Tsiegretlop ? (dvd)

Rating: 7/10 (29 May 2016)

I ask the question because the very first thing we hear about the hotel is this shared dramatic roots : the place was a sacred burial ground that has become desecrated for modern life !
There's no doubt that Kubrick was a talented director : The way he shoots this empty, majestic haunted hotel is indeed fabulous ! Usually, when a movie takes place in a single location (ex : « million dollar hotel »), the director pays no attention to it while it's the first character ! Here, we understand the topography, we know the different places so we are really immersed in what happens between the characters. In addition, the sights are totally incredible as well in natural outdoors as sophisticated indoors and i'm really fond of social, collective places becoming desert (ex : a mall like in « career opportunities »)
Now, it's hard to tell if the movie is frightening as i'm an adult, i have read the novel and i have watched it a long time ago ! Actually, the way dark forces twist the family is really original because except for very graphic moments, the horror is mostly verbal and psychological : to illustrate those fears and anguish, I found the cast really talented : Danny plays great when we think how young he was ; His mother was really caring for the whole family and shows resources when needed and Jack was indeed a fabulous puppet man driven crazy ! So maybe the flaw was just him as King told : if Jack is perfect when crazy, he is unfit to play the normal guy : at the start of the movie, he doesn't act like the perfect husband, loving father or motivated employee so we lost his unexpected fall and thus a lot of the dark intensity of the movie
But, after 36 years, the movie doesn't look old and senile and with that late 70s fashion and design, it's still pertinent and a must see movie today !!