The Shining - 'Come Play With Us' Scene Analysis

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick.

The ‘Come Play With Us’ scene starts with the camera tracking Danny as he rides his tricycle through the hotel corridors. As he reaches the first corner, there is a non-diegetic high pitch sound, which gets higher the closer he gets. Sudden high pitch noises are a common convention in horror films as they build fear, such as in the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho. This made the scene very tense, as I was expecting there to be something around the first corner. However, the camera lingers on the shot of the corridor for a few seconds after Danny disappears, which felt to me as if it was trying to suggest that the camera didn’t want to follow Danny, because he was heading towards something dangerous. This increased the tension, as I wanted to protect Danny from whatever it was he was about to face, because watching him on his tricycle made him look so small and innocent.
The scene then cuts to Danny in a different corridor. The camera continues to track him from behind, and as he turns the corner, the camera turns with him and we see the two girls at the end of the corridor. This shocks the viewer, as they know that the only people in the hotel are Jack, Wendy and Danny, so for these two girls to be here, something is probably very wrong. The scene then cuts to a close up of Danny’s face. He appears shocked, so we know that the he didn’t expect the girls to be there either. 

When it cuts back to a long shot of the corridor, the camera is now closer to Danny and the girls. This happens almost every time the scene cuts in between Danny’s reaction and the girls. This creates fear with the audience, as it as if they are subconsciously obeying the girls’ request of ‘come play with us’. The closer we get to them, the more it feels as though we can’t prevent doing as they say. Their voices are in unison and are slightly echoed. This is common in lots of horror movies, as it creates an unnatural effect that unnerves the audience. This, as well as how the shots of them saying ‘Forever… and ever… and ever’ are cuts between shots of them lying covered in blood on the ground, suggests that the intend to kill Danny, or at least intend for him to die so that he can join them. As we move closer to the girls, it seems less and less likely that Danny will be able to resist them. This scared me as I felt protective of Danny, as there was no one else there, and if I was moving towards the girls without realising, then how would he, a small, naïve child, be able to stop himself from doing the same? 

The girls wear matching blue, frilly dress and are very pale, with neat hair. They reminded me of porcelain dolls, which are known for being creepy due to their distorted realism - they look realistic, but something you can’t quite put your finger on is wrong. To me, this seemed to be a reflection of a lot of things in the film, such as the hotel itself and the Torrance family; they all seem normal, but something is very wrong underneath it all.
We are then shown a shot of the girls covered in blood. The scene then cuts back to a close up of Danny’s shocked expression. I noticed that Danny is wearing red and blue, which I realised was the same colour scheme as the girls when they’ve been killed. The majority of what Danny is wearing is red, with only a little bit of his blue jumper showing. It is mostly covered by his red jacket. This suggested to me that Danny was going to face a similar fate to the girls, since they were all young and seemingly innocent, and alone in a house as their fathers went insane. At the back of the shot, there is a cross in the window, where the two most visible parts of the window frame can be seen intersecting behind the curtain. Crosses appear throughout The Shining, but are usually inverted. This is a common convention in horror movies, as it suggests, especially when the cross is inverted, the presence of evil, and that there is a very satanic feeling. This is what crosses have suggested to me throughout the rest of the film, however here, whilst it could also suggest that something evil was influencing Grady when he killed his children, I also think it shows how the girls are victims, and that they should be prayed for, as the layout of the shot reminds me of the layout of a church. For example, a large cross at the front and centre, and a room that widens towards the back. 

Then, there is a close up of Danny covering his eyes with his hands, which emphasises how young he is by suggesting the childlike idea of ‘if I can’t see it, it can’t see me’. He then spreads his fingers, and slowly peaks through them, building tension as we want to know if the girls are still there. In lots of horror movies, the threat typically moves when the victim isn’t looking. As the girls have been stationary this entire time, I expected them to be closer to Danny because the music was getting louder like it had as he turned the corner to see them. Instead, the girls are gone, which made me incredibly relieved as they made me really uncomfortable. This is due to their unnatural presence, such as how they look and speak.

