The ShiningIn my senior year at The Ohio State University, I took a course on the films of Stanley Kubrick, and my professor told us a story. Stanley Kubrick had not (as of yet) created a genre horror movie, and began researching literary source material for inspiration and a story to adapt, as he had previously done with his films. Plunging through paperback novels, he would read a few pages, and when dissatisfied, would chuck the book at the wall, according to his secretary, who recalled each new novel brought forth was followed by a "thud" every five minutes. After he was brought a copy of Stephen King's The Shining, the thuds stopped.
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The Shining stays with you, haunting you as it haunted the Overlook Hotel, a creepy sense of horror that could happen, because the most terrible monsters in the film are not necessarily supernatural. Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) is startling in his transformation from aspiring writer into a minotaur-like destroyer, but that transformation has more to do with his own inner demons than the outer ones. Jack is not an admirable character; he is abusive, lazy, and a liar, all shortcomings revealed as we probe into his history. During his tenure as the caretaker of the Overlook, he begins a gradual descent into depravity--day after day, month after month, out of touch with his family, and incapable of coping with the hauntings...of the Overlook Hotel and his own myriad failures. The ghosts that cradle Jack's darkness just give him that little nudge to turn him into a murderer. Is that to say that the supernatural in The Shining is irrelevant, that it's all in Jack's head? Hardly; clearly something is happening to the whole of the Torrence family, and others affected by the hotel. Danny (Danny Lloyd) possesses this gift of "shining"--a kind of ESP--which warns him of impending doom in conjunction with his imaginary friend, Tony. This divine-like ability guards him against the fiendish forces of malice that dwell within the vile menagerie that lurks in the wicked hotel, be it from beyond the grave or his own flesh and blood. In this way, Danny helps to protect his mother, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), as she has protected--or at least tried to protect--him from Jack's prior assaults. The Shining also deals with the bonds of family--how they are challenged and how they are strengthened--as Danny and Wendy struggle to overcome the horror that their familial patriarch has become. Ultimately, Wendy is forced to use the baseball bat--where she found one escapes me--and later the kitchen knife not to defend herself and Danny from an intruder, but from Jack, the one who brought them to the Overlook Hotel in the first place, an enemy which proves to be far more terrifying because of the resulting collapse of familial trust.
The Shining is a film that is all about perspective, and the varying implications. The movie is packed with details that for those searching, they will find a bevy of detail which illuminates the circumstances surrounding the plot, as well as expanding on the relationships between characters. I've always liked that Jack and Wendy's apartment in Boulder, Colorado is surrounded by books--she's even reading "Catcher in the Rye" when we first see her--a detail which immediately identifies the probably link that must have brought her and Jack together--literature. Otherwise, the couple shares so little in common--save for Danny, and it's Wendy who practically takes care of him entirely--that one wonders how they ever came to be married. Another detail I've found strange is that as Jack is about to start his job at the Overlook, Danny should be starting school, but is instead yanked away to live in an abandoned hotel for five or more months; it's never established if Danny is home schooled or not, but it seems unlikely since he comments on his lack of friends. Is this responsible parenting? Is the job at the Overlook really the kind of thing Wendy should even go along with in the interest of her son? Or Jack? The job at the Overlook is for a loner, not a family man; so why did Jack take it, nay, pursue it? Wendy's explanation of Danny's imaginary friend to the child physician--leading into a description of Danny's injury--feels more like a confession (shot boldly with a lit cigarette, for you filmmaking aficionados). Pay attention to her timeline: they moved from Vermont to Colorado a few months ago, at the end of the school year. Jack probably got laid off (or fired), and one can presume it has to do with his alcoholism. He dislocated Danny's shoulder three years ago--Danny must have been two or three--but Wendy claims he hasn't had any alcohol in five months; this means he relapsed, and Wendy did not leave him. I presume Jack decided for the family to move to Colorado to make a fresh start, find another teaching job, only to discover he was unhireable, and no doubt contacted the staffing agency in Denver which Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson) mentions during the interview, taking anything he could get. Thus, the bizarre, even reckless, application as a live-in caretaker at the Overlook Hotel.
