The Shining (1980)
It's hard to beat Stanley Kubrick's artistic flair and eye for composition. Before becoming a filmmaker, Kubrick had been a staff photographer for Look magazine, and had developed an ability to frame reality in such a way that the viewers of his work registered real emotion--whatever emotion he wanted them to feel, from rapture to dread. Nowhere was this gift more obvious than in the trailer for his 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, The Shining.
This minimalist trailer, reportedly edited by Kubrick himself, is brilliant in its economy. No dialogue. No actors. No real sense of what the movie is about--and yet the trailer's sense of mystery makes the film into a must-see.
Which is exactly why it's a masterpiece.
Without ever moving the camera, Kubrick lets ambient noise and discordant music elevate our sense of unease to almost unbearable levels, before the uncomfortable release of that climactic shocking image finally lets us know we're watching a horror movie. Genius.
The Shining is available on VHS, DVD, and Blu-Ray.
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Comments
One of the greatest trailers of all time I still get shivers watching it LOVE IT
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