The Shining (DVD)

...a job as caretaker at the Overlook Hotel during the winter months, when no-one can holiday there because of the weather conditions. He takes his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, with him, despite the hotel manager's warnings that a caretaker had gone mad from loneliness one winter, murdering his wife and children before killing himself. The first few weeks are spent quite happily, although Danny has hallucinations of the past and the future, none of ...
...wasn't his father, it was the woman in room 237, although Jack claims that there is no-one in the room. As Jack's behaviour becomes more and more aggressive, Wendy begins to fear for her life and that of her son. Will any of them get out alive?

I would imagine/hope that there are few people who haven't heard of The Shining. Based on the novel by Stephen King and directed by Stanley Kubrick, it was made back in 1980, and yet for me ... more

Jack Torrance is a writer, who takes a job as caretaker at the Overlook Hotel during the winter months, when no-one can holiday there because of the weather conditions. He takes his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, with him, despite the hotel manager's warnings that a caretaker had gone mad from loneliness one winter, murdering his wife and children before killing himself. The first few weeks are spent quite happily, although Danny has hallucinations of the past and the future, none of which end well. Then when the snows begin, Jack starts to behave strangely, bullying Wendy even more than usual. Danny is injured one day, but tells Wendy it wasn't his father, it was the woman in room 237, although Jack claims that there is no-one in the room. As Jack's behaviour becomes more and more aggressive, Wendy begins to fear for her life and that of her son. Will any of them get out alive?

I would imagine/hope that there are few people who haven't heard of The Shining. Based on the novel by Stephen King and directed by Stanley Kubrick, it was made back in 1980, and yet for me and many others, remains a film that has stood the test of time. It is my all-time favourite film and has been for some time - it is one of the few films that I can watch over and over again, and yet I never get bored of, despite knowing precisely how it is going to end. For me, it has everything that I want in a film - great acting and visuals, a creepy atmosphere with a bit of supernatural thrown in, a bit of gore, beautiful visuals and wonderfully appropriate music. I should note here that I have never read the book, so cannot comment on how well it translated onto the screen, although I have read on Wikipedia that Stephen King did not think it was a particularly close adaptation.

This is the film that I always think of when Jack Nicholson's name is mentioned, although One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was made a few years before, is a close second. As Jack Torrance, he is a deeply unpleasant man, which is evident from the start. He is clearly a bully - we find out early on in the film that he dislocated Danny's shoulder trying to discipline him, and his wife, Wendy, is obviously under his thumb. Yet Nicholson is so in control of his performance that we only occasionly get a glimpse of this nastiness - most of the time he is outwardly pleasant enough. It is when he begins to lose his grip on reality that he really comes to the fore though. When he shouts at Wendy for disturbing him, he is truly chilling, and from then on, he really turns into a monster. This is the performance of a lifetime as far as I am concerned - I have certainly never seen Nicholson perform as well in any other film and quite why he didn't win an Oscar for this role, I don't know.

Shelly Duval plays Wendy and has received a lot of criticism for the role - she was nominated for a Razzie Award for worst actress. I can see why some would think like this - she does seem a bit wooden at times - but I think this is perfectly in keeping with the role. Wendy is neurotic for want of a better word - she is a victim and puts up with her husband because she feels she has no other choice and is convinced that he will change. She is a bit of a strange one to look at - I hate to criticise someone for their looks, but she has this teeth and eyes thing going on that is quite off-putting. Her looks and manner are perfect for the film though - not many people would have ended up in her situation and there has to be some explanation for why she stays with her husband and does what he tells her. Overall, I love her in this role, but can understand that she is a bit of an acquired taste.

I think Danny Lloyd is great as Danny. Danny has a gift called 'shining', which enables him to see the past or future, although not at will. He can also have telepathic conversations with other people who have the gift, and has an imaginary friend who lives in his mouth and, at times of great trauma, takes over Danny's body. This is not an easy role for anyone to take on, and for a child of Danny's age - he was just 6 at the time the film was made - it is quite an extraordinary performance. According to imdb.com, Kubrick was very protective of Danny because of his youth and didn't tell him the full story - if that is true, he certainly managed to pull the best out of Danny. His 'Red Rum' performance is truly spine-chilling (you'll have to watch if you want to know what that is about!).

Despite the fact that the Torrances are supposed to be the only people in the hotel, there are several other actors in the film. The one we get to know the most is Scatman Crothers, who plays Dick Hallorann, the hotel cook. He is on a winter break in the sunshine when the Torrances are in the hotel, but because he has the 'shining' gift, he knows that something bad is about to happen and tries to reach the Torrances to warn them. Although perhaps best-known as a musician, Crothers gave a great performance as Dick. Like Shelly Duval, he sometimes comes across as being a bit wooden - he speaks very very clearly and seems to really think about his lines before he says them - but again, it seemed perfectly in keeping with the film to me.

What stands out the most for me about this film are the visuals. Right from the start when we follow Jack's car from above, along the winding roads up to the Overlook Motel, I am hooked each time. It has to be said that the Timberline Lodge in Oregon was a superb choice for the exterior of the Overlook. Nestled in mountains, it looks incredibly austere, especially once the snow begins to cover it. I was suprised to find that the set for the interior of the hotel was actually built in the UK, at Pinewood and Elstree Studios. It is absolutely marvellous, all high ceilings, marble walls and native Indian carpets and wall-hangings. However, what I always remember about the film is watching Danny cycle around the corridors of the hotel, carpeted in reds and browns with a cube-shaped design. As the camera filming Danny is right behind him, we get a great perspective of the corridors, and Danny's cycle, which makes different noises depending on whether he is cycling on carpet or the bare floor, adds to the creepy nature.

Also visually pleasing is the maze at the Overlook, which we see from above at one point in the film. There is something about all the long lines that I find very pleasing, and seem perfectly in keeping with the cube design on the carpets and the long, straight furniture in the hotel lobby and ballroom. It is all very clean and unfussy and I love it. It is so rare to see a film that is so satisfying in every area and for this, Kubrick deserves all the praise that he is given. What I find amazing is that the film looks as if it could have been made this year - the colours are so sharp and eye-catching that it is certainly of better quality than a lot of films these days. Interestingly, the film wasn't all that well received when it first came out, although it did well at the Box Office and obviously is now seriously acclaimed.

This is a horror/thriller with a touch of the supernatural thrown in for good measure. As a thriller, it is excellent. The film starts off slowly, without ever being boring, with little hints that something strange is afoot in Danny's behaviour. When it starts gaining momentum though, it really races along, each moment throwing up something else to keep the viewer occupied - who is the woman in room 237, for example, and what significance does the room have? Is Jack hallucinating, or are there really other people in the hotel? The atmosphere is deeply foreboding; the first few times I watched it, I was genuinely scared, although of course, once you know what happens, it is hard to be frightened. So entranced am I each time that I see it that I barely notice it is well over two hours long. And the music complements the atmosphere perfectly. It is often very simple, just a single long note, almost like a distant alarm, that makes you very aware that it is there, without grating too much on the nerves and becoming distracting.

There is honestly nothing about this film that I don't like and I can usually always find something. Obviously if you don't like the horror/thriller genre then you probably won't enjoy this, but I still think it is worth giving it a go because of the quality of the visuals. I certainly think that most people will find something they like about the film even if they don't like everything. Bearing in mind this film is now 28 years old, it has stood the test of time very well. Highly recommended.

The DVD is available from play.com for £6.99.

Classification: 18

Running time: 146 minutes 

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