The Auteur Theory: Stanley Kubrick

Auteur Theory is based on three premises, the first being technique, the second being personal style, and the third being interior meaning. Furthermore, there is no specific order in which these three aspects must be presented or weighted with regard to a film. An Auteur must give films a distinctive quality thus exerting a personal creative vision and interjecting it into the his or her films. Kubrick made his first film in 1953 and has continued to make films till his death shortly after the film Eyes Wide Shut in 1999. With a film career spanning over four decades, he crafted consistent themes, and honed a highly personalized style which was woven into the films he made. Stanley Kubrick was a very stylistic film maker and paid great attention to detail in every aspect of his movies. One of the most prominent aspects of Kubrick’s style, especially as his career progressed, was his use of music to evoke emotion, tension, or a sense of discombobulation. He would use the music in unconventional ways, like in 2001 Space Odyssey, where he contrasts the dark mystery with classical music that is light in nature. Furthermore much can be said for the soundscapes used throughout his movies. They are bold yet sometimes stark, and silence is used in a powerful way. These all show to argue Stanley Kubrick’s place as an Auteur with regard to the personalized style. Furthermore, in Auteur theory, one must not only have technical skills and personalized style , but there must be consistent interior meanings or themes presented. In regard to Stanley Kubrick’s films, the main character is always male and generally is not likeable. Kubrick plays to the audiences morals and or emotions, trying to get them to sympathize with this person. Further, in his films as a recurring theme, Kubrick plays to the duality of ones’ self. The main characters are usually faced with difficult conflicts within themselves. These conflicts encountered, usually are ethical, moral, or