The Shining (1980)

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stephen King (novel), Stanley Kubrick (screenplay)

Stars:

Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd

Top Rated Movies #62 | 4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jack Nicholson	...	Jack Torrance
Shelley Duvall	...	Wendy Torrance
Danny Lloyd	...	Danny
Scatman Crothers	...	Hallorann
Barry Nelson	...	Ullman
Philip Stone	...	Grady
Joe Turkel	...	Lloyd
Anne Jackson	...	Doctor
Tony Burton	...	Durkin
Lia Beldam	...	Young Woman in Bath
Billie Gibson	...	Old Woman in Bath
Barry Dennen	...	Watson
David Baxt	...	Forest Ranger 1
Manning Redwood	...	Forest Ranger 2
Lisa Burns	...	Grady Daughter

Storyline

Signing a contract, Jack Torrance, a normal writer and former teacher agrees to take care of a hotel which has a long, violent past that puts everyone in the hotel in a nervous situation. While Jack slowly gets more violent and angry of his life, his son, Danny, tries to use a special talent, the "Shining", to inform the people outside about whatever that is going on in the hotel.

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Plot Keywords:

haunted hotel | labyrinth | identical twins | hotel | snow | 

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Taglines:

He came as the caretaker, but this hotel had its own guardians - who'd been there a long time

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 June 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shining

Filming Locations:

Stansted Airport, Essex, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$622,337, 26 May 1980

Gross USA:

$44,781,695

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$45,655,744

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Hawk Films, Peregrine

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min (cut) 119 min (cut) (European) 146 min (original) 142 min (US dvd release: B002VWNIDG)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Key scenes in this film are rendered in elaborate CG as being a level in the game that is central to the plot of the film Ready Player One (2018).

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Goofs

When Jack is driving to the motel at the beginning for his interview, the shadow of a helicopter can be seen following the car.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Torrance: Hi, I've got an appointment with Mr. Ullman. My name is Jack Torrance.

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Crazy Credits

The movie's opening titles are also the only instance in any Kubrick film where scrolling credits, rather than title cards, are used.

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Alternate Versions

Stanley Kubrick shot Jack's typewriter pages in different languages for release in different countries. Such localized versions were released internationally in theaters, on video and on TV. The DVD releases of 2001 and 2007, however, only feature the English version of the text.

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Connections

Referenced in The Misadventures of Onipex and Pals: Christmas/Snow (2010)

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Soundtracks

De Natura Sonoris No. 1
Music by Krzysztof Penderecki
Performed by Narodowa Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia w Katowicach (uncredited)
Conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki (uncredited)

User Reviews

I hate horror, but I love this movie!

The Shining is a masterclass in film-making and a staple of popular culture. I, personally, cannot stand horror films. I don't like to feel scared, and I don't like to have my emotions manipulated by scary monsters, scary music, scary lighting, etc. I feel like horror is an easy genre - it's easy to scare some people, and people go to movies hoping to feel something, so why not fear?

But, I had heard a lot about The Shining. I decided I would look up the plot and watch some clips so I wouldn't be caught off-guard by anything, and I could just appreciate the characters, directing, cinematography, etc.

Despite knowing everything that would happen, the film was unbelievably engaging. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Jack Nicholson, of course, steals the show with one of the most iconic performances ever, and the other actors were decent, but the real star was Kubrick himself. Every shot, every set, the sound design, and everything has his fingerprints all over it, and it is such a delight to watch. When Jack advances up the stairs demanding the bat from Shelley Duval, I grinned from ear to ear because everything in that moment was just perfect in film.

The movie, like all others, has problems. In my opinion, the Grady girls and the bloody elevator do not hold up. I knew they were coming from the summaries I had read, so I knew what to expect, so the only reason I could see them as being scary or unsettling is if the viewer was caught off-guard. If you're pretty feminist, you're not going to like Shelley Duval's character, as she is a pretty weak character.

All in all, this film is fantastically-made, a cinematic and acting delight, and a gripping horror film that is considered a classic for a reason.