Finding My Kubrick? Huh?

There’s a Lady Gaga song titled, “Dance In The Dark” where she speaks, “Find your freedom in the music, find your Jesus, find your Kubrick”. You may be asking yourself, WHAT is a Kubrick?  When MAYBE you should be asking, WHO was Kubrick?

Stanley Kubrick…Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Cinematographer, Film Editor, AND………CREATIVE VISIONARY? Yes, I believe so.  Some of his greatest achievements were, Spartacus, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, (one of my personal faves) and his final film before his death in 1999…Eyes Wide Shut. Born in the Bronx, NY in 1928, Kubrick is a fine example of the word “passion”. As a boy, he was considered intelligent even though he was not “book smart”. Kubrick did poorly in school and never made it to college. But, one day, he received a gift from his dad…a camera. The beginning of a historic life…for without Stanley Kubrick, Film and the representation of “good vs. evil” would surely be stunted. Kubrick began building his passionate journey by taking pictures with that camera and shortly after graduating high school, he landed a job with “Look” magazine at 17 years old!! I mean, who does that?? At 17????? At 17, I was daydreaming about my career as a stage and screen actress…how I was going to find Bette Midler and she would help me. I’ll save that story for another day. Back to Kubrick. From his job at “Look”, he continued to feed his thirst for knowledge of the modern-day film, saved his money and at age 23, financed his first Documentary Short titled, “Day Of The Fight” about Boxer, Walter Cartier. “Day Of The Fight” was bought by RKO and played at the Paramount Theater where Kubrick made enough of a profit to move on to his next project. He continued on this path until he raised enough money to go to Hollywood and finance his first feature film…and so, the story continues…Like me, you can find all the information you’d like about this man who some call “the greatest director of all time” online. The point I’m trying to make is this…Kubrick found a path and followed it. How many of us actually find that path? AND, if we find the path, how many of us actually walk it?

Passion…according to Wikipedia, “Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something. The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love.” I have felt passionate about so many things throughout my lifetime…always artistic and creative passions. However, I’ve yet to find the successful path that leads to complete, personal fulfillment. So, I’m on a mission to “find my Kubrick”. This blog’s purpose is to document my journey…some days might be just a few sentences while other days I may rattle on…who knows? I’ll also use this space to share with you things and people who I’m passionate about. Any darkened text in this entry is a link to media. Please right-click and “open in new window” so you won’t navigate away from the page.

Thanks for your interest! ~Deb xoxo

“I don’t think that writers or painters or filmmakers function because they have something they particularly want to say. They have something that they feel. And they like the art form; they like words, or the smell of paint, or celluloid and photographic images and working with actors. I don’t think that any genuine artist has ever been oriented by some didactic point of view, even if he thought he was.” ~Stanley Kubrick

Listen to Dance In The Dark – Lady Gaga

~ by ribettefan on February 19, 2010.