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| Shining, The |
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 (10/10)
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Runtime: 146 |
| Public Rating: 9.04 (45 votes) |
Director: Stanley Kubrick |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Horror |
Year: 1980 |
| Writer(s): Stanley Kubrick |
| Distributor: 1 |
| Reviewed by: Ian Barr |
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The Shining is a horror experience like no other. In the hands of any horror director, it would have been a typical haunted house flick, but in the hands of legendary director Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Spartacus) it ends up a cinematic masterpiece, a horror film that is cryptic, haunting and mesmerising. The production design, lighting, cinematography, editing, and music score make The Shining an unforgettable experience. And as for Jack Nicholson, well, he gives the most frightening and comical peformance of his career.
Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) has agreed to take the job of a caretaker of a Colorado hotel for the winter, along with his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and his son Danny (Danny Lloyd), who possesses a clairvoyant power that allows him to see things not present to his senses, in this case, an impending tragedy for his family at the Overlook. During Jack's interview he learns that the hotel has a terrible past; the last caretaker was driven mad from the isolation and murdered his wife and two young daughters. However, Jack thinks he can manage through the winter. He and his family arrive at the hotel, and instantly strange things start to happen. Danny encounters the hotel cook (Scatman Crothers) who possesses similar powers to Danny, and warns him about the hotel's terrible history. Danny's outlook eventually comes true, as Jack's descent into madness slowly begins.
Horror is my favorite genre, and when it comes to horror, I like it atmospheric. The Shining is my all time favorite horror film, and maybe even my all time favorite film. I rate it so highly because it was the first film I saw where I was actually appreciating the craft of it, while being scared witless (I was 12 at the time).
The main thing that instantly catches my attention is the brilliant cinematography. From the breathtaking aerial shot to the dazzling climax, the cinematography is first-rate. The imagery, including the ghosts of two twin girls standing at the end of a hallway, and an elevator opening to spill thousands of gallons of blood is downright frightening. Wendy Carlos' music score is as chilling as they come.
Jack Nicholson is perfectly cast as Jack Torrance, he has the capability of being both frightening and comical at once. Everyone remembers him for his famous line "Here's Johnny!"
It's hard to pick the best scene in The Shining, but the best scenes are the more subtle ones. The scene where Danny rides his trike down the hallways of the hotel, off and onto carpet are excellent uses of sound contrast, and another scene, shown from a bird's eye view angle, where Danny is playing with his toy trucks using the patterns of the carpet as roads for his trucks, are both superbly executed.
Many Stephen King fans dislike this film as an adaptation of King's novel for being 'unfaithful to the source material', but the fact is, that in the hands of Kubrick this is a unique film, superior to most King adaptations. Certainly my all time favorite horror film, this is a film not to be missed.
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