Questions, Comments, or Reactions Concerning The Shining
What do you think? What do you want to know?
11 comments:
Anonymous
said...
One major detail I notice in this film is the use of non-diagetic sound. During scenes where abnormal things happen or scary things are anticipated to happen, the background music and sound effects are very high-pitched and "in your face." Also, the sound corresponds with the action of the camera. For example, if something surprising happens and the camera does a quick swish pan, a shocking and unexpected noise happens to scare you and surprise you.
I know that this film is immensely different from the book. Was Stephen King angry about that? Did he have any say in the casting process (dear God, Shelley Duvall was awful...)? Also, I heard a rumor that Stephen King remade the movie himself, did that happen? Where can I find it?
I'm not really good with horror, so pretty much anything can scare me. I think that the sound effects did a lot of the work, both the diagetic and non-diagetic. For example, whenever Danny senses something bad is about to happen, there is always the sound high-pitched whistle coming out (sounds like a scream to me). Also, I noticed that when Danny is riding on his bike in the hotel, he creates a sense of tension in the plot. We, as the audience, knows beforehand that Danny would be in danger whenever he goes near room 237, and the sound of his wheels rolling between the floor and the carpet just adds to that "bad feeling."
What I found interesting was the use of mazes in the film. This first caught my eye when Wendy and Danny traveled through the maze of bushes. However, the whole hotel is really a maze to them because they don’t know the layout of the hotel. This of course enhances the scariness of the film. I also noticed that most of the carpets in the hotel have a maze looking design. This was shown particularly in one scene of Danny playing with some toy trucks on a carpet. love, meredith saucci
Kubricks camera work is my favorite bits about his films. It’s what fills the frame that defines the tone, and the symmetrical framing just draws our full attention to exactly what Kubrick wants us to see. The “One-Point Perspective” is used in most of his films, and to me is one of the most distinctive and recognizable features in his work- be it Danny’s reckless bike riding down the hallways, Jack’s “all work & no play” alone time in that huge parlor, the pruning woman in the bathtub of room 237, or the oh so famous “Here’s Johnny” encounter. I suck at drawing/ painting because I pay way too much attention to symmetry and my lack of artistic talent just sets me up for frustration and failure when I can’t get past the smallest difference. Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick are two really big inspirations to me (as an aspiring director) because of their flawless camera/ framing in their films. Not only do these great storytellers insight deeper thoughts when explore the meanings of their film, but also provide visuals and that resonate with us even after the credits have finished.
Here’s a link to a perfect video that shows Kubrick's distinctive camera work throughout his films !! https://vimeo.com/48425421
I thought that the movie was pretty scary even if it was pretty old! Then again, I'm not a fan of horror movies so it's no surprised that I got spooked so easily! I found it interesting how hard Kubrick worked at not letting Danny know that he was acting for a horror movie. I feel like he thought this entire movie was just like playing the entire time for him and I like how Kubrick worked to hide it from Danny in order prevent him from possibly being traumatized.
Something I’ve noticed in The Shining is the use of pattern and repetition. From the geometric patterns of the carpet Danny plays with his toy trucks on, to the red and white bathroom Jack speaks to Mr. Grady in, to the symmetry of the room Jack writes in. I agree with Hannah, the visuals are aesthetically pleasing and stay with us once the film has ended. The film’s plot has a cyclical nature as well. Wendy and Danny explore the hedge maze, and are later then chased by Jack. Or like we saw in class, both Grady twins and Jack want Danny to stay “forever and ever and ever.” Is this relevant to the supernatural nature of the hotel? What do you all think when Mr. Grady tells Jack he was “always the caretaker”?
In class we talked about how the way the hotel and the characters are shot changes throughout the duration of the film. Going from shots that show us everything to shots that feel claustrophobic gives off the feeling that things are closing in on them and they are becoming trapped. I think that not only does this change show that they are being trapped, but it's also a way to represent the effect that the hotel has on Jack. As the shots get closer and closer, it's like the hotel itself is closing in on him and its effect becomes a lot stronger which results in Jack becoming more insane and violent.
I really enjoyed Kubrick's take on The Shining. One particular difference between the book and the film was Jack's overall character. Apparently, Jack Nicholson's creepy demeanor was NOT the personality type Stephen King was particularly looking for. The fact that he already possessed menacing mannerisms upset King because his whole intent was for the Overlook to encourage Jack to murder. Was Kubrick's casting method a way to re-invent King's story? Since Jack Nicholson appears insane from the beginning, does this change the course of the story? Was Jack Torrance's gradual madness always a part of him, or is the Hotel entirely to blame? Maybe Kubrick is trying to make a statement about human savagery and primal instincts. (?)
One thing I found interesting was when Danny and Wendy were in the maze, the scene changed to Jack looking over the model maze. It were as if he was a god and it shows the power he has over them, it's like Danny and Wendy are sims. Jack is controlling them, making them stay in this hotel and with all those hallways mimics a maze. He's trapped them in the hotel. I also liked how smooth the transition from fake maze to real maze was. The crane shot, birds eye view really fooled you until you saw the two little dots in the middle of the maze.
This is a scary movie on many levels, as created by the master Stephen King. First its set in an old empty hotel, that is already scary. But the scariest part is the slow deterioration of Jack Nicholson's character into a homicidal maniac, who ultimately turns on his own wife and son. The mystery remains was the house haunted or was it simply delusions of a man going insane. That gray line is what makes the movie believable and there fore much scarier. I think in this case the director wanted to play up the visuals in this movie, the setting, plays a big role, the snow the maze the long hallways, give the viewer the feeling of being trapped there. So when Nicholson starts to deteriorate the feeling of being trapped there with him, makes the movie more intense, so when he finally breaks into the bathroom, the audience feels as if he broke in on them and they are now in danger as well.
11 comments:
One major detail I notice in this film is the use of non-diagetic sound. During scenes where abnormal things happen or scary things are anticipated to happen, the background music and sound effects are very high-pitched and "in your face." Also, the sound corresponds with the action of the camera. For example, if something surprising happens and the camera does a quick swish pan, a shocking and unexpected noise happens to scare you and surprise you.
I know that this film is immensely different from the book. Was Stephen King angry about that? Did he have any say in the casting process (dear God, Shelley Duvall was awful...)?
Also, I heard a rumor that Stephen King remade the movie himself, did that happen? Where can I find it?
I'm not really good with horror, so pretty much anything can scare me. I think that the sound effects did a lot of the work, both the diagetic and non-diagetic. For example, whenever Danny senses something bad is about to happen, there is always the sound high-pitched whistle coming out (sounds like a scream to me). Also, I noticed that when Danny is riding on his bike in the hotel, he creates a sense of tension in the plot. We, as the audience, knows beforehand that Danny would be in danger whenever he goes near room 237, and the sound of his wheels rolling between the floor and the carpet just adds to that "bad feeling."
What I found interesting was the use of mazes in the film. This first caught my eye when Wendy and Danny traveled through the maze of bushes. However, the whole hotel is really a maze to them because they don’t know the layout of the hotel. This of course enhances the scariness of the film. I also noticed that most of the carpets in the hotel have a maze looking design. This was shown particularly in one scene of Danny playing with some toy trucks on a carpet.
love,
meredith saucci
Kubricks camera work is my favorite bits about his films. It’s what fills the frame that defines the tone, and the symmetrical framing just draws our full attention to exactly what Kubrick wants us to see. The “One-Point Perspective” is used in most of his films, and to me is one of the most distinctive and recognizable features in his work- be it Danny’s reckless bike riding down the hallways, Jack’s “all work & no play” alone time in that huge parlor, the pruning woman in the bathtub of room 237, or the oh so famous “Here’s Johnny” encounter. I suck at drawing/ painting because I pay way too much attention to symmetry and my lack of artistic talent just sets me up for frustration and failure when I can’t get past the smallest difference. Wes Anderson and Stanley Kubrick are two really big inspirations to me (as an aspiring director) because of their flawless camera/ framing in their films. Not only do these great storytellers insight deeper thoughts when explore the meanings of their film, but also provide visuals and that resonate with us even after the credits have finished.
Here’s a link to a perfect video that shows Kubrick's distinctive camera work throughout his films !!
https://vimeo.com/48425421
I thought that the movie was pretty scary even if it was pretty old! Then again, I'm not a fan of horror movies so it's no surprised that I got spooked so easily! I found it interesting how hard Kubrick worked at not letting Danny know that he was acting for a horror movie. I feel like he thought this entire movie was just like playing the entire time for him and I like how Kubrick worked to hide it from Danny in order prevent him from possibly being traumatized.
Something I’ve noticed in The Shining is the use of pattern and repetition. From the geometric patterns of the carpet Danny plays with his toy trucks on, to the red and white bathroom Jack speaks to Mr. Grady in, to the symmetry of the room Jack writes in. I agree with Hannah, the visuals are aesthetically pleasing and stay with us once the film has ended. The film’s plot has a cyclical nature as well. Wendy and Danny explore the hedge maze, and are later then chased by Jack. Or like we saw in class, both Grady twins and Jack want Danny to stay “forever and ever and ever.” Is this relevant to the supernatural nature of the hotel? What do you all think when Mr. Grady tells Jack he was “always the caretaker”?
In class we talked about how the way the hotel and the characters are shot changes throughout the duration of the film.
Going from shots that show us everything to shots that feel claustrophobic gives off the feeling that things are closing in on them and they are becoming trapped.
I think that not only does this change show that they are being trapped, but it's also a way to represent the effect that the hotel has on Jack.
As the shots get closer and closer, it's like the hotel itself is closing in on him and its effect becomes a lot stronger which results in Jack becoming more insane and violent.
I really enjoyed Kubrick's take on The Shining. One particular difference between the book and the film was Jack's overall character. Apparently, Jack Nicholson's creepy demeanor was NOT the personality type Stephen King was particularly looking for. The fact that he already possessed menacing mannerisms upset King because his whole intent was for the Overlook to encourage Jack to murder. Was Kubrick's casting method a way to re-invent King's story? Since Jack Nicholson appears insane from the beginning, does this change the course of the story? Was Jack Torrance's gradual madness always a part of him, or is the Hotel entirely to blame? Maybe Kubrick is trying to make a statement about human savagery and primal instincts. (?)
One thing I found interesting was when Danny and Wendy were in the maze, the scene changed to Jack looking over the model maze. It were as if he was a god and it shows the power he has over them, it's like Danny and Wendy are sims. Jack is controlling them, making them stay in this hotel and with all those hallways mimics a maze. He's trapped them in the hotel. I also liked how smooth the transition from fake maze to real maze was. The crane shot, birds eye view really fooled you until you saw the two little dots in the middle of the maze.
This is a scary movie on many levels, as created by the master Stephen King. First its set in an old empty hotel, that is already scary. But the scariest part is the slow deterioration of Jack Nicholson's character into a homicidal maniac, who ultimately turns on his own wife and son. The mystery remains was the house haunted or was it simply delusions of a man going insane. That gray line is what makes the movie believable and there fore much scarier. I think in this case the director wanted to play up the visuals in this movie, the setting, plays a big role, the snow the maze the long hallways, give the viewer the feeling of being trapped there. So when Nicholson starts to deteriorate the feeling of being trapped there with him, makes the movie more intense, so when he finally breaks into the bathroom, the audience feels as if he broke in on them and they are now in danger as well.
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