Day 25 - 01/25/2019

  "Here's Johnny" is perhaps the one of the most iconic film phrases of all time. Stanley Kubrick, famous for his perfectionism in his masterpieces is clearly visible as well in The Shining. Kubrick foreshadows the forces of the shining, as well as Jack's way into madness, his potential reincarnation and even the more discrete thematics such as of the native american burial grounds or the Greek mythology of the Minotaur. 

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  Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes the job as a caretaker for the Overlook Hotel, a place that closes for the winter and has a history of a past caretaker that went crazy due to his loneliness at the very same situation. Jack brings his wife Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) to spend what is a vacation at the Hotel that soon becomes a frozen hell, with no one to interact other than themselves and a strong snowstorm outside. Danny tries to inform outsiders of what is going on, with an ability to communicate with others called the "Shining", as his father is the first one to descent into madness. 

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  The Shining is up there on Kubrick's legacy as well as his contribution to the cinematic world. The movie manages to be beautiful and memorable at every scene with all its colors, despite being in the middle of nowhere. The screenplay is well coordinated, as every scene appears to dig further and further into Jack's mental state. Despite having few characters, everyone one of them have their contribution to the plot, their own personality and the interactions with each other, including the imaginary ones such as Tony. The small details such as Danny's ride around the hotel on his tricycle and the different sounds made by the quiet carpet that bursts into a roar of the wooden floor constructs the environment of the Overlook Hotel. Even the unorthodox way of telling the passage of time contributes to the uneasiness, with no standard structure whatsoever. 

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  The critiques given are mainly due to Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall's performance, which presents itself as overly archetypal, where rationality from both characters, especially Wendy, could've avoided the disaster that almost occurred. The hints given by Jack of his madness were getting stronger as time went by and it wasn't until the very end that she caught on to it. 

 

  As a movie lover or a common viewer, The Shining is a must regardless, as it remains until this day as an icon of horror and Stephen King's adaptations, receiving 8.6 out of 10 stones.