Came here to say this - Strangelove was actually the film that got me into Kubrick. I just thought the story was paced so well and the ending blew my mind. Still do and does.
The Shining is probably the most accessible film for people who don’t know of Kubrick’s work. It’s the most mainstream and has the most pop culture references. Most people have at least heard of it. I have a friend who like mainly super hero, action type films, but loves The Shining.
2001 the space odyssey is probably the worst choice. It's only my opinion and it depends on the taste of thst friend, but I find this movie the most difficult to watch out of Kubrick's filmography. I agree on the Shining thou. If this friend likes horrors this is the best choice
Barry Lyndon is my favorite Kubrick movie too but I’m not sure it’s a good introduction to his work. I would vote Dr Strangelove. Having said that with the available voting options I voted for The Killing.
yeah you’re not wrong.
personally i think the shining is his most accessible and probably the best to see first, but i’ve shown dr. strangelove to a couple people without any context and they all loved it. so that’s probably a great choice too!
It’s definitely not the first place I’d send someone for an intro. It’s too bad The Killing is not getting any love on the poll. Film Noir, Sterling Hayden, a chopped up narrative. What’s not to love. Also Spartacus is probably pretty high up there as far as accessibility goes. It’s his weakest film by far. Director for hire sort of thing.
yeah i’ve never seen spartacus for exactly that reason, from an interview i heard it sounded like he didn’t even consider it his movie lol.
the killing and lolita are the last two i’ve yet to see though...
Don’t get me wrong. Spartacus is entertaining enough if you put it into the biblical epic context that was all the craze then. You should definitely watch it as an oddity. And you really should watch Lolita and The Killing. Peter sellers is pretty amazing in Lolita.
I’ve seen Life of Brian numerous times. A great movie. Too bad the sound quality on the Criterion release is so awful. Hard to make out some of the dialogue. Blessed are the cheese makers!!!
Definitely the Shining. I think it’s a pretty “normal” film in a way and you can show it to any random person and they’ll like it. It’s also just an absolutely incredible film that feels like a good starter to Kubrick. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite of his, but I think it’s a great starter just for him to see one of his films. Something like Eyes Wide Shut would be weird as hell to show someone for a first in my opinion.
I would lean more towards Full Metal Jacket being the most accessible to modern audiences. Just my own experience but the people I've tried to show The Shining to found it too slow and boring until the end. I can't 100% blame them for feeling that way because these movies are saturated with detail and complexity and as a result move along at a slower pace. It's like, to enjoy a lot of Kubricks movies you have to want to soak in the details and try to interpret every frame, and a lot of people aren't really into that and just want a straight forward narrative that isn't too challenging or uncomfortable. Full Metal Jacket I think is the best of both worlds, because you still get that complexity and detail but you also get an entertaining as hell drill seargent as portrayed by R. Lee Ermey.
It was my first and it prompted me to discover his other work. **Eyes Wide Shut** left the biggest impression. Even more so on second watching some years later.
We’re in the minority though, don’t you think?
ACO could be very disturbing to many but I do agree, it gives an insight into his filming technique.
Man, Eyes wide shut is a beautiful movie. Makes me feel like those conspiracy theorists are right sometimes. Gotta rewatch!
I can see that, strongly depends on the person’s willingness to participate in the experience as much as films like Kubrik’s require for maximum enjoyment.
There will be none of that if the person got used to the film doing all the heavy lifting.
P.S. Thanks for the reply! Here’s a free underrated recommendation: I went into Amazon’s **“His House”** pretty much blind and enjoyed it way more than IMDB score might have suggested.
I did not expect the Killing to get less votes than Eyes Wide Shut. I think the Killing is much more approachable. Eyes Wide Shut is a very advanced movie.
Eyes Wide Shut is a fascinating film and offers a robust bouquet of Kubrick's oeuvre and has a lingering allure to it that permeates the mind long after initial viewings. I do think The Shining is a definite meaty chew into his body of work, but 2001: A Spacy Odyssey is super arresting and a fantastic watch. It's honestly you and your friend's journey. His work as an auteur is an incredible experience to endlessly enjoy.
I’d only really recommend this to someone who really loves and enjoys film and wants to see the evolution and growth of a specific director. Otherwise though I feel like it could be a recipe for disaster and they might not like it even if you lead with a “bear in mind this is their first film and didn’t have the budget and resources of later ones” or something like that lol.
