Sir, - Brian Boyd was wrong to write that Spartacus was Stanley Kubrick's debut as a film director (May 13th). In fact, Kubrick had already directed four feature films before Spartacus, including the classic The Paths of Glory.
Nevertheless, when the 30-year-old Kubrick arrived on the set of Spartacus he was regarded by some of the crew as an upstart. In the words of Kirk Douglas: "Here was Kubrick with his wide eyes and his pants hitched up, looking like a 17-year-old kid." The lighting cameraman Russell Metty (a favourite of the studio) was particularly truculent, hindering the young director's attempts to get the shots he wanted. This kind of behaviour forced Kubrick to defy the studio and sideline Metty. In effect, he took over the cinematography of the film. The irony was that because Metty was credited officially with photographing Spartacus he picked up an Oscar while Stanley Kubrick got nothing.
With blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo working on the script and renowned actors such as Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier at odds with each other, the wars of Spartacus went on behind the camera, as well as in front of it. - Yours, etc.,
Paul Butler, Terenure, Dublin 6W.