My whole problem with Duvall's performance in The Shining is all in the scene where he's following her up the stairs. She's got a bat in her hands and is swinging it limply and ineffectively at Jack while saying 'Get away from me.' over and over again. Sorry, but if someone was coming towards me after they had just said that they were going to bash my f*cking brains in, husband or not, I would for sure be using that bat on their head. She's weak and ineffective in this scene.
I totally agree. If someone was approaching me in that manner and saying those words when I had a bat in my hand (and I truly, TRULY feared for my life), they'd only say them once. (Or I'd be killed trying!)
What's interesting is Kubrick took a ridiculous number of takes of this scene, over and over. Even Jack was getting annoyed from what I understand; he must have been going for something (exhaustion?) This is where movie Wendy and book Wendy differ in so, so many ways.