A bit annoyed at the change in this site. I am available on 'that other site' under the same user na...
A bit annoyed at the change in this site. I am available on 'that other site' under the same user name if you're interested. (The one that still pays us)
Member since:12.06.2001
Reviews:34
Members who trust:17
The Shining is one of my all time favourite films. It combines breathtaking suspense with sheer terror, with an ingenious plot and superb characters.
The film is based on a family of three who go to live in a hotel as caretakers during the winter. The father, played by Jack Nicholson, is trying to write a book, his wife played by Shelley Duval and son Danny.
The family meet another caretaker, who realises that Danny is telepathic like himself. He warns Danny to contact him should there ever be danger.
This ominous warning is of course not without founding. The hotel is haunted, and many strange goings on are witnessed by son Danny. He is terrified by visions of cascading blood, a famous scene. The father is more comfortable with what he sees. He chats in a bar which is full of people despite the hotel being deserted.
Eventually, through the solitude which is portrayed so well in this film, Jack goes completely psychotic. The acting is absolutely fantastic, I have rarely seen such a convincing performance. He manages to elicit sheer terror in his wife, who is also a superb actor in this role. The fear is contagious. You find yourself gripping your seat without realising it. The filming often makes you want to scream to run faster - the camera is not moving away from the psycho fast enough.
Most people know the scene 'Heeeeeere's JONNY!' which is probably one of the most famous in the film. This is a classic representation of the superb directing by Kubrick and great acting by Nicholson. It doesn't mean nearly as much on it's own, but taking the rest of the film into account it is great.
The sountrack is the classic violiny stuff, but it's suited so well. It is this film which sets the precedent for all the cliches in cinema, except in this film it's not a cliche, its the original. That's why it's so great. It makes every other horror film seem almost like a cheap ripoff.
I would recommend this film without hesitation to horror fans, and even those more sqeamish, while being scared half to death, should be able to appreciate the quality of this film.
This as a side-note - the episode of The Simpsons, where they do their own portrayal of The Shining, is absolutely hilarious. It is by far one of the funniest episodes I have ever seen, it's in one of the Haloween Special episodes. You have to see this film first tho, otherwise you will understand very little. But trust me, you will find it very, very hard to contain your laughter at this Simpsons episode!
Comments welcome!
O
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Stanley Kubrick'sThe Shiningis less an adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling horror ... more
novel than a complete re-imagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretake...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Stanley Kubrick'sThe Shiningis less an adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling horror ... more
novel than a complete re-imagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretake...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) gets a job as caretaker at the ... more
deserted Overlook Hotel during the winter. He takes up residence with his wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, who experiences clairvoyant forebodings. As the bleak isolation of...
Think of the greatest terror imaginable. Is it a monstrous alien? A lethal epidemic? Or ... more
as in this harrowing masterpiece from Stanley Kubrick is it fear of murder by someone who should love and protect you - a member of your own family? From a sc...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![The Shining [DVD] [1980]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78525379.jpg "The Shining [DVD] [1980]")
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