Stanley Kubrick is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in history. Although he only made 13 feature films covering over 45 years, his work continues to inspire, influence and provoke serious debate. The New York-born director’s wide array of films were noted for their dark humour, attention to detail and transcending use of music, as well as his visual flair in elaborate set designs and ground-breaking cinematography. His films were mainly adaptations of novels or short stories which redefined multiple film genres including war, science-fiction, horror and satire.
The exhibition
The Stanley Kubrick exhibition was held from 26 April to 15 September 2019 in London’s Design Museum and formed part of a global touring exhibition. The exhibition’s opening date in London marked the twentieth anniversary of the director’s death.
This was the first exhibition to explore the role that creative design played in his process from storyteller to director to editor. Kubrick was fascinated by all aspects of the design process and collaborated with the leading designers of his generation, from Hardy Amies, Saul Bass, Philip Castle, Eliot Noyes, Milena Canonero, and Ken Adam to create costumes, film posters, props and sets for some of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.
The exhibition featured iconic scenes from 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, A Clockwork Orange, among others. It contained over 700 objects, films, interviews, props, letters, notes and photographs.
UK perspective
What is little known about Kubrick is that he spent most of his working life in the UK, allowing him greater freedom from censorship and film studios. Despite being born in the Bronx, he loved England and lived in Childwickbury Manor in Hertfordshire which was where he did his writing, research, editing, and management production.
Perhaps the most striking aspects that resurfaces throughout the show is the extreme lengths that Kubrick went to (and forced others to go through) in order to avoid travelling. Despite having had a pilot’s license in his youth, he was scared of flying, so the vast majority of his films were shot in the UK.