The editing in this scene is significant, because the shot length gets shorter as the scene goes on. It starts with a shot of the corridor, which is very slow and lasts almost fifteen seconds, and by the end of the girls saying ‘forever… and ever… and ever’ the shots of them covered in blood last a maximum of three seconds. I think this reflects how panicked Danny is getting, because at the beginning he is very calm, happily riding around the hotel, and then he is very suddenly confronted with two strange girls he has only seen before in visions, who he knows were killed. The shortness of time also increases suspense for the audience, as it is similar to the other visions Danny has had, and creates both anticipation and fear as the film progresses, and also curiosity to figure out the mystery behind both Danny and the hotel.

Film Clip Analysis - The Untouchables

The Untouchables

This scene from The Untouchables uses lots of point of view shots to show the scene through the main character's perspective. For example, the camera repeatedly cuts to a long shot of the clock to show that Ness is waiting for something to happen. The main theme throughout the scene is time, shown by the constant emphasis of the clock. This makes the scene feel very tense, as you can tell that Ness is waiting for something, but you don't know what. Given by how anxious he looks, it can be assumed what he is waiting for is not good, which made me curious as to what could be about to happen.

At the start of the scene, the camera tilts down, tracking Stone as he walks down the stairs. Both he and Ness are dressed as different types of detectives from the time and Ness's blue coat, and Stone's brown jacket stand out from the rest of the shot which is grey. This makes you focus on the two of them, and shows that they are important characters in the scene, as well as the ‘good guys’. Also, the camera angle is low, which gives us the impression that they have more power than the others, that are soon to come into the scene.

Early in the scene, the shots are in a repeated order of Ness, woman and child, Ness, clock. This point of view editing, so it shows Ness's reaction and then what he is seeing. He appears very nervous, which makes me know that he is anxious about time, and about the women being there. This repeats, with the shot length getting shorter, to create a sense of urgency for the audience as this builds tension. The frequent shots of Ness's face give the audience a sense of how to feel, such as how he looks slightly panicked when he looks at the clock after seeing the woman. 

In this scene, the baby in the pram seems to have some significance, as there are lots of shots focusing on it’s face. Also, whenever the baby is stationary it cries, but when it’s moving it is happy, even if it’s being shot at. This suggests that he is oblivious to the chaos around him. Also, when he’s not moving there is the sound of a  music box. This, coupled with the high angle shots, presents a feeling of innocence which contrast the violent nature of the scene.

This scene is based on a scene from the 1925 silent film Battleship Potempkin, where the baby falls down the Odessa Steps in the middle of a massacre. Both scenes contain high angle shots of the baby in the carriage, and cut to someone looking horrified that the baby is rolling down the stairs. The high angle shots in both films show how helpless the baby is, and both show the stairs, which gives the viewers a feeling of helplessness. Also, it made me feel kind of guilty, because it is like you are watching the baby fall, but aren't doing anything to stop it.

Conventions of the Fantasy Genre

• Defies physical limitations
• Unbelievable situations
• Utopian society
• Protagonist goes on a journey/quest 
• Bright, colourful, fantastical scenery

My Favourite Film This Summer

My favourite film this summer was Monsters University, the prequel to the 2001 film Monsters, Inc. which has been eagerly awaited by Pixar fans like myself since the first credits rolled when we were introduced to Mike and Sulley twelve years ago. However, like many others, a prequel was not what I expected nor wanted when a sequel was officially announced in 2010.

 I had originally wanted to see a continuation of Boo’s story, and to see what happened after Sulley opened the door back into the human world at the end of Monsters, Inc.. Instead, Pixar made its first prequel, a story about how Mike and Sulley became who they were in the first film, how they met and how they fared at college. They couldn’t have picked a better plot, or a more appropriate time to release this film.

This film was made for people like me; children who had sat down twelve years ago and could believe that here were monsters in their wardrobes, who have now grown up into young people having to make life decisions and go to new schools. It was a comforting message to their original target audience that they don’t have to worry if college didn’t go to plan or if life doesn’t turn out quite the way they had hoped. It showed us that college, where a large proportion of original target audience are heading this autumn, is different for everyone, and even if it doesn’t work out, there are other ways do live your dreams.