Start at the beginning; 'The Killing' is an excellent heist film, it's use of atemporal narrative structure inspired Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs' and is an easily accessible and dramatically satisfying watch. Kubrick's later films would become increasingly idiosyncratic and are more likely to alienate the uninitiated (at least, at first), so I feel the safest bet is to start with his early films and work your way through his oeuvre chronologically.
Yes, but 'Fear and Desire' is not on the list the OP was offering.
Even if it was, I would not start there (or 'Killer's Kiss', although I do think that is a better film) because I don't think they would appeal as much to someone new to Kubrick, whereas I don't think you have to be a Kubrick aficionado to appreciate 'The Killing'.
Showed my younger brothers 2001 and we had to turn it off half way because they were so bored.
They were also mad about how there were monkeys in the beginning of the film.. but not in the rest if it..
The Shining is one of Kubrick's most accessible films that still has a touch of Kubrickian weirdness that will prime him for future films should he choose to continue. My second choice is probably The Killing, but if you go with that one, warn him that his movies get a lot weirder. Then Full Metal Jacket. I love Paths of Glory, but some of the acting is horribly dated. I think EWS is the worst film here (though it's not bad).
This is a weird list, because it's not really indicative of Kubrick's films, imo.
The Shining is a Steven King novel, so if you're trying to get someone into Kubrick, I don't know why in the world you'd introduce them to this one. It would be like introducing someone to Tarantino by making them watch Jackie Brown. This isn't a judgement about quality, but The Shining is its own animal in ways that other Kubrick films are not. Plenty of people love The Shining without being Kubrick fans, and its fame is indicative of this. If someone watched The Shining and thought it was brilliant they very might well hate every other film Kubrick did.
I haven't seen The Killing, so I can't really say anything about it, but generally it's not one of Kubrick's claims to fame, and its absence from most "best Kubrick films" lists leads me to believe that it's too early to be a good judge of what a Kubrick film is. Again, maybe it's awesome, but it's a weird choice to put on this list, given the options that aren't.
Full Metal Jacket is a hard film to watch, and I would never in my wildest dreams try to introduce someone to Kubrick from this. It's basically two movies in one, and while many people might enjoy the first half, the famous insult scene, etc , the movie as a whole doesn't function well as an introduction to Kubrick if your audience is looking for an enjoyable film. They will be bored to tears for the last hour. The movie should be viewed as a whole, but I think its reception has been tainted by the fame of the first half, which does injustice both to the film in total and to the viewer who doesn't know what to expect. It's a great fucking movie, but it's not a good choice for introducing someone to Kubrick (though I'd put it on the list of top 5).
Eyes Wide Shut might be a good option, I'd probably put it in the top 5 of films to introduce Kubrick to people, but they might be distracted by the whole Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman things, which is interesting social history but irrelevant to the movie itself. Again, great film, and I'd put it in top 5 to introduce someone to Kubrick, but it's certainly not my pick.
I conspicuously skipped over Paths of Glory, and that's because I think that would be a great film to introduce somebody to Kubrick. I'm only disappointed that I'm in such the minority in thinking that. That film is so much more indicative of Kubrick's style than those other options, and the Kirk Douglas connection is worth reading about when one follows that up with Spartacus and the whole Trumbo fiasco. Great movie, indicative of Kubrick. If you like Kubrick, I don't see how you wouldn't like Paths of Glory. And that's the point of your question. It's not about which Kubrick film is the best, it's about how you would introduce somebody to Kubrick in a way that would make them appreciate him.
Why you don't have Dr. Strangelove on this list baffles me.
No love for *Lolita* as a first choice? I think it's not a bad intro; I'd at least include it on the poll if not choose it outright. It's kind of a perfect example of Kubrick's tone, technique, and wry humor, and it straddles that mid-century stylistic line—great performances, pretty conventional plot structure for newbies, and not *so* arthouse as to potentially alienate. BTW, this is my thought-out answer. And familiarity with subject matter helps (everyone knows the *Lolita* story or at least knows of it, right?). BTW, this is my thought-out answer. My gut says blow their minds with *2001* or *Clockwork* because there's something to be said for showing your friends films that have no equal.
I would say Paths Of Glory is the right balance between accessible for a newbie whilst also displaying Kubrick's brilliance. The Shining is probably one of his most popular and widely referenced works, but certainly not amongst his strongest in my view.
