I have been a fan of the legendary Stanley Kubrick ever since I saw his disturbing "The Clockwork Orange". I know it sounds oxymoronic to say that I am a big fan of a film maker whose film "The Clockwork Orange" disturbed and even disoriented me. A story of what a dysfunctional society can do to its youngsters - it was so unsettling that I don't think I can ever muster the courage to watch it again. Therein lies the strength of all Kubrick movies - the leisurely pace at which the story unfolds, the orchestrated music that continuously plays in the background, the amazing camerawork, the "whats the fuss all about" kind of acting style, the unexpected twists in the plot that hit you like a thunderbolt, the "tell it all in the face" kind of narrative style - all combine to ensure a compelling movie watching experience.
I recently got hold one of Kubrick's all time popular movies - "The Shining" (incidentally this movie was voted as the scariest movie of all times in a recent poll) I was both apprehensive and skeptical at the same time - apprehensive because I was sure I would be in for a relentlessly unsettling movie experience (as is the case with all Kubrick movies) and skeptical because I cannot think anyone can make a better horror movie than the Gregory Peck starrer "The Omen". But boy I was wrong......I was literally glued to my seat for the entire duration of the movie......It was a very "claustrophobic" cinematic experience - the tension was unrelenting, the trademark orchestrated background score was teasingly building up an atmosphere of impending doom, the twists in the story began to unleash themselves at the most unexpected junctures.........phew!!
Very few people have banished the stereotypes of the "horror" genre the way Kubrick has done in "Shining". Very little blood, no gore, no awful looking computer generated ghosts........the tension and thrill lay in the plot, the performances and of course the cold direction of the master craftsman. The plot of the "The Shining" revolves around Jack Nicholson (in one of his best performances) moving into a secluded and opulent-looking hotel with his family, as its new caretaker. Jack's predecessor as we come to know had butchered his family and had also killed himself. As the movie progresses, we sense a gradual degradation in the mental state of Jack and as he is driven to repeat the atrocity committed by his predecessor, the only thing that can save the day for Jack's family is the unique telepathic power called "Shining" possessed by his little son.
Anyway a Stanley Kubric movie is not everyone's cup of tea - many might be put off by its excruciatingly slow pace and the water-tight atmosphere it builds up - but nevertheless you will be taken aback by the sheer audacity and technique of the late master film-maker.
