Steven Spielberg on how to appreciate Stanley Kubrick: “You have to see them more than once”
Emerging in the 1970s, Steven Speilberg honed his directorial skills by working on a few television series before helming some made-for-TV movies like Duel. However, it soon became evident that the filmmaker’s talent far exceeded the relatively small experience he possessed. After his positively received theatrical debut, The Sugarland Express, Spielberg released Jaws in 1975, blowing away critics and helping to spawn the modern blockbuster model.
The movie became a landmark of the New Hollywood era, allowing him to receive more opportunities to direct. Over the next few years, he directed Close Encounters of the Third Time, ET the Extra-Terrestrial and the first instalment of the Indiana Jones franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Now, Spielberg is the most successful director in Hollywood, at least in terms of box office success, although most of his work has received high critical acclaim. Directing everything from Jurassic Park to Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and Lincoln, Spielberg has established himself as a cinematic titan.
Of course, the director wouldn’t be where he is today if not for the influence of other highly successful filmmakers. Unsurprisingly, Spielberg has looked to one of America’s most acclaimed directors—Stanley Kubrick. The legendary auteur started making films in the early 1950s, but it wasn’t until 1957’s Paths of Glory and 1960’s Spartacus that he started to gain wider praise.
By the end of the ‘60s, he was one of Hollywood’s most accomplished directors, having made two fantastic black comedies—Lolita and Dr Strangelove—and an epic sci-fi in the form of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Spielberg was clearly inspired by the pioneering science fiction movie and became a legendary director of the genre in his own right a decade later.
However, Spielberg also believes that you have to watch Kubrick’s movies several times to truly appreciate them. The intricacy of each of Kubrick’s films, which all feature groundbreaking visuals, smart dialogue and complex themes, can’t just be admired in one sitting. To truly appreciate his work, one must study it, unlocking new interpretations and discovering minute details. “Kubrick films tend to grow on you,” the director admitted, “You have to see them more than once.”
Spielberg initially didn’t love The Shining for these very reasons. He didn’t truly ‘get it’ the first time around, seeing the performances as too over-the-top. Yet, when he committed to it a few more times, he discovered the beauty in Kubrick’s horror classic, respecting the director’s vision.
His favourite, however, is 2001: A Space Odyssey, of course. Talking about the film with Paul Joyce in 1999, he discussed the life-changing effect of watching it. “I came out the other end of that picture much higher than any of my friends who had taken mind-altering substances. I went in there clean as a whistle. And I came out of there altered myself.”
Spielberg also loves Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, which came out just as the filmmaker was starting to make movies himself. In conversation with AFI, he boldly declared, “A Clockwork Orange was, I think, the first punk rock movie ever made,” adding, “It was a very bleak vision of a dangerous future.”
