Does anyone if this movie is available without the awful *beep* narration? I was reading in the trivia section that Kubrick was forced by the studio to include it; maybe there's an original cut still floating around somewhere in cinema land.
shareThere's no original cut. Kubrick hated the narration but the movie was good enough to get people's attention, like Time magazine and Kirk Douglas and Marlon Brando. Kubrick got what he wanted out of the film -- recognition. He got his calling card and never looked back. The Killing is brilliant, but its a minimalist picture compared to the epics he'd later direct like Spartacus and 2001 and Clockwork Orange. The thought of a cut still in existence that he kept around years later is highly unlikely.
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Surprised to hear Kubrick hated the narration. I've heard many times that he had a "thing" for narration in general and liked using them when possible. There was something specific about this one that he didn't like?
shareWhere'd you hear that? I literally can't think of any other voiceover outside of this and Lolita.
"Weirdness was all he cared about. Weirdness and sex and plenty to drink."
His first two films, Fear and Desire & Killer's Kiss, both included narration to some degree. Here it definitely seems forced by someone other than Kubrick, imo.
shareAh, never seen Fear and Desire, and I don't quite remember anything from Killer's Kiss outside of the last half hour or so.
Thanks!
"Weirdness was all he cared about. Weirdness and sex and plenty to drink."
"Barry Lyndon" also has quite a bit of narration from an unidentified narrator. And I came here specifically to see what other people thought of the annoying,distracting, mostly unnecessary narration here.
shareNarration for Barry Lyndon, Lolita, besides The Killing, where it works perfectly. Kubrick was noted for his misanthropy, hated for humanity, in favor of technology and machines.
shareDoesn't Full Metal Jacket have some narration too?
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And Dr. Strangelove.
shareA Clockwork Orange has narration!
shareBarry Lyndon, Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove, Full Metal Jacket, just to name a few with narration.
shareI've seen it at least a dozen times and the narration has never bothered me. The narrator reminded me of Ed Reimers, from the old Allstate commercials. Naturally, it's all just personal taste but I'll take The Killing and Paths of Glory over any of Kubrick's other films.
shareTry to imagine the whole movie without narration. I don't think it woukd've worked.
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Hmmm?
"Nicky was dead at 4:24..."
shareI think it would've worked today, now that we are used to non-linear movies. Back in the mid 50s, I think it was the least they could do to guide the audiences. Maybe it could've been done with titles added to the scenes or with a bit more time to set up the scenes and characters, or a tighter editing, but I guess they just want to release it and not be troubled with more editing and re-shootings.
"You keep him in here, and make sure HE dosen't leave!"
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I was wondering the same thing. It's be pretty easy to create a non-narrative version if the music/sound effects track is still around; just dub that over the narration parts. Often those are kept so that dubbed versions of the film can be made, and often times they're put on the DVD; for instance, the DVDs of "North by Northwest" and "The Killers" have them. The Criterion DVD of "The Killing", however, doesn't have it, so it may no longer exist.
shareI appreciate how it might have irked and as another has noted the structure of the film might have had to alter to accommodate it however, I liked it. It gave a sense of pace and at times urgency, especially during the lead up to the heist. Also, as another noted, it was dry and factual that lent the film an additional edge.
Away with the manners of withered virginsshare
fancy meeting you here!
I would add that voice-over narration The Killing, while not universal in film noir, is such a common component in noir movies that it seems completely appropriate and not at all out of place or imposing
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Why the surprise? I share myself quite liberally on the IMDb boards. ;)
Funnily enough I watched Melville's La Silence de la Mer a few days ago and that employs a narrator. I didn't like it and realised that in quite a few films I don't care for the narrator if the narrator is one of the characters. But if the narrator if separate to the characters then it provides an emotional distance, which I enjoy.
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
true, you are generous with your Poppyness, which is a good thing
interesting observation about narrative distance, lack thereof, and the effect it has on you. in general, narration doesn't bother me, no matter who is narrating. it just changes the feel of the movie, and makes it seem a bit more like a book or a journal
how do you feel about "recap narration" such as in Le Doulos, where there isn't narration throughout the film, but at the end a narrator sums it all up? does the preference for distance apply in that case as well?
2014 Screenings: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054830628/
I haven't seen Le Doulos yet. You're the second poster in almost as many months to mention this film to me, which suggests I should watch it and soon.
What's the function of the narrator in Le Doulos summing everything up at the film's conclusion? If it's nothing more than a summing up then I dislike the idea in principle. I'm not sure that such a narrative device would feel emotionally distant/neutral.
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
without saying too much...the wrap-up in Le Doulos is in the form of one of the typical devices often used in film noir and cop/detective movies. some key story points haven't been shown during the movie, and in order to complete the tale for the audience, one of the characters fills in the blanks in a narration-like way, under the guise of explaining it to someone over drinks at a bar
Le Doulos is awesome noir. see it!
2014 Screenings: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054830628/
Le Doulos is awesome noir. see it!I will. Just a matter of when.
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
maybe read a book first
2014 Screenings: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054830628/
What book?
I give my respect to those who have earned it; to everyone else, I'm civil.share
perhaps an unread one that is close at hand, provided that your book shelf is not like a mausoleum
2014 Screenings: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054830628/
I can understand how some viewers would dislike the narration, but I personally didn't mind it. It does have a real 'Dragnet'-like, "these are the facts" kind of quality to it.
What do you think this is, a signature? It's a way of life!
I felt OK with the narrative. It didn't ruin anything for me.
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As dated as the narration may seem to you, the film DOES need it.
Calvin Candie: You sir are a sore loser
Dr. King Schultz:And you are an abysmal winner
It does need it otherwise it has to be linear or follow a character around longer.
Not to mention, the narration really brings home the substantial planning for the heist and makes the scramble at the end stick out that much more
and nowadays, just gives us that warm noir feeling.