Director Stanley Kubrick has left behind a filmography where each picture is unlike the last. In fact, the true commonality they all share is Kubrick himself. Varying his characters, settings, and stories, Kubrick is revered for his attention to detail and willful nature to never compromise. All this, while creating some of the most mysterious and influential pieces of the cinematic canon.
In a new video essay, Bradley J. Dixon explores Kubrick’s attention to the smallest minutiae. From aesthetic to character action, Kubrick was meticulous. Going as far as to choose the perfect door for “Eyes Wide Shut,” and documenting each hat that could be used in “A Clockwork Orange,” Kubrick imbued each decision with careful deliberation. The result were pictures that were uniquely his own, rarely with a moment or element that was out of place.
Throughout Kubrick’s career, order would eventually find itself winning a metaphoric victory through the lens of a story. But it was chaos that would ultimately reign over the end. For a control freak like Kubrick, the struggle to maintain order while understanding the randomness of human nature and all together life was a fixation. Within Kubrick’s estate are boxes upon boxes paying testament to his desire to know everything. An organization of life amidst its never ending chaos.