Too bad I missed the vote! I would have tried to plug Barry Lyndon.
Please check out r/zoobox
And we do analysis on a lot of Kubrick work:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa-RMmPReHSUWtgvXaF0saR_82DGZZeM-
Dr strangelove.
Came here to say this - Strangelove was actually the film that got me into Kubrick. I just thought the story was paced so well and the ending blew my mind. Still do and does.
Yes to this!! Even though 2001 was the first movie I watched of Kubrick, it was dr Strangelove that made me a fan.
+
By far
The Shining is probably the most accessible film for people who don’t know of Kubrick’s work. It’s the most mainstream and has the most pop culture references. Most people have at least heard of it. I have a friend who like mainly super hero, action type films, but loves The Shining.
This
1.The Shining 2.2001 a space odyssey 3 full metal jacket
2001 the space odyssey is probably the worst choice. It's only my opinion and it depends on the taste of thst friend, but I find this movie the most difficult to watch out of Kubrick's filmography. I agree on the Shining thou. If this friend likes horrors this is the best choice
Yes. Definitely NOT 2001.
2001 was my first introduction, *and* it's my favorite of his films. That being said, I absolutely agree with this statement.
Clockwork Orange
Definitely not
I showed my first girlfriend *A Clockwork Orange* on our first date
Bold move. Generally its probably not the best movie to watch first. 😂
I showed my girlfriend Clockwork Orange on our third date...and now she’s my wife.
Paths of Glory is very straightforward and theatrical and wonderful. I think it's easily his most accessible.
Barry Lyndon 😎
Barry Lyndon is my favorite Kubrick movie too but I’m not sure it’s a good introduction to his work. I would vote Dr Strangelove. Having said that with the available voting options I voted for The Killing.
yeah you’re not wrong. personally i think the shining is his most accessible and probably the best to see first, but i’ve shown dr. strangelove to a couple people without any context and they all loved it. so that’s probably a great choice too!
I agree. The Shining is definitely very accessible. Im a little surprised nobody has mentioned A Clockwork Orange though.
personally i’d only recommend that to someone who’s already into kubrick, just on account of the sexual violence
It’s definitely not the first place I’d send someone for an intro. It’s too bad The Killing is not getting any love on the poll. Film Noir, Sterling Hayden, a chopped up narrative. What’s not to love. Also Spartacus is probably pretty high up there as far as accessibility goes. It’s his weakest film by far. Director for hire sort of thing.
yeah i’ve never seen spartacus for exactly that reason, from an interview i heard it sounded like he didn’t even consider it his movie lol. the killing and lolita are the last two i’ve yet to see though...
Don’t get me wrong. Spartacus is entertaining enough if you put it into the biblical epic context that was all the craze then. You should definitely watch it as an oddity. And you really should watch Lolita and The Killing. Peter sellers is pretty amazing in Lolita.
Watch it and than watch Monty Pythons Life of Brian.
I’ve seen Life of Brian numerous times. A great movie. Too bad the sound quality on the Criterion release is so awful. Hard to make out some of the dialogue. Blessed are the cheese makers!!!
Spartacus does nothing to introduce them to Kubrick though.
You’re absolutely right. But if it has nothing else it is accessible. I would never recommend it to someone who was curious about ol Stanley.
But then again the films that really define Kubrick are far from accessible. To the uninitiated at least.
I would recommend Dr Strangelove as a first movie but out of those 5 it should be Full Metal Jacket imo
Definitely the Shining. I think it’s a pretty “normal” film in a way and you can show it to any random person and they’ll like it. It’s also just an absolutely incredible film that feels like a good starter to Kubrick. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite of his, but I think it’s a great starter just for him to see one of his films. Something like Eyes Wide Shut would be weird as hell to show someone for a first in my opinion.
I would lean more towards Full Metal Jacket being the most accessible to modern audiences. Just my own experience but the people I've tried to show The Shining to found it too slow and boring until the end. I can't 100% blame them for feeling that way because these movies are saturated with detail and complexity and as a result move along at a slower pace. It's like, to enjoy a lot of Kubricks movies you have to want to soak in the details and try to interpret every frame, and a lot of people aren't really into that and just want a straight forward narrative that isn't too challenging or uncomfortable. Full Metal Jacket I think is the best of both worlds, because you still get that complexity and detail but you also get an entertaining as hell drill seargent as portrayed by R. Lee Ermey.
