Watch: Stanley Kubrick's Early Boxing Film 'Day of the Fight'

By Alison Nastasi Apr 23, 2012

What was Stanley Kubrick's first film? Knowing how meticulous the director was — and what an absolute packrat he could be (see: documentary Stanley Kubrick's Boxes for more info on that) — we like to imagine that the filmmaker might have an undiscovered first movie still lurking somewhere in one of his many archives. However, IMDb chronicles the filmmaker's first directorial effort was a 1951 RKO pictures doc called Flying Padre, about a priest who delivers the word of God by monoplane across the world. That same year, though, Kubrick's Day of the Fight was made.

After he left Look magazine — where he was employed as a staff photographer throughout the 1940s — the iconic moviemaker wanted to bring his images to life and decided to point his camera at middleweight boxer Walter Cartier. Our pals at Film School Rejects found the 16-minute long day-in-the-life-of short online, and we've shared it with you below. In the film, we get to learn a little boxing 101, watch Cartier prep for his big bout with Bobby James, and see the fighter's transformation as he enters the ring and wins the match.

Let us know what stylistic or thematic trends you spot in the clips below. We tend to think Fight bears more of Kubrick's mark than the flying priest tale. Compare and discuss.