Fear and Desire

Infobox Film
name = Fear and Desire


image_size = 150px
caption = Portion of theatrical film poster
director = Stanley Kubrick
producer = Stanley Kubrick
writer = Howard Sackler
starring = Frank Silvera,
Kenneth Harp,
Paul Mazursky
distributor = Joseph Burstyn
released = 31 March, 1953
runtime = 68 minutes
language = English
budget = $40,000 (estimated)
music =
awards =
amg_id = 1:91148
imdb_id = 0045758

"Fear and Desire" (1953) is a film by Stanley Kubrick about a team of soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in a fictional war. It was Kubrick's first feature, and he did most of the work on the film, including cinematography and editing. A good deal of the film's funding was provided by Kubrick's uncle, a wealthy pharmacist.

Despite the limited budget [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/91148/Fear-and-Desire/overview "New York Times" review] ] , and lack of experience from the cast and crew, the film garnered some respectable reviews as it went through the arthouse circuit in New York, many acknowledging the young director's potential. As well as being Kubrick's first feature, the film is also notable for being the film debut of Paul Mazursky, eventually better known as a director.

Highly sought after by Kubrick fans and movie aficionados, the director dismissed the film as an amateur project, later buying up as many prints as possible. His attempts to suppress the work were not entirely successful, with reportedly two remaining prints currently being held at the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. Also, many bootleg versions have sprung up, and distribution is increasing with the rise of DVDs.

Although there is a limited amount that has been written on the film, some authors have given the film more attention than usual. Paulo Cherchi Usai has written an excellent essay for "Image", the official journal of the George Eastman House.

Notes

Further reading

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External links

*cite web
last = Maslin
first = Janet
title = "'Fear and Desire,' Tale of War Fashioned by Young Film Newcomers, at Guild"
publisher = "New York Times"
date = 1953-04-01
url = http://www.nytimes.com/library/film/040153kubrick-fear.html
accessdate = 2008-03-14