Although Kubrick does use many aspects of filmmaking, like cinematography as well as editing, there is no doubt that the most vital of all is his use of sound. Throughout his movie ‘The Shining’, Kubrick uses both diegetic and non-diegetic sound cues to control and guide the audience. This is often shown even from the opening scene of the movie during which slow and eerie music track is played over shots of Jack Torrance driving up to the hotel for his employment interview. This a part of the score that lets the audience know that there is something about the hotel that is not quite right.
Kubrick really does convey a very unsettling feeling through his use of sounds throughout this entire movie. The juxtaposition of the muted, followed by the very loud sounds of Danny’s tricycle, pounding against the wooden floor, then rolling across the rugs in the empty hotel, is one among the many ways in which he conveys this. The sounds also changed pitch very often throughout this movie, which would also affect the audience. For example, when Danny first sees the two dead sisters stood in the hallway, very high-pitched screeching noises are played alongside some distorted voices. But at other points, very low and somber tones are also used. Kubrick also uses the setting of the empty hotel incredibly well. Due to the hotels size, and the acoustics, things do tend to echo within the hotel. By taking small things, such as the throwing of a ball against a wall or typing, Stanley Kubrick was able to use this to intensify the feeling of emptiness in the hotel, and as a result the loneliness that the Torrances must experience.
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What is even more impressive is the close synchronization that is presented between the sound design and the on-screen action. Throughout almost the entire movie, the movie’s soundtrack can match up very closely with what is happening in the movie. When the characters are talking or relaxing, the music is slow, but when the action begins to speed up, the music begins to build and rises dramatically. This is exemplified most clearly in the final scene of the movie, in which Jack Torrance attempts to murder Wendy and Danny and chases them through the hotel.
Stanley Kubrick’s manipulation of sound is one among the many things that makes ‘The Shining’ such a classic. It is one of the most important parts of the film. By using sound, Kubrick manipulates and unsettles the audience throughout the entire movie, and also shows how effective and important soundtracks can be in movies.
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Stanley Kubrick’s Use of Sound in ‘The Shining’.
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