A pivotal scene in The Shining is the one in which Wendy "breaks Jack's concentration". In my opinion, it is in fact one of the most disturbing, because it is really the first time we have seen Jack exhibit any signs of violence, although we have seen him in frustration over his apparent writer's block.
Kubrick once again uses a technique in which there is no score, only the dialogue of the characters. This draws the viewer in, and forces them to pay attention. Although we felt uneasy before, (thanks in large part to Nicholson's eyebrows) we now begin to have a horrible feeling of dread every time we see him. This is helped by the fact that the next shot featuring him is absolutely bone-chilling.
Do you think that Nicholson convincingly descends into madness? Or is he simply too unsettling from the beginning?
I have a hunch that you admire Nicholson's eyebrows…I think that Nicholson descends into madness. Granted, he is crazy at all times, but he is almost completely sane (from my perspective) to start, and he does get increasingly crazy as the film progresses, obviously until the axe scene where he is honestly the most frightening thing to walk the earth. The progression could have been more extreme I suppose, but the descent certainly exists.
ReplyDelete