“He was a chameleon”: the director Steven Spielberg said couldn’t be bettered
With a profound penchant for emotive storytelling and an ability to weave together some of the most awe-inspiring big-budget movie productions, Steven Spielberg is comfortably considered one of the most important names in American cinema history.
That very list of Spielberg’s filmography is, after all, littered with some of the most memorable moments in cinema of the last five decades or so. From his early success with Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind to the brilliance of Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List, it’s all too easy to see why Spielberg is as acclaimed as he is.
The best directors are those who have the deepest understanding of their craft, and, in turn, they know which of their fellow filmmakers possess the most significant talent and artistry. Spielberg has often offered his praise to those he feels deserve it, but few directors seem to reside as high in his estimation as Stanley Kubrick.
Spielberg, when discussing his impressions of Kubrick in an interview with Paul Joyce, said that “nobody could make a movie better than” the director of 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut. The conversation took place shortly after Kubrick’s death in 1999, and Spielberg spoke of the deep impression that was made on him after watching several of Kubrick’s movies.
What was most impressive in Kubrick for Spielberg, though, was his ability to create works with starkly varying genres, styles and tones. “He was a chameleon,” the director said. “He never made the same picture twice. Every single picture is a different genre, a different story, a different risk. The only thing that bonded all of his films was the incredible virtuoso that he was with craft.”
Indeed, Kubrick was capable of bringing his genius to the screen regardless of what kind of movie he was making. Whether a historical epic in the shape of Spartacus, a satirical comedy in Dr. Strangelove, science fiction in 2001, social commentary in A Clockwork Orange, horror in The Shining or an erotic drama in Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick was simply a master of directing. He was undoubtedly deserving of the admiration that Spielberg and most other filmmakers in the industry had for him.
Reflecting on Kubrick’s legacy, Spielberg went on to say, “He’ll be remembered as the man who made these 13 pictures. That’s how he’ll be remembered – through his films. He’ll constantly be remembered every time we look at one of them, and he’ll inspire a whole new generation of filmgoers still too young to see his pictures.”
It’s fair to say that Kubrick’s influence on his fellow auteurs has been incredible, and perhaps he is one of the most influential directors of all time, with his unwavering commitment to the cinematic medium and his belief in his personal artistic vision. “He’ll influence a lot of kids to not come out of the same hole twice,” Spielberg added, “To inspire us all to do something different every time we do something, to reinvent ourselves every time we get the opportunity.”
Check out Spielberg’s thoughts on Kubrick in full below.
