For my dip into scary movies this week, I chose to go with a classic that somehow I had never seen before. It’s a little embarrassing to admit, as a self-proclaimed horror movie buff, that this movie somehow slipped through my fingers. So, I finally righted myself and chose the 1980 classic: The Shining.
The Shining, based on the 1977 Stephen King novel of the same name, follows the story of the Torrance family: Jack, his wife Wendy, and their young son Danny. Jack takes a job as a caretaker for an extravagant hotel in the Colorado mountains for the winter. The large amounts of snow make it impossible for cars to reach the hotel, so it is closed down for the winter and left in the hands of a caretaker to keep up with repairs and such. The biggest catch is the isolation. Before Jack moves his family to the hotel he is filled in on what happened to a previous caretaker who went stir-crazy, and butchered his wife and two daughters with an axe before killing himself.
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| photo courtesy if imdb.com |
The first month or so goes by fine. Jack, an aspiring writer, enjoys the solitude and quiet while writing. However, Danny, who is psychic, keeps having strange visions. His visions slowly turn more and more real, as the hotel starts to transfer its bad energy into Jack, who already has a violent streak. With big storms, and no way to leave, it’s going to be a long winter for the Torrance family.
The Shining stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance and Shelley Duvall as his wife Wendy. Going into a Jack Nicholson movie, I was anticipating some impressive acting. Nicholson delivered. He was great as a man descending into madness. His voice, mannerisms, and facial expressions just mold together to deliver an unforgettable performance. Duvall on the other hand, did not deliver. To be blunt, she was annoying. Mostly she just whimpered and screamed. The character of Wendy was not one I was fond of anyway, but I think that a different actress could have brought more to the role. Duvall was just mousey and timid. To me, she was not a leading lady.
If you have not seen The Shining yet, and decide its time you do, be forewarned that it is a long movie. The Shining drags. For me the pacing was too slow. I wanted a little more excitement and suspense. Personally, I have a really short attention span. As much as I love movies, there are some that I have to pause in the middle of and take a break before going stir-crazy myself. The Shining was one of them.
Saying that, the director Stanley Kubrick, was a genius and a legend, so although the movie was slow paced, Kubrick brought some amazing scenes. During the film there are flashes of elevator doors opening and releasing waves of blood. Trying to describe these scenes do not do it justice. Its one of those things you just have to see for yourself to capture the beauty of it. Kubrick also utilized natural sound. Maybe its just my broadcasting student background that makes me excited about using natural sound well, but during scenes when Danny is riding around the halls of the abandoned hotel on a little plastic bike, the sound of the wheels on the hardwood floor and carpet are amazing to me. It gives me a sort of pure feeling. Also, the film’s music score was wonderful. It was suspenseful and eerie. At times it was the music giving me the creeps.
After finally seeing The Shining I’m on the fence. It is a good movie, but I don’t know if I can consider it great. One feeling the movie left me with is wanting to read the book and compare. If I had to grade it, The Shining would get a B+.
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