The Shining review

Rating: 9/10 (27 October 2005)

The Shining has now become one of the most famous pieces of film history, perhaps so much so that when one actually gets round to seeing the film, they know exactly what happens, as television decides to show every single part in the movie on various TV shows, adverts, etc. However i found this not to be the case. When i watched The Shining for the first time, it was truly brilliant, even though i knew some of the storyline, and had seen "heeeeeres johnny" countless times before. This, in my opinion goes to show the sheer brilliance of Kubrick's film-making. The cinematography in this film is amazing, the techniques of using mirrors throughout the film runs strongly, and has the amazing effect of making the audience unsettled, not knowing what is truly going on inside the mind of Jack Torrance, making it all the more horrifying when we realise his mental state. the music and sound in the film are used to create intense dramatic effect, so much so that it is not even music, just a series of noises to emphasise what we are seeing on the screen. The roles of Jack and Wendy Torrance are played so brilliantly in this movie that they make it what it has become today. It is only the brilliance of Jack Nicholsons face as he pokes through the bathroom door that could make a line like "heres johnny!" so terrifying, and Wendy huddling in the corner of the room, looking at the axe as it comes through the door, screaming with tears flowing out of her eyes, that make us so scared of what could possibly happen to her.