The Shining (2 Disc Special Edition)

 

 

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Great price for this amazing movie ($10.39 at the time of this writing). I thought I'd just fill you in on what's all included, because I myself took a chance on buying this, (Amazon doesn't seem to tell you whether its wide or full screen, regular or 2-disc, etc).

What you're buying is the 2-disc special edition, in a great cover, Wide Screen. It includes a only a few special features though, but its the film you really want! It's about 10 bucks cheaper than the other 2-disc edition, but it's still the same one. Great buy!

When I figured out my Top 10 horror movies, The Shining took the top spot. I'm not a fan of campy comedy-horror, so the list is dominated by psychological horror. The Shining is that and a whole lot more. It begins like a drama and takes plenty of time to establish its world, and the majority of the film takes place in the Overlook Hotel.

The opening shots are incredible and set the mood. We are shown a car driving along a mountain road. Kubrick sweeps across the countryside so we can see how isolated the Overlook Hotel would be if the only access road was blocked by snow.

Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is a recovering alcoholic and he's applying for a winter job as caretaker of the hotel. He'll live there for six months with his wife, Wendy (Duvall), and their young son, Danny (Lloyd).

What is shining? It appears to be a form of extrasensory perception. We learn that Danny has the ability and so does the hotel's cook, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers). They can communicate without words. Danny's parents know that he talks to Tony, his imaginary friend, but they aren't aware that he has the shining.

I mentioned that the film takes time setting things up. We are shown the hotel in great detail. They live in an apartment inside the hotel and Wendy spends most of her time there. Jack uses one of the large rooms to work on his novel and Danny explores by driving around the halls in his toy car.

The film is 32 years old, so spoilers won't be a problem for most people, but stop reading now if you are about to see it for the first time.

***Spoiler Alert***

The hotel appears to be populated by ghosts. All three people see them while they are alone, so that suggests that the ghosts really do exist. Another explanation would be that all the events are happening inside the mind of one of the characters, or that the hotel itself is 'alive' and remembering some of the events that occurred within its walls. I tend to believe that the ghosts and everything we see is real. That would explain all of the events, including how Jack escapes from a locked room and why Danny has marks on his neck.

Time is another factor. Some of the occurrences involve one of the characters visiting the past. Wendy sees guests at a party and Jack interacts with Grady and Lloyd. Sometimes the ballroom is filled with people from the past.

Danny's gift is extremely powerful and attracts the attention of Dick when he is 2,000 miles away. Dick's attempts to intervene are significantly different from the story told in Stephen King's book, and Kubrick makes a lot of other changes. I like both versions of the story, but I have to admit that Kubrick's changes played out well on the screen.

The dialogue is sparse, but very satisfying at times. I particularly enjoy the exchanges when Jack is talking to Lloyd and Grady. Nicholson is convincing when he acts crazy and the final act shows him at his crazy best. Is his transformation some kind of mental illness, or possession by the spirits that occupy the hotel?

The black and white photograph near the end of the film shows Jack attending a 1921 party at the hotel. Grady says at one point that Jack is the caretaker and has always been the caretaker. Is this some kind of living hell? Suppose Jack has had a number of families throughout some kind of supernatural existence and he's been bringing them to the hotel without any previous knowledge of those he has brought there before? He mentions at the start that he's experiencing déjà vu and knows what is around every corner.

One shot shows him looking rather demonic. Is he in fact a demon or Satan?

What's your take on The Shining? What's your version of the truth?

The Blu-ray presentation is one of the best for an older movie. Fans should definitely upgrade.

I'll always remember the first time I saw this movie as a kid and was scared out of my mind by it. Over the years, I really got to appreciate its qualities as a top-notch horror movie. It's not one of those horror flicks that are meant to gross you out or be overly gory. It's just a great story and this movie does an excellent job telling it. Stephen King, you're the man!

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Shining
I am a fan of Stephen King....this is probably his best story and the movie with Jack Nicholson starring in it is incredible..would highly recommend to Stephen King fans....

Published 7 months ago by Jillo

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent film
A very disturbing, scary, creepy movie. One of my favorite scary movies. Highly recommend. Great DVD edition.

Published on Oct 14 2009 by John Kong

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