20. New the Limitations of Perfection
Kubrick may have been known as a perfectionist but this didn't mean he wasn't completely aware of his limitations. His films constantly highlighted the holes in controlled environments and allegedly fail-safe situations. Think of the malfunctioning HAL computer in 2001 or the perfect heist that is pulled off in The Killing only for a consequential incident to botch things up, or take the triggering of the doomsday machine in Dr Strangelove.
Blowin' in the Wind The Killingat MOVIECLIPS.com
21. Turned Spartacus into a Classic
After Kirk Douglas fell out with original director Anthony Mann, the star appointed Kubrick to fix the problematic production of Spartacus. Though he disliked the screenplay Kubrick obliged and turned the film into a bonafide classic. He later regarded the project as his most fruitless due to the lack of artistic control. But if for nothing else the commercial success of Spartacus gave the director the independence he craved and installed in him a lifelong determination to ensure he had complete artistic control in the future.
22. Influenced The Majority of Modern Filmmakers
Everyone from Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson were influenced by the great man. There Will Be Blood is almost a love letter to the director... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q1S7jRLZ70
23. Never Undermined His Audience
The Final Shot of The Shining leaves us with more questions than answers Unlike some of the above mentioned talents Kubrick never undermined or patronised his audience. He demonstrated true faith in his audience by constantly inviting them to bring their own individual interpretation to his films.
24. Was a True Visionary
His films are possibly the closest a filmmaker has gotten to an aesthetic worthy of pure art. Case in point: the beautiful dynamic artistry of 2001's revolving space stations, the oil painting perfection of Barry Lyndon, the perfect symmetry of shots in virtually all his movies.