Reclusive perfectionist Stanley Kubrick may not
have been prolific (he directed only three films
between 1975 and 1999), but his movies have a
way of penetrating the public consciousness. In
the case of 1980's The Shining, it's obvious
that Kubrick's movie has achieved greater
cultural resonance than the Stephen King
bestseller it's based on. The image of Jack
Nicholson axing through a splintered door and
snarling "Heeeeere's Johnny!" is an all-time
highlight of cinematic horror.
It's a grandiose
haunted-house tale in which Nicholson takes his
wife (Shelley Duvall) and young son to the
secluded Overlook Hotel to serve as off-season
caretaker, and proceeds to suffer a
psychological breakdown that can't be attributed
to cabin fever alone. The Overlook has a violent
past that echoes throughout the building, and
while young Danny (Danny Lloyd) senses this
frightening legacy through the prescient gift of
"the shining," his father deteriorates into a
state of homicidal psychosis.
Kubrick chooses to
emphasize a study of mental decay and the
timeless homicidal impulse; the film's technical
innovation (through astonishing set design and
pioneering use of the Steadicam) serves an
increasingly unsettling collision of past and
present horrors. It's more of an intellectual
horror film than a conventional fright-fest, but
it's still effectively creepy, and as he turns
into a sneering killer, smilin' Jack makes a
fine addition to Kubrick's rogue's gallery of
memorable movie psychos.
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Diane
Johnson & Stanley Kubrick
Produced by: Jan
Harlan & Stanley Kubrick
Original music by:
Wendy Carlos & Rachel Elkind
Cast:
Jack Nicholson .... Jack
Torrance
Shelley Duvall .... Wendy Torrance
Danny Lloyd .... Danny Torrance
Scatman Crothers .... Dick Hallorann
Barry Nelson .... Stuart Ullman
Philip Stone .... Delbert Grady
Joe Turkel .... Lloyd
Anne Jackson .... Doctor
Tony Burton .... Larry Durkin
Lia Beldam .... Young Woman in Bath
Billie Gibson .... Old Woman in Bath
Barry Dennen .... Bill Watson
David Baxt .... Forest Ranger 1
Manning Redwood .... Forest Ranger 2
Lisa Burns .... Grady Daughter
Louise Burns .... Grady Daughter
Robin Pappas .... Nurse
Alison Coleridge .... Ullman's Secretary
Burnell Tucker .... Policeman
Jana Sheldon .... Stewardess
Kate Phelps .... Receptionist
Norman Gay .... Injured Guest with Head Wound
