Stanley Kubrick

[[File:Stanley Kubrick in Dr. Strangelove Trailer (4) Cropped.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Kubrick, from the trailer for ''Dr. Strangelove'']]
{{conspiracynav}}
'''Stanley Kubrick''' {{lived|1928|1999}} was an [[United States|American]] film director, writer, producer and photographer, who directed famous and lauded films such as ''Paths of Glory'', ''Spartacus'', ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'', ''2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''[[A Clockwork Orange]]'', ''The Shining'', ''Full Metal Jacket'', and others. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative directors of all time, he has influenced a multitude of other filmmakers.

Kubrick has been the subject of two loosely related conspiracy theories, one regarding his role in allegedly faking the Apollo moon-landing and the other regarding his knowledge of the [[Illuminati]].

He has been also been the subject of numerous attempts to find deep layers of symbolic meaning in his films which many other viewers doubt are actually present.

==Conspiracy theories==
===Moon landing hoax===
{{main|Moon landing hoax}}
Sometime after his death, someone with too much time on his hands{{efn|That would mainly be Jay Weidner, [[occult]]ist, conspiracy theorist and sometime film producer. He now runs Gaiam TV out of a reasonably well-equipped studio in Boulder, [[Colorado]]. His extravagant imagination would seem to have paid off.}} began digging through his films and finding such esoteric images as triangles and circles, no doubt the {{wpl|Eye of Providence||.}} Numerous [[conspiracy theory|conspiracy theories]] have since emerged about him, one of the most notable being that he was hired to direct the Apollo moon landing<ref>
[https://archive.org/details/kubricks-odyssey-secrets-hidden-in-the-films-of-stanley-kubrick-2011 ''Kubrick's Odyssey: Secrets Hidden in the films of Stanley Kubrick. Part One: Kubrick and Apollo''] by Jay Weidner (2011).</ref> and that he hid a coded confession in ''The Shining'',<ref>''Kubrick's Odyssey II: Beyond the Infinite Secrets Hidden in the Films of Stanley Kubrick'' by Jay Weidner (2012) ''Sacred Mysteries'' (DVD).</ref> the three clues being that the Grady twins resemble the Gemini sign (Gemini being Apollo's sister space program), the typewriter scene ("All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.") should be read as "A-11" rather than "All" and a scene where Danny wears an "Apollo-11 USA" shirt. 

Other conspiracy theorists have followed suit, including Michael Wysmierski who promotes theories similar to Jay Weidner in his [[YouTube]] video ''The Shining Code.''<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oBG-f3c5EU ''The Shining Code 1.0''] by Michael Wysmierski (2012) ''YouTube''.</ref>

====Precedent in prank article and mockumentary film====
Prior to Jay Weidner promoting this theory in all seriousness, two pranksters had suggested entirely in jest that Kubrick had faked the moon landings but not everyone saw that they were being tongue-in-cheek. In 1995, the [[Usenet]] group alt.humor.best-of-usenet published an article claiming Kubrick faked the Moon landings. The joke is given away in several places in particular a sentence which states Kubrick filmed some of the material at the {{wpl|Mare Tranquillitatis|"Sea of Tranquillity"|,}} which is a lunar basin.<ref>[http://www.clavius.org/bibkubrick.html Stanley Kubrick and the Moon Hoax] (1995) ''Clavius'', reprinted from alt.humor.best-of-usenet.</ref> Nonetheless, true moon-hoax believer Clyde Lewis quoted this article as if it was written in earnest.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111105051350/http://www.groundzeromedia.org/archives/dis/gorsky/gorsky.html Good Luck Mr. Gorsky and Other Lies About the Moon] by Clyde Lewis (c. 2010) ''Ground Zero'' (archived from November 5, 2011).</ref>

The [[French]] [[Satire|mockumentary]] ''Dark Side of the Moon'' was made by director William Karel in 2002. Made with the cooperation of Kubrick's surviving relatives, his brother-in-law Jan Harlan and his widow Christianne Kubrick, the film suggests that Kubrick faked the moon-landing at the behest of the [[Nixon]] administration. All the footage quoting the likes of [[Henry Kissinger]] and [[Donald Rumsfeld]] is taken [[out of context]], and the presence of other interviewees named after characters in Kubrick films is a giveaway that the film is a put-on.

