Film Review Full Metal Jacket Director Stanley Kubrick

   

Although the elements of the story are simple and precise, Kubrick infuses a dreamlike quality. Sometimes the characters come alive, other times they seem like so many props for Kubrick's smoldering landscapes and tracking camera movements. The finale, a harrowing cat-and-mouse game with a sniper, ends in a building that -- with its forever-burning (and strategically placed) fires -- looks like a satanic temple. Kubrick's soundtrack is characteristically dynamic and explosive -- whether it's the hardened trudge of soldier's boots , the omnipresent crackle of burning buildings or the prolonged bass note in the final scene that never lets up. Inspired with technique rather than overblown with it, Kubrick, as he is known as the " filmmaker's filmmaker" really "lays it on you". Kubrick began to explore the art of filmmaking in the 1950s. His first films were documentary shorts made possible by his friends and relatives. His first feature, the 1953 military drama Fear and Desire, was made independently of a studio. At that time this was very uncommom. Early into his filmmaking career, Kubrick acted as cinematographer, editor and soundman, in addition to directing. Later on, he would also write and produce. Kubrick made 10 feature films from 1957 to 1998, with early releases including the acclaimed films Spartacus (1960); Lolita (1962), and Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Kubrick was denied access to military campuses so he went on to construct the sets himself. Kubrick was creative, innovative, and compassionate about his work. A true genius at his art. You could see all elements shine through the films he created.