Thanks for the information, Drew. I’ll look for THE SEAFARERS on UTube. I haven’t seen that movie since 1974.
One interesting Kubickian motif that appeared in the doc: K focused one scene on the labor union’s COMPUTERS, early Univacs as I remember them. Maybe pre-pubescent HALs?
SPARTACUS (1960) Man, even Kubrick didn’t appreciate this one. And it’s my fave.
“Barry Lyndon. " Sure, some of the characters are miscast, but it’s a beautiful film — especially the cinematography and production design.
Frankly I think “Barry Lyndon” is his best film. It rrecreates an entire epoch and its values, and centers on a second-rate individual, rahter than a conventional hero. (And in this Ryan O’Neal is perfectly cast.)
It also has my favoirte ending — signing the checks.
>>If anything I’d say Kubricks oevre as a whole is underappreciated, because not everyone kneels down in front of this cinematic god!<<
Well, some of us – while not denying Kubrick’s greatness – are rather more impressed with Orson Welles who, after only a very short time, was making brilliant films from nothing. Kubrick from 2001 on had more money than god to play with. I wonder what Barry Lyndon might have looked like if it had the budget of Chimes at Midnight?
Eyes Wide Shut, maybe. The visuals he created with Christmas lights is a marvel, the best thing about the film. They are the star of the film.
Truly, Banal. That’s what happens when you cast non-actors as your leads.
i do not appreciate any of Kubrick’s films, on the grounds they are heavy-handed, over-studied, and pretentious. uh, except for Full Metal Jacket. that one film, for me anyway, made all his life’s work a worthwhile endeavor. so, i do not despise him.
this has been my experience of art. you suck and suck and suck, and then finally, you rock. then you suck again. don’t let people’s opinions stop you, just keep working through your suckiness, and keep going.
Ellie: You say, “You suck and suck and suck, and then finally, you rock. Then you suck again. Don’t let people’s opinions stop you, just keep working through your suckiness, and keep going.”
Those are no doubt words to live by, for art and Life.
I have an off topic question about the aspect ratio of Barry Lyndon. The one I have is 1.59:1. I’d like to upconvert to something better, but I’m not finding anything better. The Netflix version lists what they have at 1.85:1, but when downloaded it’s the same as what I have. Is there a newer release with a wider version available? Also, I’ve noticed quite a variety of aspect ratios in different dvd releases of the later Kubrick films.
Frank P. Tomasulo said: “Those are no doubt words to live by, for art and Life.”
oh, thank you.
Barry Lyndon had 7 Oscar Nominations and won 4, so it’s arguably the most decorated among Kubrick’s film. It’s a stretch to say it’s “under-appreciated.”
Eyes Wide Shut, in my opinion, received the attention and appreciation (mixed reviews) it deserves. It is not among the director’s best.
The Killing gets my vote for being the most under-appreciated Kubrick film. It is a great film that rarely gets mentioned, but it’s certainly ahead of its time (like most Kubrick films) and influences the likes of Tarantino and more.
Most under-appreciated = Paths Of Glory (spoiler: amongst the many memorable Kubrickian tracking shots, the execution scene has what I consider to be the greatest and most intense tracking shot of all-time)
Most misunderstood = Eyes Wide Shut (it’s flawed yet fantastic; I’d give it another 10 years for the critics to catch up on its brilliance)
And while I’m at it, most overrated = A Clockwork Orange (don’t get me wrong though, I absolutely love ACO but sometimes I think it gets too much love)
The Killing and Killer’s Kiss.
The Killing.
I haven’t seen Barry Lyndon yet, but I know I heard very little of The Killing before finally seeing it on Netflix watch now. Loved it.
While Barry Lyndon is probably underappreciated, I’m surprised more people don’t talk about The Killing.
