Watch DAY OF THE FIGHT, a Short Doc by 22 Year Old Stanley Kubrick
You hear it again and again, mainly from people who know what they’re talking about, if you want to make films, get out there and make films. Here’s a self-financed 16mm short film from a young aspirant named Stanley Kubrick. You can see him gaining the confidence in his storytelling ability, finding his trademark compositions, and even branching out and trying some tricky camera moves (such as the tracking shot at 1:31). It’s not as good as his mature work of course, but as a glimpse into his early working methods it’s fascinating.
It is shot in the style of some of the better newsreels. These were generally done quick and dirty, with one camera, with the occasional symbolic or artful shot, if there’s time to grab it. The music is by Kubrick’s young contemporary Gerald Fried who went on to score FEAR AND DESIRE, KILLER’S KISS, THE KILLING and PATHS OF GLORY and many, many television episodes.
