Best Stanley Kubrick Film

[Merrick]

Poll question: Best Stanley Kubrick Film

Have to go with Clockwork myself, and if you don't agree, then yarbles! Great bolshy yarblockos to you.

[Lautremont]

1. I went with Strangelove, but it was very hard.

I'd put Paths of Glory, A Clockwork Orange, 2001 and The Killing (which I don't think was in your poll) all up around the top.

[SeattleGirl]

2. Dr. Strangelove!

[Shakespeare]

3. If ANYBODY votes for "Eyes Wide Shut"...

....I will hunt you down and beat the shit out of you.

[madrchsod]

6. i think he should get an award for trying to direct tommy boy

and how to act like he`s actually married to nicky..it would have been a good movie if nicky had anyone but her husband to play her husband

[Shakespeare]

12. I have visions of him screaming at us from the grave....

"DON'T PUT MY NAME ON THAT FILM! I WASN'T DONE YET! IT SUCKS DONKEY BALLS!"

[Lautremont]

59. Kubrick directed Tommy Boy?

Next you'll tell me he did Happy Gilmore too!

[Bullwinkle925]

24. Methinks you didn't enjoy that one, eh?

I did. But wouldn't vote for it to be his best. So, I guess that means you're going to hunt me down.
At least give me a good head start.

:hide:

[LynneSin]

31. I'll hold them down while you do the beating

:D

[Ediacara]

43. I liked EWS

It's certainly not my favorite film, but it doesn't suck donkey balls either.

[xchrom]

4. i voted for clockwork -- but only one vote

for 2001?

that is one of the most seminal moments in cinematic history.

[SutaUvaca]

45. Gotta agree.

In the evolution of the sci fi movie genre, 2001 is one of the benchmarks, creating a new standard I think. Along with "Forbidden Planet" and the original "Alien" - IMHO.

[Ekirh]

5. Dr. Strangelove. . .

Is perhaps my favorite movie of all time . . . (Or at least tied with a few others) So of course I had to vote for that one . .

With that being said A Clockwork Orange would be my 2nd fav Kubrick.. and was the film that introduced me to Kubrick..

[wain]

7. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

On of the funniest movies with a huge cast of famous comedians. It's my all-time favorite.

:)

[dysfunctional press]

15. but it's not a kubrick...

is it?

but i'll agree that it's one of the funniest movies EVER.

[KitchenWitch]

22. Stanley Kramer directed that!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

35. You say Kramer I say Kubrick

let's call the whole thing off

[REP]

23. That's Stanley "Judgement at Nuremberg" Kramer, not Kubrick

[Richardo]

34. I love this response

:D

...but voted for 2001.

[wain]

48. My duh!

I guess I need new glasses. Or it's psychological. I looked it up on the web and wanted to see Kubrick.

Thanks for being so polite. That's one one the important traits of the Lounge. Tolerance of duh moments.

:blush:

[Radical Activist]

8. Paths of Glory, followed by

Lolita and 2001.

[NYCGirl]

14. Wow. My choices too! I think "Lolita" is criminally underrated. NT

[Radical Activist]

17. Cool.

I hesitated to name it because I don't want people to think I'm some kind of pervert, but it was just a very good movie.
And I love 2001.
A Clockwork Orange was too disturbing for me to enjoy.

[NYCGirl]

19. Well, it is one of the greatest novels of all time...

even with the subject matter. Although it was a problem with the censors (Sue Lyon was 18 when she made the film, and she looked about 16), I think Kubrick really captured Nabokov's vision.

I love "Clockwork Orange", but there's at least three films ahead of it — I agree with your list.

[cemaphonic]

41. Besides the subject matter,

A lot of what makes the novel tick is purely literary effect(the puns, butterflies, humorous descriptions of tacky Americana) and the subtlety of the unreliable narrator. All in all, I think he did a pretty good job adapting it to a film, but I also think it is one of his lesser movies.