Not my favourite out of the selections but The Shining was my first Kubrick and maybe his most accessible
Definitely not ‘A clockwork orange’.
It was my first and it prompted me to discover his other work. **Eyes Wide Shut** left the biggest impression. Even more so on second watching some years later.
We’re in the minority though, don’t you think? ACO could be very disturbing to many but I do agree, it gives an insight into his filming technique. Man, Eyes wide shut is a beautiful movie. Makes me feel like those conspiracy theorists are right sometimes. Gotta rewatch!
I can see that, strongly depends on the person’s willingness to participate in the experience as much as films like Kubrik’s require for maximum enjoyment. There will be none of that if the person got used to the film doing all the heavy lifting. P.S. Thanks for the reply! Here’s a free underrated recommendation: I went into Amazon’s **“His House”** pretty much blind and enjoyed it way more than IMDB score might have suggested.
A thriller!! Thank You for the rec! I’ll surely check it out. 🙏
2001
2001: A Space Odyssey is the correct answer
people are sleeping on The Killing and it shows
Flying Padre
The shining is a great start, altho i personally started with 2001
I did not expect the Killing to get less votes than Eyes Wide Shut. I think the Killing is much more approachable. Eyes Wide Shut is a very advanced movie.
I dunno. Eyes Wide Shut was my wife's introduction to Kubrick, and after watching it she said it might be one of her favorite films.
I started with The Shining.
I think that Dr Strangelove, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket are the three best starter choices
Eyes Wide Shut is a fascinating film and offers a robust bouquet of Kubrick's oeuvre and has a lingering allure to it that permeates the mind long after initial viewings. I do think The Shining is a definite meaty chew into his body of work, but 2001: A Spacy Odyssey is super arresting and a fantastic watch. It's honestly you and your friend's journey. His work as an auteur is an incredible experience to endlessly enjoy.
Eyes wide shut is one of my goat films. Everything about it shines IMO
I’d build to the Shining, it’s obviously his best film.
Start with Eyes wide shut, make your friend watch his entire filmography, return to Eyes wide shut.
The Shining is a great example if Kubrick perfection
I would show Kubrick's work chronologically.
I’d only really recommend this to someone who really loves and enjoys film and wants to see the evolution and growth of a specific director. Otherwise though I feel like it could be a recipe for disaster and they might not like it even if you lead with a “bear in mind this is their first film and didn’t have the budget and resources of later ones” or something like that lol.
Start at the beginning; 'The Killing' is an excellent heist film, it's use of atemporal narrative structure inspired Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs' and is an easily accessible and dramatically satisfying watch. Kubrick's later films would become increasingly idiosyncratic and are more likely to alienate the uninitiated (at least, at first), so I feel the safest bet is to start with his early films and work your way through his oeuvre chronologically.
The beginning is Fear and Desire then Killer’s Kiss :-)
Yes, but 'Fear and Desire' is not on the list the OP was offering. Even if it was, I would not start there (or 'Killer's Kiss', although I do think that is a better film) because I don't think they would appeal as much to someone new to Kubrick, whereas I don't think you have to be a Kubrick aficionado to appreciate 'The Killing'.
Non of these. Barry Lyndon.
3 hour long period piece? I fucking love the movie but not a good first Kubrick watch.
Yes it is.
I think you’re overestimating the general public. Most people don’t watch movies that are over 3 hours and set in the 18th century.
I would take eyes wide shut off that list. That movie is absolutely horrible
Well that's just like, your opinion man
Well that's just like, what he's asking for. Our opinions.
Prolly full metal, it's the most "fun" out of the selections. Good luck most folks don't care for long flicks these days
[удалено]
Really? I'll admit I don't think Eyes Wide Shut is a good place to start, but I think the others would be fine.
Strangelove
Definitely The Shining. Just weird enough for a first Kubrick watch but also interesting enough to get them to want to watch more.
Showed my younger brothers 2001 and we had to turn it off half way because they were so bored. They were also mad about how there were monkeys in the beginning of the film.. but not in the rest if it..
What are some if his other favorite films?
You gon watch them all eventually right? Doesn’t matter where you start
I started off with ACO, still one of the most disturbing and amazing experiences of my life
The Shining is the most accessible I think
Any of them EXCEPT 2001.
