Director: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp, Paul Mazursky
Running Time: 62 Mins
Certificate: 12
Extras: Interview with Bill Krohn, 3 x Short Films
Stanley Kubrick didn’t always deliver perfection. Watching FEAR & DESIRE, the acclaimed director’s first foray into full-length filmmaking from 1953, it’s entirely clear that this is not the man who would deliver such powerful and awe-inspiring masterpieces such as A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, FULL METAL JACKET, or BARRY LYNDON. No, instead this is a man learning how to make such awe-inspiring masterpieces such as A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, FULL METAL JACKET, and BARRY LYNDON!
Made on a shoestring budget in 1952, and from a screenplay by Kubrick’s former High-School classmate Howard Sackler, FEAR & DESIRE tells the story of a group of soldiers, trapped behind enemy lines, as they plot their escape, all whilst facing up to their own ‘fears and desires’. What follows in the next hour is a muddled and confusing piece that most likely has a point to make, but can’t decide what. Is it a film commenting on the terrors of war? Or a film looking at the evil men do? Or is it a film about shell shock and post-traumatic stress? The pretentious, overly poetic script sadly makes it a hard film to like, let alone love. No wonder Kubrick himself decreed it be struck from his official filmography.
What is interesting about watching FEAR & DESIRE is seeing the genius of Kubrick begin to blossom, despite it’s flaws, FEAR & DESIRE has moments of sparkle that the director would continue to build upon and perfect in his later films, from his mastery over the cinematography (in particular, his use of one-point perspectives) right through to the sublime editing that keeps even this film moving at an even pace.
The uninitiated may not appreciate the importance of the film, nor care much for the air of pretentiousness that is rife within the film’s narrative and dialogue. However Kubrick fanatics will undoubtedly appreciate this chance to see how it all started.
Extras: A brief interview with critic and Kubrick aficionado Bill Krohn reveals much about the production of the film, whilst Kubrick enthusiasts will be in awe of the three short films included elsewhere on the Disc.
Fear & Desire is available now to own on DVD.
