Genre Criticism of Stanley Kubricks The Shining
The true measure of success for any film lies in its ability to establish a relationship with its audience. Perhaps more than in any other genre, the horror film must be aware of this relationship and manage it carefully. After all, the purpose of a horror film is not necessarily to invoke thought, but rather to evoke an emotional reaction from its audience. Horror films of all types have used frightening images, disturbing characters, and thrilling sequences to inspire fear. Within the genre, 'tried and true' methods have become staples in evoking this response from the viewer. From serial killers 'around the corner' to monsters under the bed, the horror genre has employed these methods to guarantee a scare from its audience. The result is often a predictable film that only touches the surface of this relationship. Every once in a while, however, a film comes along that explores the possibilities and experiments with the depth of this relationship. Such films are presented in ways to attach themselves inside of the human psyche and remain there long after the film is over.
Stanley Kubrick?s The Shining is one of these films. A true auteur, Kubrick steps into the horror genre and explores the potential of the power of a horror film. Through the use of imagery and sound, Kubrick creates a film that is beautiful, terrifying, and thought provoking. With its use of shot selection, motion, lighting and pace, The Shining defies the conventions of the horror genre to create a unique and captivating film experience.
At its core, The Shining is a narrative about a haunted house. Jack, played by Jack Nicholson, is a man who takes on a job as an off-season caretaker at a huge, isolated resort with a haunting past and brings his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, along to spend a winter alone at the Overlook Hotel. As a struggling writer, he sees the job as an opportunity to work on his writing in a peaceful, serene setting. The supernatural powers of the house and the effects of isolation begin to wield their power over Jack and turn him into a crazed murderous lunatic. His descent into madness ultimately leads him in an attempt to kill his wife and son.
The title of the film is derived from Danny?s ability to see into the future and communicate with the supernatural. This ?shining? serves as a conduit through...
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...ycle through the hallways of the hotel. The camera ?rides? right behind Danny, showing us everything that he sees on his tour. Again, the moving camera is used to establish a unique perspective. We get the feeling that Danny is leading us into another frightening encounter with the hotel?s resident spirits. However, as we follow him on this ride, nothing happens. Every corner he turns serves as an opportunity for a shocking image or a quick scare, but Kubrick never gives us the expected payoff. In fact, Danny completes a full circle and ends up right where he began, safe and sound. This is one of many examples in which the film explores its relationship with the audience and uses its deliberate pace to maximize its potential.
Overall, Stanley Kubrick?s The Shining is both beautiful and terrorizing. In one-way or another, Kubrick manages to defy all of the conventions of the horror genre to deliver a unique and chilling film experience. Through the brilliant use of his camera and the calculated accumulation of suspense, he creates a film that is very aware of its relationship to its audience and revels in its opportunity to explore the potential of that relationship.
Alfred Hitchcock’s films not only permanently scar the brains of his viewers but also addict them to his suspense. Hitchcock’s films lure you in like a trap, he tells the audience what the characters don’t know and tortures them with the anticipation of what’s going to happen.
The name of the article is called, “Blowback: U.S. Actions Abroad Have Repeatedly Led to Unintended Indefensible Consequences” by Chalmers Johnson. After reading the article by Johnson I have to say I can easily understand where the writer of the article is coming from. The article is pretty much about how the United States constantly has to deal with consequences because of their actions. The CIA described it as “blowback.”An example the writer used to support this was using the September 11 attack this is one of the most recent incidents talked about in the article. As well as, its an incident that caused a period in time when the majority of the general public actually trusted the government. This attack occurred because of the United
Oakes, Elizabeth. "Polonius, the Man behind the Arras: A Jungian Study." New Essays on Hamlet. Ed. Mark Thornton Burnett and John Manning. NY: AMS Press, 1994. 103-112.
Perhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.
The Alfred Hitchcock film; Vertigo is a narrative film that is a perfect example of a Hollywood Classical Film. I will be examining the following characteristics of the film Vertigo: 1)individual characters who act as casual agents, the main characters in Vertigo, 2)desire to reach to goals, 3)conflicts, 4)appointments, 5)deadlines, 6)James Stewart’s focus shifts and 7)Kim Novak’s characters drives the action in the film. Most of the film is viewed in the 3rd person, except for the reaction shots (point of view shot) which are seen through the eyes of the main character.(1st person) The film has a strong closure and uses continuity editing(180 degree rule). The stylistic (technical) film form of Vertigo makes the film much more enjoyable. The stylistic film form includes camera movements, editing, sound, mise-en-scene and props.