One also wonders at the rationale behind the long--unusually long--scene when Jack is interviewed for the position of replacement caretaker, and the tasks set before him by Mr. Ullman. A lot of this has to do with more than just exposition, but with the very distinct and even creepy cinematography which itself defines The Shining. Jack is being watched, surveyed, not just by Ullman, but by the hotel itself. The house is interviewing him to see if he's a "good fit" for the secluded getaway for the specters of "all the best people". The hotel is the eye of the camera--not too unlike a point-of-view movie--where we are implicated as both voyeurs of the unfolding horror, but also as a part of the ghostly presence. Danny's private discussion with the head chef of the Overlook, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), results in our understanding of just what "the shining" actually is, and Mr. Hallorann's description of it sums it up succinctly as a skill that enhances your perception. Danny and Mr. Hallorann have it in them to see beyond with little impetus; Jack and Wendy experience visions later as a result of their exposure to the forces left behind at the Overlook. Whether the Overlook is actively trying to influence them or if it is--like Mr. Hallorann claims--the residual memories affecting them is intentionally vague; ghosts by any other name. But if there are ghosts, perhaps they simply latch on to what terrors lurk in the subconscious mind of the victim. Wendy (probably) doesn't hallucinate that Jack is trying to kill her and Danny, but she may be a little bit affected by--of all things--the television. Danny cites in the car ride over that he learned "all about cannibalism" from watching the television, and Wendy watches the news forecast, with stories about murders, and wives gone missing on excursions into the wilderness with their husbands. By the time we return to Dick Hallorann--now on vacation in Miami--he is watching a TV report about a devastating blizzard affecting Colorado, and by association, the Overlook. Even more interesting is that when there seems to be a manifestation of shining, it is accompanied by a feedback-like tone over the musical score, reminiscent of a transmission, be it radio, television, or some other wavelength heretofore undocumented. But then there is the problem with Danny--what should we do about Danny? Who hurt him in Room 237? A ghost? Jack? Himself? When Danny first realizes that the twin girls he sees are phantoms, Tony reminds him that they're like pictures in a book...or perhaps like pictures on TV. Danny mentions Dick Hallorann that when Tony shows him things, he cannot remember them later, which is similar to the otherwise inexplicable reaction by Jack following his return from Room 237, after his encounter with the woman from the bathtub. He tells Wendy that there was no one there, and says that Danny must have hurt himself. Is Jack actively lying? Why? Perhaps because the hotel "told him to do so", maybe, but I suspect that it is more likely that Jack himself was "shining", and has forgotten what he experienced, just has Danny had before. And then there is the issue with Jack's release from his imprisonment in the storage room; who sets him free if not Grady? The ambiguities make The Shining more fascinating, and thus lends itself to more than one interpretation about the extent to which the supernatural pervades the snowbound hotel and influences those trapped within its walls. Danny ironically exploits this ambiguity at the climax--when Jack pursues him into the hedge maze--by cleverly retracing his steps and creating the illusion for his father that he simply vanished, his tracks stopping cold in the snow.
