Stanley Kubrick

The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1980; GB/United States). The daughters of former caretaker Grady (Lisa and Louise Burns), copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

A retrospective of Stanley Kubrick shows at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, co-presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. On display are scripts, costumes, cameras and equipment, props, and set models. The exhibition covers Kubrick's practice from early photography to directorial achievements from the 1950s through the 1990s. 

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965-68; GB/United States). The astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) in the storage loft of the computer HAL. Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 

Kubrick, a 13-time Academy Award-nominated director, writer and producer, won an Oscar for Special Visual Effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1969. The film was a collaboration with sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, adapted from Clarke's short story The Sentinel. Kubrick preferred to adapt novels or stories, filming them with photographic realism. His films differ greatly one from the next, spanning horror to sci-fi to black comedy. 

I can't honestly say what led me to make any of my films. The best I can do is to say I just fell in love with the stories. You can say a lot of "architectural" things about what a film story should have: A strong plot, interesting characters, possibilities for cinematic development, good opportunities for the actors to display emotion, and the presentation of its thematic ideas truthfully and intelligently. But of course, that still doesn't really explain why you chose something, nor does it lead you to a story. --Kubrick

2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1965-68; GB/United States). Stanley Kubrick on set during the filming. Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 

Every aspect of a film was supervised by Kubrick--costumes, music, advertising, which cities his films opened in. 

Full Metal Jacket, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1987; GB/United States). The instructor Sgt. Hartman (Lee Ermey). Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 

Kubrick's perfectionist style required dozens of takes for particular scenes.

They [the actors] work with Stanley and go through hells that nothing in their careers could have prepared them for, they think they must have been mad to get involved, they think that they'd die before they would ever work with him again, that fixated maniac; and when it's all behind them and the profound fatigue of so much intensity has worn off, they'd do anything in the world to work for him again. For the rest of their professional lives they long to work with someone who cared the way Stanley did, someone they could learn from. They look for someone to respect the way they'd come to respect him, but they can never find anybody...I've heard this story so many times. --Michael Herr, screenwriter for Full Metal Jacket

Barry Lyndon, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1973-75; GB/United States). Barry Lyndon (Ryan O'Neal) and the Chevalier de Balibari (James Magee) at the roulette table. Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. 

For his 1975 costume drama Barry Lyndon, with its narrative set in the 1700s, Kubrick used Zeiss camera lenses developed for NASA, originally intended for satellite photography. The modified lenses allowed him to film scenes by natural candlelight, creating diffused light images similar to 18th century European paintings. He gathered a file of period paintings and drawings, which he used as a reference for props, architecture, clothes, and furniture. 

Eyes Wide Shut, directed by Stanley Kubrick (1999; GB/United States). Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Stanley Kubrick during a break in shoot on the set. Copyright Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Photo: Manuel Harlan. 

In 1997, Kubrick began shooting his final film, Eyes Wide Shut, and received two of the film industry's highest honors, the D.W. Griffith Award for Lifetime Achievement (DGA Lifetime Achievement Award) from the Directors Guild of America and the Golden Lion Award at the 54th Venice International Film Festival. One of the most diverse bodies of work in cinema, Kubrick's films were made with great artistry and the exhibition encourages rediscovery of them. 

On view through June 30 at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles.