Customer Reviews

The Shining: Two-Disc Special Edition / L'enfant lumière : Édition Spéciale (Bilingual) (1980)

5 star:		(176)
4 star:		(64)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(18)

 

 

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.

The best horror film ever, made by Stanley Kubrick The Shining is for every amateur of that kind of movie.

It shiped fast but the movie dissapointed me. It's just like they didn't care about the book the whhole story change in a very bad way.

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!

A very disturbing, scary, creepy movie. One of my favorite scary movies. Highly recommend. Great DVD edition.

i had heard great things about this movie over the years,but i thought
people were just exaggerating its greatness.imagine my shock when i
finally do end up watching.turns out,the greatness of this movie is not
at all exaggerated.this may be the greatest,most complete horror film i
have ever seen.by complete,i mean it has everything a good horror movie
should have.i'm not talking about your typical hack and and slash gore
fest.i'm talking about pure psychological terror.the suspense in this
movie starts from the get go,and doesn't let up.i gets pretty
unbearable.plus,there are some pretty terrifying images.and the
acting,don't get me started on the acting.it is simply brilliant.i'm
not really a big Jack Nicholson fan,but he leaves nothing on the table
here.Shelley Duvall is also excellent,and the kid who plays there
son,fantastic.the supporting cast are also very good.when you add a
fantastically eerie and terrifying soundtrack,there's nothing else
needed.id' pit this one right up there with the original The
Omen(1976)for sheer terror.the only downside to this movie is that for
some reason,it was only filmed in full frame.if there's ever a movie
that cries out for a widescreen presentation,this is it. 5/5

I'm constantly baffled when I read poor reviews of this film. I suppose I simply have to understand that even a strongly held opinion is still an opion; however, I think that this film is a perfect example of Kubrick at the top of his game.

This film, like all the great Kubrick films, is first and foremost a feast for the eyes. Film is a visual medium - still frames in rapid succession - essentially pictures. Kubrick's composition in this film is wonderful. Don't believe it, actively looking for symmetry in the film should make this apparent. How is it that Kubrick is able to train the eye to see images of symmetry (ie. twins, two elevator doors, matching lamps, and pictures on the walls, etc.) in a way that becomes creepy in the context of the film? And what is Kubrick implying with the shots that take us into the Alice in Wonderland looking glass images of the characters? Asking these questions makes the film much more interesting.

There is subtle leading of the eye and mind and the attempt to elicit a primal response of fear to the landscape of the film. Ultimately, it is a question of preference. If visually engaging films are your thing, this is one that will demand multiple viewings. In my experience, this film has the uncanny ability to imprint its imagery in your mind long after the film is over, much in the same way that a negative of a picture that you focus on intently remains after you close your eyes.

If you didn't like the film on an initial viewing, taking a second look may be worth your while. Regardless of your assessment of Nicholson, the acting in general, the plot or any of these other conventional discussion topics related to the film, this masterful painting of images deserves the viewer's attention.

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....

I loved this movie. It freaked me out I must say. Jack Nicolson is the perfect crazy man in the movie. Another thing this movie possesed was great cinematography as any Kubrick film posses and great acting by all of the actors and actresses. Great movie deffinate buyer.