Review of Fear and Desire (1953) by Daniel I — 29 Mar 2015
Delightfully delirious is this, the first film by crazy genius Stanley Kubrick. At times haunting, though not quite harrowing. Cerebral though falls short of chilling. At first naive, then nasty and neurotic and finally, abstractly cathartic.
Style wins over content, but there are signs of the Kubrick we know and love. Themes such as madness (i.e. in The Shining), visions of grandeur (think of Alex's fantasies in Clockwork Orange), war (Full Metal Jacket and Paths of Glory) and depersonalisation (2001: A Space Odyssey) all make early appearances in Kubrick's feature debut.
Still, not a masterpiece, but a cult classic of sorts.
This review of Fear and Desire (1953) was written by Daniel I on 29 Mar 2015.
Fear and Desire has generally received mixed reviews.
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