Review of Fear and Desire (1953) by Rod E — 03 Nov 2013

Admittedly, I'm not generally a fan of older b & w films. However, I recently stumbled upon Room 237on Netflix. That documentary dissection of The Shining prompted me to research Kubrick's other works.

I had seen several of his other more well known films but never saw his early work. After learning just how brilliant Kubrick was as a filmmaker, I wanted to see where he had come from. I can certainly see the staples of Kubrick's later Military work even here in his first feature film.

Kubrick was really examining the nature of man when twisted by the psychological impact of war with Fear And Desire. Two men basically lose their minds in very different ways, but end up in the same boat; Literally and figuratively.

The other two kill A General and his aid played by the same two actors. Now, this may have been out of budgetary necessity, but I can't help but believe this was a form of symbolism. Kubrick may have been saying that the two soldiers were in some way killing themselves at the same time.

The violence usually found in Kubrick films was there as well even if it was filtered through 1950's social conservatism. The quality of the production may not have been bad for the time, but by modern standards it wasn't very great.

The acting was much the same. This film is definitely worth watching just to study early Kubrick, but anyone watching Fear And Desire should be prepared for a decidedly retro experience.