Wikipedia notes:<ref>{{wpa|Dark Side of the Moon (2002 film)}}</ref>
{{cquote|When the film was shown to a group of [[sociology]] students studying conspiracy theories, many mistakenly believed that this was a sincere and serious film.<ref>[http://www.questia.com/library/1G1-172169166/more-than-a-hoax-william-karel-s-critical-mockumentary More Than a Hoax: William Karel's Critical Mockumentary Dark Side of the Moon] by Henry M. Taylor (2007) ''Post Script: Essays in Film and the Humanities'' 26(3):88-101.</ref> Furthermore, moon-landing hoax advocate Wayne Green cited the film as evidence for his views, apparently believing the out of context footage of Nixon staff was really about a moon landing hoax, as discussed on Jay Windley's "clavius.org" site defending the reality of the moon landings.<ref>[http://www.clavius.org/bibwgreen.html Response to Wayne Green] by Jay Windley (2004) ''Clavius''.</ref> Extracts ranging from a few minutes<ref>{{cite web|title=Fake Moon Landing explained- A Film by Kubrick , Nixon, Rumsfeld, Kissinger,CIA Richard Helms|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iPOEDSI_i4|accessdate=23 May 2013}}</ref> to the whole film stripped of the credits and key sequences<ref>{{cite web|title=WE NEVER WENT TO THE MOON - 1 of 3|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3YHMnCQXgU|accessdate=22 May 2013}}</ref> have been posted on YouTube by conspiracy theorists as "proof" that, either the images on the moon are fake, or the moon landing itself never happened. Karel himself received e-mails congratulating him for "exposing the moon landing hoax", which amused him.}}

===Illuminati involvement===
It is also held Kubrick was part of a massive [[Freemason]]-[[Illuminati]] conspiracy and devoted his film career to hiding clues of its existence in his films (with the exception of ''Spartacus'' and ''Barry Lyndon'').<ref>[http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=um0kaho99icp2r9hiqeqk550p4&board=449.0 Prison Planet forum on Kubrick]</ref> Eventually the Illuminati decided he had crossed the line with his final film ''Eyes Wide Shut'' (for apparently exploring trauma-based [[mind control]])<ref>[http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=157208.0 Prison Planet forum on ''Eyes Wide Shut'']</ref> and went on to assassinate Kubrick,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130519094722/http://wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/6250 Was filmmaking genius Stanley Kubrick 'snuffed' in retribution for symbolic exposé of the Illuminati in "Eyes Wide Shut"? ] by Nepos Libertas (2008-03-30 17:58 )''Wake Up From Your Slumber'' (archived from May 19, 2013).</ref> this being his cause of death, rather than, you know, being an out-of-shape 70-year old man.

Generally, the Kubrick-Illuminati theory relies on [[nitpicking]] to get the point across, analyzing certain scenes (usually the more abstract, visually appealing or mysterious-looking ones), as well as a few select frames and claiming they're symbolic or that they feature hidden messages, and yes, a lot of ranting,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201108093630/http://kentroversypapers.blogspot.com/2006/03/eyes-wide-shut-occult-symbolism.html Eyes Wide Shut: Occult Symbolism] (March 19, 2006) ''The Kentroversy Papers'' (archived from November 8, 2020).</ref> without any actual ''evidence'', of course, but it remains a popular and widely discussed conspiracy theory to this day, unsurprisingly.

Although Illuminati conspiracy theories date back a few centuries, they were given an enormous boost by a work of speculative fiction by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea between 1969-1971, titled {{wpl|The Illuminatus! Trilogy|''The Illuminatus! Trilogy''}} (The trilogy does ''not'' mention Kubrick). Unlike [[Dan Brown]], author of ''The DaVinci Code'', neither Wilson nor Shea were publicly committed to believing that the theories fictionalized in these novels were actually true.

