THE SHINING
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson
(based on a novel by Stephen King)
Producer: Stanley KubrickA
ctors: Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, Shelley Duvall as Torrance, Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance, Scatman Crothers as Dick Hallorann
Genre: Thriller
Year of Release: 1980
Terrifyingly, amazing achievement in filmmaking and the art of terror, this movie classic graces us with one of director Stanley Kubrick's sporatic directing gigs, only 5 years after his last acclaimed feature, BARRY LYNDON, and 10 after his timely masterpiece CLOCKWORK ORANGE (9/10). This movie is based on author Stephen King's best-selling novel of the same name, and stars the always-interesting Jack Nicholson.
PLOT:A nice man, his wife and young boy, take on the task of overlooking a winter resort during its off season. The nice man is there for peace and quiet, as his profession as a writer requires just that. The boy has a special skill called "the shine" which allows him to hear and see things that others cannot. As their time in the grand hotel ticks away, the mansion begins to exude thoughts of the past and chills of the present. In time, the nice man transforms into a "not-so-nice" man, and begins to terrify his own flesh and blood.
CRITIQUE:Chilling, majestic piece of cinematic fright, this film combines all the great elements of an intellectual thriller, with the grand vision of a director who has the instinctual capacity to pace a moody horror flick within the realm of his filmmaking genius that includes an eye for the original shot, an ice-cold soundtrack and an overall sense of dehumanization. This movie cuts through all the typical horror movies like a red-poker through a human eye, as it allows the viewer to not only feel the violence and psychosis of its protagonist, but appreciate the seed from which the derangement stems. One of the scariest things for people to face is the unknown and this film presents its plotting with just that thought in mind. The setting is perfect, in a desolate winter hideaway. The quietness of the moment is a character in itself, as the fermenting aggressor in Jack Torrance's mind wallows in this idle time, and breeds the devil's new playground. I always felt like the presence of evil was dormant in all of our minds, with only the circumstances of the moment, and the reasons given therein, needed to wake its violent ass and pounce over its unsuspecting victims. This film is a perfect example of this very thought.
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