The Shining

🔥 3rd Watch | Top 100 | Stanley Kubrick Ranked I remember The Shining being a phenomenal film, but I don't remember it being THIS good. Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors, and a huge reason why this is the case is because his films are so rewatchable. There are always new things that you can uncover on a rewatch with Kubrick's filmography. A prime example of this is with 2001: A Space Odyssey, where the film is so clouded with mystery that there are endless valid interpretations of the film. If you want to hear my interpretation of 2001, then you can click my review. Dr. Strangelove is also an insanely rewatchable film. With multiple viewings, you understand the depth of the humor that is present in the film, and just after two watches, Dr. Strangelove is already very high in my top 10 of all time. And now, The Shining sits just outside my Top 10. The Shining has always been a peculiar film for me. Before I watched it yesterday, I had viewed this masterpiece three times before. In those three times, I had always acknowledged the masterclass filmmaking and the impact it had on me, but I was still mystified by what it all meant. However, now I feel like I understand more of the depth of this legendary and iconic film. Kubrick's creative decisions are making more sense to me. In this review, I get into my "interpretation" which is probably already someone's interpretation (but I don't care) but I also just give the raw details about what I loved about the film. The Shining resonates with me in many ways. Everybody can relate to isolation and seclusion in a way, and I'm definitely no exception. As an introvert, being paid to be secluded in the mountains at a luxurious hotel for a winter where you could practically do whatever you want would seem like a dream come true. The Shining explores why isolation can take its toll on the mind. Jack Torrance is such a relatable character in the way that he has trouble sleeping, he is desperate for a drink, etc. Therefore, his descent to madness becomes so much more impactful and chilling. The Shining isn't about an extraterrestrial creature with terrifying abilities. Kubrick's The Shining is so rooted in humanity that it's terrifying. Notice how I said "Kubrick's" The Shining when I talked about how the story was "rooted in humanity." This is because Stephen King's novel has a more supernatural approach. Ghosts and spirits are the main threats to Danny and Jack Torrance descends into madness because he is possessed. At the end, finds a way to temporarily disconnect himself from the spirits so that Danny, Wendy, and Hallorann can escape. In Kubrick's The Shining, there are no explicit supernatural creatures. The closest thing to these ghosts and spirits would be Lloyd and the other people that can be seen throughout the film. However, based on one's interpretation of these beings, they could be something entirely different. Both Kubrick's The Shining and King's The Shining are both legendary works of art. Both excel at what they were trying to do within their different mediums. These films are so different that it's pointless to compare the two. There isn't a "better" version of The Shining. The closest thing to "better" would be "favorite," and it just so happens that Kubrick's The Shining is my favorite. Part of this lies with my massive bias towards film; there are many more elements to filmmaking than writing that there is so much to analyze. A picture is worth a thousand words. Firstly, the acting in The Shining was fantastic! Jack Nicholson gives the best performance of his career. Although a few would say that Nicholson overacted in The Shining, I think it was justified. One of the reasons that Nicholson gave such a powerful performance was because he completely understood his character. I feel like a huge misconception about Jack Torrance was that he was completely pure before he got to the hotel. His character was already flawed, but instead of Jack transforming into a madman, his violent characters that he had buried for months now resurfaced. From every stage in this "resurfacing" of Jack's violent character, Nicholson acts perfectly. His psychological pain is evident and the conflict within him was perfectly portrayed. The toll of the Overlook Hotel is crystal clear; Jack Nicholson's superb acting is one of the main reasons why we were so invested in Jack Torrance. His facial expressions, body language, and voice acting were all iconic and career-defining. The Shining without Jack Nicholson would've been a completely different movie. However, saying that The Shining is a one man show would be a very false statement. The Shining is abundant with stellar performances. Obviously, Shelley Duvall was fantastic as Wendy, even if Kubrick had questionable methods to producing such a high caliber performance. Child actors are usually a big miss for me, The Shining was thankfully a huge exception. Dan Lloyd was spectacular in The Shining. Being able to give such a great performance whilst not even knowing The Shining was a horror movie was shocking to me. A lot of this probably comes down to the direction from Kubrick, but you have to give credit to Dan (Danny at the time) Lloyd. Nicholson, Duvall, and Lloyd all gave performances that would be remembered forever, but the other minor actors were tremendous as well. Grady and Lloyd were some of my favorite characters, and a huge reason why this was the case was due to the acting. The Shining, in addition to wonderful acting, has wonderful cinematography as well. From the very first frame, the cinematography makes sure to impress, with one of the most iconic opening shots to a film of all time. Not only was it strikingly beautiful, but the camera movement was so odd and unnatural. It was almost like we were in the perspective of a bird or some other creature flying over the water. However, then we cut to a car driving along the side of a mountain with eerie music to accompany it (I'll talk about the sound design later). The cinematography accomplished many things here. First, it established the setting; the story would take place in the mountains. Secondly, it demonstrated how isolated the characters would feel. Jack Torrance's car was alone in the mountains, with only one car passing by throughout the entire sequence. The Shining would be a story about isolation and when the dangers are presented to the characters (the music foreshadows there will be danger to the characters), they will have to deal with them alone and secluded. No one will be able to help. Thirdly, it got me extremely hooked into the story because of how awesome it was. Fourthly, the cinematography in the opening sequence