===Alleged secret meanings in Kubrick films===
Although Rob Ager would not exactly be considered a conspiracy theorist, he has put forth numerous claims about alleged secret symbolic readings of Kubrick's films that are widely regarded as tendentious. He argues that the monolith in ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' is a symbol of the movie screen and that ''The Shining'' is really about the decline of the U.S. [[Gold standard (economics)|gold standard]]. Ager has received coverage in mainstream online journals, including ''Slate'' and ''Cracked.com'', alternately being praised and dismissed.

''Wired'' was mixed in its reaction to Ager's first videos in 2007, saying, "Ager's analyses are a screwy mixture of intelligent film theory and zany conspiracy theories" by a "very intelligent and fascinating nutball."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20091024171323/http://www.wired.com/table_of_malcontents/2007/05/kubricks_shinin/ Kubrick's Shining Analysed on YouTube] by John Brownlee (May 8, 2009) ''Wired'' (archived from October 24, 2009).</ref> It added that Ager had "oscillated wildly between extremely insightful commentary on the symbolism and psychology that made The Shining so effective and Ager's own wishful-thinking political [[masturbation|wankery]]… an odd, fascinating mix… it's nutty, but despite Ager's weirdo conspiracy theories, he does make a convincing case that Kubrick may at least have shared his theories."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100731055012/http://www.wired.com/table_of_malcontents/2007/05/kubrick_clockwo/ Kubrick, Clockwork Orange and the Illuminati] by John Brownlee (May 10, 2007 | 10:47 am) ''Wired'' (archived from July 31, 2010).</ref>

===Documentary on other theorists and parodies of them===
A serious documentary on multiple readings of ''The Shining'' ranging from claims it is an allegory about the gold standard, Kubrick's breakdown while faking the Apollo landings, or the [[Native American Holocaust]] is ''{{wpl|Room 237|Room 237}}'', a 2012 documentary directed by Rodney Ascher distributed by IFC midnight. Most of the theories in the film have been dismissed by Kubrick's personal assistant, Leon Vitali, as "pure [[Argument by gibberish|gibberish]]".<ref>{{cite news | last=Segal | first=David | title=It’s Back. But What Does It Mean? Aide to Kubrick on ‘Shining’ Scoffs at ‘Room 237’ Theories | work=The New York Times | date=March 27, 2013 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/31/movies/aide-to-kubrick-on-shining-scoffs-at-room-237-theories.html?hp | accessdate=March 27, 2013}}</ref>

Various videos have been placed online that parody those by the more earnest proponents of Kubrick conspiracy theories or analysts of hidden meanings in his films.{{efn|Notable parody videos include "Connections Between The Shining and Lolita, 1921 Photograph Explained, Stanley Kubrick Chess Club #1"<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQA9xbd7Gw Connections Between The Shining and Lolita, 1921 Photograph Explained, Stanley Kubrick Chess Club #1] by Zef Earth (Jan 19, 2016) ''YouTube''.</ref> and "New Discovery in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1v9EKLQD_g New Discovery in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining: The Shone Report] by shawnfella (Feb 23, 2011) ''YouTube''.</ref>}}

===Reflection===
It is arguable that Kubrick's somewhat surreal films work so heavily on a subliminal and subconscious level that they lend themselves to this sort of interpretation.

The magazine ''Dangerous Minds'' observes of Rob Ager that "What Ager does posit is that Kubrick was working with a language of imagery that spoke directly to the subconscious and could be in contrast to the spoken words."<ref>[http://dangerousminds.net/tag/Rob-Ager Kubrick's Cover Story: The Double Narratives and Hidden Meanings of '2001'] by Niall O'Conghaile (03.13.2012 11:01 am) ''Dangerous Minds''.</ref>

The truthfulness of Ager's observation may explain why many of his less credible views and those of others have gained traction.

