Great fun watch

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2017)

"The Shining" is a British/American movie from 1980, so this one is already over 35 years old and it is among the later career efforts by writer and director Stanley Kubrick, even if he lived on for a long time afterward still. It is based on a novel by Stephen King who was only in his early 30s when this came out. There exist quite a lot versions of this film here and the one I watched is the one common here in Germany I believe, the one running for slightly under 115 minutes, one of the shorter I guess. Today the movie is considered among the modern (can you still call it that?) horror film classics, but there are a few factors that make it an unusual horror film I think. First of all, it is not too common to see really big-name actors in this genre, but lead actor Jack Nicholson was one of the biggest and most lauded performers in the industry back then. Also huge filmmaking legends like Kubrick weren't normally associated with the horror genre. I guess the exception proves the rule with this one.
The Razzie recognition is a bad joke obviously. Kubrick's direction was really strong and Duvall did a good job too. Yes her portrayal is reduced to fear and screaming, but it is not her fault that the character is very one-dimensional and lacks in the loving-wife and loving-mother department. Besides, it is quite a challenge to star next to Nicholson, especially back then, and she did not disappoint. A good portrayal. Nicholson of course can let it all out here, like a decade later with the Joker and he is immense fun to watch. The film itself delivers in all departments I think. The soundtrack is good and the visual side is a triumph. The sets in the hotel are a joy to look at and the snow outside is even better. Back to the story, I think the film had several interesting plot twists like the Black cop who seems to be a savior, but eventually only makes the bad guy come off as stronger, an approach used in many later films too (Collateral for example). I still wouldn't call Crothers awards-worthy.
I like horror films that are about an invisible danger and even if several creepy aspects are visible and clearly present, I believe that the invisible power that controls Torrance is one of the film's highlights. And the supporting characters are pretty good too, for example the barkeeper or Grady or the twins. Many many metaphors and symbolisms in here, like the old/young lady in the shower. It is difficult to find something wrong with this one, but if I dig deep enough then maybe I'd say it is not as good on rewatch as on first watch. And that the title isn't perfect because the part about shining is never as crucial as you'd imagine because the son really is never in the center of the film. It's all about Nicholson's character and even a generic title like "Torrance" could have been more accurate, but maybe not as memorable. This is probably the Kubrick film that is more for the masses than the others, or most of the others. If you are among the very few who haven't seen it yet, it is high time to change it. My favorite Kubrick and favorite film from 1980, probably not my favorite film based on a Stephen King work though as Darabont's stuff is just too good. Oh yeah final note: I haven't read any of King's novels, so I cannot compare film and book, but let me assure you once more that this is a tremendous movie. Highly recommended.