Stanley Kubrick's The Shining

[A. Remin' D.]

This is my all-time favorite horror movie and book.

There are so many things that make it a great horror film. Here are three main elements...

The plot: A family of three being isolated in a large, haunted hotel built upon a Native American burial ground, in the mountain's harsh wintertime.

The acting: The cast is perfect. Every character assembled with the matching actor. Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers.

The music: Wendy Carlos' original score is both beautiful and haunting. The other music is great as well. The music really adds to film's suspense and horror.

[Autobotsdie]

I like the story behind the movie in which Stephen King stayed at the Stanley hotel which was haunted and gave him insperation for the book.

[mcilroga]

While the Mick Garris miniseries stays much truer to Stephen King's novel, Kubrick's film blows his version apart, and then some. For essentially the reasons Andy listed above; the music, acting, cinematography (I was a particular fan of the fast camera pans down the hallway, ie: when Danny is riding his bike down the hallway), atmosphere, etc,. That said, I enjoy the miniseries for what it is.

Poor Shelley Duvall, though, enduring Kubrick on that set and having countless breakdowns from the demands and the strenuous re-shoots. That's Kubrick for you... he doesn't stop (or let you stop) until his vision is in perfect allignment. That scene with Wendy and the baseball bat was shot how many times? Oh, what a coincidence -- my favorite sequence in the film.

[Gringo Loco]

I love this movie. So far, I don't own it but come Christmas of this year I will have it in high def! I can't wait!

[CanadianFonzie]

until I saw FT13 part 5, this was my favourite horror movie, I loved the amazing thought and plot and story line put into this movie, and all the creepiness, just amazing

[Shoesalesman]

Some really scary moments in this film, especially the blood/elevator scene and the maze at the end. My favorite Jack Nicholson movie. The soundtrack is great!!!

I throw this classic on every few months, just to get my Jack fix. :bow:

[WestinHillsDays]

I love this movie. So far, I don't own it but come Christmas of this year I will have it in high def! I can't wait!

I hope you are able to find a DVD that is better than the one from the Stanley Kubrick collection. Although that DVD has some cool features (original trailer, documentary), the movie is fullscreen and some of its scenes were cut off.

[Gringo Loco]

I hope you are able to find a DVD that is better than the one from the Stanley Kubrick collection. Although that DVD has some cool features (original trailer, documentary), the movie is fullscreen and some of its scenes were cut off.


Well it is coming out on Blu-ray so I assume it will be widescreen as will Full Metal Jacket, A clockwork Orange, and 2001 A Space Odyessy.

[WestinHillsDays]

Well it is coming out on Blu-ray so I assume it will be widescreen as will Full Metal Jacket, A clockwork Orange, and 2001 A Space Odyessy.

Ah, I wish I had waited a bit more before purchasing my DVD.

[Gringo Loco]

Ah, I wish I had waited a bit more before purchasing my DVD.


Well with Blu-ray you would have to buy a new Blu-ray player, you can't play them on regular DVD players. Plus, it would help if you have a HDTV.

It can be a bit expensive to get into, but I got lucky. I was in the market for a new TV and I got a 32" HDTV at Best Buy on Black Friday for $450 or so. And for a Blu-ray player, I bought my PS3 off of Ebay when they were rare, so I got a Blu-ray player, and a game machine all in one.

[A. Remin' D.]

cinematography (I was a particular fan of the fast camera pans down the hallway, ie: when Danny is riding his bike down the hallway), atmosphere, etc,.

How could I forget to mention those things? I love the fast gliding camera use. The intro is my absolute favorite credits sequence. I love how the camera dives, along to Wendy Carlos' rendition of "Dies Irae." Very haunting.

The atmosphere is also very heavy. When watching this movie late at night, along, in the bitter winter, you get sucked right into the movie.

I hope you are able to find a DVD that is better than the one from the Stanley Kubrick collection. Although that DVD has some cool features (original trailer, documentary), the movie is fullscreen and some of its scenes were cut off.

The Stanley Kubrick Collection version is actually open-matte fullscreen. Stanley Kubrick wasn't a big fan of widescreen. Look at the back of the case, it should say "This feature is presented in the full aspect ratio of the original camera negative, as Stanley Kubrick intended."

Like The Evil Dead, if they release a widescreen DVD, you'll be missing half the picture.

I believe the U.S.' DVD is almost fully uncut, except the hospital sequence at the end, which was removed after the film was in theatres for one week. The U.S.' DVD is 142 minutes.

[Gringo Loco]

The Stanley Kubrick Collection version is actually open-matte fullscreen. Stanley Kubrick wasn't a big fan of widescreen. Look at the back of the case, it should say "This feature is presented in the full aspect ratio of the original camera negative, as Stanley Kubrick intended."


Actually I don't think Stanley was against the widescreen format, but he wanted to make sure his movies looked good on regular TVs, which at the time there were no 16:9 ratio TVs. So that's why he shot his films the way he did. So that he would have something for TV but also for the theatre.

