Length: 119 minutes
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Eric's Impressions: When people ask me who my favorite director is I always respond Martin Scorsese, but the more and more I watch Stanley Kubrick's movies, the latter makes me re-think that question. Jack Nicholson is my all-time favorite actor and it's not just because people have said I look like him. He's so perfect for this role and I was amazed to hear that author Stephen King wasn't happy with him being cast or with Kubrick's interpretation of his novel. Though I have the utmost respect for Mr. King, I hope he has reconsidered this sentiment over the years because like everything Kubrick and Nicholson have done, this is nothing short of brilliant! The opening title sequence filmed over the Colorado Rockies sets the tone for this horror/psychological thriller. Even more amazing than King's opinion is the rejection of this film by the motion picture industry at the time it came out. In fact, Kubrick was nominated for an infamous Razzie as Worst Director??? Though I'm not a huge fan of Shelley Duval - and her acting at times in the early going of this is downright annoying - she didn't deserve the flak she got for her portrayal of the psychotic caretaker's wife. She got better and better as the film went on and you felt her character's true fear for her life in the end. I will rank this right up there with any horror film ever made as well as any Hitchcock thriller.
Natalie's Impressions: I am not a fan of horror films and probably never would have watched this film if we hadn't been doing this blog. Except maybe I would have given this one an exception because it is Kubrick. I have now seen all his films except his really early first three films and one or two others. After I saw Barry Lyndon last year, I came to the conclusion that Kubrick is one of the best directors of all time. When you look at his filmography, you get the impression that his goal was not only to make a film from every genre but to make the best film ever of that genre. A lot of great directors like Scorsesee or Spielberg have their genres that poeple know them for- granted Spielberg has a similarly broad range like Kubrick- but I can't think of any other director that has been so underappreciated. I simply cannot fathom how this film not only didn't get any critical acclaim when it came out, but actually got panned. I can only chalk it up to the theory of randomness. It is completely random which films do well and which don't. We like to think it is because of the talented actors and directors, and to some extent it is but ultimately randomness theory is the only way to explain such a blatant lapse in judgement from so many people. Maybe the world just wasn't ready for this film when it came out, although I find that hard to believe given that the previous decade was full of horror films that were as provocative and disturbing as this. This film is not a typical horror film, however. It does have some characteristics of horror films, but this film actually had an ok ending. It wasn't all bad and evil. And I can't think of any other horror films since Hitchcock that have the same amazing cinematographic quality as this film. Kubrick is the master of using camera angles to tell a story. It is only one of many talents he had that separates him from other directors in my mind. I only hope that as time goes by, his films continue to get more and more appreciation.
COUNTDOWN: Just 949 movies to go!
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