# Do You Believe Stanley Kubrick's "Mysterious Messages"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 10, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646 "2021-03-10T21:04:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/1 "2021-03-10T21:04:24Z")
I’ve seen at least a few documentaries how each of his movies are filled with clues about the ruling class of the world, and all the debauchery involved. “The Mysterious Work of Stanley Kubrick” and another about the faking of the moon landing (something I saw many years ago) are a few documentaries. I think its possible that Kubrick threw in certain things for his own amusement, knowing people always look for symbolism. Kubrick seemed like a very intelligent guy. I once read a quote (probably refuted now) supposedly by Nicole Kidman who said that Kubrick told her “The world is run by pedophiles”, which could be true, since it seems like people become power-drunk, and engage in the worst acts and crimes to show they are above the law. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/2 "2021-03-10T21:12:13Z")
I believe that some people believe this crap. What mystifies me is the fact that, after seeing the first nonsense-laden “documentary”, you went looking for more of them. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/3 "2021-03-10T21:55:43Z")
It’s very easy to find patterns and clues after the fact. All it takes is for someone to get the seed of an idea from something they saw in a Kubrick movie, then they go looking for more, confirmation bias takes care of the rest. Cling to information that supports the theory, disregard information that doesn’t. As for “the world is run by pedophiles”, that doesn’t pass the sniff test. It is possible that the most powerful people in the world engage in criminal activity, but presumably it is criminal activity that they want to engage in, so suggesting that lots of them engage in pedophilia is implying that the worlds most powerful people are pedophiles and presumably always have been and therefore pedophiles are more likely to become the most powerful people in the world. If the quote was real, I’d be more inclined to suspect it is a metaphor, i.e., they’re not actually pedophiles, but also not very nice people. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/4 "2021-03-10T23:19:56Z")
First, an answer: No. Second, interestingly I was reading about the Toynbee Tiles (which is weirdly difficult for me to pronounce) last week. There is a connection to Kubrick. > **[Toynbee tiles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toynbee_tiles)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The Toynbee tiles, also called Toynbee plaques, are messages of unknown origin found embedded in asphalt of streets in about two dozen major cities in the United States and four South American cities. Since the 1980s, several hundred tiles have been discovered. They are generally about the size of an American license plate (roughly 30 by 15 cm or 12 by 6 in), but sometimes considerably larger. They contain some variation of the following inscrip... ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/5 "2021-03-11T01:37:32Z")
Kubrick was like Werner Herzog - highly attuned to his position as a story-teller, knowing that people were going to dissect his films to look for deeper meanings. I think its clear he sometimes obliged them by dropping things to keep people buys. Its also a useful way of deflecting people from narrowing in on an actual personal perspective. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/6 "2021-03-11T14:58:49Z")
I don’t know anything about space, and don’t really have an opinion about faking the moon landing, but it could just be Stanley throwing out references for fun, maybe make a point, maybe “troll” his audience. However, going by just what the US government has admitted to, its not beyond the realm of possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/7 "2021-03-11T15:33:34Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > However, going by just what the US government has admitted to, its not beyond the realm of possibility. Yes, it is. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/8 "2021-03-11T16:17:54Z")
Curious. What has the US government admitted to with regard to faking the moon landings? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/9 "2021-03-11T16:20:02Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > What has the US government admitted to with regard to faking the moon landings? They openly admitted they didn’t fake them. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/10 "2021-03-11T17:05:38Z")
> [@MortSahlFan](#): > > I don’t know anything about space, and don’t really have an opinion about faking the moon landing, but it could just be Stanley throwing out references for fun, maybe make a point, maybe “troll” his audience. However, going by just what the US government has admitted to, its not beyond the realm of possibility. Please identify one single “reference” to any such thing in any Kubrick movie. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/11 "2021-03-11T17:56:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Please identify one single “reference” to any such thing in any Kubrick movie. The first shot of _Eyes Wide Shut_ had Nichole Kidman mooning the audience. About the Moon, they were just kidding, man. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/12 "2021-03-11T18:00:24Z")
2001: a Space Odyssey showed astronauts on the moon but was actually filmed on Earth. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/13 "2021-03-11T18:19:47Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Please identify one single “reference” to any such thing in any Kubrick movie. Maybe the OP fell for this mockumentary (which is brilliant, btw.): > **[Dark Side of the Moon (2002 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Moon_(2002_film))** > > Dark Side of the Moon is a French mockumentary by director William Karel. It originally aired on the Franco-German television network Arte in 2002 with the title Opération Lune. > The mockumentary's basic premise is that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick. > The mockumentary begins with the premise that NASA loaned a unique and secret lens to Kubrick for the purpose of creating a faked Moon lan... ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/14 "2021-03-11T18:24:39Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > 2001: a Space Odyssey showed astronauts on the moon but was actually filmed on Earth. That’s bull. It was actually filmed on Japetus. The clues are all there, man! ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/15 "2021-03-11T19:27:52Z")
[Moon Landings Faked? Filmmaker Says Not!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_loUDS4c3Cs&ab_channel=VideoFromSpace) ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/16 "2021-03-11T20:22:35Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > They openly admitted they didn’t fake them. Wow! This conspiracy goes right up to the top! ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/17 "2021-03-11T20:24:27Z")
I think Kubrick was far too fixated on directing his actors to have any brain cells to spare on including secret messages. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/18 "2021-03-11T20:37:21Z")
The joke I saw was something to the effect that Kubrick was enough of a perfectionist, that when awarded the contract to fake the moon landing, he built the soundstage and shot the footage on the moon for maximum realism. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/19 "2021-03-11T20:47:56Z")
That’s what I would have done too if I had been lucky enough to be in his place. I mean, you get the chance to go to the moon at the US-government’s expense and you are letting that go by? Never in a lifetime. He was an artist, not a fool! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646/20 "2021-03-11T21:47:04Z")
Yeah, and they filmed the docking scene on location, and went back in time to film the Dawn of Man scenes. I saw an excellent video that demonstrated to get the lighting correct for the Apollo XI films would require lasers that were so far in advance of what was available at the time that to build them would cost more than the Apollo XI launch. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-stanley-kubricks-mysterious-messages/937646.md?page=2)