What is horror? Webster's Collegiate Dictionary gives the primary definition of horror as "a painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay." It stands to reason then that "horror fiction" is fiction that elicits those emotions in the reader. An example of a horror film is "The Shining", directed by Stanley Kubrick. Stanley Kubrick was a well-known director, producer, writer and cinematographer. His films comprised of unique, qualitative scenes that are still memorable but one iconic film in his collection of work is The Shining. Many would disagree and say that The Shining was not his best work and he could have done better yet, there are still those who would say otherwise. This film was not meant to be a “scary pop-up” terror film but instead, it turned into a spectacular psychological, horor film in which Kubrick deeply thought about each scene and every line.
Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned. (Horror Films)
The Shining is about a white middle class dysfunctional family that suffers from natural and supernatural stresses in an isolated Rocky mountain hotel. .The father, a former teacher turned writer, is portrayed as a habitual drinker, wife- and child-abuser, with a kind of evil streak The mother is shown as a battered woman. The film suggests that due to the abuse at the hands of his father and the passivity of his mother, the child of this family developed psychological problems. He had imaginary friends and began to see frightening images.
People flock to horror movies each year. Usually to be scared. Another is to solve the question of Who done it? Unfortunately, a lot of these horror movies fail to scare people or make the killer so obvious the audience gets bored. Occasionally, there are a few horror movies that stick out. Scream, directed by Wes Craven, is one of them. Wes Craven is always toying with the viewer's fears. Always finding ways to scare the audience at every turn. He also plays with the viewer's head, and has them second guessing themselves. How does he do it? Well, as one of the characters in the movie exclaims, "There's a formula to it. A very simple formula. Everybody's a suspect!" This paper will discuss how Craven uses sound, camera shots, and mise en scene
In the film, Kubrick makes better use of symbolism and the archetypical characters in the story than King did. Stanley Kubrick has taken advantage of the words written by King and turned them into a genius image. The film is loaded with copies and cycles, individuals existing in two time periods with clashing personas, which are constantly battling each other throughout the movie.
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
In his classic horror film, The Shining, Stanley Kubrick utilizes many different elements of editing to create unique and terrifying scenes. Kubrick relies on editing to assist in the overall terrifying and horrifying feel created in the movie. Editing in the movie creates many different effects, but the most notable effects created add to the continuity of the film as well as the sense of fear and terror.
Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” presents the audience a twisted tale of a man named Jack Torrance and his wife Wendy and son Danny, who spend a few winter months in isolation as caretakers of the Overlook hotel. This is no typical horror movie. Viewers are slowly lead though a slow film journey following the Torrance family in their moments of horror and insanity with help from bizarre events connected to the haunted Overlook Hotel.
In recent decades, many have argued that the line between realism and fiction in cinematic endeavours has become increasingly blurred. It has not been until recently that the world has truly been exposed to this completely innovative cinematic style, which has captivated audiences with its new approach to filmmaking. This new cinematic style was first introduced in Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick’s The Blair Witch Project. Here I will focus on breaking down the various levels of realism within The Blair Witch Project, in order to convey why it had such a monumental impact on the cinematic world, while still remaining a popular and modern horror film to today’s audiences. In order to achieve this I will pay particular attention to the style of filming, the clever marketing campaign and the combination of fact and fiction, which helped captivate even the most, experienced of cinemagoers.
...e film with a shot evocative of Michael Snow's Wavelength1 which moves down a corridor and into a photograph, after which a dissolve provides still closer scrutiny of the photograph. The photograph shows a grinning Jack at the Overlook Hotel July 4th Ball in 1921. The date links America's independence with senseless violence, and the image of Jack suggests that his sanity now exists only in the past, while his "dark side" remains frozen in the snow-covered maze outside. In addition, as the film ends, Kubrick uses the sound of applause to blend the contemporary movie audience with the 1920s audience. The 1920s audience then begins to chatter as filmgoers would when exiting the theater. The contemporary audience members, therefore, usually overlook this soundtrack-just as they overlook Native American genocide and other instances of humanity's violence against humanity. Thus, even through its final credit sequence, The Shining attempts to disrupt the complacency and security of the audience-to hold up a mirror to viewers to show them that they were and are the guests at the Overlook Ball. For this reason, perhaps, Kubrick said The Shining is "the scariest horror movie of all time."