In order for films to work, and to wind up being well regarded, a lot of things have to go right. The screenplay should be strong, ideally. The acting should be top notch. The production itself, should be one of visual, audial, and artistic quality. However, if you don't have all of that, if there has to be a weak link somewhere, what is the most important aspect to focus on?
Classic Movie Trailers: The Shining (1980)
My money's on acting. It's arguable, certainly, but there are reasons for this. If the script is bad, the movie's not in good shape, but good actors can take poorly written lines and change them, and make them their own. They can also, through spontaneous action, ultimately change the director's vision, regarding where the picture is going. On the other hand, if the acting falls flat, pretty words aren't going to save you.
Have you ever seen a movie with poor acting, but fantastic special effects? I actually believe, that some film crews intentionally beef up the visuals, to compensate for such shortcomings; the results are variable, to say the least. This is part of the reason why CGI serves to disillusion us, from certain pictures. Even if the detail is cutting edge, but especially when it isn't, it's difficult to feel emotions, looking at a computer generated image.
They feign emotions with animation, and I would argue that technology won't advance enough, to trick the human eye into belief, for some time yet. With real skilled actors, you can connect with the audience, and bring them over that wall, that leads to immersion. You can even tell stories within stories, in a significant way. For example, after watching "The Shining", I'm willing to bet that the audience can say certain things, about Jack's marriage to Wendy.
We can say what kind of relationship they have. We can make educated guesses, as to whether that arrangement will last. We could even say, with relative certainty, why they got married in the first place. The answers are definitely in the words, but the acting leaves no doubt, and that could have been unclear, otherwise.
Personally, I found that the end of the movie, was left wanting. If they pushed the drama, and the danger further, the real horrors of the situation would have made "The Shining" an excellent film. As it stands now, it's merely a good one. However, if you take away Jack Nicholson's performance, if you excise Shelly Duvall's and Daniel Lloyd's work, it wouldn't even be that.
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