I was reading up on Kubrick on IMDb, and came across a list of 30 of his “trademarks”, which could arguably distinguish him as an auteur. Here’s the list, as taken from IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000040/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm).
1. Narration:
Nearly all of his films contain a narration at some point (2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)) contains narration in the screenplay, as does the screenplay for Eyes Wide Shut (1999), and The Shining (1980) has some sparse title cards.
2. Adaptation:
Adapted every film he made from a novel, excluding his first two films: Killer’s Kiss (1955) and Fear and Desire (1953) (both from original source material), and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
3. Human Nature:
His films often tell about the dark side of human nature, especially dehumanization.
4. Symmetry:
Symmetric image composition. Often features shots down the length of tall, parallel walls, e.g. the head in Full Metal Jacket (1987), the maze and hotel corridors in The Shining (1980) and the computer room in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
5. Conflict:
Constructs three-way conflicts.
6. Shots:
Otfen uses extreme close-ups of intensely emotional faces.
7. CRM 114:
He often uses the sequence CRM114 in serial numbers. CRM-114 is the name of the decoder in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), the Jupiter explorer’s “license plate number” in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is CRM114, and in A Clockwork Orange (1971) Alex is given “Serum 114” when he undergoes the Ludovico treatment.
8. Bathroom:
All of Kubrick’s films feature a pivotal scene that takes place in a bathroom.
9. Long Takes:
Known for his exorbitant shooting ratio and endless takes, he reportedly exposed an incredible 1.3 million feet of film while shooting The Shining (1980), the release print of which runs for 142 minutes. Thus, he used less than 1% of the exposed film stock, making his shooting ratio an indulgent 102:1 when a ratio of 5 or 10:1 is considered the norm.
10. Beginning with Voice Over:
Paths of Glory (1957), Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) and A Clockwork Orange (1971) all begin with a voice over, and The Killing (1956) features narration.
11. Involves his wives in his movies:
His first wife, Toba Etta Metz Kubrick, was the dialogue director for Stanley’s first feature film Fear and Desire (1953). His second wife, Ruth Sobotka Kubrick, was in Killer’s Kiss (1955) as a ballet dancer named Iris in a short sequence for which she also did the choreography. Kubrick’s third, and final, wife, Christiane Harlan Kubrick, appeared (as Susanne Christian) in Paths of Glory (1957) before she married him as the only female character (a German singing girl) in the movie. She also did some of the now-infamous paintings for A Clockwork Orange (1971) and some more for Eyes Wide Shut (1999). In addition, her brother, Jan, was Stanley’s assistant for A Clockwork Orange (1971) and the executive producer for all of Kubrick’s films starting with Barry Lyndon (1975) and going through The Shining (1980), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Also, his daughter, Vivian Kubrick, is the little girl who asks for a Bush Baby for her birthday in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
12. Music:
Almost always uses previously composed music (such as The Blue Danube and Thus Spake Zarathustra in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
13. Shooting Ratio:
Preferred to shoot his films in the Academy ratio (1.37:1). The exceptions were: Spartacus (1960), in Panavision, and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), in Cinerama. Much of his films consist of wide-angle shots that give the impression of a wide-screen movie, wide up-and-down as well as wide sideways. From The Killing (1956) onward, his films looked increasingly odder, bigger, and more properly viewed from the rows closer to the screen.
14. The Glare:
One of his signature shots was “The Glare” – a character’s emotional meltdown is depicted by a close-up shot of the actor with his head tilted slightly down, but with his eyes looking up – usually directly into the camera. Examples are the opening shot of Alex in A Clockwork Orange (1971), Jack slowly losing his mind in The Shining (1980), Pvt. Pyle going mad in Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Tom Cruise‘s paranoid thoughts inside the taxicab in Eyes Wide Shut (1999). Even HAL-9000 has “The Glare” in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
14. First-person:
Uses the first person viewpoint (the character’s perspective) at least once in each film.
15. Credits:
Credits are always a slide show. He never used rolling credits except for the opening of The Shining (1980).
16. Aspect Ratios:
Varies aspect ratios in a single film. Apparent in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) and A Clockwork Orange (1971).
17. Tracking Shots:
In almost every movie he made, there is a tracking shot of a character (the camera following the character).
18. End Credits:
All of his films end with “The End”, when this became out of style in later years because of the need to run end credits, he moved “The End” to the end of the credits.
19. Musical Irony:
Often uses music to work against on-screen images to create a sense of irony. In A Clockwork Orange (1971), Alex sings “Singin’ in the Rain” while raping Mrs. Alexander. In Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), images of nuclear holocaust are accompanied by the song “We’ll Meet Again”. The final scene in Full Metal Jacket (1987) has the battle hardened Marines singing the theme to “The Mickey Mouse Club”.
20. Dark humor:
All of Kubrick’s films, especially “Dr. Strangelove”, have elements of black humor in them.
21. Mono Sound:
Preferred mono sound over stereo. Only three of his movies – Spartacus (1960), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999) – were originally done in stereo sound.
22. Duality:
Kubrick’s last five films, minus The Shining (1980), are structurally split into two distinct halves, most likely to mimic the nature of duality in the characters of his films. For example, A Clockwork Orange (1971) shows Alex (Malcolm McDowell) as a sadistic rapist and murderer in the first half of the film and a mind-controlled guinea pig in the second half. In Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Bill (Tom Cruise) travels amidst sexual temptation in New York at night in the first half of the film and rude awakenings during the day in the second half.
23. Plot:
Almost all of his films involve a plan that goes horribly wrong.
24. Contrast:
Frequently uses strong primary colors in his cinematography and sharp contrast between black and white.
25. Characters:
Often features mellow, emotionally distant characters.
26. Themes:
His films often tackle controversial social themes.
27. Symbolism:
Very strong visual style with heavy emphasis on symbolism.
28. Slow-paced dialogue:
often had actors pause several beats between line delivery. Also, rarely (if ever) did his dialogue overlap.
29. Shots:
Slow, methodical tracking shots.
30. Actors:
Often cast Peter Sellers, Kirk Douglas, and Philip Stone.