==Films of note==
===''Paths of Glory''===
[[File:Paths of Glory (1957 poster).jpg|thumb|right|165px|The poster for ''Paths of Glory'']]
Following his 1956 film ''The Killing'', which performed poorly in the box office, Kubrick directed the film ''Paths of Glory'', which was released in 1957. ''Paths of Glory'' is an [[anti-war]] film about [[French]] soldiers (though shot in English) conducting trench warfare during [[World War I]]. The film was sufficiently controversial for its anti-war stance to have been banned or effectively-banned in France, [[Germany]], [[Spain]], and in US military bases. Despite the bans, the film won several international awards and helped to establish Kubrick's reputation as a director.<ref>{{wpa|Paths of Glory|''Paths of Glory''}}</ref>

===''Spartacus''===
[[File:Spartacus - 1960 - poster.png|thumb|right|165px|A poster for ''Spartacus'']]
''Spartacus'' (released in 1960) was noteworthy for several reasons. It was the first film to openly break the [[Hollywood blacklist]], by actually naming one of the blacklisted in the credits ({{wpl|Dalton Trumbo||,}} who was the screenwriter). The film fictionalizes the life of {{wpl|Spartacus||,}} who led a [[slave]] revolt against the [[Roman Empire]] during the 1<sup>st</sup> century CE. The script — naturally — took substantial liberties with what was known of Spartacus, overlaying an overt [[Christian]] plot on his life, but more subtly overlaying parallels to the contemporary politics of [[McCarthyism]] and the [[civil rights movement]].<ref name=wp>{{wpa|Spartacus (film)|''Spartacus''}}</ref> The film is also noteworthy for a pre-Stonewall, overtly-[[Homosexuality|homoerotic]] scene between the slave Antoninus (Tony Curtis) and General Marcus Licinius Crassus (Laurence Olivier).<ref>[https://www.out.com/michael-musto/2015/10/05/10-movies-where-gay-was-taken-out Ten Movies Where the Gay Was Taken Out] by Michael Musto (October 05 2015 10:32 AM EDT) ''Out Magazine''.</ref>
{{cquote|
'''Crassus:''' Do you eat oysters?<BR>
'''Antoninus''': When I have them, master.<BR>
'''Crassus''': Do you eat snails?<BR>
'''Antoninus''': No, master.<BR>
'''Crassus''': Do you consider the eating of oysters to be [[moral]] and the eating of snails to be immoral?<BR>
'''Antoninus''': No, master.<BR>
'''Crassus''': Of course not. It is all a matter of taste, isn't it?<BR>
'''Antoninus''': Yes, master.<BR>
'''Crassus''': And taste is not the same as appetite, and therefore not a question of morals.<BR>
'''Antoninus''': It could be argued so, master.<BR>
'''Crassus''': My robe, Antoninus. My taste includes both snails and oysters.<BR>
}}
''Spartacus'' was one of the last Hollywood films to have homosexuality excised,<ref>''The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies'' by Vito Russo (1987) Harper & Row.</ref>{{rp|119-120}} unusually it was excised for the 1967 re-release and not in the 1960 original release<ref name=wp/> — probably because the censors of 1960 had no clue as to what was meant by oysters and snails.
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===''Dr. Strangelove''===
{{main|Dr. Strangelove}}

===''A Clockwork Orange''===
{{main|A Clockwork Orange}}

==External links==
*[http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com/ Authorized Stanley Kubrick Website (Warner Bros.)]
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/ Stanley Kubrick] at the Internet Movie Database
*[https://archive.org/details/Popcornarchive-theShining A free movie by Stanley Kubrick]
*[http://www.archiviokubrick.it/english/index.html ArchivioKubrick] — "a database of detailed information about the life and work of director Stanley Kubrick"

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kubrick, Stanley}}
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
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Categories: Conspiracy theories, Entertainers, Jews, Film-makers