A possible demerit is that in creating a film like The Shining, Kubrick strays from Stephen King's innervision of how the film ought to be. This is a demerit in that through adaptation, a film undergoes transformation to the point where original ideas and artistic intentions get lost. For this reason, King was not satisfied with Kubrick's creation, and had a more faithful adaptation of The Shining created. Another possible demerit to having a distinctive style is if the director style is distinct simply because he is afraid to try anything new, "The distinctive smell of skunks does not make their smell pleasant or superior to the smell of roses" An example of a shot typical of Kubrick is the partially obscured face. In fact it is one of his most famous frames from The Shining; the shot of Jack's partially obscured face, through the broken door that he had just axed. The door frames his face, which emphasizes his evil grin and squinting eyes. Ultimately this shot communicates his dire need to get to the other side, to attain his goal of catching his wife. Similarly in Eyes Wide Shut, when the doctor goes back to the sex cult house he is stopped at the gate, and given a note. After reading the note, which demands that he stop pursuing what is beyond the gate, Kubrick uses the same partially obscured shot of the doctor's face. His face is framed by bars on the gate; it emphasizes the expression on his face, which reveals his desire to go beyond the gate. Although this may not entirely be because Kubrick is afraid to try new things, it is a possible demerit in terms of auteur theory, since it is quite typical. This cliche may have been included in the film because after Kubrick's death, a new director took over. The partially obscure face shot may have been the director's attempt to emulate Kubrick's style.

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Auteur Theory

Kubrick

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Michelle Tirkalas