As a person afraid of change, a film featuring two of my all-time favourite characters going through similar situations as I was about to face coming out in the summer before I started sixth form was an amazing coincidence. During the brief hour and a half it was on I already began to feel less afraid because I knew that I could do anything if I tried, thanks to Mike Wazowski.

I immediately took a liking to Mike’s character in the film. Whereas in Monsters, Inc. he was a comic relief role, and not as important to the main plot as Sulley was, in Monsters University Mike is hard-working, driven and committed to his lifelong dream of being a Scarer. He is also ridiculously optimistic, as he believes he will still become a Scarer if he works hard enough, despite being repeatedly told he is not at all scary. Despite this, he continues to try hard and becomes the best in his class. Mike’s determination is inspiring to me because even though he ultimately fails at his dream by being expelled from the college, he still perseveres and becomes one of the best Scarers there is despite no one believing in him, showing that you can do whatever you set your mind to.

Monsters University was also incredibly funny, complete with references to Monsters, Inc. and other Pixar films which Pixar nerds like me live for, and also quite moving to Sulley’s character develop from an arrogant, lazy student to the lovable character who takes care of Boo in Monsters, Inc.. This film, like most Pixar films, left me feeling happy and inspired to do my best, because if characters I have looked up to all my life can succeed no matter, then so can I.

Why 'The Lone Ranger' Was Considered a Box-Office Failure

The Lone Ranger is considered a box office failure because, even though so far it has grossed over $239 million, high production costs meant that it would’ve needed to be extremely successful in a lot of countries to make a big profit. Although $239 million would usually be classed as successful, The New York Times estimated that the film cost $375 million dollars to produce and advertise, which left the film with a $160-190 million loss. Not including marketing costs, the film has a net loss of $109 million – $134 million, which is thought to be one of the biggest losses in film history.

Secondly, the film may have been a failure as Westerns aren’t as popular as they were in the past, with recent Western films such as Wild Wild West, Jonah Hex, and Cowboys & Aliens all failing at the box office and earning significantly less than expected. This means that the film could’ve sold fewer tickets than other films of more popular genres.

Also, The Lone Ranger is the first film to feature the titular character in 32 years, and is based upon a radio show which first aired in 1933. This suggests that most of the character’s fans would have been much older than the Disney’s typical target audience of children. Many children probably hadn’t even heard of the Lone Ranger before promotional material for the film (such as toys, costumes and adverts; all of which are aimed primarily at children) began appearing, so they probably wouldn’t have shown a lot of interest in seeing the film without a former interest in cowboys. 68% of tickets were bought by people over 25, and nearly 25% of ticket buyers were over 50, which shows that Disney should’ve marketed the film towards adults more than children. If they had not excluded nearly 70% of their main viewing audience from their primary advertising, they probably could’ve sold more tickets and therefore earned more at the box office.

The Lone Ranger’s failure can also be accounted to how it was overshadowed by several other big films opening around the same time. These films provided steep competition for The Lone Ranger as most parents would’ve only taken children to see one or two films, and other films were more popular choices due to the popular characters and genres. Superman film Man of Steel also featured a previously pre-established character, but had the support of the current superhero craze to acquire viewers. Monsters University and Despicable Me 2 (which opened in the same weekend and made triple the amount that The Lone Ranger did, despite having only a third of the budget) focused on the same target audience but were marketed better and already popular with children due to them being sequels of two very successful children’s films. This put a large hype around both films, which The Lone Ranger didn’t have.

Finally, the production on the film was briefly shut down in 2011 due to budget concerns. This led to critics already having a negative view on the film, and before it was even realised they had begun to give it bad reviews. They also compared it to John Carter, Disney’s 2012 film which also had a very large budget, but was a high profile box office failure. These reviews could’ve put off many people who would’ve otherwise considered watching the film.