A Clockwork Orange

Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange also reflect his style as an auteur particularly well especially regarding the themes of which Kubrick shows interest  in and the way artistic concepts are explored. Again, A Clockwork Orange can very much be considered to post-modernistic, and it is the way in which Kubrick explores his interest in human nature, mainly the darker side, that generates the depiction of post-modernism.

A consistency throughout many of Kubrick’s works is the prominence of ‘psychopathic’ characters. Alex is the most obvious when discussing Kubrick’s psychopaths; his lack of empathy is the most clear indication of his psychopathic tendencies. He enjoys violence as an art form, picks his victims at random, is very sexually promiscuous and pursues his fantasies of dominance and power. But what makes Alex even more sadistic is the fact he has a tremendously attractive side; he has an admirable appreciation for classical music, he is extremely witty and smart and is often considered quite handsome.  Kubrick once said “I'm interested in the brutal and violent nature of man because it's a true picture of him.”

Similarly to 2001, the score in A Clockwork Orange is undeniably great. From Beethoven to the edgy synths, Kubrick’s use of sound is well executed and something distinguishes him as an auteur. Moreover, Kubrick’s striking cinematography is also consistent in A Clockwork Orange, especially the use of wide camera angles making for some quite distorted shots. Long tracking shots are also a notable technique of Kubrick’s, mostly prominent in The Shining, however A Clockwork Orange includes these shots frequently. 

2001: A Space Odyssey

As mentioned earlier, 2001 is loaded with Kubrick’s picturesque cinematography; the visuals of this film are one of the most crucial elements in terms of Kubrick’s style. As previously mentioned, his emphasis on the purely photographic elements of his scenes through the drawn out shots is prominent in 2001.

The exploration of the artistic concept of modernism is an equally significant element in defining Kubrick’s style, mostly due to its coverage of human nature. Again, Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke’s hoped that 2001 raised more questions than it answered, and it did. Kubrick was pleased that people had such philosophical experiences. Although the film does not directly refer to the human condition it still provokes thought regarding all aspects of the human experience.

One of the most significant elements of 2001 is the score included by Kubrick. A great music score is a definitive part of Kubrick’s style as an auteur. The score was meticulously selected by Kubrick; the comparison of the songs used in 2001 to the ones that were discarded is huge and it is undeniable that Kubrick worked extremely hard to get the perfect score. Another interesting way that Kubrick has used sound is the lack of dialogue; a whole eighty eight minutes of the film are completely dialogue free. This was Kubrick’s intention so that the audience would focus more on the visuals of the film.

Post-Modernism in Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange

Post-modernism was prominently explored in Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, particularly in regards to Alex’s love of Beethoven. A heavily present component of post-modernism in A Clockwork Orange is the act of taking something already existent and changing it in some way. Alex has a great appreciation for Beethoven; a particular scene shows Alex returning home after a night of violent antics, he goes on to say that listening to Beethoven would ‘top off’ his night. Horrific scenes, including a woman being hung, are shown whilst Beethoven’s 9^th plays. The juxtaposition of the classical music alongside Beethoven is a post modernistic notion.

Another overtly explored element of post-modernism is the way social forces aim to shape an individual’s identity. Alex is a clearly unique character with very particular interests such as his love of violence as an art form. Authoritative figures aim to correct Alex’s behaviour by forcing him to watch disturbing scenes whilst listening to Beethoven. Despite Alex’s despicable nature, Kubrick creates a sense of sympathy for Alex due to the fact he is being torn of his individual identity.

Modernism in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey

Kubrick explores various artistic concepts in his work, and prominently so. The exploration of these concepts is another identifiable element of Kubrick’s style as an auteur. 

Modernism is distinctly explored in 2001: A Space Odyssey. An aspect of modernism that is overtly present in 2001 is the pursuit of answers to fundamental questions about the human experience; Kubrick’s interest in human nature is addressed again here. The film is established for its philosophical provocation; Kubrick himself stated that he wanted 2001 to generate many philosophical questions. Modernism may also concern the celebration of technology and machinery, a concept clearly explored by the inclusion of the character ‘HAL 9000’ and how the role of technology may affect mankind. Although HAL is not depicted in a positive manner, the comparison of technology and humanity is a notion of modernism. Moreover, favouring the primitive over the industrial is an element of modernism which is also very potent in 2001 from the ‘Dawn of Man’ sequence and the overall theme of evolution. Technology and primitivism are explored somewhat mutually, despite neither being particularly favoured. Stanley Kubrick’s vision, in terms of his curiosity over humanity, also makes this film an extremely prominent example of modernism.

Wes Anderson's Symmetry

Wes Anderson // Centered from kogonada on Vimeo.

Symmetry is an obvious, prominent component in all of Wes Anderson's films. Similarly to effect of Kubrick's 'one-point perspective', Anderson's use of symmetry places the subject(s) in such positions wear attention is drawn in a creative manner. Anderson creates perfect symmetry which, I feel, creates the most striking visuals in even the most simplistic shots (in regards to actual content).

*I will try to produce some similar symmetry based shots in a later post

Stanley Kubrick's 'One-Point Perspective'.

Stanley Kubrick’s ‘One-Point Perspective’ is a subtle component used in many of his shots. Although only a small feature, it makes for very unique cinematography. His background in photography, again, has a great role to play in these creative visuals.

Kubrick // One-Point Perspective from kogonada on Vimeo.

When I first started watching Kubrick's films, I noticed something particular about most of the shots, in terms of perspective. However, I struggled to explain what it was exactly; the way he positions the subject(s) creates the 'one-point', and focus is drawn to this either by other characters or environments which channel the viewers attention to the subject.

*I will try to recreate this effect in an image in a later post.

Stanley Kubrick - Auteur

Auteur Theory considers a director to be the creative force behind a film. They are depicted as an ‘author’ with a distinctive style, noticeable in their works. From his 1968 Sci-Fi epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey to the more controversial A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick is considered one of the most revolutionary directors of the 20^th Century, but what is it that defines him as an auteur?

Stanley Kubrick grew up with a love of chess and photography. By age thirteen, he had already found his passion after his father bought him a Graflex Camera. After developing a love for still photography, Kubrick pursued every photographic opportunity he found, from working as the school photographer at William Howard Taft High School, to working as a professional photographer at Look Magazine.

Kubrick has stated that he takes great interest in the human condition, particularly the darker side of human nature. Before he delved into cinema it is clear of this particular interest through his photographic works; mostly capturing images of natural human behaviour.

In Kubrick’s early documentary shorts, his passion for photography is prominent in the cinematography; opening with varied picturesque scenes, Kubrick instantly signifies his visually stunning style as an auteur and how still photography began to shape his manner of filmmaking. Additionally both of Kubrick’s early documentaries focus on particularly interesting people; thus reiterating his admiration of human nature.

Kubrick’s photographic influence became even more profound as he progressed in his film career. Although every film made by Kubrick is a cinematographic masterpiece, a particularly outstanding one is Barry Lyndon. Using a lens from NASA and his photographic expertise, Kubrick’s aim was to make the film look like an 18^th Century painting.

Long, extensive shots are also a notable technique of Kubrick’s, prominent in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The use of these extremely endured takes allowed him to emphasise the visual, cinematic quality of the shots; again signifying the influence photography had over Kubrick’s work.