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The Shining (1980)
Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers. Cinematography by John Alcott. Edited by Ray Lovejoy. Produced by Robert Fryer, Mary Lea Johnson, Martin Richards, and Stanley Kubrick. Written by Diane Johnson and Stanley Kubrick. Directed by Stanley Kubrick.
Set high in the mountains of Colorado, the Overlook Hotel is rendered commercially useless from the end of October to the middle of May due to the harsh seasonal weather. To avoid any damage that could result from the elements, the Overlook’s management hires a caretaker to maintain the property during these inhospitable months. Looking for a bit of peace and quite to finish his novel, former school teacher Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) takes the job.
Jack is subtly warned by his new boss that the long stretch of isolation has previously resulted in both murder and suicide. Danny (played by Danny Lloyd), his son, is also warned about the dangers of the hotel by his imaginary friend Tony (played by Danny Lloyd’s finger). But convinced that the time alone will help him finish his book, Jack moves his family into the Overlook for the long winter. As the days creep along Jack becomes more and more irritable and visions of violence haunt him. His wife (played by Shelley Duvall) and son soon begin to fear for their lives as he slowly slips into insanity.
Though the films of Stanley Kubrick have always explored the dark side of the mind, he had yet to specifically focus on the genre most well known for its images of madness… horror. Steven King’s third novel, The Shining, provided Kubrick with a template for an intriguing story, but before seeing production it was given a serious makeover by Kubrick and American novelist Diane Johnson. Many of the book’s supernatural details were removed by Kubrick and replaced with material more internalized and cerebral.
Instead of focusing on the spooks and specters that haunt the rooms of the Overlook Hotel, Kubrick’s The Shining uses psychological archetypes to explore elements of sexual fantasies, unsatisfied desires, hunger for immortality, and evolutionary regression (all well known Kubrickian themes). The film also brilliantly tiptoes around images of violence and gore, generally a genre backbone, saving most of these elements for the unnerving climax. What is left is one hundred and forty six minutes of underwear soiling terror that finds its way into your mind and picks at every available anxiety. The Shining is one of only a handful of films to deliver effectively on both a conscious and unconscious level. It truly is the premier example of a thinking man’s horror film.
Despite Kubrick’s unprecedented work on the film, his alterations to The Shining went largely unappreciated by both King and many of his fans. This displeasure prompted King to reacquire the rights to write his own cinematic version of his story which would eventually show up as an almost five hour mini-series. King’s four part adaptation played on ABC in April of 1997. Both variations of the story are now available on DVD.
Also notable about this project is that for one of the few times in his career, the reclusive Kubrick actually allowed cameras to capture him working behind the scenes of The Shining. The short documentary, simply titled “Making ‘The Shining’”, was shot by his daughter Vivian Kubrick. The thirty five minutes of footage allows the viewer a small insight into filmmaking processes of the legendary auteur on his ambitious project.
Budget: $19,000,000
Total US Gross: $44,017,374
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 146 Minutes
US Release Date: 5/23/80
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 (intended ratio)
Awards: American Film Institute’s Top 100 Lists: 100 Years… 100 Thrills (#29), 100 Years… 100 Heroes and Villains (#25 Villain – Jack Torrance), 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes (#68 – “Heeere’s Johnny!”).
Tagline: A Masterpiece Of Modern Horror.
Quote: “I dreamed that I… that I killed you and Danny. But I didn't just kill you; I cut you up in little pieces. Oh my God, I must be losing my mind.”
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