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The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

If you go to this adaptation of Stephen King's novel expecting to see a horror movie, you'll be disappointed. From the start, Kubrick undercuts potential tension builders by a process of anti-climax; eerie aerial shots accompanied by ponderous music prove to be nothing more than that; the setting is promising enough - an empty, isolated hotel in dead-of-winter Colorado - but Kubrick makes it warm, well-lit and devoid of threat. Granted, John Alcott's cinematography is impressive, and occasionally produces a 'look behind you' panic; but to hang the movie's psychological tension on the leers and grimaces of Nicholson's face (suited though it is to demoniacal expressions), while refusing to develop any sense of the man, is asking for trouble. Similarly, the narrative is too often disregarded in favour of crude and confusing visual shocks. Kubrick's unbalanced approach (over-emphasis on production values) results in soulless cardboard cutouts who can do little to generate audience empathy.

Author: FF 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

  • dhruv said...
    Posted on Nov 11 2008 11:40 i disagree with time out film guide's review. This is the only horror-epic after the exorcist and is undoubtedly the most unconventional story-telling in horror film genre. This movie has most exquisite tracking shots in film history and great visual treat. Jack Nicholson portrays a caretaker, who was a formerly school teacher and is a writer. As soon as one sees the character of jack nicholson and knows his temparaments, you are grabbed with great sense of fear as the family are experiencing great deal of isolation and are facing terrors of previous event. The aerial shots gives us the feeling that it is going to separate us from many worldly things. Jack Nicholson's character has many physical-ballet like actions and traces of it, which i believe one can find it in the performances of leonardo di caprio after 1990's. The hotel is more like a sinister, and again, as almost all of Stanley Kubrick's films, this has the quality of repetitive viewing. The Shining has definitely brought out one of the memorable images and true sense of photography in it. Superb cinematography, this is a must-watch!!!
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Cast & crew

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Producer: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson, Philip Stone, Joseph Turkel, Anne Jackson full cast

Genre(s): Horror

Duration: 146 mins

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