According to his WikiBio, “Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor, and photographer. Part of the New Hollywood film-making wave, Kubrick’s films are considered by film historian Michel Ciment to be ‘among the most important contributions to world cinema in the twentieth century,’ and he is frequently cited as one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. His films, which are typically adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres, and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, ‘and evocative use of music.’”

Here is a portion of a lengthy interview of Kubrick by Eric Norden for Playboy magazine. The complete text is included in Gene D. Phillips’ Stanley Kubrick: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers), published by University of Mississippi Press (2001). Appropriately, 2001: A Space Odyssey is among Kubrick’s greatest films. Other classics include Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Paths of Glory.

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If life is so purposeless, do you feel that it’s worth living?

Yes, for those of us who manage somehow to cope with our mortality. The very meaninglessness of life forces man to create his own meaning.

Children, of course, begin life with an untarnished sense of wonder, a capacity to experience total joy at something as simple as the greenness of a leaf; but as they grow older, the awareness of death and decay begins to impinge on their consciousness and subtly erode their joie de vivre, their idealism — and their assumption of immortality.

As a child matures, he sees death and pain everywhere about him, and begins to lose faith in the ultimate goodness of man. But if he’s reasonably strong — and lucky — he can emerge from this twilight of the soul into a rebirth of life’s élan.

Both because of and in spite of his awareness of the meaninglessness of life, he can forge a fresh sense of purpose and affirmation. He may not recapture the same pure sense of wonder he was born with, but he can shape something far more enduring and sustaining.

The most terrifying fact of the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent; but if we can come to terms with this indifference and accept the challenges of life within the boundaries of death — however mutable man may be able to make them — our existence as a species can have genuine meaning and fulfillment.

However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.

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From “Stanley Kubrick, Playboy Interview with Eric Norden,” Playboy magazine, September 1968