The deeper question then is how much influence does the Overlook exert on Jack, or is it vice versa? When Mr. Ullman shows Jack and Wendy the Gold Ballroom, he comments that the alcohol has been removed, yet a grave bartender, Lloyd (Joe Turkel) later supplies Jack--twice--with booze, appropriately after Jack has indicated he'd sell his soul for a glass of beer. (Interestingly, Jack asks for bourbon, and gets whiskey--Jack Daniels, to be specific; notice any similarity in the name?) So is this a hallucination, or are manifested spirits capable of manifesting spirits, not to mention advocaat and New Year's Eve parties of the Roaring Twenties. And Jack's initial greeting toward Mr. Hallorann is respectful, bearing no apparent prejudice, not at all like the racist slur spoken by the late Charles/Delbert Grady (Philip Stone), one which Jack also repeats in response without any note of offense. Who influences who? And the issue with Grady--whose name seems to change as his persona may have likely changed due to his exposure, and eventual death, in the Overlook--is that he was not even the most recent caretaker. Ullman indicated to Jack during the interview that Grady was his predecessor, meaning that Ullman is the current winter caretaker, but he is hiring Jack to take his place, although that remains virtually undiscussed. But on whose behalf is he hiring Jack? The hotel, perhaps; maybe he couldn't deal with the "cabin fever" himself any more, or maybe--as the deleted epilogue insinuates--he has been in concert with the hotel the whole time. And one of the most interesting scenes which foretells Jack's rapid descent into uncontrollable rage and abusiveness is when Wendy interrupts some writing he's doing in the large, central, and altogether unavoidable main hall where he has claimed dominion. Wendy comes to visit her husband, only to find herself berated and humiliated, Jack lashing out at her, accusing her of breaking his concentration. The story goes that this scene was added with material by Jack Nicholson from personal experience, and it feels real, and represents the abuses to come for Wendy, and likely those that have come before. Jack represents the worst kind of "writer", one who uses the occupation name to claim to be "gathering ideas", when he is doing little more than loafing around, and using any excuse to attack others when he fails or finds the going too hard, punishing others instead of himself. The use of lighting in The Shining is also implemented with dramatic effect, such as when Lloyd converses with Jack, the light coming up from the bar itself giving him an eerie glow like that of a skeletal wraith. Also, as Jack pursues Wendy slowly up the stairs, demanding she turn over the baseball bat to him, as he ascends his face is lit with a reddish glow, signifying his rising rage as well as a devilishness emerging from within him. This diabolical countenance is juxtaposed with a comment Jack makes moments prior about his contract with his employers, a phrase often used in the course of pacts formed with dark forces.
The Shining bears the distinction of being the first movie I every seriously critically analyzed for a paper I wrote for the aforementioned class in college, and may very well be the movie responsible for piquing my interest in writing about film. The paper discussed the use of music in the film, which includes observations about how the score is virtually as important to The Shining as the distinct camerawork or the bravura performances by the cast. For instance, as Jack's yellow Volkswagen Beetle--similar to the tennis ball he throws against the Native American art as he procrastinates--drives along the winding path to his unassailable destination, "Dies Irae"--often used in a requiem mass for the dead--plays along the soundtrack, accompanied by wails of the damned, while the camera soars through the mountains; Jack's fate is sealed from the moment he made the decision to take that ride out of Boulder. And consider when "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" is played, it is generally when Jack has experienced some kind of profound clarity as the celesta is played, even if it is short-lived or forebodes some other impending danger. When Wendy discovers the fruits of Jack's "labor"--his pages of typewritten madness--"Polymorphia" accentuates the terrifying revelation with sharp strings and the looming menace of Jack watching her from the shadows. And, of course, "Midnight with the Stars and You" plays not only during one of Jack's earlier dips when he waded into the past, but at the conclusion, our final shot of Jack's smile beaming back at us from decades before he was born, among the stars and celebrities of a dark and decadent past which time will not let the Overlook forget.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film where perspective is relative, and the unease and terror comes from both the ensuing carnage and the harrowing sense that--save for any semblance of the supernatural--the nightmare could manifest in a loved one.
