The Shining (1980)

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Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's bestselling horror novel than a complete reimagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's movie is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer, who's settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demands for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV miniseries (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson

Product Description
Opening with spectacular aerial shots of a beautiful, mountainous landscape, Stanley Kubrick's horror classic THE SHINING sucks the viewer into his frightening tale with quiet, relaxing visuals--but the ominous soundtrack warns that all is not right at the gorgeous Overlook Hotel. Based on Stephen King's best-selling novel, the film stars Jack Nicholson at his eyebrow-raising best in his portrayal of Jack Torrance, a Vermont schoolteacher working at the Overlook as a winter caretaker. The glorious early-20th century resort only operates in warm weather because the snowy roads deny access in the colder months, so Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), with him, as well as his young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who possesses some unique psychic powers. As the Torrances settle in for the long, lonely months ahead, strange, unexplainable things start occurring in the hotel--and in every scene Jack seems to be growing a little more evil and dangerous.... Cinematographer John Alcott (who also worked on BARRY LYNDON and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) allows his Steadicam to float eerily through the deserted halls and corridors of the hotel, creating a creepy air of tension as Jack plummets into madness. Kubrick's obsessive eye for detail is prevalent throughout; the famous scene where Danny rides his toy buggy through the hotel is remarkable for Alcott's gliding camerawork and the desolate sound of the wheels alternately scraping across the hardwood and carpeted floors. Nicholson and Duvall are outstanding throughout, with both actors running the full gamut of human emotions as the film races towards a thrilling conclusion. Supplemented by an oddball cast of dead twin girls, suicidal ax-murdering ghosts, Scatman Crothers as the hotel cook, and many other weird and wonderful figures, Kubrick's film is a pulse-racing treat that is among the best in his inimitable body of work.

