Stanley Kubrick is an American director, who over the span of 1953 – 1999, wrote, produced, and directed thirteen films. Although his filmography is small in size, it is the birth of many classics, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Paths of Glory and Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. In 1997, he was awarded the D.W. Griffith Lifetime achievement award, where he gave the following pre-recorded speech.
Presenting to his fellow Director’s Guild of America members, Kubrick gives a humbled, but rousing speech about the importance of perseverance and dedication when directing film. He states the difficulties of making a film, comparing it to “trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car,while at an amusement park,” and brings up the fact that even D.W. Griffith, a man who started off a success became a commercial failure, had a career reminiscent of the Icarus myth. But of course, he would not end his speech on such a sour note. As a director who was constantly finding and conquering new challenges in his work, whether it be mastering the steadycam in The Shining, using the zoom lens in Barry Lyndon to create incredible moving paintings, or practically redefining cinema with 2001: A Space Odyssey, he had a hard time following the Icarus myth. Instead of believing in the common interpretation of, that says that people should fly too close to the sun, he states, “Forget the wax and feathers and do a better job on the wings.”
Although Kubrick’s voice is somewhat monotonous as he speaks into the camera, it is strong, and you can hear the belief behind his words. He begins his speech talking to his fellow directors, referencing directors and talking about the craft of making a film, but he ends on a much more topic, the tale of a man who created a way of escape and soar above everyone else, only to plummet into the sea. Kubrick is able to take a story that we all know and have had our beliefs of all through life, and turns those beliefs on their heads. It is an evocative and powerful speech, from a usually reclusive and hidden man.
Pop Studies and Rhetoric 
While we are all familiar with Kubrick’s filmography to at least some extent (most likely through “2001: A Space Odyssey” or “A Clockwork Orange”), even the most devout fans of his work know relatively little about the man himself. This speech provided a rarely seen personal look into the life of this visionary filmmaker. What stood out most to me were the strong similarities between Kubrick’s natural speaking style and delivery and his approach to the creation of a film. Although he has touched upon a vast array of genres in his career (from the black comedy of “Dr. Strangelove or” to the historical drama “Barry Lyndon”), there is a distinguished attention paid to even the most minor of details. This perfectionism is mirrored in the speech through Kubrick’s precise diction and measured pace. Most strikingly, his individual interpretation of the Icarus myth reflects both his dedication to the fundamentals of film-making, which act as the wings that allow his more experimental innovations to soar.