The Shining is a film that is all about perspective, and the varying implications. The movie is packed with details that for those searching, they will find a bevy of detail which illuminates the circumstances surrounding the plot, as well as expanding on the relationships between characters. I've always liked that Jack and Wendy's apartment in Boulder, Colorado is surrounded by books--she's even reading "Catcher in the Rye" when we first see her--a detail which immediately identifies the probably link that must have brought her and Jack together--literature. Otherwise, the couple shares so little in common--save for Danny, and it's Wendy who practically takes care of him entirely--that one wonders how they ever came to be married. Another detail I've found strange is that as Jack is about to start his job at the Overlook, Danny should be starting school, but is instead yanked away to live in an abandoned hotel for five or more months; it's never established if Danny is home schooled or not, but it seems unlikely since he comments on his lack of friends. Is this responsible parenting? Is the job at the Overlook really the kind of thing Wendy should even go along with in the interest of her son? Or Jack? The job at the Overlook is for a loner, not a family man; so why did Jack take it, nay, pursue it? Wendy's explanation of Danny's imaginary friend to the child physician--leading into a description of Danny's injury--feels more like a confession (shot boldly with a lit cigarette, for you filmmaking aficionados). Pay attention to her timeline: they moved from Vermont to Colorado a few months ago, at the end of the school year. Jack probably got laid off (or fired), and one can presume it has to do with his alcoholism. He dislocated Danny's shoulder three years ago--Danny must have been two or three--but Wendy claims he hasn't had any alcohol in five months; this means he relapsed, and Wendy did not leave him. I presume Jack decided for the family to move to Colorado to make a fresh start, find another teaching job, only to discover he was unhireable, and no doubt contacted the staffing agency in Denver which Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson) mentions during the interview, taking anything he could get. Thus, the bizarre, even reckless, application as a live-in caretaker at the Overlook Hotel.
One also wonders at the rationale behind the long--unusually long--scene when Jack is interviewed for the position of replacement caretaker, and the tasks set before him by Mr. Ullman. A lot of this has to do with more than just exposition, but with the very distinct and even creepy cinematography which itself defines The Shining. Jack is being watched, surveyed, not just by Ullman, but by the hotel itself. The house is interviewing him to see if he's a "good fit" for the secluded getaway for the specters of "all the best people". The hotel is the eye of the camera--not too unlike a point-of-view movie--where we are implicated as both voyeurs of the unfolding horror, but also as a part of the ghostly presence. Danny's private discussion with the head chef of the Overlook, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), results in our understanding of just what "the shining" actually is, and Mr. Hallorann's description of it sums it up succinctly as a skill that enhances your perception. Danny and Mr. Hallorann have it in them to see beyond with little impetus; Jack and Wendy experience visions later as a result of their exposure to the forces left behind at the Overlook. Whether the Overlook is actively trying to influence them or if it is--like Mr. Hallorann claims--the residual memories affecting them is intentionally vague; ghosts by any other name. But if there are ghosts, perhaps they simply latch on to what terrors lurk in the subconscious mind of the victim. Wendy (probably) doesn't hallucinate that Jack is trying to kill her and Danny, but she may be a little bit affected by--of all things--the television. Danny cites in the car ride over that he learned "all about cannibalism" from watching the television, and Wendy watches the news forecast, with stories about murders, and wives gone missing on excursions into the wilderness with their husbands. By the time we return to Dick Hallorann--now on vacation in Miami--he is watching a TV report about a devastating blizzard affecting Colorado, and by association, the Overlook. Even more interesting is that when there seems to be a manifestation of shining, it is accompanied by a feedback-like tone over the musical score, reminiscent of a transmission, be it radio, television, or some other wavelength heretofore undocumented. But then there is the problem with Danny--what should we do about Danny? Who hurt him in Room 237? A ghost? Jack? Himself? When Danny first realizes that the twin girls he sees are phantoms, Tony reminds him that they're like pictures in a book...or perhaps like pictures on TV. Danny mentions Dick Hallorann that when Tony shows him things, he cannot remember them later, which is similar to the otherwise inexplicable reaction by Jack following his return from Room 237, after his encounter with the woman from the bathtub. He tells Wendy that there was no one there, and says that Danny must have hurt himself. Is Jack actively lying? Why? Perhaps because the hotel "told him to do so", maybe, but I suspect that it is more likely that Jack himself was "shining", and has forgotten what he experienced, just has Danny had before. And then there is the issue with Jack's release from his imprisonment in the storage room; who sets him free if not Grady? The ambiguities make The Shining more fascinating, and thus lends itself to more than one interpretation about the extent to which the supernatural pervades the snowbound hotel and influences those trapped within its walls. Danny ironically exploits this ambiguity at the climax--when Jack pursues him into the hedge maze--by cleverly retracing his steps and creating the illusion for his father that he simply vanished, his tracks stopping cold in the snow.