[The Dream Master]

Kubrick and widescreen is a tricky subject. Apparently, he preferred his films to be shown open-matte on home video, but his films were definately presented in widescreen in theaters. At any rate, 2001 should most definately be presented in widescreen, as that's the film that instigated Kubrick's decision to film open matte (so as to protect his films for home viewing). 2001 was shot in 2:2.1, so there's no way to justify a full screen transfer of that.

The way I see it, Kubrick never guessed there would be widescreen tv sets, so I definately think widescreen versions are the way to go.

[Gringo Loco]

Actually I don't think Stanley was against the widescreen format, but he wanted to make sure his movies looked good on regular TVs, which at the time there were no 16:9 ratio TVs. So that's why he shot his films the way he did. So that he would have something for TV but also for the theatre.


I take back what I said. Read this:

Why are Some Kubrick films only available in the "full frame" aspect ratio (1) on VHS video, DVD and Laserdisc?

It seems to have been Kubrick's preference for his films to be shown in the 4:3 or "full frame" aspect ratio, because, according to his long-standing personal assistant Leon Vitali, that was the way he composed them through the camera viewfinder and if it were technically still possible to do so, he would have liked them to be shown full frame in cinemas as well. As Vitali said in a recent interview (2): "The thing about Stanley, he was a photographer that's how he started. He had a still photographer's eye. So when he composed a picture through the camera, he was setting up for what he saw through the camera - the full picture. That was very important to him. It really was. It was an instinct that never ever left him. [...] He did not like 1.85:1. You lose 27% of the picture, Stanley was a purist. This was one of the ways it was manifested."

http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/faq/index.html#n1s1


That's about as close to an offical answer we're going to get, although I thought I read (from Leon Vitali no less) that Stanley prefered 4:3 ratio only when we were talking about regular TV sets.

[The Dream Master]

The way I see it, he was Stanley Kubrick. If he wanted his films to be shown in theaters in a 4:3 ratio, it would have been done. They weren't, so that leads me to believe that he preferred 1.85 for theatrical exhibitions. The man was a notorious perfectionist, so I'm inclined to think that his films would have been shown theatrically 4:3 if he really wanted them to be.

Like I said, it's a tricky subject because no one really knows. It's been a topic of debate for years in HT circles.

The point still remains moot with 2001, though, as any composition besides 2.35 destroys that film visually.

[Gringo Loco]

It remains moot to me as well as I prefer the theatrical presentation ratio(s) over 4:3.

[The Dream Master]

Well, if Kubrick were still with us and definatively claimed that he always preferred 4:3 exhibitions even theatrically, I'd be all for it. He gets the final say. But since we don't know that for sure, I default to the fact that his films were never presented that way theatrically, so I'm not buying an open matte versions of his films on home video.

[Gringo Loco]

I can't imagine watching a 4:3 ratio movie in a theatre lol. But I would give it a go if Kubrick were still alive and if I thought it served the movie better than I would prefer it as well.

[mcilroga]

How could I forget to mention those things? I love the fast gliding camera use. The intro is my absolute favorite credits sequence. I love how the camera dives, along to Wendy Carlos' rendition of "Dies Irae." Very haunting.

The Shining is up there for having my favorite opening credits sequence as well. So is Suspiria, and on and on and on, haha. But you're right -- the music at the beginning is chilling as hell. Funny, I had forgotten the name of the composition. Thanks for reminding me.

The atmosphere is also very heavy. When watching this movie late at night, along, in the bitter winter, you get sucked right into the movie.

Oh yeah, one of my favorite Winter horror films. As well as Misery, Black Christmas, The Thing, etc. They all have great atmospheres.

[Autobotsdie]

It almost feels like you're in the film.

[A. Remin' D.]

The Shining is up there for having my favorite opening credits sequence as well. So is Suspiria, and on and on and on, haha. But you're right -- the music at the beginning is chilling as hell. Funny, I had forgotten the name of the composition. Thanks for reminding me.

Oh yeah, one of my favorite Winter horror films. As well as Misery, Black Christmas, The Thing, etc. They all have great atmospheres.

Haha, no problem. Of course on the soundtrack, it's just "Main Title." Haha. But very few have it. I have it on my computer.

Those are great winter horror films, too. Especially JC's The Thing.

It almost feels like you're in the film.

Yeah, exactly. Especially when you hear the freezing air blowing at your windows.

[Autobotsdie]

Here is my question: Is that hotel real or made up?

[Gringo Loco]

Both. The interiors were shot on a soundstage. The hotel exterior was an actual hotel and the maze I can't remember if it was real or not. Go to the IMDB and read up on it.

[Shoesalesman]

It almost feels like you're in the film.

