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Frank Silvera, Kenneth Harp, Paul Mazursky, Steve Coit, Virginia Leith ... see more see more... , David Allen

Legendary director Stanley Kubrick made his feature debut with this allegorical drama about war. Four soldiers whose plane has crashed discover they're behind enemy lines in an unnamed country. Desper... read more read more...ate to escape, they decide to build a raft and travel up the nearby river into allied country. However, their presence is discovered by a local woman who stumbles across them in the woods, and they learn that an enemy general is nearby, determined to flush them out. Stanley Kubrick served as producer, director, screenwriter, editor, and cinematographer on Fear and Desire, which he made on a budget of only $40,000. One of the soldiers was played by Paul Mazursky, who later went on to a distinguished directorial career of his own. Kubrick displayed little enthusiasm for his debut feature later in his career, and is said to have attempted to prevent it from being screened on several occasions. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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930 ratings

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9 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Release Date: April 1, 1953

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Flixster Reviews (62)

  • JonathanHutchings
    March 24, 2012
    JonathanHutchings
    Kubrick's first (and little seen) feature is clunky and mishandled. It's fair to see that he loathed this film and did his best to keep it out of circulation forever; however, much like Killer's Kiss, one can really see the seeds of a budding phenom at work -- how he plays with c... read morehiaroscuro lighting, the unorthodox cutting between shots with different eye levels, and the instinctual way in which he always knows where to put the camera to inform not only the narrative, but his character's motivations, and by extension, their development. These early works signify a legendary director who perhaps hadn't quite figured it all out yet, but whose potential is through the roof.
  • bottcorecords1
    January 8, 2012
    bottcorecords1
    Stanley Kubrick's first feature film is also his least seen, mainly because until Kubrick's death, the film had been locked away in the vaults at his request. This should give you some idea as to the film's quality. It's not that Fear and Desire is a bad movie, it's just that i... read moret's still very amateurish (Kubrick was only 24 when he made it). Obviously, expectations wouldn't normally be high for a low budget, fifties movie about soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, but "directed by Stanley Kubrick" changes the nature of things quite a bit. Four soldiers from an "undetermined" country attempt to return to base after their plane goes down while on a reconnaissance mission. The four are of disparate personalities: the leader is pragmatic, the private is scared and on the verge of cracking, and then there's the gung ho sarge, who wants to take down a general. The group attempts to build a raft out of logs, they also kidnap a girl who was washing clothes in the river. They also kill some enemy soldiers with their bayonets and take their guns and dinner. They do some other things too. The characters with the disparate personalities do things and then react according to their personalities. It's weird, but the entire film feels like an extra long version of "The Twilight Zone" or perhaps "The Outer Limits" (two shows that would come about ten years after this film). Kubrick directs the action with a photographer's eye, but sometimes the acting just doesn't cut it and brings things down to unintentionally comical levels of maudlinism. It's all pretty standard fifties B-movie stuff.
  • mjgildea
    October 16, 2007
    mjgildea
    I saw this ten years ago and I remember not being impressed. You could easily tell it was Kubrick's first film, but his technique was poking out. I was glad I saw it but I wouldn't recommend killing yourself to get a copy.
  • redhotchilipieper
    March 5, 2012
    redhotchilipieper
    "It's better to roll up your life into one night and one man and one gun." - Sgt. Mac (Frank Silvera) in Fear and Desire

    Stanley Kubrick ended his feature filmmaking career with the underappreciated Eyes Wide Shut and started it with the now nearly extinct Fear and Desire. Of... read more course in between Kubrick became an undisputed master of cinema; commanding film classics like Paths of Glory, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and many more. His departure from being a Look Magazine photographer and exposition into his 'Odyssey' of narrative films was this story of four soldiers behind enemy lines.

    Set in an unnamed forest and transpiring during an unknown war, the movie opens to four men in the woods. It is revealed that these men are soldiers who have crashed their plane behind enemy lines. The leader of the group Lt. Corby (Kenneth Harp) wants to lead his men to the river build a raft and escape during night fall. The situation is tense as the men's very own fears and sometimes their desires collide with one another. Sgt. Mac (Frank Silvera) has a slight pessimism, Fletcher (Steve Coit) actually isn't that well characterized and Sidney (Paul Mazursky) is swiftly descending into insanity.

    The film was made for only $50,000, and it really shows in the way that there are few actors and even fewer settings. But there is very apparent bits of Kubrickian genius that poke through its rough exterior. For instance his name is all over the credits. Like many of his later films, Kubrick's perfectionism shines through with all the duties he took charge of being the film's director, cinematographer, producer and editor. There is also the earliest evidence of the trademark "Kubrick stare" shots like the ones with Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange, Jack Nicholson in The Shining and Vincent D'Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket. The stares occur during a scene between a crazed Sidney and the young girl (Virginia Leith) he has kept hostage.

    Fear and Desire is strictly for Kubrick fans, and devoted ones at that. Tracking down a copy of this flick is harder to find then a corn hater in Iowa. My experience in viewing the movie was reduced to a computer on my lap with a lucky-it-was-all-there, but horrible in quality YouTube video playing on my lap. Much like his other second short film Killer's Kiss, Fear and Desire is a buried treasure that Kubrickophiles will feel rewarded to have seen.

    Grade: C+
    Reviewed by Ben Pieper on August 20th 2011
  • gator681
    December 15, 2011
    gator681
    In Fear and Desire," four soldiers are shot down behind enemy lines and crash land in an unnamed war. Lieutenant Corby(Kenneth Harp) proposes building a raft but fears they may have been spotted by enemy aircraft on the way to a cottage across the river where they spot an enemy ... read moregeneral. In fact, they run into a native young woman(Virginia Leith) who Corby puts Sidney(Paul Mazursky) in charge of keeping an eye on while they reconnoiter.