The deeper question then is how much influence does the Overlook exert on Jack, or is it vice versa? When Mr. Ullman shows Jack and Wendy the Gold Ballroom, he comments that the alcohol has been removed, yet a grave bartender, Lloyd (Joe Turkel) later supplies Jack--twice--with booze, appropriately after Jack has indicated he'd sell his soul for a glass of beer. (Interestingly, Jack asks for bourbon, and gets whiskey--Jack Daniels, to be specific; notice any similarity in the name?) So is this a hallucination, or are manifested spirits capable of manifesting spirits, not to mention advocaat and New Year's Eve parties of the Roaring Twenties. And Jack's initial greeting toward Mr. Hallorann is respectful, bearing no apparent prejudice, not at all like the racist slur spoken by the late Charles/Delbert Grady (Philip Stone), one which Jack also repeats in response without any note of offense. Who influences who? And the issue with Grady--whose name seems to change as his persona may have likely changed due to his exposure, and eventual death, in the Overlook--is that he was not even the most recent caretaker. Ullman indicated to Jack during the interview that Grady was his predecessor, meaning that Ullman is the current winter caretaker, but he is hiring Jack to take his place, although that remains virtually undiscussed. But on whose behalf is he hiring Jack? The hotel, perhaps; maybe he couldn't deal with the "cabin fever" himself any more, or maybe--as the deleted epilogue insinuates--he has been in concert with the hotel the whole time. And one of the most interesting scenes which foretells Jack's rapid descent into uncontrollable rage and abusiveness is when Wendy interrupts some writing he's doing in the large, central, and altogether unavoidable main hall where he has claimed dominion. Wendy comes to visit her husband, only to find herself berated and humiliated, Jack lashing out at her, accusing her of breaking his concentration. The story goes that this scene was added with material by Jack Nicholson from personal experience, and it feels real, and represents the abuses to come for Wendy, and likely those that have come before. Jack represents the worst kind of "writer", one who uses the occupation name to claim to be "gathering ideas", when he is doing little more than loafing around, and using any excuse to attack others when he fails or finds the going too hard, punishing others instead of himself. The use of lighting in The Shining is also implemented with dramatic effect, such as when Lloyd converses with Jack, the light coming up from the bar itself giving him an eerie glow like that of a skeletal wraith. Also, as Jack pursues Wendy slowly up the stairs, demanding she turn over the baseball bat to him, as he ascends his face is lit with a reddish glow, signifying his rising rage as well as a devilishness emerging from within him. This diabolical countenance is juxtaposed with a comment Jack makes moments prior about his contract with his employers, a phrase often used in the course of pacts formed with dark forces.
The Shining bears the distinction of being the first movie I every seriously critically analyzed for a paper I wrote for the aforementioned class in college, and may very well be the movie responsible for piquing my interest in writing about film. The paper discussed the use of music in the film, which includes observations about how the score is virtually as important to The Shining as the distinct camerawork or the bravura performances by the cast. For instance, as Jack's yellow Volkswagen Beetle--similar to the tennis ball he throws against the Native American art as he procrastinates--drives along the winding path to his unassailable destination, "Dies Irae"--often used in a requiem mass for the dead--plays along the soundtrack, accompanied by wails of the damned, while the camera soars through the mountains; Jack's fate is sealed from the moment he made the decision to take that ride out of Boulder. And consider when "Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta" is played, it is generally when Jack has experienced some kind of profound clarity as the celesta is played, even if it is short-lived or forebodes some other impending danger. When Wendy discovers the fruits of Jack's "labor"--his pages of typewritten madness--"Polymorphia" accentuates the terrifying revelation with sharp strings and the looming menace of Jack watching her from the shadows. And, of course, "Midnight with the Stars and You" plays not only during one of Jack's earlier dips when he waded into the past, but at the conclusion, our final shot of Jack's smile beaming back at us from decades before he was born, among the stars and celebrities of a dark and decadent past which time will not let the Overlook forget.
Recommended for: Fans of a horror film where perspective is relative, and the unease and terror comes from both the ensuing carnage and the harrowing sense that--save for any semblance of the supernatural--the nightmare could manifest in a loved one.