The Shining (1980)
Here’s Johnny!
THE SUMMARY: An aspiring writer takes his family to maintain a luxurious mountain hotel in isolation for the winter, loses his mind reenacting a decades-old ax massacre on the site, and freezes himself into a meme. It’s tense, even if a little cheesy and dated at times, the questions of déjà vu and who is really who add some things to think about later, and the cultural influence is undeniable.
Note: I watched the US release of this one, with the runtime of two hours, 24 minutes. The European release is 25 minutes shorter.
FROM MOVIE-PICKER MY WIFE: One of Kubrick’s best films, from the addition of supernatural elements, to the layered occult symbolism, you can find something new with each additional watch. I’ve seen this movie several times - with each viewing, it’s still scary, I spot something subtle I didn’t see before, and I think about it again for days afterward.
THE BEST:
Betray your family/accuse a man at your own risk: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but it’s the betrayal of family that drives him fully insane. There’s some debate as to whether Jack in fact abuses Danny or is wrongly accused of it (personally, I believe the implications are strong that he does), but either way, it’s a betrayal of the family unit. Either Jack physically abuses his son, or Wendy falsely claims he does. No matter how tempting other comforts may be: alcohol, women, or otherwise, if these indulgences are placed before family, your entire mental state collapses. Keep family integrity first always, and avoid getting frozen with an unfortunate facial expression of regret.
When your wife breaks your concentration, I get it: That said, at times, I understand Jack’s frustration. The scene where Wendy breaks Jack’s concentration and he rages at her I can relate to in theme, but of course not in the severity of the reaction. When I’m editing a video or writing a review like this one, and my wife knocks on the door with some feminine nonsense, I’m just gonna have the scene from this movie ready to play on demand. Either that or ‘shut up, silly woman!’
I won’t be as harsh as Jack though - after all, Wendy did properly atone by offering double sandwiches for this indiscretion. He should have acknowledged the gesture.
Freakshow rotting grandma: I’m still not sure I fully understand the intended meaning and symbolism of the bathtub/room 237 scene, but I certainly won’t forget that nasty-ass rotting old woman. If I award points for memorability, that image is impossible to forget, even if I’d prefer to.
The influence, references, and memes: Of course even without seeing The Shining I was generally familiar with its basic premise and the famous ‘here’s Johnny!’ ax scene for which it is known. However, there are many other cultural references I’ve seen or heard commonly, but actually had no idea they originate with this movie:
The famous scene of Homer going crazy in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
The frozen Jack meme - the craziest part about this image is I just assumed it was a dummy prop. It’s actually Jack Nicholson, in full commitment to the bit.
Unused footage from The Shining opening were actually played in the ending of Blade Runner - a transgression I find difficult to forgive. Ridley Scott says producers told him Blade Runner needed a more uplifting ending, so he called Stanley Kubrick to borrow some footage.
The Shining is full of lines and presentation frequently repeated over forty years later, and in the spirit of the movie review segment’s origin, that influence is acknowledged. Cultural competence gained.
She offered double sandwiches - give her a break
Don’t mind if I do!
Frozen Jack
The mirror metaphor: The recurring mirror theme is unmissable, and can be interpreted to represent several important concepts, including:
Self-reflection: It’s one of the reasons I believe the correct interpretation is Jack abused his son. Self-reflection is everywhere and unavoidable in the hotel, as though to remind Jack he needs to confront the truth about himself.
The truth: Likewise, it’s through that self-reflection that the truth is revealed. Jack sees a beautiful naked woman in room 237 and indulges, only to see through the mirror she’s actually a hideous monster.
Symmetry: As in one side and the other, not necessarily perfect duplication. What may appear obviously a certain way from one perspective can appear quite differently from the other side. A loving father may be a villain. A friendly butler may be a murderer. A young boy talking to his imaginary friend may be a supernatural connection.
Who is really who?: The ending still has me thinking, and I’m not sure I understand. Are Jack and Grady the same person? Is Jack Grady reincarnated? Does the hotel simply repeat this cycle, creating a new Grady or Jack every time it needs a culling? Why does Grady appear differently in the movie from the photo, if Jack actually is Grady?
Under any interpretation, the theme here, I believe, is the cycle of violence and abuse. My only slight complaint is there’s no depiction of how to break that cycle. No choice Jack was offered and refused, but maybe that inevitability is the point. It’s rather depressing if so, but nobody accused this movie of being encouraging or cheery.
Opening Montana scenery: The hotel’s exterior is actually Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon. The interior scenes were shot in the UK. But until watching, I had no idea that significant scenes were shot in Montana. Watching the opening driving scenes, I immediately recognized it - Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. The fall colors are especially beautiful.
Going to the sun.
THE WORST:
Occasionally cheesy: As should be expected, the movie has aged some, though not terribly. Occasionally the acting is overdone (Jack’s creepy staring, Wendy’s obnoxious lengthy screaming, etc.). The use of ominous ‘horror movie’ music and background sound effects is nearly constant, which makes its intended effect wear off somewhat, but overall, the presentation holds up well for a forty-plus year old movie.
Weak-ass bat swing: David DePape did it way better against Paul Pelosi. It’s not just the physical weakness of the swing - it’s that it’s a missed opportunity for the movie. If the point is to knock Jack out and allow Wendy to trap him, this was a great opportunity to create a gnarly head wound or at least a bump on Jack’s skull. Instead, they just put a little blood on it and called it good.
What in the goddamn hell was that weird furry moment?: David DePape also may have done this better with Paul Pelosi. Seriously, what the hell am I looking at here? Is this a guy in a bear suit blowing somebody? Why? The leading theory is that it represents Jack’s sexual abuse of Danny.
Whatever - just watch the teeth, dude.
Fkn… wat
THE RATING: 4/5 Wickies. A little long and perhaps a little difficult to follow at times, but overall, it’s a tense thriller with deep themes of family and abuse, complexity to think about later, and enough cultural influence in the decades after that make it well worth the watch. Minus one Wicky for assisting the production of Blade Runner in any way.
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NEXT WEEK: Top Gun (1986).
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