This master's thesis focuses on reviewing the use of classical music in Stanley Kubrick’s films with special attention to those works that mostly, if not entirely, use classical music: 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut. The introductory part of the thesis defines the presented topic, places it in the context of Kubrick's filmmaking, and presents an overview of methods and existing literature. The first part of the analysis covers a brief history of the use of film music and outlines some of the most important and common functions it has in the films. This part also discusses the difference between the impact of film music and pre-existing music on the viewer and Kubrick's attitude towards this issue. The second part of the analysis first presents a concise overview of Kubrick's filmmaking with the emphasis on the use of music and his transition from using film music to pre-existing, and finally classical music, with the possible reasons for the transitions. This is followed by a chronological overview of the selected films, with the analysis of the use of classical music therein, and the transfer of extra-musical meanings and ideas of the classical works into the film story. The last part of the analysis deals with the question of the semantics of contemporary classical music, and the reasons for using this music in extra-terrestrial, technological or horror scenes, with the presentation of socio-cultural and physiological views on this issue.
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