Shelly Winters' characters sure do marry some creepy stepfathers.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

9. So hard to choose, but I had to go with A Clockwork Orange.

[Bullwinkle925]

10. I had to go with 'Strangelove' since I couldn't get past the first 10 minutes of

'Clockwork Orange'. Just couldn't get past the brutality. Did enjoy "Eyes Wide Shut" - but can't put it in the same class as 'Strangelove'.

[REP]

21. Kubrick's Movie is Much Tamer Than Burgess's Novel

I finally saw Kubrick's version of A Clockwork Orange, and while I wasn't surprised at how watered-down it was - it simply couldn't be filmed the way it was written - it left me underwhelmed. Too much style conflicting with Burgess's point. Perhaps if I hadn't read the novel first or had seen the movie when much younger, it would have made more of an impression on me other than vague annoyance.

Strangelove, on the other hand, is a masterpiece. So is Lyndon, but I went with Strangelove.

[bertha katzenengel]

11. The only one I've seen was so disturbing I couldn't see for a week

afterwards, but I still voted for it. (FMJ)

[mitchum]

13. Hey, "A Clockwork Orange" is the only good Stanley Kubrick film

in my opinion
His work generally leaves me cold

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

29. And that sucked too. (nt)

[dysfunctional press]

16. i want to change my vote to barry lyndon.

i love that flick.

[Merrick]

18. Surprising...

That The Shining hasn't even received one vote while Full Metal Jacket only has two. Thought that would be near the top. Sorry for not including Lolita (and maybe even "The Killing"?) but oh well, they wouldn't have won anyway.

[PVnRT]

26. Sorry, but his version of "The Shining" sucked ass

Jack Nicholson is horribly miscast in that movie - there is more to his character than the lunatic part at the end, which Kubrick apparently decided to ignore. Kubrick made that character completely one-dimensional, whereas in the book, it is the father who, at the end, regains himself just enough to let Danny escape. AND he left out the topiary scene, possibly the creepiest part of the book.

"The Shining" is cinematic garbage. The Sci-Fi Channel did a much better adaptation a couple of years ago.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

30. A-men.

Kubrick ALWAYS ignores key plot elements, and then leaves others just kind of dangling and unresolved. He'll build up certain plot elements only to let them fall with a wimper. He tried WAY, WAY too hard to be artsy, and it cost him a lot. Dr. Strangelove is the only good film he made. If anyone's read A Clockwork Orange, it's easy to understand how the film could've been infinitely better.

[cemaphonic]

40. Lots of people think this, including King

But I don't think that Nicholson was really all that far off from what King wrote. If you pay attention to Jack's backstory, especially his interactions with the hotel manager and the friend that got him the job, you'll notice that he is seething with barely contained resentment towards just about everybody. (Including his wife and son - He loves them, but is extremely bitter that his responsibilities as breadwinner are deraling his literary ambition.)And he sinks much lower into his problems before attempting to straighten out in the book than in the movie. Then there is the fairly explicit boiler room metaphor. And this is all from the first page, timewise.

Yes, King writes him sympathetically, with a lot of internal monologues showing that he is fairly self-aware of his problems, and trying to change for the better. But if you think about how to cast and direct this character from an outside, neutral POV, I think the agressive body language and sarcastic tone that Nicholson used is a pretty reasonable interpretation of the inner turmoil of the book character.

The transition between hostile-but-mostly-sane to murderously insane does feel somewhat rushed, but that is just a limitation of the 2-3 hour movie timeframe. And the ending is very different, reflecting King's basic optimism about human nature, vs Kubrick's pessimism.

Plus, aside from considerations of it as a book adaptation, it stands up on its own merits as a film. Here, it's not Kubrick's best, but it still is a scary movie with a ton of memorable images and scenes, and plenty of interesting ambiguities and details to think about when the movie is over.

