The only real truth about Kubrick...

Started by AnubisGOJ, March 16, 2003, 09:03:02 AM

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MacGuffin




Primal Fury
Why Stanley Kubrick Hated People
By Charles Mudede; The Stranger

Kubrick hated humans. This hate for his own kind is the ground upon which his cinema stands. As is made apparent by 2001: A Space Odyssey, his contempt was deep.

It went from the elegant surface of our space-faring civilization down, down, down to the bottom of our natures, the muck and mud of our animal instincts, our ape bodies, our hair, guts, hunger, and grunts. No matter how far we go into the future, into space, toward the stars, we will never break with our first and violent world. Even the robots we create, our marvelous machines, are limited (and undone) by our human emotions, pressures, primitive drives. For Kubrick, we have never been modern.

"I'm in a world of shit," says Private Joker at the end of Kubrick's unremittingly dark Vietnam War film, Full Metal Jacket. That is what Kubrick has to say about the state of everything: The world is shit, humans are shit in shit, life is worth shit, and there is nothing else that can be done about the situation. In Kubrick's movies, progress, sustained enlightenment, and moral improvement are impossible because the powers of reason, love, and religion are much weaker than the forces of generation and degeneration, desire and destruction, sex and death.

Because the world is nothing but shit, the ideal Kubrickian subject must have very low standards and no high hopes. In short, he must be like Barry Lyndon: a man who goes from situation to situation with no particular aim or goal in mind. One moment he is on this side of a war; the next he is on the other side of it. One moment he is rich; the next he is poor. The way the world goes, he goes with it. If he finds happiness, he takes it without question; if trouble appears, he flees from it without hesitation. And if someone is dead or in pain, he always says to himself: "Better you than me." That is the best a human can do in what Kubrick pictured as the worst of all possible worlds.

At the end of Paths of Glory, Colonel Dax, played by Kirk Douglas, passes a noisy beer hall. He hears his men shouting and applauding at something. That something is a young German woman. The owner of the beer hall has forced her onto the stage. He wants her to do something special for the sex-starved, shell-shocked, trench-mad soldiers. What happens to another woman on a stage in A Clockwork Orange is about to happen to her. But the woman avoids gang rape by singing a pretty song. It is about peace and the pleasant things of life. The song makes the men sing along and cry. Their primitive fuck-drive is overwhelmed by the simple beauty of art. It turns the beasts into humans; and the soldiers are humans for as long as the music lasts.

That moment of humanity in Paths of Glory stands alone in the cinema of Kubrick. The rest is a sea of cruelty: the cruelty of a pederast, atomic power, computer love, the 18th century, street gangs, and American imperialism. (Many might point to Spartacus as an example of Kubrick's pro-anthropy, but that film has almost nothing to do with Kubrick and almost everything to do with Kirk Douglas.)

In Full Metal Jacket, the first Asian woman we see is a prostitute ("me so horny, me love you long time"). The next one is another prostitute ("fucky and sucky, she smoke cigarette with her pussy"). The third Asian woman is a deadly sniper. She kills several American soldiers before being captured, wounded, and shot in the head by the most enlightened of the soldiers, Private Joker ("no more boom-boom for this baby"). Kubrickian logic: Always, sex leads to death; always, the animal in us is too powerful to resist.

Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut—what else do these movies say except that humans are absurd. We are absurd because, despite our intellectual distinction, we are no better than animals, and because we are no better than animals, we are damned to do as all animals do—eat, fight, fuck, die. The only thing that separates us from the apes? We know we are animals; we do evil with the awareness of doing it. Because of this awareness, humans are even worse than animals: They act in complete ignorance; we act in complete knowledge.

Yet we still watch Kubrick's films. And we enjoy them. We enjoy them because the hate he had for humanity was only matched by the curious love he had for the most expensive and impressive art form in the world: cinema.


http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=297435
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

hedwig

Quote from: MacGuffin on August 25, 2007, 10:27:17 PM
Dr. Strangelove, 2001, Lolita, Eyes Wide Shut—what else do these movies say except that humans are absurd.
this idiotic assertion epitomizes the entire article. anybody whose appreciation of these movies is limited to "humans are absurd" isn't likely to have anything interesting to say about them.

that's one of the most simplistic readings of kubrick i have ever read. i'm surprised the words "cold" and "cynical" didn't appear. really, not even worth reading.

bonanzataz

reading this article then hedwig's response reminded me of an old expression that jewish grandmothers say in restaurants:

"this food was terrible. and there was so little of it!"
The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil's rain we'll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, 'cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, 'cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put 'em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put 'em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

Pubrick

the only thing this worthless article revealed is that Charles Mudede hates people.
under the paving stones.

The Disco Kid

Quote from: MacGuffin on August 25, 2007, 10:27:17 PM


Kubrick hated humans. This hate for his own kind is the ground upon which his cinema stands. As is made apparent by 2001: A Space Odyssey, his contempt was deep.




Bull. The author of this article has absolutely no understanding of Kubrik's films.

2001 was perhaps the most triumphant Humanist film ever made. Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and even the Shining were all triumphantly Humanistic as well, albeit somewhat perversely.

