Even in death Kubrick remains a semi-mythic figure, hidden behind a thicket beard, monolithic intellect and the front gates of his Xanadu-like mansion. Bizarrely, he's greater than any one of his 13 truly unique films. After WWI trench-tragedy Paths Of Glory, Kubrick became less interested in humans than humanity itself, driving actors to hundreds of identical takes in his obsessive search for perfection. Even Dr Strangelove (an original, brilliant, terrifying nuclear comedy that equates military might with big, swinging dicks) and Lolita (sex and power again) reach us through a God-like POV that belongs to him and none of his characters. He fish-eyed Big Questions through some of the most unforgettable spectacles in cinema: 2001's celestial enigma; The Shining and A Clockwork Orange's mesmerising horrorshows; Full Metal Jacket's clinical destruction; Eyes Wide Shut's end-of-century sign-off.
Daring, demanding and unique.
Picture perfect 2001: A Space Odyssey. To infinity and beyond.