The Shining

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Stanley Kubrick and Diane Johnson, based on the novel by Stephen King
Year: 1980
Genre: Horror
My rating: 5 out of 5

This psychological horror classic comprises, arguably, of four main characters: Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall), their (approximately) 5-year-old son Danny (Danny Lloyd), and the Overlook Hotel. The film begins with Jack, a former schoolteacher and now a writer, driving the long road from Sidewinder, Colorado, to the hotel, where he is interviewing to become the caretaker when the hotel is closed from October to May. The hotel manager, Mr. Ullman (Barry Nelson), tells Jack that he has the job if he wants it, but informs him of the tragic story of the former caretaker Charles Grady who succumbed to cabin fever and killed his family and himself. A recovering alcoholic looking for good employment, Jack takes the job nevertheless. That same day, Danny, who has psychic abilities that are manifested in the form of his imaginary friend Tony, has a surreal vision of terrifying images in the hotel. On closing day, the Torrances drive back up to the hotel and are given a tour of the massive building. They meet the head chef, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), who has psychic abilities similar to Danny's. Dick, who calls their powers "shining," explains to Danny that some buildings (such as the Overlook) are sort of like people, and when things happen there it leaves a mark. In addition, he warns Danny to avoid Room 237. The story then skips ahead one month. Wendy and Danny spend their time watching TV and playing in the snow, while the irritable Jack clacks incessantly on his typewriter. As the weather slowly knocks out their communication systems and their isolation grows, Jack's mental state deteriorates and his anger increases, as does Danny's curiosity about Room 237. And when Danny shows up with bruises on his neck and they all start to see things, none of them are sure what's real.

What makes "The Shining" so menacing and fascinating is the way it grabs the viewer and slowly coils in on itself, causing the viewer to experience the same confusion as the characters. It dares us to make a logical conclusion about the events occuring in the hotel, but provides no sustainable evidence. All of the characters have visions of some sort, and we don't know who to trust, if anyone. The things they see do overlap at times, such as Danny and Wendy both seeing gallons of blood bursting out of the elevator, and Wendy and Jack both seeing party guests, but they all see things on their own as well. Danny runs into the murdered daughters of the former caretaker, and Jack talks to the bartender who supposedly serves him drinks even though all of the alcohol was removed on closing day, and to a waiter named Grady (veteran Kubrick actor Philip Stone). Danny is just a child who has an, according to his parents, imaginary friend, so we cannot for sure trust his judgment; perhaps he gave the bruises to himself. Jack could be having hallucinations brought on by rage and alcohol withdrawal, or maybe he's even schizophrenic. Wendy's visions could be caused by extreme stress due to her husband's impatience and mental decline. The film ends famously by zooming in on a picture of Jack at the hotel's July 4th, 1921, ball. This has sparked so many different interpretations that it would almost be foolish to speculate. In any case, the only one that knows the truth is the Overlook, and it's not telling.


Stucture/Form:
What does the title mean in relation to the film as a whole?
"Shining" is what Dick calls his and Danny's psychic abilities.

How are the opening credits presented?
They are shown in the foreground of Jack driving up the winding road to the Overlook Hotel.

Is sound used in any vivid ways to enhance the film?
Sound is very important. A lot of highly dramatic and suspenseful music is played.

What specific scene constitutes the film's climax?
The scene where Jack chases Danny through the hedge maze.

Does the film leave any disunities at the end? If so, what does it suggest?
Yes, but they add to the air of mystery and suspense.

Why does the film conclude on this particular image?
To cause further confusion in the audience.


Theme:
How does the film relate to the issues presented or developed? What questions are evoked by the film? Does the film present a clear point of view on an issue? How?
It presents several distinct possible themes (such as alcoholism and cabin fever) but makes sure to not focus on one alone, and leaves them all pretty ambiguous in the end.

How does this film relate to other films you have viewed or literary texts you have read?
In some ways, it reminds me of a Poe story. The way the characters each descend into their own madness and the film confuses the audience is reminiscent of his work.


Mise en Scene:
The day the Torrances arrive at the Overlook, we see the hotel from outside and where it sits.

Dominant: Where is our eye attracted first? Why?
The hotel. It's the first good look we get of it from the outside.

Lighting key: High key? Low key? High contrast? Some combination of these?
High key.

Shot and camera distance: What type of shot? How far away is the camera from the action?
The camera is a couple hundred yards away, at least, and gets the hotel in the center of the screen.

Angle: Are we (and the camera) looking up or down on the subject? Or is the camera eye level?
Eye level.

Color values: What is the dominant color?
There's a lot of green on the mountain below the hotel, and a lot of blue above it.

Subsidiary contrasts: What are the main eye-stops after taking in the dominant?
All we're interested in is the hotel, really.

Density: How much visual information is packed into the image?
The image is as basic as it can be.

Composition: How is the two-dimensional space segmented and organized?
The hotel sits center-screen. Behind it, a mountain reaches mightily into a blue sky, and in front of it the ground slopes down.