The one plot decision that James Cameron regrets
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Credit: Far Out / Wikimedia
James Cameron recalls the time he met Stanley Kubrick
Addicted to innovation, director James Cameron pushes the boundaries of cinema with every one of his new releases. Creating some of the most stunning movies of all time, Cameron might be the film industry’s most bankable filmmaker, responsible for creating two of the top three highest-grossing films of all time, 2009s Avatar and 1997s Titanic, with the anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water, hoping to join both films at the top.
Whilst the likes of Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg have loved a bit of cinematic innovation over the years, no one quite compares to Cameron’s appreciation for the grand spectacle of cinema. Making cult favourites such as Aliens, True Lies and The Terminator throughout the late 20th century, Cameron is now better known for creating the 3D phenomenon Avatar in 2009.
Where the original movie thrived on the contemporary innovation of 3D, Cameron’s 2022 sequel is once again planning to seduce the audience with more tech, lining up a brand new form of 3D that doesn’t involve glasses. Lightstorm Entertainment, Cameron’s production company, has collaborated with Christie Digital to produce a ‘pure laser’ technology, a system that involves 60,000 lumens, producing bright visuals with a high frame rate, resulting in pure cinematic innovation.
Throughout his lifetime of cinematic dedication, Cameron saw great inspiration in the American icon Stanley Kubrick, a filmmaker who used to make similar strides in the industry, revolutionising the scene of sci-fi with the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968. With a pioneering use of miniatures and practical effects, the classic movie was adored by Cameron at the time of its release.
As one of his filmmaking heroes, Cameron made it his mission to meet Kubrick in 1995, just four years before his death. Telling the Directors Guild of America about his experience, Cameron recalled, “It was my 40th birthday present to myself. I was on vacation in Europe, and I called him up and said, ‘I’m coming over,’ and went to his house in England. My wife at the time was freaked out that I wasn’t going to be back home for my birthday. But I said, ‘I’m going to meet Stanley Kubrick. There’s no present, no surprise party, no nothing you could give me that would supersede that’”.
Of all the films that Kubrick wanted to learn about, he didn’t ask about Alien or The Terminator, but instead about a different Arnold Schwarzenegger release. “So I went to see this reclusive guy knocking around this big house and he just totally wanted to know how True Lies was made,” Cameron recalled, adding, “I spent the whole time talking about my movie with Stanley Kubrick, which was not where I thought the day was going to go”.
Enamoured by the filmmaker’s skill and legacy in the industry, Cameron finished off his recollection by adding, “I want to be like Stanley, I want to be that guy. When I’m 80, I want to still be the guy trying to figure it all out”.
Take a look at the trailer for True Lies, below, a film that Stanley Kubrick appreciated more than any other James Cameron effort.
