The auteurian Kubrick did not film in a way that merely reproduced someone else's creation. In this way, the directors individualism shows the artistic nature of the director. Through his films, he was an artist creating an original piece of art; the art was the film, signed by his signature cinematic techniques. Kubrick did not rely solely on the pre-existing text in which he was given to work with. That is, Kubrick's film The Shining deviated from the novel, written by Stephen King, upon which it was based. He used his own creativity in order to express some inner vision of the film. An example of this from The Shining is Kubrick's depiction of Danny's emotional state when he gets visions. It is an expressionist style shown by exaggerated images. The recurring image of the river of blood is filmed in slow motion. It splashes on the camera lens. The image is so powerful; it symbolizes the horror and vulnerability of Danny, and emphasizes the evil forces in the Overlook Hotel. In the novel, this is not a dominant image. Often in the novel, instances of inner thought, and inner visions are expressed in italics. Differences that occur in adaptations are inevitable, but Kubrick uses aspects of the novel and transforms the 'seed' of an idea into a powerful visual image. The auteur theory suggests that the director could be his own artist and no longer had to be a 'servant' to the novel or screen play.

 

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Michelle Tirkalas