Director, Stanley Kubrick, dramatizes The Shining’s suspense in all the right ways. Basing the thrilling screenplay upon Stephen King’s novel, Kubrick is able to deliver a classic modern horror film through his style of taking a realistic fiction through a slow and suspenseful thrill with an unrestricted type of narration, a question of reality and distant cinematography.
The basis of the plot line is realistic with some unlikely aspects. It is possible that a mountaneous hotel would shut down for the entire winter due to belligerent storms, but it isn’t likely to exist. Spirits taking over and influencing the mental health of a father may be possible but it also isn’t likely. It is easier to believe that the severe isolation and cold is what’s driving Jack nearer to insanity, but he urges that he “loves it here.” The “shining” gift of having conversations with people not using your mouth is another unlikely aspect. The psychic ability of Danny and also the cook, Dick Halloran (Scatman Crothers), is unheard of in modern life. But that’s what is intriguing about the film. There is an uncertainty that brings out one’s imagination and creativity. What will they do next? How will they do it? We ask because we have never had the shining visions before ourselves.
The cinematography of the film is very authorial, distant, and eerie. Many shots seem to be subjective, because it is at eye level to the character; we see their back as they move forward and the camera follows. There are also authorial when the director controls what we are seeing. Many shots of the scenes keep the characters far away, as in a long shot. The screen displays the space of the room, as well as the distance between characters, which is growing as they continue to live in the hotel. The slow panning and tracking movements also help to show the setting and create the desired mood. The director employed close-ups when there was important dialogue between two characters, while majority of the shots are long or medium.
The film moves slowly but surely with a driven plot and carefully directed sequences. It is very intense for a 1980 film, horrifying and shocking. Kubrick creates a captivating and haunting storyline, so I'm excited to see if this style follows into his other works.
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7 comments:
one thing that Hilary touched on was the slowness of the movie, most horror films today capture your attention and add suspense by moving fast. The Shining on the other hand uses its time to leave the suspense up to the viewers own imagination. I thought the film was a good change up from the common plots we see in todays new films.
I agree with kelly. Kubrick did a fantastic job creating a great deal of suspense throughout the film. Knowing that this was a horror film i watched the entire movie thinking "when's Nicholson going to pick up that famous ax and finally snap?" It's very slow to pick up but once it does the wait was so worth it. The length of the movie seems to be one big crescendo till the climax. I also agree with her point that younger audiences, like myself, would get bored with the fact that this movie does not travel a mile a minute. But i very much enjoyed it and wouldn't change a thing. If Kubrick made The Shining now, do you think he would adapt to now a day movie standards?
In my opinion if kubrick were to make this film today he wouldn't change the speed of the story. Although it gets long at some points it really emphasizes what the story is all about and gets that point to the viewer. Thats not to say i don't think he would change things if it were made today i just think he would pick on other elements of the film. in what ways do you think this movie is better or worse than todays thrillers and why?
I think that because this movie is such a classic i find it much better than thrillers today. It just has so much sentimental value in it, compare that to a new age action packed CGI thriller and i would still choose the shining any day. Also i feel that the style of this movie just fit in with the story and if it were made today it wouldn't probably feel right. "Why doesn't Wendy have a cell phone?" or "What kind of hotel uses real keys?" would probably be going through my head. But seriously I think The Shining is a masterpiece and i wouldn't change a thing.
I think Kubrick might make it differently today than with a little faster paced but not completely. He would still hold true to his style of capturing the suspenseful moments, especially with the drawn out explorations of the hotel. He might add more special effets too and the quality would probably jsut overall look sharper.
This thriller is better than most today, but at the end, I'm still missing some closure. Like why is he in the photo as if he time traveled, or became historic..? For me, no matter what genre of movie, I want the end to add up, answer all my questions, or at least draw a moral from it.
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