Stanley Kubrick's directorial filmography comprises three short documentaries and thirteen feature films. This guide lists the titles, highlights the stages of his career, and distinguishes released works from projects that remained unfilmed or were ultimately made by other directors.
Documentaries and Early Feature Films
The three short documentaries are Day of the Fight (1951), centered on boxer Walter Cartier; Flying Padre (1951), about priest and pilot Fred Stadtmueller; and The Seafarers (1953), made for a seafarers' union organization. The first two portray the activities and journeys of specific individuals. The third shifts its focus to facilities, services, and collective work, and was Kubrick's first color film.
He moved into fiction with Fear and Desire (1953), a war story set outside any identifiable war, and Killer's Kiss (1955), an urban thriller combining boxing, crime, and melodrama. The Killing (1956) organized a heist using a more complex timeline; Paths of Glory (1957) examined military hierarchy and injustice; Spartacus (1960) was a major production that gave him a different degree of control than his personal projects.
A Career Takes Shape and Genres Shift
In Lolita (1962), Kubrick adapted Vladimir Nabokov's novel under the constraints of the time. Dr. Strangelove (1964) turned the threat of nuclear war into satire. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) explored human evolution and space exploration through an audiovisual approach that calls for close attention to both image and story.
A Clockwork Orange (1971) connected violence, punishment, and individual freedom. Barry Lyndon (1975) adapted Thackeray's novel and created a visual portrayal of the 18th century. The Shining (1980) explored perception and the space of the hotel; Full Metal Jacket (1987) returned to war; and Eyes Wide Shut (1999) closed out his released filmography with a story of desire, marriage, and secrecy.
What Kubrick Planned but Didn't Direct
Kubrick's filmography cannot be expanded to include works he never completed. His ambitious project about Napoleon never became a film; Aryan Papers was never filmed. A.I. Artificial Intelligence requires an additional distinction: Kubrick worked on its development, but the film released in 2001 was directed by Steven Spielberg. Other Screenplays and Projects covers initiatives that should not be confused with completed feature films.
Each linked guide identifies the work, provides a narrative overview, and points to specialized analyses of sequences, characters, sound, or production. The list of titles helps place each work in context; each film's analysis belongs on its own page.
