Room 237 (2012)

An exploration of various interpretations of Stanley Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (1980).

Director:

Rodney Ascher

Stars:

Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns

2 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bill Blakemore	...	Self
Geoffrey Cocks	...	Self
Juli Kearns	...	Self
John Fell Ryan	...	Self
Jay Weidner	...	Self
Stephen Brophy	...	Cast
Ash Brophy	...	Csst
Buddy Black	...	Cast
Buffy Visick	...	Cast
Sam Walton	...	Cast (as Samuel Walton)

Storyline

A subjective documentary that explores the numerous theories about the hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining (1980). The film may be over 30 years old but it continues to inspire debate, speculation, and mystery. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments. Together they'll draw the audience into a new maze, one with endless detours and dead ends, many ways in, but no way out.

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Plot Keywords:

number | big wheel | television commercial | mockumentary | conspiracy theory | 

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Taglines:

Some movies stay with you forever...and ever...and ever.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

M

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Rodney Ascher has gone on record saying that he does not personally believe many of the theories espoused by narrators in this film. In an interview with Complex magazine, he said, "my personal take on it is, for one, I don't think it's nearly as visionary as any one of these folks have found. I just see it as sort of a story about juggling the responsibilities of your career and family and as cautionary tale of what may happen if you make the wrong choice. And even maybe looking at the ghosts as these figures that represent fortune or prestige or things that you might be chasing at the expense of paying proper attention to your family."

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Goofs

One of the documentary's interviewees suggests that Bill Watson's trousers change from being plain to patterned during the interview scene. Although the documentary attempts to back this up with a split-screen showing different shots, the trousers seem to be patterned in both. The example footage isn't the highest of quality so the pattern is more difficult to see in one shot, especially as the camera is further away.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits scroll downward.

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Connections

Features Fellini - Satyricon (1969)

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Soundtracks

We Cannot Escape the Past from the album 'A Stairway to the Stars'
Composed and Performed by The Caretaker
By Arrangement with History Always Favours the Winners

User Reviews

A Documentary for Deniers

Just got done watching it. My initial reaction: "Wow. These people are nuts."

Don't get me wrong - this is a fun watch as long as you don't take any of it too seriously. I know the film pretty well, but these "analysts" go out of their way to ignore the obvious in order to drive on to their wacky conclusions.

Thanks to the infinite paranoia pool that we call the Internet, the mythology about The Shining is outstripping the history of the film itself. This is less about the movie but more about people who look for conspiracies in every corner. Faked moon landings? Set geometry? Minotaurs? Absurd, sure, but how different are they from those people that deny birth certificates or imagine black UN helicopters or, most recently, those who say Sandy Hook was faked. These Deniers create their own logic, disallow any reality that doesn't fit and then warp the facts to fit their conclusions. I think this film really does a great job showing these people for what they are - delusional and and self-obsessed.

We can let them be entertaining, but we can never take any of what they say seriously.

Details

Official Sites:

Film Sales Corp Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 October 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

A 237-es szoba

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,693, 31 March 2013

Gross USA:

$296,359

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$367,406

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highland Park Classics, The Ebersole Hughes Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1