The movie that gave Edgar Wright his “most profound epiphany”
Ever since Edgar Wright delivered his feature film debut, 1995’s low-budget western spoof A Fistful of Fingers, it became clear that the United Kingdom had a new champion director on its hands. The Dorset-born filmmaker duly followed up with comedy TV excellence in the shape of Asylum and Spaced.
The latter show saw Wright work with his frequent collaborators, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, whom he employed for the Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, comprised of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End. Wright would also make waves in the United States with the likes of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Baby Driver.
As one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his generation, it’s only right that Wright would have a deep fascination with the history of the cinematic medium. He has frequently stated his love for the great works of cinema, particularly those of Stanley Kubrick, known as being one of the greatest directors of all time.
In fact, it was Kubrick’s 1968 science fiction classic that gave Wright his most transcendental cinematic experience, according to an interview with Time Out. The director noted, “My most profound epiphany in cinema is the moment in 2001: A Space Odyssey when the planets align with the monolith in some galactic equation.”
Wright added, “The sense of cosmic order floors me every time. Kubrick inspires awe with his harmonic compositions.” It’s easy to see why 2001 would give Wright such a sense of wonder and awe because it’s a film that entices the senses just as much as it provokes thought with its philosophical narrative.
2001 charts the evolutionary journey of humankind from prehistorical bone weapon-wielding apes to space-faring explorers of the universe’s outer reaches. The special effects of the film are some of the best ever committed to the camera’s lens, while its score is one that serves a haunting yet mesmerising quality.
When discussing his ten favourite films of all time in a feature with BFI, Wright was sure to include Kubrick’s 1968 effort, written in collaboration with legendary sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke. Wright explained that 2001 is, in fact, the movie that he has seen more than any other on the big screen.
He explained, “The reason I keep coming back is that the further we travel away from it in time and space, the more impressive it becomes. It was groundbreaking in its day, but if anything, it’s even more confounding now.” Indeed, as Wright notes, 2001 poses to its audience important questions about the existence of humanity and our position in the universe.
Wright added, “When a docking spaceship is soundtracked by the Blue Danube, I’m in heaven. Will we ever see a major studio film like it again?” Kubrick is certainly an important director for Wright as he had also spoken highly of the director’s 1980 horror film The Shining, starring Jack Nicholson, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name.
“He can equally instil terror,” Wright admitted. “The most chilling aspect of The Shining is the blunt symmetry of endless corridors and patterned carpets. A shot of an empty hall and a lone, red door disturbs you even before the blood starts to flow. It is these graphic images that keep me coming back.” But even though The Shining is a key film for Wright, it’s 2001 that gave him his “most profound” cinematic experience.
