King + Kubrick = Art

Rating: 10/10 (24 September 2003)

The Shining has to be Kubrick's best film ever. It's creepy atmosphere is one of the film's greatest strengths. I absolutely love this film, being that it is based on my favorite book. Many people criticize this film for not being a good adaptation of the book and this is true. The film is not a great adaptation of the book because many subplots, plot points, and scenes in the book are left out. However under no circumstances does this diminish the power of the film. The interior sets are very well made and quite spectacular. The Overlook and many of the characters pictured therein are exactly how I pictured them in the book. All the performances in the film are great. Jack Nicholson does classic Jack as Jack Torrance. Shelly Duvall is nothing like her character in the book, but she still manages to make her part work. Danny Lloyd provides a good and not an "annoying cute child" part as Danny Torrance. The late great Scatman Crothers plays a perfect Jack Halloran. It's a great shame that Mr. Crothers is no longer with us as he was a fine, charming actor. His charisma is such that I consider it my loss that I had never known the man. The Shining is a showpiece of direction and cinematography. A beautiful and eerie soundtrack contributes to the film's unearthly feel. This film certainly earns it's place on the Imdb Top 250. Bottom Line: The Shining is one of my very favorite movies of all time and it is a incredible film by any standard. If you haven't seen it yet see it and if you haven't read the book yet then read it. It really completes the picture of the story. This film is a cinematic masterpiece. A work of art.