Written by: Stephen King (novel), Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson (screenplay)
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil presence influences the father to violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.
Verdict
This is an incredible movie that plays with mood. There is a lot of detail to this from colors to sound mix. It's just such a well made movie. Every facet feels crafted.
Is it the hotel, cabin fever, or was Jack deranged from the start? Can we trust anything we see? The images on screen look great, from gliding steadicam shots that were revolutionary at the time to compositions of the hotel and it's decor, The Shining is a movie you have to watch.
Watch it.
Review
I'm a huge Kubrick fan. From Full Metal Jacket and Dr. Strangelove to The Shining, he excelled at different genres. His movie are meticulous and detailed. This has a surprising amount of depth and subtlety that requires multiple viewings. The mirroring of characters and events is a vein running throughout this movie. Then there is the interpretation of the ending. This isn't my first time watching The Shining.
It was unlike horror movies at the time. It was paced slower. The real villain was unclear for most of the movie, as opposed to the over the top villains in contemporary movies. Surprisingly critics didn't like this movie when it first came out, but opinions have changed with time.
It's understated. This guy slowly succumbs to madness while never going over the top with the one triggering event. Of course once he snaps, its over. Was it inherent, the hotel, stress, or something else? Writing is a nerve wracking process, but I got the feeling that's not the source of Jack's issues. Isolation plays apart in driving all the characters just a little crazy.
One of the subplots involves Jack's son who has "the shinning" and can communicate telepathically. It's weird, but impressive that it's relegated to a side story. The kid has visions setting up what's to come.
The music and sound mixing is great. There are piercing tones and great pacing. Notably, when Danny is big wheeling around the hotel we hear the loud sound of the plastic wheels on the wood floor which is then muffled by throw rugs. This entire movie sets up the little things so perfectly. The way the camera moves stands out because it's so fluid. This was one of the first movies to use steadicam.
The first three quarters of this is mostly setup, but it's not boring at all. It sets the stage for Jack to snap. The ending leaves this up to interpretation, but I've always seen it as the hotel absorbing Jack. He was told earlier he's always been the caretaker. I don't think it was some kind of reincarnation or possession, well not some ghost inhabiting Jack. This makes a couple connections to Jack and a previous caretaker, but I believe the hotel took him. Stating Jack has always been part of the hotel always seemed prophetic. Jack showing up in the picture to end the movie is just evidence of his imprisonment. Once you arrive, you never leave.
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