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> The Shining |
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Staring:
Jack Nicholson,
Shelley Duvall,
Lisa Burns,
Louise Burns,
Scatman Crothers
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $24.98
Our Price: $10.65
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780790742748
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
ISBN: 0790742748
Label: Warner Home Video
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 1999-06-29
Running Time: 142
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1980-05-23 |
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Amazon.com essential video
Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson
Amazon.com
Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson
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"All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy", 2010-02-23
Jack Nicholson gives one of the greatest performances of his career as a caretaker during the winter months at an elite isolated hotel in Colorado that is closed down for the season. At this hotel (way up in the mountains) only he and his wife and son live, and what follows are weeks of hell as Jack (the name of the Nicholson character) becomes almost possessed by outside forces. He becomes arrogant, verbally assaulting, and violent, as he attempts to kill his family. Shelley Duvall is heartbreaking as the desperate wife who tries to escape this hellish hotel with her son. The film (based on the Stephen King novel) was directed by genius Stanley Kubrick who also co-wrote the script. The movie was not without its problems during production: Nicholson was not pleased with the many times in which the script was rewritten, sometimes minutes before the scenes were shot. He eventually quit memorizing pages the night before, instead memorizing the lines given to him before the camera rolled. Shelley Duvall suffered exhaustion from the emotional aspects of her character. For the baseball bat scene Kubrick demanded Shelley do it over and over for a total of 127 takes!. Duvall eventually suffered severe hair loss. When "The Shining" was originally released to theatres in 1980 the movie was pretty much forgotten, only becoming a modest success. Most critics even panned the film. However, over the last 30 years the movie has become a true classic thanks to the home video market and huge DVD sales. Truely a scary film with excellent performances, especially by Nicholson, I watched this one three times in one weekend. Very rarely do you get horror films with this kind of acting. In one word: excellent. This two disc set also contains the trailer, behind the scenes footage, commentary, and more.
 A shining turkey, 2010-02-26
Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is a classic horror movie, starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The movie is loosely based on a Stephen King novel.
The movie is, of course, a turkey. It's not a co-incidence that "The Shining" has been frequently lampooned over the years. Especially the evil twins. Another iconic scene shows Nicholson looking at us through a big hole in the bathroom door. Here comes Johnny!
Personally, I was scared by this movie when I was about 10 years old. Today, I suspect that the only people who like it are Stanley Kubrick cultists. But then, they like "Eyes Wide Shut" as well.
However, I readily admit that Jack Nicholson is excellent starring a man slowly descending into madness. He always is. Now, *that's* scary.
Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining", not Stephen King's...., 2010-02-15
The title of this review tells you what you need to know; despite this being based on a Stephen King novel, `The Shining' is very much Kubrick's baby. The supernatural and personal themes of King's novel are toned down, and many of the characters' traits are very different to those in the book. This version of `The Shining' is much closer to straightforward psychological horror, albeit with a very Kubrick twist.
Jack Nicholson gives his character a very different feel to the Torrance of the novel, but his over-the-top performance is a memorable one. Really, Nicholson carries the entire film, although Scatman Crothers deserves praise for his performance as the sympathetic Halloran. There are also excellent cameos from Philip Stone as the sinister Grady, and Joe Turkel as Lloyd the bartender. Shelley Duvall, however, isn't so good; Kubrick was apparently merciless in his demands on her, and at times I think he pushed her into hysterical over-acting during the intense scenes. As with Jack, her portrayal as a flaky housewife is very different from the more strong-willed Wendy of the novel.
As expected from Kubrick, the technical aspects of the film are exceptional. The use of Steadicam technology to follow characters through the corridors of the hotel makes the Overlook seem like an endless, claustrophobic maze. Again there is an unsettling use of close-ups, both during the intense scenes and to depict Jack's slow decent into madness. Another technical highlight is the opening overhead sequence of Jack's car approaching the Overlook.
Note that, as with all his works, this is very much a Kubrick film first and a genre film second. It is far more intellectual and thought-provoking than most horror, even psychological horror, films. There are plenty of unanswered questions and puzzles by the end, and you get the feeling that Kubrick didn't want everything in the film to fit together too neatly. Some questions seem designed to be open-ended, with no clear answer, but guaranteed to have you discussing the film for a long time afterwards.
Those who loved the novel might not be able to forgive the changes Kubrick makes to the story, but the differences in character and plot do not hurt the film. While it may not be the best adaptation of King's book, `The Shining' stands well enough on its own merits.
Kubrick + Nicholson + King = Horror Classic, 2010-02-27
You've probably seen this movie before. Either that or you've at least heard of it somewhere. Yes, Stanley Kubrick's loose adaptation of Stephen King's "The Shining" has become one of the most famous horror films of all time. It's been praised by critics including Roger Ebert and Janet Maslin, and has been parodied in music videos and TV shows such as The Simpsons. It may not be loved by Stephen King himself, but I, including millions of others, love it. It's not your typical Hollywood-style horror film, and it doesn't want to be like one. It doesn't have any loud "jump" music or annoying teenagers or underdeveloped villains. This is a very unique film that stands on its own. It's not the blood and gore that make this film very special, but the eerie atmosphere that is present throughout the film. It also delivers some haunting images and iconic performances. Now I do like a few recent horror films such as Saw, Event Horizon, and House of 1,000 Corpses, but The Shining remains as my #1 favorite in this specific genre.
Like many other Kubrick films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket, critics and audiences have analyzed the entire movie. There have been film critics and college professors who always discuss everything from the opening aerial shot to the photograph right before the end credits. I don't think that's really necessary, because The Shining isn't supposed to be fully analyzed. It's up to us to decide for ourselves what the story is all about. For some, it could be the effects of isolation and how it transforms into insanity. For others, it could be how the spirits that dwell in the Overlook Hotel are messing with these people's minds. For me, I would go for the latter. True, a few scenes seem like they come out of nowhere, and have no relevance to the plot (the man in the bear costume, for example). But the images themselves are so grotesque and so undeniably scary, that you can't help but be amazed by them.
But aside from the ambiguous story and some terrifying images, I think the strongest elements in the film are not only the eerie atmosphere, but also Jack Nicholson's performance. Nicholson is without a doubt a fascinating actor; he knows how to play crazy. Here, you can see some fine examples. Nicholson was rightfully cast as the lead character; he knows how to be frightening and intimidating when he slowly becomes psychotic. It's a very effective performance, and one of his greatest in his entire career. The other performers do extraordinarily well themselves. Scatman Crothers is believable as the chef Dick Hallorann, while Danny Lloyd is surprisingly good as Danny. Wendy Duvall, despite all the complications during filming, really pulled it off with her character Wendy. Her fear and desperation look genuine. I don't think anyone else would have done a better job than her.
At least 95 percent of the reviewers here have nothing but praise for this movie, and I am part of the majority. I won't say much about The Shining, since it'll probably make this review look like a short story, but I will say that it's one of my favorite films, and my top favorite horror film of all time. Kudos to Kubrick, Nicholson, Duvall, Crothers, etc.
Grade: A
This Movie Has It All, 2010-02-05
Even after seeing "The Shining" twenty or more times, it is the most terrifying movie I have ever seen. The heightened level of suspense keeps me on the edge of my seat, and then has me screaming out loud or burying my head in the pillows. This movie really does have it all - the scene in the labyrinth is thrilling, the twins scare the bejeezus out of me every time, the "here's Johnny" makes me laugh... Yes, I do enjoy a good thrill ride, and The Shining may be the best one I've found!
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