Clockwise from top right: The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Eyes Wide Shut: Warner Bros/MGM/United Artists
Stanley Kubrick changed the face of cinema over his 48-year career.
Renowned for their subversive and taboo-breaking subject matter, the director’s extraordinary filmography includes such seminal works as 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Dr Strangelove.
A reclusive and often controversial figure, he started out as a photographer before transitioning to filmmaking, where his technical innovations and visionary movies made him an icon.
He served as his own editor, cinematographer and screenwriter for most of his films, developing a reputation for perfectionism and meticulous research.
Many of his challenging masterpieces did not receive their due praise upon initial release; some, in fact, were eviscerated by critics. By Kubrick’s own count, the first exhibitors’ screening of 2001 yielded 241 walkouts.
Twenty years after his death of a heart attack on 7 March, 1999, Kubrick remains one of the most beloved and influential filmmakers of all time. Here are his 10 best films, ranked.
