I prefer films to tell their stories in pictures, and I don’t like narration when it tells you what the director should show you instead, and I don’t like dialogues which explain the story or are meant to interpret the film. Inception is a good example for this kind of dialogues.
If narration is good or bad depends of course how it is used, likewise every other narrative strategy. There are no things in films which are per se bad.
Kubrick uses narration in several films, and in different ways. The Killing is a bit more tricky as the voice-over narration was added against Kubrick’s intention. Still it doesn’t hurt the film, and adds to the atmosphere of an inevitable fate. What does not work that good in The Killing is that Kubrick was not really able to create fleshed out characters. But The Killing was an important step in his progression as filmmaker.
His later greatness is also owing to his choosing of projects in which his shortcomings are no problem or even add to the film’s quality.
I did like Barry Lyndon a bit less last time I watched it, but it is generally regarded as one of Kubrick’s best. Just check the Sight and Sound list which reproduces this.
[quote=“Stanton, post:7881, topic:372”]I prefer films to tell their stories in pictures, and I don’t like narration when it tells you what the director should show you instead, and I don’t like dialogues which explain the story or are meant to interpret the film. Inception is a good example for this kind of dialogues.
If narration is good or bad depends of course how it is used, likewise every other narrative strategy. There are no things in films which are per se bad.
[…]
I did like Barry Lyndon a bit less last time I watched it, but it is generally regarded as one of Kubrick’s best. Just check the Sight and Sound list which reproduces this.[/quote]
I agree completely that narration is frequently misused to the detriment of the film - case example, I am half way through Dersu Uzala (1975) at the moment, which is a fine film, Kurosawa does David Lean in Russia, but there is an absolutely pointless voiceover that adds nothing. In contrast, Apocalypse Now would not work as well as it does without the Michael Herr-penned narration. The use of narration of Barry Lyndon is interesting as it’s in the second person, offering an ironic commentary on the eponymous protagonist’s escapades, something brought over from the novel but becomes very effective (and dryly amusing at points).
I would also argue that Barry Lyndon has been influential with certain kinds of period films, especially those of Ridley Scott’s; The Duellists would be unimaginable without this.
I prefer films to tell their stories in pictures, and I don’t like narration when it tells you what the director should show you instead, and I don’t like dialogues which explain the story or are meant to interpret the film. Inception is a good example for this kind of dialogues. <
I dont disagree. I was thinking more along the lines of narration being used to assist in telling the story when budgetary limitations may be an issue. One example: Blast of Silence. I was thinking that may have been why Kubrick used it in The Killing. Didnt know it wasnt his idea
I really liked Girl with the Dragon Tattoo… but I’m a cyber-nerd and it nailed the personality type of real hacker-types, and actually showed real shell terminals for once
I liked the film. Nothing fancy, but Fincher’s storytelling flair, some sleaziness and neat performances keep propelling the story onward in a very swift way so that nobody can feel deceived or bored anyhow.
Never seen the original one to this, so for once I had nothing to compare to. Liked the story from the start, with the revenge elements to my liking. The guy who kept him a prisoner for so many years was a deep different kind of guy, interesting character to watch. Not to sure I would have liked to have gone back to eating chinese at the end though. Be interesting to see a longer version of the film someday, as was reading the producers cut the running time of the film.
To make a remake of Oldboy was a stupid idea anyway. I have no clue why Lee made this film. Just as stupid as remakes of The Wild Bunch or OUTW would be. You can only lose with such films. And they are sure box office disasters.
