[/note]] In other cases, most notably his treatment of Creator/ShelleyDuvall on the set of ''Film/TheShining'', his behavior went beyond controlling and became abusive, some even say to the point of psychological torture. [[note]]In short, forcing her to work 12-hour days for over a year, isolating her and constantly yelling at her, forcing dozens of takes no matter how minor the scene, including 127 takes of the exhausting baseball bat scene. Duvall at the time came to Kubrick with clumps of hair that had fallen out of her head due to stress, and the experience may have contributed to the detachment from reality and intense mental illness that she has suffered from later in life, though she has denied it being the case.[[/note]]

Because of his high artistic ambitions (he was obsessed with originality and doing things that had never been done before), his insistence on personally researching each aspect of pre-production (a side-effect of his autodidact origins[[note]]For ''Film/BarryLyndon'', Kubrick would personally scour countless paintings to create reference material for the film's look, costume and production designer, work that other film-makers -- including great directors -- would properly delegate to others but which he felt he had to do himself[[/note]]) and his insistence on doing a film that interests him thoroughly, his production pace slowed down drastically.

He made four films in TheSixties and five films in the next three decades, much of his time spent on pre-production for unmade projects such as a planned {{Biopic}} on UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte, a film on UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and a science-fiction project about an android. The former two he abandoned because he felt he had been beaten to the punch[[note]]By an adaptation of ''Waterloo'' in TheSeventies by Sergei Bondarchuk and ''Film/SchindlersList'' by Spielberg in TheNineties[[/note]]. The latter project was subsequently completed after his death by Creator/StevenSpielberg as ''Film/AIArtificialIntelligence'' as per Kubrick's suggestion.

People he had worked with have described him as [[NotGoodWithPeople acidic to others but amazingly fond of animals, particularly cats]], and very close to his wife and children. Actors who worked on his films described him as manipulative, distant and aloof. Creator/MalcolmMcDowell thoroughly enjoyed working with him on ''Film/AClockworkOrange'', but was [[WhatHaveYouDoneForMeLately snubbed after shooting was complete]]. Others, such as Ryan O'Neal, Creator/JackNicholson, Creator/TomCruise and Creator/RLeeErmey, however, enjoyed working with him and described him fondly.[[note]]On average, however, his relationships could be defined by the making of ''Film/DrStrangelove''; actors that did exactly as he said walked away with their paychecks (unless they were named Peter Sellers or R. Lee Ermey, who got to do a surprising amount of {{Improv}}). Slim Pickens [[EnforcedMethodActing was never told he was making a comedy]], implying that his character was the hero of the film, heroically delivering the bomb that ''ends the world''. Pickens was okay with it in the long run, spinning the publicity into a highly successful career. On the other hand, Creator/GeorgeCScott wanted to play General Turgidson as a dignified WellIntentionedExtremist, so Kubrick tricked him by [[FalseReassurance assuring him that]] [[BlatantLies the cameras were off]], and that Kubrick and the rest of the cast and crew are the only ones seeing him. He proceeded to use those takes, leading to Scott swearing to not work with Kubrick again.[[/note]] In other cases, most notably his treatment of Creator/ShelleyDuvall on the set of ''Film/TheShining'', his behavior went beyond controlling and became abusive, some even say to the point of psychological torture. [[note]]In short, forcing her to work 12-hour days for over a year, isolating her and constantly yelling at her, forcing dozens of takes no matter how minor the scene, including 127 takes of the exhausting baseball bat scene. Duvall at the time came to Kubrick with clumps of hair that had fallen out of her head due to stress, and the experience may have contributed to the detachment from reality and intense mental illness that she has suffered from later in life.[[/note]]

** Alex is a cold, sociopathic, criminal who rapes and steals along with his droogs who is doing it because of human choice.

* PrimaDonnaDirector: The TropeCodifier. After earning his AuteurLicense, every one of his movies were productions which extended for years where he controlled every tiny detail and forced the actors to do over 20 takes ''at minimum''. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools This resulted in great films]]. [[RealityEnsues It also ensured that virtually no actor worked with him twice]].[[note]]except Sterling Hayden, Philip Stone, and Peter Sellers, who had two movies, and Joe Turkel, who had three.[[/note]]

Yet despite this seeming procrastination, Kubrick was still able to more or less make a film as per he pleased as evidenced by ''Film/AClockworkOrange, Film/BarryLyndon, Film/TheShining, Film/FullMetalJacket'' and much later ''Film/EyesWideShut''. During his lifetime virtually all his films were met with a polarizing reception by critics and the audience, but most of them were box-office successes. They were shocking and controversial not merely in terms of content but mainly for the really cold, detached and even sardonic tone, that somehow made his films feel more European than American, and certainly like nothing in Hollywood.

All his movies were adaptations of literature, both LitFic and genre fiction, but they were all GenreBusting, subversive of Hollywood conventions, featuring AntiHero protagonists, violence and disturbing sexuality. They are celebrated for their visual design, use of music[[note]]Kubrick generally didn't like original scores, much to the annoyance of composers who worked with him, and he tended to use samples from classical and modernist music and mix them up with other pieces[[/note]], blazingly original iconography (his background in photography really shows in his work) and the overall bleak view of humanity and institutions made his films ripe for AffectionateParody, PopCulturalOsmosis and cult appeal.

In short, he's a film-maker no one is going to stop talking about any time soon.

* DeadArtistsAreBetter: During his lifetime Kubrick's work had already received recognition for being artistically and intellectually more interesting than your average movie, but nearly all his works were polarizing upon their intitial release. ''Paths Of Glory'' was dismissed because it showed the army as cold and inhuman and didn't glorify the military. ''Lolita'' caused controversy because it was about a middle aged man falling in love with a teenage girl. ''Dr. Strangelove'' upset people because it showed governments as incompetent [[spoiler: and unable to prevent a nuclear war]]. ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' was criticized for being pretentious and incomprehensible. ''A Clockwork Orange'' caused outrage for glorifying rape and violence. ''Barry Lyndon'' was seen as boring and soulless. ''The Shining'' was lamblasted for relying more on creepy atmosphere than actually showing anything happening, not to mention Jack Nicholson's over the top performance. ''Full Metal Jacket'' got mixed reviews because the second half just pads on without the strength of the first half. ''Eyes Wide Shut'' got better reviews, but this had more to do with Kubrick's death before the film came out. A lot of people still felt it was a slow erotic movie that wasn't sexy at all [[spoiler: and just resulted in a ShaggyDogStory with an anticlimax.]] All of his films have been VindicatedByHistory nevertheless, usually within 10 years after their initial release.

** Certain scenes of ''Film/EyesWideShut'' were blurred out in the USA at the time for being too sexually explicit. In other Western countries, people got the uncensored version. There was also censorship in the UK owing to the use of a recitation of the Bhagavad Gita (as part of the music by Jocelyn Pook which Kubrick excerpted) during the orgy scene, which Hindu organizations protested as sacrilege and it was removed for the UK release and remains missing in Region 2 releases.

* ''Film/BarryLyndon'' (1975) -- Adapted from a minor novel by [[Literature/VanityFair W. M. Thackeray]], it's a GenreDeconstruction of period films that shows how oppressive and downright weird European society was. It is often incorrectly cited as the first movie to have a scene lit only with candlelight (Film/NightOfTheHunter did it first.) Unpopular and neglected by the audience, it is the preferred favorite of cinephiles like Creator/MartinScorsese, who consider it his masterpiece.