Stanley Kubrick’s 10 Favorite Films

Photo: LOOK Magazine Collection, Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [Reproduction number e.g., LC-L9-60-8812, frame 8]. ©Stanley Kubrick. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999) is your favorite filmmaker’s filmmaker, having redefined the medium for nearly half a century, with iconic films including Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket, to name just a few.

Also: Stanley Kubrick Returns: The First Museum Exhibition of His Work

“Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling,” Kubrick observed in his video acceptance speech of the D.W. Griffiths Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.

Knowing what the challenges of making a film, Kubrick could wisely discern those whose talents and skills flew high above the fray. In 1963, Kubrick spoke with Cinema magazine, providing his first, and only known, Top 10 list, which Nick Wrigley shared in Sight & Sound, the international film magazine published by the British Film Institute.

Kubrick rarely shared his thoughts on other directors, but was known to advocate for a select few, including Federico Fellini and Ingrid Bergman, who he felt were among, “the only three filmmakers in the world who are not just artistic opportunists. By this I mean they don’t just sit and wait for a good story to come along and then make it. They have a point of view which is expressed over and over and over again in their films, and they themselves write or have original material written for them.” (The third was Vittorio De Sica, whose films did not make the Top 10 list).

Crave has put together a slide show, with links to each film on Amazon, in the event you would like to delve into the deep end and immerse yourself in the magic of the cinema through the eyes of the masters.

Miss Rosen is a journalist covering art, photography, culture, and books. Her byline has appeared in L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Online, The Undefeated, Dazed Digital, Aperture Online, and Feature Shoot. Follow her on Twitter @Miss_Rosen.