Jacob Stolworthy – Stanley Kubrick’s daughter debunks moon landing conspiracy theory
‘How can anyone believe that one of the greatest defenders of mankind would commit such an act of betrayal?’
Internet legend would have you believe that filmmaker Stanley Kubrick – as well as directing classic films including 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket – aided the US government in its faking of the moon landing in 1969.
The idea has been chewed over by conspiracy theorists over the years, most prominently aided by documentary Room 237, which suggests that the British filmmaker hid allusions to his involvement in the Apollo 11 deception within his horror film The Shining.
It has now emerged that Kubrick’s daughter Vivian is not a fan of this theory, going so far as to write an open letter vehemently chiding those who believe it to be true.
It wasn’t until Kubrick’s passing in 1999 that the Apollo 11 theory gained traction – which hasn’t stopped media from embracing it. Most recently, comedy film Moonwalkers weaved the idea into its plot.
For those who are dismissing his daughter’s efforts to debunk the theory, she does make an excellent point:
“I actually knew him!” she writes. “I lived and worked with him so forgive my harshness when I state categorically: the so-called ’truth’ these malicious cranks persist in forwarding… is manifestly A GROTESQUE LIE.”
That seems pretty definitive to us.
The Independent, Wednesday 6 July 2016