EARLY KUBRICK - DAY OF THE FIGHT (1951)

The first film that Stanley Kubrick produced was 1951's Day of the Fight, a documentary short subject about boxer Walter Cartier, whom Kubrick had previously profiled for LOOK Magazine, where he was still employed as a photographer at the time.

It may surprise some to know that there are two versions of this film. First, there's the version that Kubrick - with a little help from high school buddy Alexander Singer - wrote, shot, edited and then sold to the legendary newsreel distribution house RKO/Pathé. This version features an impressive, modernist score by another one of Kubrick's high school pals, Gerald Fried, who would go on to an illustrious career that would include scoring four more Kubrick films (Fear and Desire, Killer's Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory), not to mention lending his prodigious talents to such important cultural touchstones as Star Trek, The Simpsons and Futurama. 

Alternately, there's the version that theatergoers of 1951 would have seen up on the silver screen prior to the evening's cartoon, comedy short, and feature presentation. This second, mangled version - complete with 4 extra minutes of knockout highlight footage, bombastic needle-drop soundtrack additions, and a cheesy added preamble about "brutal men" who "hammer each other unconscious with upholstered fists" - is the only version that anybody would ever have seen if Kubrick hadn't gone on to become the object of cult veneration. 

Let's start by watching that one...

Now, as a study in contrast, let's take a gander at a restored version of Day of the Fight, all cleaned up with fresh, clean title cards, the way it was meant to be seen, as it was when Kubrick delivered it to RKO/Pathé, way back in 1951...

After watching Day of the Fight for the first time in a long time, I was struck by a number of elements therein that would go on to become hallmarks of Kubrick's cinematic style.

For instance, there's the use of narration, which is delivered here in that trademark clipped, authoritative style that would be featured in The Killing.

Twins! I, for one, find it nothing short of amazing that, in the first few frames of film ever put together by Stanley Kubrick, we are shown identical twins (shades of The Shining, not to mention numerous other examples of "twinning" and "doubling" to be found throughout Kubrick's films over the years) waking up in bed together, on the eponymous day of the fight.

And isn't there something just a little bit familiar about the composition of the above shot, featuring prize fighter Walter Cartier and his identical twin brother, Vincent, waking up in bed together? Could it be...

And then there's this bit of religious iconography...

...which reminded me of the "Dancing Jesus Quartet" scene from Clockwork Orange.

I was also struck by Kubrick's use of ironic counterpoint. For instance, as the narrator is describing Walter's devastating ring skills - about how he's won most of his professional fights by decisive KOs - the fighter is seen gently playing with his beloved pet Cocker Spaniel. Kubrick's use of ironic counterpoint would probably be best exemplified in his war films, Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket, with far too many instances to list in this space, but a single line from Dr. Strangelove should serve to illustrate the point: "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!"

And then we come to the fight, which is shot pretty generically, if competently, as far as prize fight cinematography goes, until we reach this uniquely composed shot...

...which was obviously performed by both fighters after the actual fight had taken place, and which is reminiscent of this infamous shot from The Shining...

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Join us again soon for another edition of Early Kubrick, in which we'll attempt an expanded exegesis of Kubrick's second documentary subject, The Flying Padre.