The Shining (1980) Warner Bros./Horror RT: 144 minutes Rated R (violence, language, graphic nudity) Director: Stanley Kubrick Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson Music: Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind Cinematography: John Alcott Release date: May 23, 1980 (US) Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joe Turkel, Anne Jackson, Tony Burton, Lisa and Louise Burns. Box Office: $44.4M (US)
Rating: ****
The tagline on the poster for The Shining reads “A Masterpiece of Modern Horror”. For once, it’s NOT an exaggeration. It’s FREAKING AWESOME! It’s my favorite all-time horror movie; I’m talking A-1, top of the list favorite. I’d even call it epic in that it brings together three incredible talents, titans in their respective fields.
It’s directed by Stanley Kubrick, the man behind Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey and A Clockwork Orange. It’s based on the best-selling novel by Stephen King whose impressive bibliography includes Salem’s Lot, Carrie and The Stand. It stars Jack Nicholson (Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) who delivers a classic crazed performance. I’d even go so far as to describe it as tour de force due to its pure Jack-ness. Excuse me for sounding like a fanboy but I really, really LOVE The Shining. It’s not just an effective scary movie; it’s a beautiful piece of art. Visually rich, it’s proof that Kubrick was fluent in the language of cinema.
Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a teacher-turned-writer who accepts a position as winter caretaker at the Overlook Hotel, a grand palace-like hotel in the Colorado Rockies. Due to road inaccessibility during the winter months, it’s closed from November to May. Jack plans to use this period of extended isolation to write. He learns during his initial interview that a former caretaker went crazy and murdered his family- wife and twin daughters- with an axe. It doesn’t faze him at all. He returns on closing day with his wife Wendy (Duvall, 3 Women) and young son Danny (Lloyd) in tow. Danny is an unusual boy. He has conversations with his imaginary friend Tony, a manifestation of his psychic gifts. He has premonitions and the ability to telepathically communicate with others who possess “the shining” like the hotel’s cook Dick Halloran (Crothers, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest).
At first, things are generally peaceful. Jack writes while Wendy entertains Danny. It isn’t long before Jack starts behaving strangely. He becomes short-tempered with Wendy. He can’t sleep. He starts having conversations with a ghostly bartender named Lloyd (Turkel, Blade Runner). Before you know it, he’s chasing his wife through the hotel with an axe. All the while, Danny has visions of the violence that occurred at the Overlook years earlier. He keeps seeing the twin girls (Lisa and Louise Burns) who were murdered. He’s attacked by a ghost that lives in Room 237. He finds himself fleeing his insane father in the hotel’s hedge maze.
Initial reactions to The Shining at the time of its release were mixed with the consensus regarding it as a great disappointment. Of course, it was completely out of bounds for 12YO Movie Guy. I do remember being freaked out by the commercial on late-night TV. The images combined with a section of Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind’s theme, an electronic variation on “Dies Irae”, made quite an impression on my preteen psyche. The teaser trailer is still my favorite movie trailer. It’s on YouTube, check it out.
ANYWAY, I was NOT disappointed by The Shining the first time I saw it on cable in ‘85. In fact, it helped me gain a true appreciation for Kubrick. I saw A Clockwork Orange the year before on Cinemax and LOVED it (much to my parents’ dismay). In the nearly 35 years since it came out, the tide changed and The Shining is now considered one of greatest and most influential horror films of all time. I agree with that assessment. I’ve watched it several times over the years and still find it fascinating. In my not-at-all humble opinion, I think it’s absolutely perfect.
The cinematography by John Alcott (A Clockwork Orange), which includes Steadicam work by Garrett Brown, is gorgeous. Kubrick is positively meticulous when it comes to scene composition. His use of empty space in The Shining shows the divide that exists between Jack and his family. It’s clear early on they’re not the happiest or closest of families. You can tell by the way they’re typically positioned in different parts of the Overlook. Even when they’re in the same room, it’s a big enough space that they can maintain distance. The Steadicam shots following the characters through the labyrinthine halls and corridors imbue The Shining with a strong sense of anxiety about what lies around the next corner. The Overlook is a character itself. Halloran explains to Danny that places, like people, can also “shine”. Bad memories linger like ghosts. It’s a place haunted by a horrific tragedy. The score, which mainly consists of pieces and fragments by Bela Bartok, Krzysztof Penderecki and Ray Noble & His Orchestra (“Midnight, The Stars and You”), is suitably haunting.
Jack Nicholson is my favorite actor (next to Clint Eastwood) and The Shining is one of his very best roles. He’s also the main reason Kubrick and co-writer Diane Johnson’s screenplay deviates from the book. When he signed on, character adjustments had to be made in order to accommodate his famous persona. This is why his Jack is so JACK. Who doesn’t love the scene where he says “Here’s Johnny!” after chopping through a door? He has so many great lines. When he hams it up, he does so with equal parts mustard and relish.
As for Duvall, there’s something a little off about her performance. Although not expressly stated, one gets the impression her character is slightly unhinged as well. This is possibly because of her need to naively convince herself that all is fine with her family when it’s really not. Her husband’s history of alcoholism and abuse has lasting effects on all three of them. That’s my take-away anyway. Lloyd, in his sole feature film, is great as Danny, a kid terrified by his gift and the horrors it reveals to him.
I can’t praise The Shining highly enough. It is an outstanding horror film and a true masterpiece. It’s extremely suspenseful. I love the slow build-up to Nicholson going full tilt boogie crazy. In fact, I love everything about The Shining. If I had the money and resources, I would hold a special showing for teenagers raised on today’s tepid PG-13 scare-free scary movies in order to show them what a real horror film is like. It is true mind-blowing greatness.
SPECIAL NOTE: Although tempted to talk about the different interpretations and deeper meanings of The Shining, I believe I will refer you instead to the wonderful documentary Room 237. Watch both films as a double bill; you won’t be sorry.