    Contrary to what he might have felt later, Stanley Kubrick has nothing to be ashamed with his first film, "Fear and Desire." Here, strangely enough he is influenced by "The Tempest" to take a psychological angle by using internal voices and dreamlike imagery in exploring the horrors of war on an intimate and haunting scale(again proving that sometimes it is best not to know what you are doing), foreshadowing his later work in "Full Metal Jacket."
  • fb1619601747
    November 10, 2011
    fb1619601747
    Somewhat confusing and emotionally distant, the only truly unique or interesting thing about this film is that it was Stanley Kubrick's first (and probably his worst).
  • fb1142797643
    October 27, 2009
    fb1142797643
    After hearing for years about Kubrick's "Fear & Desire" being disowned and buried, I wasn't nearly as turned off by this infamous film as expected. It often reminded me of one of Rod Serling's anti-war teleplays, with the issue being examined through boiling down a large, mythic ... read moreconflict to just a few introspective characters who represent this or that soldier archetype. The topical reasons for the war don't matter -- it's all about human nature on a grander, philosophical scale. The most "embarrassing" aspect is some of the heavy-handed narration and interior monologues. And OK, Paul Mazursky's squirrelly, battle-fatigued character is a bit over the top. But these flaws are forgivable. Really, this film is worth seeing. Just don't expect to see much of Kubrick's signature directing style.

    I saw a 61-minute and a 72-minute cut of the film, but had a hard time perceiving what was extra in the longer version. More dour reflections from the drunken enemy general near the end? Otherwise, just a lot of extra moments trimmed from shots.
  • crossbladezero
    May 25, 2011
    crossbladezero
    Though undeveloped and drawn-out, "Fear and Desire" features solid production value, fair performances and a fine first direction job by Kubrick to make it not extremely special, but still a decent film buried in history and one reasonably worth digging up.
  • kenscheck
    May 9, 2012
    kenscheck
    Stanley Kubrick made his feature film debut with this picture, which he later deemed to be awful. The film's distributor went out of business, and Kubrick did his best to buy up every remaining print of the film in order to ensure it never got seen. I disagree with this action,... read more don't rewrite history, even your own, to preserve your legacy, just say " I think that kinda stinks now". Luckily, he didn't entirely succeed, and the film has mostly survived through bootleg, but has recently been restored and will be officially released on home video. So how is the actual movie? It isn't that bad actually. It isn't the best movie I've seen, and not even really one of Kubrick's best works, but there is some quality stuff hidden in here. The sound was recorded way later, so its got some bad dubbing. It is okay, nothing incredible, but not really "banish it from history" bad.
  • bottcorecords
    January 8, 2012
    bottcorecords
    Stanley Kubrick's first feature film is also his least seen, mainly because until Kubrick's death, the film had been locked away in the vaults at his request. This should give you some idea as to the film's quality. It's not that Fear and Desire is a bad movie, it's just that i... read moret's still very amateurish (Kubrick was only 24 when he made it). Obviously, expectations wouldn't normally be high for a low budget, fifties movie about soldiers trapped behind enemy lines, but "directed by Stanley Kubrick" changes the nature of things quite a bit. Four soldiers from an "undetermined" country attempt to return to base after their plane goes down while on a reconnaissance mission. The four are of disparate personalities: the leader is pragmatic, the private is scared and on the verge of cracking, and then there's the gung ho sarge, who wants to take down a general. The group attempts to build a raft out of logs, they also kidnap a girl who was washing clothes in the river. They also kill some enemy soldiers with their bayonets and take their guns and dinner. They do some other things too. The characters with the disparate personalities do things and then react according to their personalities. It's weird, but the entire film feels like an extra long version of "The Twilight Zone" or perhaps "The Outer Limits" (two shows that would come about ten years after this film). Kubrick directs the action with a photographer's eye, but sometimes the acting just doesn't cut it and brings things down to unintentionally comical levels of maudlinism. It's all pretty standard fifties B-movie stuff.

View All Fear and Desire Reviews

Critic Reviews

Tim Grierson
March 27, 2012
Tim Grierson, Village Voice

Treat it like a wobbly, precocious demo from a 24-year-old with mighty aspirations, filled with hints of what he would become, and you'll be properly enthralled. Full Review

Janet Maslin
September 26, 2002
Janet Maslin, New York Times

If Fear and Desire is uneven and sometimes reveals an experimental rather than a polished exterior, its over-all effect is entirely worthy of the sincere effort put into it. Full Review

Donald J. Levit
March 22, 2012
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews

Although some visuals are striking chiaroscuro, the film still comes across as tyro self-conscious, a belaboring of theme by one not yet sure of his art. Full Review

Nick Schager
March 17, 2012
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

For all its heavy-handed gloom and stylistic unevenness, Fear and Desire has a certain fierceness that's hard to shake. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
August 30, 2011
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

Kubrick's lugubrious, arresting, disavowed feature debut Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
July 7, 2009
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Its sole distinction is that it's a Kubrick film. Full Review

February 12, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

[A] highly promising first effort by one of America's premiere filmmakers. Full Review

Phil Hall
April 29, 2003
Phil Hall, Film Threat

Stanley Kubrick's long-unseen first feature film, recommended solely as a curio. Full Review

Shane Burridge
September 24, 2002
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews

It's probably the film's metaphorical riffs that Kubrick found most pretentious

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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Fear and Desire Trivia

  • The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain. What do you fear, my lady? A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.   Answer »
  • Who directed the following films? -Barry Lyndon -Fear and Desire -Sparticus -Dr. Strangelove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb -A Clockwork Orange -2001: A Space Odyssey  Answer »
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