[Aristus]

50. I have to disagree. I think the problem with casting Nicholson is that

always comes across as at least partially nuts. Then we expect him, quite naturally, to go COMPLETELY nuts. So it takes away the full arc of Torrance's character. I think casting Steven Weber in the TV movie was a good idea. You get the idea that Weber is a nice guy, pretty ordinary, harmless, and THEN we see the full tragedy of Torrance's downfall.

[cemaphonic]

52. But I don't think that novel-Jack is all that nice or harmless

Read the bit at the beginning with the hotel manager, or some of his phone conversations with his old friend. And remember that it took a possible hit-and-run to sober him up (in the movie, it was just the broken arm), and he was still so out-of-control that he was fired for assaulting a student at his school. This is a mean, pissed-off guy that radiates hostility in all directions, just barely keeping his rage in check enough to be a somewhat functional member of society (the boiler room metaphor again - and note who actually does the work of maintaining the boiler through much of the book). He is dangerous and unstable, and someone that you would NOT want to leave your small child in the care of. Most of what is "good" about him (his self-awareness of his problems, and desire to get better - his affection for his son) is confined to internal monologues that really wouldn't have worked in a movie, so I can see why Kubrick and Nicholson went the way they did with the character.

He is written sympathetically - King is very good at that sort of thing. And I agree that there is a strong thread of tragedy through the novel. But I think that it is the tragedy of a man who has hit rock bottom and is making a real (and initially successful) effort to improve, only to be destroyed, rather than that of a nice guy who goes bad.

And I do agree that the transition between irritable jerk and gibbering, axe-wielding loon is a bit rushed in the movie. I haven't seen the miniseries, but I can imagine the extra time available in that format would have helped with that.

[PVnRT]

53. I think a lot of that part of his character is the alcoholism

The hotel acts basically as alcohol for Jack, slowly poisoning and twisting him. In the movie, there is no glimpse of the good part of Jack at all, and I think a large part of that is Nicholson. I can't think of a single Jack Nicholson role where he plays a normal, nice guy.

And, still, I think it unforgiveable to leave out the moving topiary. It wouldn't have even really required SFX, as he never *sees* them move; he just turns around, and, look, the lion is a little closer and starting to get into a position to pounce. Given Kubrick's style, he could've done that beautifully, but instead it gets cut for bizarre scenes like blood gushing out of an elevator (seriously, WTF was up with that?).

Ditto for the roque mallet. An axe is cliche, but swinging a large, solid wooden mallet around, thumping the walls, gives the impression of some devil beating the drums of hell while relentlessly chasing you down.

Anyway, I suggest grabbing a copy of the miniseries. It's done for TV, and some parts seem a bit unpolished, but it's very faithful to the book and pretty well done.

[cemaphonic]

56. Have you read "The Haunting of Hill House"

by Shirley Jackson? It also has an already-troubled character that is further isolated and alienated from people through contact with a haunted house. I'm pretty sure I've seen King cite this as a huge influence on "The Shining." I always liked how in the novel, Jack starts re-exhibiting symptoms of his alcoholism long before he actually falls of the wagon. The movie isn't as detailed, but basically presents the same situation where his sobered-up but untreated alcoholism is the wedge that the hotel uses to break him.

All in all, I guess what I am saying is that the book character is way more fleshed-out (a strength of the novel form in general and King in particular), but that Nicholson's portrayal seems to me to be a reasonable distillation of how the novel character would appear to a neutral, exterior pov like a film camera.

I've wondered about the axe myself. The mallet has a grotesque perverseness to it that would have well-suited the film, while the axe just seems prosaic. The topiary was something that his film crew looked into and decided that there was no way to do it that wasn't going to look silly.

[NashVegas]

73. "Officious Little Prick"

Is the stand-out from the first page. That's not coming from a happy camper.

[PVnRT]

74. I think that frequently when dealing with some people at work

Amongst other things...and the hotel manager WAS a prick.

