ABSTRACT
The chapter analyzes Fear and Desire (1953), Kubrick’s black and white, debut feature, in relation to mid-20th-century industrial and cultural norms. It shows that Kubrick deftly mobilized the art-exploitation mix found in the era’s arthouse cinema and that he astutely pandered to Cold War anxiety and the naturalized misogyny permeating America. Examining the film and its publicity materials, the chapter demonstrates that Fear and Desire’s conception and marketing are indicative of the era’s arthouse cinema, which prospered from opportunities that came with the reconfiguration of postwar Hollywood. Recognizing that Fear and Desire belongs to the self-promotion campaign Kubrick launched in 1951, the chapter shows how the film and its publicity materials reveal the filmmaker’s drive to present himself as a viable commercial director; the exploitative aspects of Kubrick’s first feature and its suggestive advertising indicate that they were designed for Kubrick’s male peers (arthouse filmgoers) and male figures who might help his career.
