How Max Ophüls influenced Stanley Kubrick: “An exceptional flair”
It’s hard to imagine someone with such a singular cinematic identity as Stanley Kubrick to be stylistically indebted to anyone. However, even the unique creative visionary behind unparalleled masterpieces such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon always thanked some of his predecessors whenever he got the chance, especially Max Ophüls.
Kubrick’s entry into the world of cinema was devoid of any formal education about the medium, having started out as a photographer. While picking up photography assignments and playing chess in Washington Square Park to supplement his income, he took responsibility for his own cinematic education by attending screenings at the Museum of Modern Art.
Witnessing the mastery of pioneers such as Erich von Stroheim and Sergei Eisenstein, Kubrick was inspired to try his own hand at filmmaking. Despite the sheer breadth of cinema he absorbed during his years of self-study, he always maintained: “I think the most influential filmmakers for me have been Chaplin, De Sica, Bergman, Fellini, Hitchcock, Welles and Ophüls.”
Even within that group of groundbreaking directors, Ophüls had a special place in Kubrick’s heart which actually turned him into a stylistic disciple in many ways. The German-born director worked in many countries, including a brief stint in Hollywood, but it was his European output that interested Kubrick the most over the years.
In a BFI retrospective, Ophüls Le Plaisir and The Earrings of Madame de… were singled out by Kubrick’s collaborators as his favourite works by the European filmmaker. For those who are familiar with these movies and Ophüls’ distinct style that is still studied to this day, the parallels between him and Kubrick will hardly come as a surprise.
It was Ophüls’ “fluid camera” movement that caught Kubrick’s attention, who tried his best to retain the same fluidity throughout his filmography. The European auteur’s own obsession with complex camerawork and tracking shots was born out of his training under Anatole Litvak, another great pioneer in the evolution of cinema’s visual language.
According to the Barry Lyndon director, Ophüls camera had this special ability to glide through walls and floors as if they weren’t there. This seamless quality of the visual narrative fascinated Kubrick, who took it one step further in films such as The Shining. In many of his characteristic shots, the signature of Ophüls can easily be found by those who are looking for it.
It wasn’t just the camerawork that interested Kubrick, who once said: “Highest of all, I would rate Max Ophüls, who for me, possessed every possible quality. He has an exceptional flair for sniffing out good subjects, and he got the most out of them. He was also a marvellous director of actors.”
The American filmmaker was also drawn to Ophüls’ brilliant body of work because of his thematic selections and his ability to effortlessly adapt novels to the silver screen. This latter tendency played a major role in shaping many of Kubrick’s decisions as a director, as he found himself searching for inspiration in the literary works of writers like Arthur C. Clarke and Anthony Burgess.
Watch a montage comparing the works of the two cinematic giants below.