[Merrick]

49. Partially agreed

Personally I wouldn't put the shining in my top 5 of Kubrick's films, I was just saying that I was surprised that nobody had voted for it at all up to that point, considering how popular a movie it is. And though I certainly wouldn't say it sucked ass, I must admit I've never read the book, so maybe I'd be more critical if I had.

[PVnRT]

54. I get your point

It is popular, I just fail to see why, other than that it has Stephen King's name on it.

By all means, read the book. I don't get creeped out by horror novels, but this one got to me the first time I read it. It's one of King's best works.

[ChickMagic]

57. The topiary really got to me

Topiary gardens kind of irrationally creep me out anyway.
Just as I got to the hedges attacking, the front door blew
open by a gust of wind. I thought I was going to die.

[Broken_Hero]

20. A Clockwork Orange....

although I was tempted to vote for FMJ, R. Lee Ermey's role was...memorable.

[DainBramaged]

25. I want 2 votes. It's a tie.

[buddhamama]

27. Dr.Strangelove

[edbermac]

28. All of the above!

SK was the best! I've seen all his films except for a documentary called the Seafarers and his first feature Fear And Desire. He was the MASTER!

[begin_within]

32. "2001" is his masterpiece. Check out this clip of it set to Pink Floyd music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aunoKAz6Mc

[LynneSin]

33. WIthout a doubt - Full Metal Jacket

I think that film is very important in light of what is happening in Iraq today

[Mutley]

36. "2001" is my pick.

It's one of my favorite movies.

"Full Metal Jacket" is my second pick.

[Dukkha]

37. does A.I. count?

that's was Kubrick's project which Speilberg took over and directed.

[Richardo]

38. No, because of the last five words in your post.

That movie never ended. :boring:

[terrya]

69. It is so easy to tell who directed what in "AI"

Kubrick would never attached that sappy ending....

[HughBeaumont]

39. Clockwork Orange. And I've read the book three times.

2001: A Space Odyssey would be next, followed by Full Metal Jacket.

[Beausoleil]

42. For Peter Sellers

I'll have to go with Dr. Strangelove, but 2001 and A Clockwork Orange are right up there.

[IA_Seth]

44. I am...in a world...of shit. n/t

[terrya]

46. I would have added "Lolita" to this list.

I really couldn't say what Kubrick's best film was. But "Lolita" is one of his best.

[chaska]

47. Come on, people. PATHS OF GLORY is brilliant. And features this week's birthday boy...

Kirk Douglas.

It's a great, great anti-war film.

[redqueen]

51. 2001, no question

strangelove was the best for content... but 2001 is just an all around delight

[CTyankee]

55. I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone likes "Clockwork Orange"

I found it gross, mysognonistic, hateful, and gratuitously violent. Perhaps this says something about me, but I would truly like to know why a progressive liberal would like that movie.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

58. You missed the point of the movie.

The basic theme is free will and the power of the State.

Alex and his droogs commit obviously hateful, violent acts, but the premise of the movie lies in Alex's "rehabilitation," which causes him to become nauseous at the THOUGHT of sex and violence -- his mental wanderings are classified and treated as if he had actually committed those acts -- before he even commits them.

In the end (SPOILER), the government realizes the horrible PR move that the rehabilitation was and offers Alex employment with them -- the very same government that tried to destroy his free will/free thoughts in the first place.

[CTyankee]

60. I did not miss the point of the movie. I disagreed with the point.

It seemed to say that this was the basic condition of the human (and of course, the male human)which was perhaps deplorable but also human and so of course we must allow for that.

The movie to me said that rape, violence, killing and sadism is human so it is better than controlling people as a "clockwork orange". To me that is a conclusion reached without resort to more reason, or if I may say, to humanistic concerns.

Sorry, this movie is a shallow exercise in moral choice.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

62. The sex and violence were extreme examples of human fallibility.

But the point of the movie was that thoughts shouldn't be criminalized/controlled.

