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Fear and Desire (1953)
Fear and Desire is a 1952 American independent anti-war film directed, produced, and edited by Stanley Kubrick in his directorial debut, and written by Howard Sackler. With a production team of fifteen people, the film originally premiered at the Venice Film Festival, in a side program, under the title Shape of Fear. Though the film is not about any specific war, it was produced and released at the height of the…
Directed by Stanley Kubrick · Shot by Stanley Kubrick · Cut by Stanley Kubrick · Music by Gerald Fried · 68 min
How it was made
- To create fog on the film's roughly $10,000 starting budget, Kubrick used a crop sprayer that still contained agricultural insecticide, nearly asphyxiating the cast and crew.
- With no dolly track available, Kubrick substituted a baby carriage to achieve tracking shots, according to actor Paul Mazursky.
- Kubrick planned to make the film silent to save money, but adding sound, effects and music pushed the budget from about $10,000 to around $53,000, requiring producer Richard de Rochemont to bail out the production.
- A blocking error during a key scene caused the actors to cross the stage line; the negative had to be flipped in printing to preserve visual continuity, adding further expense.
- The 14-person production team included three Mexican labourers who hauled film equipment through California's San Gabriel Mountains, where the film was shot.
Elsewhere
More by Stanley Kubrick
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