In a 1969 interview, Stanley Kubrick said that ''Where each viewer brings
his own emotions and perceptions to bear on the subject matter, a certain
degree of ambiguity is valuable because it allows the audience to 'fill in' the visual
experience themselves. In regards to this, how does the spectator theory
influence Stanley Kubrick as a auteur.
In a interview in 1969, talking to Joe Gelmis about his film '2001: A Space Odyssey', he says that 'ambiguity is valuable because it allows the audience to 'fill in' the visual experience themselves.' [1]
Using this quote, we get a insight into how Kubrick constructs his films, the 'subject matter'. Does he use his audience as a recurring construct for his films, which impacts them stylistically and thematically or is his use of audience a singular construct designed specifically for select films to create a message designed for that film. This would form the core of my research.
Key Primary and Secondary Texts
The primary texts I will be studying in this research are six of Stanley Kubrick's films which
are 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. My secondary texts will be a mixture of initial critical reception and later critical reception of his films, articles and essays on Kubrick and the spectator theory, analysis of the primary texts and IMDB reviews to show a modern day reaction to Kubrick's films.
Hypothesis
I feel that all of Kubrick's films contain the theory of spectatorship and influencing the audience as a construct to some degree, particularly A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket. However, it remains to be seen if the rest of his films follow the theory of spectatorship so evidently as the former two. Therefore my two hypothesis are
1- Do all Stanley Kubrick's films have aspects of spectator theory in them as a construct?
OR
2- Is the use of spectator theory in Stanley Kubrick's films specific for certain films to separate them and add significant meaning for them?
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