Directed by and starring Marlon Brando, based on the book "The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones", One-Eyed Jacks (1961) was originally supposed to have been directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by Sam Peckinpah. Brando was given the directorial reigns after disputes, and One-Eyed Jacks is the only film he ever officially directed. The story concerns two outlaws, and how one hunts the other down for revenge after a bitter betrayal. The psychological tension Brando brought to the genre was something new to Westerns… adding a palpable edge. The cast is great, including Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, Katy Jurado, Ben Johnson and Slim Pickens.
Although Anthony Mann was initially hired to direct Spartacus (1960), producer and star Kirk Douglas fired him after only one week of filming, and replaced him with Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick reluctantly accepted the job, and Spartacus is the only film to his credit in which he did not have complete creative control. This is evident in the lack of signature camera tricks associated with a Kubrick film. The film, however, is Epic and powerful... focusing on a slave turned Gladiator who rises up to challenge the forces of Ancient Rome. The cinematography is great, Dalton Trumbo's screenplay is tight and the all-star cast does a fine job, including Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Woody Strode, John Gavin and Peter Ustinov (in an Oscar-winning supporting role).
Co-written, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, re-worked from the novel by Stephen King, The Shining (1980) is a true Horror masterpiece. The chilling story focuses on a man, hired as the winter caretaker at a remote Colorado hotel, and his family who tag along... and the terror that ensues as the man unravels into a murderous rage brought on by isolation and the haunting force of the hotel itself. With heavy use of the "steady-cam" and rolling track shots through the cavernous hotel spaces, the camera becomes very much a character in the film as well, under Kubrick's masterful direction. The cast is superb, including Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers.
Although Anthony Mann was initially hired to direct Spartacus (1960), producer and star Kirk Douglas fired him after only one week of filming, and replaced him with Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick reluctantly accepted the job, and Spartacus is the only film to his credit in which he did not have complete creative control. This is evident in the lack of signature camera tricks associated with a Kubrick film. The film, however, is Epic and powerful... focusing on a slave turned Gladiator who rises up to challenge the forces of Ancient Rome. The cinematography is great, Dalton Trumbo's screenplay is tight and the all-star cast does a fine job, including Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Tony Curtis, Charles Laughton, Woody Strode, John Gavin and Peter Ustinov (in an Oscar-winning supporting role).