Eyes Wide Shut is definitely the most underrated. I argue that it’s his second best, next to Space Odyssey. EWS is a fantastic look into the upper middle class and how man can get stuck into a cycle of a passionless and loveless ordeal of life. The breaking out point that includes marijuana is beautiful and the eeriness of the masks abounds. You sit in disbelief as Tom Cruise nearly cries when he hears the words, “There was no second password.” A beautiful film.
Barry Lyndon
I would also have to go with The Killing!
Isn’t “under-appreciated Kubrick” an oxymoron.
it really is. at this point, pretty much all of his films are canonized and celebrated.
Someone a long time ago in this thread mentioned The Shining and I’d agree:
a lot of people like it because Jack Nicholson does his Ol’-Crazy-Jack impression and it’s fun and creepy and easy to put in a genre. But the really brilliant things about it aren’t talked about among many die-hards or the entire thing is totally ignored by critics. Like anything, though, there are scores of exceptions (see Ebert, Roger).
Also: 1. Jack Nicholson is incredible in this, just btw. I really think it’s his best; and it’s so much more than just Jack-Going-Crazy. 2. This site is real cool for analyzing the visual look of the film, for those into that kind of thing: http://www.mstrmnd.com/log/802
Speaking of The Shining, did anyone notice the subtle “Name Game” going on with the names of the main character and his son: Jack & Danny? Put them together and you get … Jack Daniels. And the character is an alcoholic.
It’s as subtle as the letters in H-A-L (the computer in 2001) being one letter off from I-B-M. :-)
Frank, according to Arthur C Clarke the HAL name had nothing to do with IBM, it was just a co-incidence. Apparently it’s meant as nothing more than an acronym for Heuristically-programmed Algorithmic Computer.
The CRM-114 thing is true though. In Strangelove the CRM-114 is the radio device that the bombers use to get the go command. In A Clockwork Orange Alex is given Serum-114 as the mystery drug that causes him to experience empathy.
Some people give Barry Lyndon the credit it deserves, but many people see that movie completely wrong. However, Eye’s Wide Shut is his most under appreciated and underrated film. It really is genius in every way, like all his films really. Lolita is very good as well and doesn’t get talked about as Kubrick film as much as the rest of his films.
Barry Lyndon, and Spartacus. Why do people think that because the average movie watcher has heard of a movie, that immediately makes it appreciated, or accepted? Who gives the average filmgoer the go ahead to say what’s considered most appreciated and what’s not? Or these experts who put as their top ten films somethig by Fellini, something by Bergman, something by Kubrick, and something by Kurosawa, and we can basically guess which ones they are.
I would say “Lolita,” except I did not like it… I would like to say “A. I.” but I am not sure how much work Kubrick did on it.
The answer is “2001: A Space Odyssey.” The average so-and-so rents it because of the hype amongst film nuts. They get bored to death. “2001” is under-appreciated because most people who see it are not able or willing to appreciate it. Horror movie fans see “The Shining” and get the scare they want. Period movie fans (and wannabe cinematographers) see “Barry Lyndon” and are satisfied. Like FIlm Nior? You will like “Killer’s Kiss.” Go see “Dr. Strange Love” and get a laugh.
But Sci-Fi fans see “2001” and fall asleep with a big question mark on their forehead. It is Kubrick’s most accomplished film but it misses it’s target audience by a mile.
Sorry, the single most heralded, and loved Science Fiction film of all-time (maybe only behind the Star Wars films) does not qualify as “under-appreciated.” In fact by your definition pretty much any film is under-appreciated because all films are liked by some, and hated by others.
I say now… Michael Bay is the single most under-appreciated director of all time despite the fact that every film he releases stirs up a mountain of debate on this site, the mere mention of his name can lead to a thread being dragged through hell and back, and his films continuously make well over $100 million, there are some who dislike his work so he must be “under-appreciated.”
^ See how easy it is?
The correct answer is Paths of Glory.
Drew.
Wow that’s a cool story!
The Seafarers is on YouTube.