In 1953 Kubrick raised $13,000 from his relatives to finance his first feature length film Fear and Desire. Despite mixed reviews for the film itself, Kubrick received good notices for his obvious directorial talents. During this time, Kubrick's marriage to his high school sweetheart Toba Metz ended. Kubrick's next two films, Killer's Kiss (1955) and The Killing (1956) brought him to the attention of Hollywood, and in 1957 directed Kirk Douglas in the 1957 film Paths of Glory. Douglas later called upon Kubrick to take over the production of Spartacus (1960). The film was Kubrick's first hit and garnered some Academy Award attention. In 1961, disenchanted with Hollywood and after another failed marriage, Kubrick moved permanently to England, from where he would make all of his subsequent films. Kubrick's first UK film was Lolita (1962). A fascination with the "delicate balance of terror" of the cold war lead Kubrick to the novel Red Alert which he adapted into a nightmare comedy called Dr. Strangelove. This 1964 film received much critical acclaim including Oscar nominations for Kubrick as co-author, director, and producer. .
Following the success of Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick hired noted science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke to develop an original scenario about man's encounter with extraterrestrial intelligence which later became Kubrick's next film 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2001: A Space Odyssey is generally considered not only one of the greatest films ever made, but a landmark in cinema history, setting the standard and tone for many science fiction films that followed. Kubrick followed this with A Clockwork Orange (1971), a film that generated controversy for its blatant portrayal of sex and violence. And following A Clockwork Orange was the 1975 film Barry Lyndon, an eleven million dollar costume drama based on the 19th century novel by William Makepeace Thackery. In 1980 Kubrick released his contribution to the horror genre, The Shining, based on the novel by Stephen King.