Keith Gordon
CHRISTINE - John Carpenter’s visual peak.
John Carpenter’s Christine is a 1983 horror film about a supernaturally malevolent automobile and its effects on the teenager who owns it, adapted from a novel written by Stephen King. One of my favorite films of all time and John Carpenter’s most underrated and least talked about films.
The original theatrical One Sheet.
The movie starred Keith Gordon as Arnie Cunningham, the typical high school nerd with only one friend, a childhood companion named Dennis Guilder (John Stockwell, who is a director now; Turistas (2006), Into the Blue (2005)) a popular jock. Arnie’s life changes when he discovers Christine, a red 1958 Plymouth Fury. Arnie begins to restore Christine to her original beauty, but as he spends more and more of his time repairing her, those in his life notice that he is changing as well.
Arnie metamorphoses from timid and insecure to confident and assured. But this transformation is filled with an evil streak and a very jealous, supernaturally possessed car.
As the film develops, we discover the car the car has a deadly past. The previous owner, Roland LeBay, became consumed with Christine and he paid for it with his life. Dennis and Arnie’s new girlfriend, Leigh, played by Alexandra Paul, try to save Arnie from a similar fate. They realize that the only way to save Arnie is by destroying Christine. Christine, however, isn’t ready to give up Arnie without a fight.
I thought this was Carpenter’s last real good work and showed him at the top of his game in visual terms. After that, he seemed to have lost the edge. As much as I like his body of work, yes, even Vampires and Ghost of Mars, Carpenter seems to have peaked with this film. His glory years being from 1976 to 1983 when we were given the masterpieces The Thing, Escape from New York, The Fog (okay, campy, I know, but I love it), Halloween and Assault on Precinct 13, Carpenter gives us such wonderful visual language and efficiency in this film. A true Auteur of his time.
What I want to look at in the following scene, is Carpenter’s use of the P.O.V., Blocking and impressively, his use of generally longer takes that keeps the camera moving and actors staging in a constant flux, changing the frame and composition.
Finest smell in the world, except for maybe …
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