In the winter I'm often reminded of The Shining. We have a cemetary near us that has a winding path bordered by some tall hedges and it looks like that maze a bit. Haven't had the balls to walk it at midnight when there's snow on the ground because, winter freeze or not, the monsters still come out at 9pm regardless. :scared:

[James M]

This is one of the greatest films of all time, and perhaps THE creepiest of all time. And I must admit that the room 237 scene disturbed me more than anything else I've ever seen in a movie, and I sometimes can't even bare to watch the scene, even today. I sometimes skip it when watching the DVD. Nothing else has ever had that kind of effect on me.

[A. Remin' D.]

This is one of the greatest films of all time, and perhaps THE creepiest of all time. And I must admit that the room 237 scene disturbed me more than anything else I've ever seen in a movie, and I sometimes can't even bare to watch the scene, even today. I sometimes skip it when watching the DVD. Nothing else has ever had that kind of effect on me.

I totally agree. It's the most frightening film, imo.

That scene is freakin' creepy. Believe me, it's always very disturbing whenever I watch the movie.

[Mr. Undertaker]

I agree with you guys.... but we gotta handle it to the sound effects.... IMO its 50 % of the movie......

[islandmountain]

Has anyone of you watched this guy's, Rob Ager, analysis of Kubrick's The Shining on Youtube?

Here's part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEulbcXkgjo

He talks about various subliminal themes and hidden messages throughout the film. It's fascinating and interesting for sure. Recommended to fans of the film.

[DrSpengler]

Finally got around to reading "The Shining" so I could compare it with the movie.

It was good, but I think the Stanley Kubrick movie did a lot of the concepts and scary scenes a good deal better.

And for the record, I've never been able to finish the TV miniseries adaptation (which I understand was closer to the book). The kid they cast as Danny in that one was just too damn annoying (and for god's sake, CLOSE YOUR MOUTH ALL THE WAY!).

Anyhow, it's over a hundred pages before the Torrence's get snowed-in at the Overlook, so for the first quarter of the book the suspense, though gradually building, isn't really there because they can escape whenever they feel like it. I liked how, in the movie, the moment they arrive at the hotel they're stuck there for keeps. The movie, indeed, almost never shows the outside world beyond the Overlook, so you feel just as claustraphobic as the characters. The Torrences go between the Overlook and Sidewinder so frequently the cabin fever never really sets in; or by the time it does, the book's halfway over.

Much of the scary sequences in the book read rather... silly, to me. Kubrick's changes actually made them work much, much better.

For example, the guy in the dog costume. In the film, it's just a brief glimpse of a dude in a dog outfit going down on an old man in one of the bedrooms. It's quick and lasts just long enough to maek you go "What the HELL did I just see!!?!"

In the book, the guy in the dog costume runs around a hallway on all fours, yelling "Bow wow ruff ruff" to scare Danny back into his room, then you hear him taling in a Big Bad Wolf voice about how he's gonna blooooowwwwwww another guy's dick just the way he likes it.

It made me laugh when it was supposed to scare me.

Likewise, I'm sorry, but there is no way to describe the image of the possessed Jack struggling with the entity inside him at the end, then pounding his own face in repeatedly with a mallet like a Looney Tunes character. It was ridiculous and made me set the book down and roll my eyes.

And the hedge animals... I'm on the fence about. They created some GREAT tension, particularly in the first two scenes with them (when they "really"came to life at the climax, though, I felt that was a little goofy), but I can see how they wouldn't work on film. The hedge maze was a nice alternative.

BUT, there were some major elements to the book I wish Kubrick had used.

Danny in the playground, even without the hedge animals, would have made a fantastic scene. The image of the ghost child in the cement rings was just spooky as all hell.

This was kind of a subject I brought up in the "actors you can never trust" thread, but Jack Nicholson looked like as much like a lunatic at the beginning of the film as he did at the end and I NEVER got the feeling that he loved his family. Jack in the book, however, really did care deeply about his wife and son and, idiotic as it was described in the climax, I liked that he fought the possession at the end and told Danny to run.


I dunno. I read the book and enjoyed it, but I think Kubrick's more economical take was a good deal better, improving on a lot of the sillier moments in the novel, actually making them scary. He left behind some good scenes, but it was already a long movie, anyway. And, you know, I was glad that the Overlook survived at the end of the movie. It was bleaker and creepier than the rather contrived explosion scenario ("Hello, complete nobodies I've never met. If you don't tend the boiler for half a day, the hotel will explode. Anyway, I'll see you guys in six months, don't let me down!").

I think "The Shining" is the first full-length Stephen King novel I've ever read. I've devoured all his short fiction (my copies of "Night Shift" and "Skeleton Crew" are falling apart), but his novels tend to be way too bloated for my tastes. "The Shining" definately felt like it could have had some fat trimmed, but it was mostly very good and I really liked the impersonal, stream-of-consciousness prose style to it.


EDIT:

And just for the record, in my head, Jack was played by Clancy Brown. Kind of a lateral move from Nicholson, I know, but I couldn't help it. He was the first actor who popped in there.