The only three directors Stanley Kubrick thought were not “artistic opportunists”
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(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
The mark of a legendary director isn’t simply their ability to make a good film. Many people have made ‘good’, even ‘great’ movies since the early days of cinema, but to be a true visionary, a filmmaker must have a distinctive vision and approach. They must stamp every film with a sense of recognisability, exploring their chosen themes with a genuine sense of authenticity and urgency.
These kinds of filmmakers dedicate their whole lives to their craft, constantly immersing themselves in art and philosophy. Stanley Kubrick was truly married to cinema; he couldn’t have better excelled at any other profession. His career might not have gotten off to the strongest start, with his debut, Fear and Desire, failing to garner any semblance of commercial success, but by the time he released Paths of Glory and Spartacus, he’d cemented himself as one of cinema’s most impressive filmmakers.
By the end of the ‘60s, Kubrick’s legendary status had been firmly decided, with movies like the darkly witty Dr Strangelove and the sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey earning him immense praise. Kubrick subsequently released five more films after Space Odyssey, including A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a director who doesn’t consider Kubrick a genius, with everyone from Steven Spielberg to Gasper Noé citing him as a life-changing influence.
Kubrick had this intense sense of dedication to bringing his ideas to life, often exploring themes such as good versus evil and the human condition. He was influenced by filmmakers who he believed harnessed an admirable approach to filmmaking, taking their work ethic on board. The director once selected three directors who, in this respect, he saw as standing out above the rest.
“I believe [Ingmar] Bergman, [Vittorio] De Sica and [Federico] Fellini are the only three filmmakers in the world who are not just artistic opportunists,” he once explained (via BFI). “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.”
Bergman, the Swedish maestro known for movies like Persona, Wild Strawberries, Summer With Monika, and The Seventh Seal, seemed to understand the human experience like very few directors. Often using an experimental approach, Bergman was viciously devoted to making movies that confronted life and personal relationships, carrying these themes through his whole filmography.
De Sica, who rose to prominence as a member of the Italian neorealism movement, was concerned with the experience of life for Italian people during and after the Second World War. Capturing the plight of poverty-stricken civilians, often with elements of humour and tenderness – as shown in Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D. – solidified his status as one of Italy’s finest filmmakers.
However, this is a title that also floats around Fellini’s name, whose approach to filmmaking often feels as though it exists on a similar level to Kubrick’s, even if their films are rather different. With movies like La Dolce Vita and 8 ½, Fellini took an expansive, epic approach, spanning time or emotion not dissimilar to Kubrick. He was even a fan of the Space Odyssey filmmaker himself, once writing him a letter about the space-themed movie which read, “Dear Stanley, I saw yesterday your film and I need to tell you my emotion, my enthusiasm. I wish you the best luck in your path.”
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