Rape and violence were extreme examples used of the capability of human thought, but the movie conveyed a "slippery slope" message -- if such violent thoughts can be controlled by the State, what stops them from going further?

It wasn't an either/or choice between violence and control, but rather a choice between free will (at least in terms of thought -- any thought) and control.

[CTyankee]

63. But it seemed to stop at the point of saying control was bad and therefore

well, we can't have any control over "bad."

So everything is OK, because it is free will. Well, what is happening in Darfur is "free will." Everything bad that goes on that is not strictly government controlled is "free will" and somehow (because benefits accrue to males) it is OK. It is NOT OK when men have to suffer, as the protagonist did in Clockwork Orange (oh, no, he was controlled by the government and that is bad, and it is only bad when he is controlled by the government, not when he is being "himself", that monster).

I am NOT agreeing that the state should control humans. NOt at all. But I am saying that just stating that it is a black or white choice is no choice at all. We do have a moral choice, one that does not exploit the weak, but also honors a moral code of tolerance towards others. The C.O. argument negates the entire notion of moral choice and that is my major objection to it. I think it could have been a more deeply intellectual movie.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

64. Big difference between thought and action.

The warring people in Darfur certainly have the "free will" in terms of thoughts about the "other." But what is an atrocity is acting on those thoughts.

I think ACO does present the moral choices we make, in terms of our potential thoughts to respect and love one another, for example -- it just used the extremes of sex and violence to promote the slippery slope argument re: the totality of our mental capacity vis-a-vis a controlling outside interest.

Alex's crimes were never meant to be excused, but the fact that his thoughts about those crimes, whether he intended to carry them out or not, were meant to be accepted as human nature, if not excusable themselves.

[CTyankee]

65. I saw this movie many years ago, but I do remember

that the personification of moral choice seemed to be the priest, who was portrayed as weak and ridiculous. Now, perhaps that was a satirical point: that society's moral spokesperson is nothing but an impotent fool (and offers no alternative, thereby leading the viewer to assume that the film meant to do just that). What we are left with is nihilism. I remember thinking at the time that the people who were most taken with the movie were young guys, college undergrads, who saw the hero in something of a romanticistic haze. Perhaps I was reacting to that. It seems these young men were thrilled with being able to cast the film's violence as some kind of philosophic statement. Truly sophomoric in my view.

However, since I saw it so long ago, I probably should revisit the movie and the book (which I did read also). Perhaps I am missing a relevant moral or philosophical point. I should also research critical essays on the book and the movie.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

66. Definitely.

I need to watch it again soon as well.

[CTyankee]

67. Do you know of any critical pieces I should be reading?

Of course, there's the Internets...

[Starbucks Anarchist]

68. As far as journal-type material, no, but I can recommend a book.

It's called Stanley Kubrick: A Visual Analysis, and critiques his films from a visual standpoint, including ACO.

I don't know if you're a big enough fan to purchase it, but you may be able to find it at the library.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubrick-Director-Visual-Analysis/dp/0393321193/sr=1-8/qid=1166108239/ref=sr_1_8/103-3896396-4926218?ie=UTF8&s=books

[CTyankee]

71. A feminist view that I just found is at

www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0111.html

It is an article by Janet Staiger entitled "The Cultural Productions of A Clockwork Orange."

I just started it. Interesting.

[begin_within]

72. "Clockwork Orange" was an embarassment from the same guy who did "2001" and "Dr. Strangelove"

He peaked with "2001," and he should have stopped after that film. Nothing he did after that holds up to his earlier works.

[bridgit]

61. of these i voted for: Barry Lyndon...

[AngryAmish]

70. The "Mickey Mouse" scene in Full Metal Jacket - classic

And anything with Gunnery Sergeant Hartman <>

[dr.strangelove]

75. This was EASY

anything named dr.strangelove is GREAT!!

It is my favorite film and is one you can watch 100 times and keep getting something else from it.

[NoSheep]

76. LOLITA!