Kubrick stare

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The Kubrick stare is a technique used to portray insane or unstable characters in film. In a Kubrick stare, an actor looks out from under the brow line and tilts their head towards the camera. Deemed "one of cinema's most recognizable shots" by film critic Robbie Collin, the technique is named after Stanley Kubrick, who often used it, but it has also been used by other directors before and since. The term was coined by cinematographer Douglas Milsome to describe one of Alex's facial expressions in the Kubrick film A Clockwork Orange (1971). Film critics have noted the Kubrick stare for its ability to break the fourth wall and to evoke fear. Collin has written about how some actors are more suited to perform the Kubrick stare because of their facial structures.

Read on Wikipedia · Image Stanley Kubrick, Public domain