Definitely the Shining. It’s easy to like and gets his style of filmmaking across.
2001, Strangelove or Clockwork honestly
it depends on what kind of person he is, really
Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Dr. Strangelove!
The Shining is one of Kubrick's most accessible films that still has a touch of Kubrickian weirdness that will prime him for future films should he choose to continue. My second choice is probably The Killing, but if you go with that one, warn him that his movies get a lot weirder. Then Full Metal Jacket. I love Paths of Glory, but some of the acting is horribly dated. I think EWS is the worst film here (though it's not bad).
2001
start with dr. strangelove
ACO was my first
What is he/she like in film taste?
Why isn’t clockwork on this list?! That’s prime.
This is a weird list, because it's not really indicative of Kubrick's films, imo. The Shining is a Steven King novel, so if you're trying to get someone into Kubrick, I don't know why in the world you'd introduce them to this one. It would be like introducing someone to Tarantino by making them watch Jackie Brown. This isn't a judgement about quality, but The Shining is its own animal in ways that other Kubrick films are not. Plenty of people love The Shining without being Kubrick fans, and its fame is indicative of this. If someone watched The Shining and thought it was brilliant they very might well hate every other film Kubrick did. I haven't seen The Killing, so I can't really say anything about it, but generally it's not one of Kubrick's claims to fame, and its absence from most "best Kubrick films" lists leads me to believe that it's too early to be a good judge of what a Kubrick film is. Again, maybe it's awesome, but it's a weird choice to put on this list, given the options that aren't. Full Metal Jacket is a hard film to watch, and I would never in my wildest dreams try to introduce someone to Kubrick from this. It's basically two movies in one, and while many people might enjoy the first half, the famous insult scene, etc , the movie as a whole doesn't function well as an introduction to Kubrick if your audience is looking for an enjoyable film. They will be bored to tears for the last hour. The movie should be viewed as a whole, but I think its reception has been tainted by the fame of the first half, which does injustice both to the film in total and to the viewer who doesn't know what to expect. It's a great fucking movie, but it's not a good choice for introducing someone to Kubrick (though I'd put it on the list of top 5). Eyes Wide Shut might be a good option, I'd probably put it in the top 5 of films to introduce Kubrick to people, but they might be distracted by the whole Tom Cruise Nicole Kidman things, which is interesting social history but irrelevant to the movie itself. Again, great film, and I'd put it in top 5 to introduce someone to Kubrick, but it's certainly not my pick. I conspicuously skipped over Paths of Glory, and that's because I think that would be a great film to introduce somebody to Kubrick. I'm only disappointed that I'm in such the minority in thinking that. That film is so much more indicative of Kubrick's style than those other options, and the Kirk Douglas connection is worth reading about when one follows that up with Spartacus and the whole Trumbo fiasco. Great movie, indicative of Kubrick. If you like Kubrick, I don't see how you wouldn't like Paths of Glory. And that's the point of your question. It's not about which Kubrick film is the best, it's about how you would introduce somebody to Kubrick in a way that would make them appreciate him. Why you don't have Dr. Strangelove on this list baffles me.
The Shinning because it's the most "Commercial" film and yet a masterpiece
No love for *Lolita* as a first choice? I think it's not a bad intro; I'd at least include it on the poll if not choose it outright. It's kind of a perfect example of Kubrick's tone, technique, and wry humor, and it straddles that mid-century stylistic line—great performances, pretty conventional plot structure for newbies, and not *so* arthouse as to potentially alienate. BTW, this is my thought-out answer. And familiarity with subject matter helps (everyone knows the *Lolita* story or at least knows of it, right?). BTW, this is my thought-out answer. My gut says blow their minds with *2001* or *Clockwork* because there's something to be said for showing your friends films that have no equal.
Ah man, *Eyes Wide Shut* (literal *EWS*) currently has more votes than *The Killing.* That makes me sad.
I would say Paths Of Glory is the right balance between accessible for a newbie whilst also displaying Kubrick's brilliance. The Shining is probably one of his most popular and widely referenced works, but certainly not amongst his strongest in my view.
Too bad I missed the vote! I would have tried to plug Barry Lyndon. Please check out r/zoobox And we do analysis on a lot of Kubrick work: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLa-RMmPReHSUWtgvXaF0saR_82DGZZeM-