Aug 14, 2011 03:20 PM
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(Updated Aug 14, 2011 07:06 PM)
The Shining is a movie which I would definetly NOT recommend for people who expect a'thrill a moment' ride out of a horror movie. Strictly speaking this 1980 masterpiece from the master himself Stanley Kubrick(2001:A space Odyssey, Eyes wide shut just to name a few of his other works) cannot be defined as a horror film in the strictest sense and would rather be more comfortable straddling the horror and the psychological thriller genre. Lets go with defining the genre as psychological horror if you must slot the film into a particular genre.
Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, the movie stars the brilliant Jack Nicholson as a struggling writer- Jack Torrance. His portrayal of descent into madness and the sheer neurosis that he can bring to the screen with his patented Nicholson sneer is one of the reasons I would recommend you see the film. The subtle nuances, the slight twitches and each and every movement of his body accurately conveys a sense of dread especially in the last 30 minutes of the film.
Shelly Duvall portrays Jacks wife Wendy. Comes across as a fairly capable actress(In all fairness I have not seen any other movie which stars this actress).
Jacks young son Danny portrayed by Danny Loyd is another reason to watch the movie. Extremely believable as a kid with ESP(Extra Sensory Perception) and is a pivotal part of the script. Danny also has a friend Tony that only he can talk to and who is described by him in the movie as "the boy who lives in my mouth".Watch out for the scenes where he has moments of clairvoyance and can see glimpses of the future/past and when Danny is under duress he becomes Tony who tells his mother "Danny's not here Mrs.Torrance". Simply classic.
The film starts out with Jack moving into the Overlook Hotel as a caretaker with his family, The hotel is shut during the winter months and Jacks job is to ensure that the Hotel is maintained during this time. No one else stays at the hotel during the winter months and its only Jack and his family who have the place to themselves.
Everything seems hunky dory initially but of course this is not meant to last.Danny has frightening visions of dead twin girls(daughters of the last caretaker who surprise surprise went mad with a case of cabin fever and hacked his wife and two daughters into little pieces).Meanwhile Jack has encounters with ghostly bartenders who serves him bourbon.
Danny has paranormal experience in room no. 237 where someone tries to strangle him. Jack investigates and has an encounter with the ghost of a dead woman.
The sequence which brings about Jacks descent into madness is where he walks into the ballroom and literally walks into a 20's era ballroom party.One thing leads to another and jack has an encounter with the previous caretaker Grady who tells him to correct his wife and child.
I will not be able to do justice if I attempt to write what happens next. Will suffice to say that Jack tries to murder his family with an axe and one of the sequences that this results in is the inspiration for this reviews title.
Spoiler- Jacks family escapes and Jack freezes to death. The last shot in the film shows a photograph on the hotel wall from 1921 with a smiling Jack Torrance in front of a crowd of party goers.
Final words- Was it cabin fever that led Jack to behave the way he did.Was Jack a reincarnation of a previous caretaker(as evidenced by the photo in the last scene).
Or maybe the house was haunted and it wanted Jack to kill Danny so as to absorb Dannys power of ESP. The last rationale is what the Stephen King novel points to.
Want to draw your own inference. See it for yourself.
The movie has probably one of the most chilling soundtracks that I've ever heard. Amazing cinematography and some great performances. Catch it on DVD as soon as possible.
