LAUSR

Though Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket was highly praised by critics and audiences when it opened in 1987, it has been somewhat neglected in the years that followed: far less studied in comparison with other films by Kubrick, maybe underestimated, or possibly misunderstood. The common perception of the film is exemplified by what Pauline Kael wrote: ‘after the first part reaches climax, the movie becomes dispersed, as if it had no story. It never regains its forward drive; the second part is almost a different picture’. But apparently, this is what Kubrick deliberately attempted: ‘The thing I’d really like to do’, he said, ‘is explode the narrative structure of movies. I want to do something earthshaking’. Where is Full Metal Jacket’s deep focus, then? Making extensive use of material from the Stanley Kubrick Archive – including books in Kubrick’s personal library, the numerous drafts of the screenplay and a wide set of handwritten notes – this article explores the crucial initial stage of production ...