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826 Reviews 5 star:  (521) 4 star:  (153) 3 star:  (51) 2 star:  (44) 1 star:  (57)           Average Customer Review 4.3 out of 5 stars (826 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   123 of 130 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars 2001 DVD vs 2007 DVD, October 23, 2007 By  Steve (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews    This review is from: The Shining (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD) I own both the 2001 and 2007 DVDs of this film. I really don't have any interest is who is 'right' with the aspect ratio argument, I compared both versions and found that you're missing some of the video image regardless of which version you buy. I took screenshots of both DVDs and overlayed them on top of each other. I found that with the 2001 release, you get the 1:33:1 aspect ratio where the far left and right of the screen image is clipped. With the 2007 release, you get the 1.78:1 aspect ratio where the top and bottom of the screen image is clipped off. You can see what I mean by viewing the 'customer image' I posted, above. The blue border is for the 2001 release and the red border is the 2007 release. Both DVDs are 'digitally restored and remastered', however the 2007 release is noticeabley brighter and more vivid. The 2001 image seems faded and dull. This release has all the other special features of the 2001 DVD release, with the addition of optional commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter and three new featurettes. Comment Comments (15) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   27 of 29 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant film, best transfer yet!, October 24, 2007 By  Cale E. Reneau "audiooverflow.com" (Conroe, Texas United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)       This review is from: The Shining [HD DVD] (HD DVD) The Shining is one of the horror genre's most notable films. Made in 1980 by the late, legendary Stanley Kubrick, the film stands out as not only one of his best but probably the best Stephen King adaptation as well. Though not nearly as true to the book as the later TV-movie would be, it is undoubtedly darker, more macabre, and ultimately superior to that version. Kubrick was a genius behind the camera, giving us long, beautiful shots, allowing us to take in both the beauty and the horror of the Overlook Hotel. For those who have yet to see the movie (and honestly, who hasn't at this point?), do yourself a favor and buy it today! Disappointment is impossible. As for the transfer of the film, it is unbelievable. While clearly not as visually stunning or breathtaking as modern day flicks, this HD DVD version of The Shining boasts a virtually flawless transfer and cleans up many of the blemishes that were present on previous VHS and DVD versions. Black levels are deep, clean, and ungrainy and the majority of the film offers a surprisingly clean look. Detail is not as strong as it could have been, but Kubrick intentionally shot this film softly. The images won't pop and shine like modern movies will, as this is an old film, but for the price of the disc you are without a doubt getting the highest quality transfer this film has ever seen. Audio has been upgraded from a mono to a TrueHD soundtrack, but for the most part audio will be very front-heavy. Most of the peripheral speakers are used only for music, to intensify the sound of it (and it is effective). Special features are slim: the old making of documentary (with or without commentary), theatrical trailer, and a few small featurettes that delve deeper into the making of The Shining, as well Stanley Kubrick's "Visions." All pretty standard fare, all in 480i/p standard definition. Whether you're a long time fan of the film, or new to it, this is a must-own if you own an HD DVD player and HDTV! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   23 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Some dvds are like people: some shine and some don't. This hd dvd shines. Hd dvd special features below, August 3, 2007 By  Mike Liddell (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)       This review is from: The Shining [HD DVD] (HD DVD) I personally wouldn't re buy every film that comes out on Hd-dvd especially seeing as how the prices haven't really come down. That said a film like this is an exception, I believe horror fans are some of the most die hard film fans out there, and should and will pick this one up. For Audiophiles there is a new 5.1 track as opposed to the mono you got on the previous release. The beginning score when Jack is driving to the Overlook hotel is amazing cranked up with a Dolby digital plus track in 5.1. The transfer on this is beautiful. The Shining is the greatest Stephen King film adapation and is one, if not the greatest of all horror films. Also one of the greatest films for any genre and right in time for Halloween you can't go wrong. Special features - Audio commentary by Steadicam inventor Garrett Brown and Kubrick biographer John Baxter - The Making of The Shining, with optional commentary by Vivian Kubrick (from the previous DVD) - New View from The Overlook: Crafting The Shining featurette - New The Visions of Stanley Kubrick featurette - New Wendy Carlos, Composer featurette -Theatrical Trailer - This was one of the most effectives and eeriest trailers I've ever seen and it was so simple. I'll go more in depth of the special features as I watch them. Technical Specs: - Aspect Ratio: 1080p HD 16X9 1:85:1 - Audio: Dolby true HD: English 5.1 Dolby digital plus Comment Comments (18) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 826 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Blu-ray of THE SHINING the Best Version of This Film I won't go into the details of the plot of the picture. I just want to mention that the Blu-ray version of this film is the best I've seen it in years! Read more Published 4 days ago by Mark Colangelo 1.0 out of 5 stars Least scary movie EVER made I went to rent the remake of the "Friday the 13th", but the cashier told me to check out "The Shining" instead for some quality horror. Read more Published 5 days ago by Kelsey 5.0 out of 5 stars ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY. Read more Published 6 days ago by OPERATION WATCHDOG 5.0 out of 5 stars Aspect ratios Kubrick said to his photographer on the Shining, "the frame is exactly 1.85:1." "Obviously, you compose for that but protect the full 1.33:1 area. Read more Published 17 days ago by nick castle 5.0 out of 5 stars Jack Nicholson at His Best in One of Stephen King's Best This is a great horror movie that could give you insomnia. I actually visited the hotel in Estes Park, Colorado where Stephen King stayed that inspired this book. Read more Published 23 days ago by Dr. Jane Branam 5.0 out of 5 stars Blu Ray is the only way for this masterpiece. Okay, I must say. The Shining is an amazing film, it's suspenseful and scary. I will say that the way the atmosphere and and cinematography was really brought up on the Blu Ray... Read more Published 1 month ago by S. Hasse 5.0 out of 5 stars Classic! Well this is probably hands down the best psychological thriller ever put to film with the exception of psycho. At any rate if you have never seen this masterpiece.... Read more Published 2 months ago by jason sprang 5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the Best Horror Ever Not much to say. Even though its an old movie by today's standards, this is the ultimate horror movie. Must be seen, owned and appreciated. Published 2 months ago by The Tao of Netflix 4.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling, With Some Pictorictous Scenes to Boot Please, for the love of god, avoid going into this movie thinking it's one of the scariest movies of all time. Read more Published 2 months ago by Untitled 1.0 out of 5 stars 2nd terrible movie I've seen by Kubrick I've never read the book, I kept hearing people say how good this movie is (scariest of all time) so I decided to do it the honor by giving it a try since I've been getting into... Read more Published 2 months ago by Ashiedu L. Nwadiei Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 826 customer reviews...

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