Rob Ager has started a fascinating series of video analyses of the work of Stanley Kubrick up on YouTube with this twenty minute dissection of The Shining.
In part one, Ager discusses the psychology and symbolism of The Shining: the repeating motifs of psychic premonition and labyrinths. There's some incredible insight into a lot of the small, unsettling details that soak through the fabric of the film and add to its horror.
Part two I think is a lot weaker: it largely focuses on Ager's belief that Kubrick's main political subtext was the subjugation of the Native Americans. That may be so, but his arguments are unconvincing, especially bizarre claims like Shelley Winters being dressed like a Native American woman through most of the film. Still, for completeness' sake, it's after the jump.
Ager's analyses are a screwy mixture of intelligent film theory and zany conspiracy theories. I've been watching his analysis of Clockwork Orange, and it spends a great deal of time cautiously theorizing about the Illuminati and Kubrick being hired to film a faked moon landing. A very intelligent and fascinating nutball.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXiz_-TpUwo