established a key idea about the film. The opening sequence was essentially just a lot of tracking shots of the car driving in the mountains. However, the tracking shot almost felt like something was following (or tracking) Jack. This is exactly what happens later in the story with the spirits at the Overlook. Therefore, the tracking shots show how The Overlook Hotel already has an interest in Jack Torrance. This was just in the first sequence. The Shining is abundant with phenomenal cinematography. One of the most important aspects about the film was its symmetry. In fact, symmetry and repetition was one of the key ideas of the film as a whole. One of the best shots in the film was when Danny was playing in the carpet and then a tennis ball rolled directly in front of him. The carpet had a symmetric pattern and the ball rolled directly down the center line where there was symmetry. In another instance where there was symmetry, Jack Torrance was writing on his typewriter. The shot was perfectly symmetric until Wendy arrived. The frame was clean and peaceful, but then Wendy arrived and messed up the symmetry. It was like we were being inserted into Jack's perspective. As Jack said, "She interferes," and the break in symmetry by Wendy's appearance demonstrates this beautifully. Symmetry was seen in many places, such as with the sisters (they're not twins) and the hedge maze. However, what does the symmetry all mean? To answer this question, I will need to take a slight detour from the cinematography and talk more about the screenplay. In the story, a major plot point in the film is when Grady says to Jack Torrance that "you have always been the caretaker." In addition to the chilling final shot, it's clear that Jack definitely was involved with the Overlook Hotel in the past in some way. Something extremely important to note is that when Ullman tells the story of the tragedy, he says "Charles Grady." However, the Grady that we meet in the bathroom is named "Delbert Grady." Jack knew that Charles Grady murdered his family with an axe, and since Delbert Grady also corrected his family, there is a strong duality between Charles and Grady. Charles and Delbert are different, but at the same time they are practically the same. This sparks a lot of similarities to Jack Torrance and the photo in the final shot. The same duality between Charles and Delbert can be seen with Jack Torrance and the man from the photo. With this duality, a theory that I have about the film was that Jack Torrance is a reincarnation of the man at the hotel and thus Charles was a reincarnation of Delbert. Delbert kills his family so Charles did the same at the hotel to complete the symmetry. This was my interpretation of the film. The man in the photo was at the center and front of the photo, showing how he was probably an important figure from the photo. Perhaps he helped shape the Overlook Hotel, which would explain why Delbert said he was always the caretaker. Then, like how Charles was the reincarnation of Charles, Jack was a reincarnation of the man from the photo. Besides, to prove that Jack was always a part of the hotel, on the tour at the beginning of the film, there is a man dressed in a red shirt with blue jeans helping to clean the Overlook. If you don't recall, Jack wore a red shirt with blue jeans in the final act. The guy who was helping to clean the hotel looked just like Jack. Jack Torrance was already a part of the hotel before the story even began. Alright. That was some detour. But to recap on the cinematography, each shot was meticulously crafted. The camera movement, the framing, the color palette all looked beautiful and helped drive the story. The Shining contains some of the most iconic shots of all time. In fact, it probably has THE most iconic shot of all time. In addition to the cinematography and the acting, the soundtrack was extraordinary too. Stanley Kubrick knows what music to include in his movies. The soundtrack from 2001: A Space Odyssey was absolutely beautiful and enchanting, and the soundtrack from The Shining is just as fitting. The soundtrack was chilling in The Shining and created a very eerie atmosphere. Kubrick's films are always so mesmerizing, and the soundtracks of his films are among the biggest contributors to this quality. There were many times in the film where the music of the film would match the actions of objects in the film. For example, in a massive build-up, all of the tension in the music releases when Jack tears out the paper from his typewriter. In an other example, when Jack chucks the tennis ball at the ground, there is a massive boom in the music. It's stuff like this that creates an immersive experience. Also, going back to the idea of symmetry, there was a track in the soundtrack that was replayed three times. Stanley Kubrick's films are always filled with so much symbolism and imagery, and The Shining is no exception when it comes to this. There is so much depth with the screenplay of the story and there are so many symbols. For example, there were symbols such as the bear (I still don't know what it means), Room 237, Lloyd and the alcohol, Tony, and even the Overlook itself. The Shining has great foreshadowing. Although it is pretty noticeable, it was so amazing how the film was able to introduce everything that would be relevant later in the story in such a cohesive manner. In addition, the dialogue was fantastic and I was so invested in the story. I've watched The Shining four times now, and it has never failed to give me chills. The screenplay is spectacular. The final aspect about The Shining that needs to be talked about is of course the presence of Stanley Kubrick. There have been some phenomenal directors who have displayed their magic in cinema. Some names that come to mind are Akira Kurosawa, David Fincher, Alfred Hitchcock, and Quentin Tarantino. However, one that transcends above the rest is Stanley Kubrick. He is the ultimate visionary who can make any film he pleasures. Space? You got 2001: A Space Odyssey. War? You got Full Metal Jacket and Paths of Glory. Comedy? You got Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Exotic? You got Eyes Wide Shut. A period piece? You got Barry Lyndon. Dystopian? You got A Clockwork Orange. Horror? You got The Shining. Kubrick has perfected every genre in filmmaking like he was collecting infinity stones. I haven't seen any other director with such versatility be so perfect. Kubrick not only changed cinema, but defined cinema. Many people would dream to have just one of Kubrick's movies under their name, but Kubrick had a whole arsenal of masterpieces. Among those masterpieces, is The Shining. The Shining does in fact shine.