Kubrik was the single most Humanistic auteur ever to sit behind the camera. He knew human beings intimately, all our flaws and weaknesses and believed in us nonetheless because he also knew our potential -- which was infinite in his view.

hedwig

Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 01:09:02 AM
no understanding of Kubrik's films.
Kubrik was the single most Humanistic auteur
NO. but i agree with what you said.

anyway yeah chuck mudede is more accustomed to writing about horse-fuckers and turntables. the moral of the story is that people should stick to their day jobs.

The Disco Kid

Quote from: Hedwig on August 26, 2007, 02:05:52 AM
Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 01:09:02 AM
no understanding of Kubrik's films.
Kubrik was the single most Humanistic auteur
NO. but i agree with what you said.


Elaborate please. I was trying to pick an argument. What do you disagree with?

Pubrick

Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 02:13:22 AM
Quote from: Hedwig on August 26, 2007, 02:05:52 AM
Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 01:09:02 AM
no understanding of Kubrik's films.
Kubrik was the single most Humanistic auteur
NO. but i agree with what you said.


Elaborate please. I was trying to pick an argument. What do you disagree with?

dude, he was saying NO to your spelling of the name Kubrick. you were misspelling it. but he agreed with the rest of what you said. that's what he meant.

and if you were trying to pick an argument (assuming you didn't mean "wasn't") then you should probably take the position of Muedede, because what you said is not controversial at all. i think most ppl would agree with you.

Pubrick.
under the paving stones.

The Disco Kid

Quote from: Pubrick on August 26, 2007, 02:18:52 AM
Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 02:13:22 AM
Quote from: Hedwig on August 26, 2007, 02:05:52 AM
Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 01:09:02 AM
no understanding of Kubrik's films.
Kubrik was the single most Humanistic auteur
NO. but i agree with what you said.


Elaborate please. I was trying to pick an argument. What do you disagree with?

dude, he was saying NO to your spelling of the name Kubrick. you were misspelling it. but he agreed with the rest of what you said. that's what he meant.

and if you were trying to pick an argument (assuming you didn't mean "wasn't") then you should probably take the position of Muedede, because what you said is not controversial at all. i think most ppl would agree with you.

Pubrick.

My mistake, Pubrick. I feel a bit stupid for not only spelling Kubrick wrong multiple times, but also not being able to glean Hedwig's meaning via the bold words in his response.

I wasnt trying to be controversial, I was just countering the argument posted, that's all. As far as Muedede goes, I dont who the hell your'e talking about. Did he post in this thread? If he did I cant find him. Sorry, I don't live here.

By the way, thanks for not being a douchebag about it...dude.

MacGuffin

Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 03:04:13 AMAs far as Muedede goes, I dont who the hell your'e talking about. Did he post in this thread? If he did I cant find him. Sorry, I don't live here.

Quote from: MacGuffin on August 25, 2007, 10:27:17 PMPrimal Fury
Why Stanley Kubrick Hated People
By Charles Mudede; The Stranger
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

The Disco Kid

Quote from: MacGuffin on August 26, 2007, 03:06:43 AM
Quote from: The Disco Kid on August 26, 2007, 03:04:13 AMAs far as Muedede goes, I dont who the hell your'e talking about. Did he post in this thread? If he did I cant find him. Sorry, I don't live here.

Quote from: MacGuffin on August 25, 2007, 10:27:17 PMPrimal Fury
Why Stanley Kubrick Hated People
By Charles Mudede; The Stranger
I will no longer post when I am drinking.

...I still think the article warrants a conversation though. I shall return.

hedwig

it is my theory that Disco Kid is old.

The Disco Kid

Quote from: Hedwig on August 26, 2007, 03:30:52 AM
it is my theory that Disco Kid is old.

Your theory is junk. The Disco Kid is not old. He's just drunk. Jackass.

And yes, I didn't note the author of the article's name.

Anyways, Pubrick, everyone agrees that Kubrick was the most Humanist auteur that ever helmed a camera, huh? Do you? How so? You agree 2001 is the most triumphant Humanist film ever made? How so? Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, and The Shining are fundamentally Humanistic films? How so?

Do you want to talk about films...or are you just the resident grammar Nazi?

Pubrick

ok here we go.

first of all, it was hedwig who pointed out your multiple misspellings. you don't need to have a cry because no one was being an asshole about it. i explained what you were too drunk to understand, and even said i agree with what you said. i don't need to argue about agreeing with you, what the FUCK kind of drunk-hit-your-wife-because-she-loves-you kind of shit is THAT?

secondly, everyone else was nothing but accomodating to your drunken antagonistic posts. after not knowing how to spell KUBRICK the subject that you're apparently defending against the person whose name you don't even know, you still want to pick a fight for no reason. yeah, you're drunk. so just follow your own advice and maybe only post when you're sober and have some idea what the fuck you're talking about.

and i said MOST ppl would agree. but you know what, i regret saying anything. here's another generalization: MOST ppl here do want to talk about movies, and those who have the time usually do, but i think EVERYONE would agree that you have no idea how to engage someone in conversation. you're a fucking nutcase.
under the paving stones.

The Disco Kid

Yikes.

My friend, I wasnt trying to pick a fight with anyone. That was not my intention. I just want to talk about movies, that's all.

You say everyone agrees with me. How so? I said 2001 was the most triumphant Humanistic film ever made. You agree?  Barry Lyndon, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut and The Shining are all fundamentally Humanistic films? Do you agree? If everyone agrees with me, then tell me how everyone agrees with me. How is The Shining a fundamentally Humanistic film?

Im here to talk about films. Not to carry on petty, trivial arguments.