2. He would make his debut in cinematography in 1951, when he was 23, with a 16 minute short called Day of the Fight, a story about Walter Cartier, a fighter who was rather popular at that time. Like Kubrick would later do, he played the part of director, he edited the movie, prepared the soundtrack, and eventually would give up photography for the fascinating magic of movies.
3. For Stanley Kubrick the breakthrough would be Spartacus, the huge production and box-office sensation that made the name of the young, original and (as he would often be described) "hungry" director. Kubrick was chosen by Kirk Douglas, the star of the movie, after the former director had quit, and would prove to be the best choice. Maybe the studios had their reservations, but Douglas knew how to get what he wanted. And with 12 million dollars at his disposal, Kubrick created a masterpiece and soon was on his way to becoming the difficult and demanding artist that we know today.
4. 2001: A Space Odissey was another hugely influential and important movie in the life of Kubrick and the history of international film making. Yet, despite being regarded today as a masterpiece, at it's time was considered a crazy "Kubrick project", expansive and confuse, and MGM even attempted to take it out of cinemas. Fortunatelly the critics (not all of them) and audiences were fascinated, and 2001: A Space Odissey would be nominated for 13 Academy Awards, yet it only won one, for best special effects. 5. It wasn't easy working with Stanley Kubrick, as many studios soon realized. And the world famous horror writer Stephen King would himself discover that, when the director was working on The Shining in 1980. The two clashed quickly and fiercely during production, and at the end King would he furious with the movie, and over the years would often attack Kubrick for spoiling the main idea of the book. The two would never work again, and at one time Kubrick even threatened to sue King if he didn't stop attacking the movie. Fans of Stephen King either loved the movie, impressed by the way Kubrick had seen the book, or downright hated it.
6. On a personal note he loved animals of all kind, with a soft spot for cats and golden retrievers. He didn't like flying on a plane and he hated seeing his movies or talking about them during filming.
7. Although many of his movies are now considered masterpieces, at the time they were first released many were practically destroyed by the critics, and Stanley Kubrick would never end up winning an Academy Award for best director.
Photo: wikipedia.org, tasteofcinema.com
