I saw the shining alone in the theater in my teens. My parents had just moved to Baltimore and I knew no one. I made the late show after getting lost for 2 hours driving alone trying to find the theater.
Watching That film was the scariest experience I had ever had. I hadn’t done any research. I had no idea what to expect. What fun as a teenager. Loved those days.
The Shining is one of the few movies (maybe the only one) that I thought was better than the book it was based on. Unfortunately, I can't even read a Stephan King book any longer.
If Jack didn’t want to be bothered, why did he insist on working in the room that literally everyone has to walk through to get anywhere in the whole giant hotel?
Almost same scene he played in As Good As It Gets. As Mr. Udall, when he gave same spiel to Greg Kinnear after throwing his dog down the garbage chute. 😂
Nicholson portrayed the mindset and mannerisms of an alcoholic so accurately that it still gives me chills. This was my old man to a tee. When he’s sitting on the bed talking to Danny I swear I can smell the booze breath. I remember feeling just like Danny in such moments.
I was just telling someone about The Shining today, and have plans to watch it tomorrow. My family is taking a trip on Friday to our favorite vacation spot, Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. In case you don’t know this place, you should look it up right now. And you will understand when you see it, that it was supposedly Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining, and not the hotel in which it was filmed. It has been in the same family since the late 1800s, and every addition, renovation, every sheet of new wallpaper or furniture, has remained true to the era. You feel as though you have stepped back in time, and there’s something lovely and spooky about it at the same time. I can’t wait to get there again.
I lived in New Paltz for a short time in 2008/2009 when I was attending college there, and whenever I’m in upstate NY, I try to visit, because it’s just a gorgeous little town and because Lake Minnewaska is just *chef’s kiss* gorgeous. My college friends and I used to call New Paltz SUNY Narnia whenever we were hiking around there. There’s a little grassy field on the east side of the lake (I think) that sits between the lake on one side and a beautiful view of the Hudson valley on the other. I have a lot of fond memories of playing frisbee up there and tossing (compostable) paper planes from the cliff’s edge. Say hi to New Paltz for me 👋😄
Another excellent article. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors. I love The Shining. Two things you can tell that it’s Kubrick movie is the lighting and the set design. His movies always have certain lighting style. You see it in The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and 2001 A Space Odyssey. They all have this certain lighting. Dr Strangelove in B/W also has it.
In my opinion The Shining also has probably one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. You show it in your piece. Wendy running through the hotel as Jack is coming close to Danny in the maze. She stops to look at the elevator as gallons upon gallons of blood pour out of the side of the elevator. The music to that scene and her look of terror is worth the price of admission.
Regarding the lighting, notice how in almost every scene the source of light is visible on screen. The lamp, the fluorescents, the candle. Almost no directors do that and he did it in almost every shot.
This was one of the first suspense / thriller movies to freak me out. Jack Nicholson was absolutely superb in it 👏👏👏. I doubt it would’ve been the success it was had anyone BUT Jack played his role.
Halloween still spooks me when Michael wakes up over Jamie's shoulder :-D The whole movie resembled my neighborhood, all of our neighborhoods. Not the murders, of course, just the console TVs, leaves on the ground, close neighbors.
I hate to say it, but it seems too easy these days. Before digital, artists worked their asses off. I play guitar and pay attention to artists via folks like Rick Beato; Tom Scholz made an entire album in a analog studio(Boston) before things like ProTools came, cutting tape etc.
Not blaming technology, but growing up in the 70s and 80s we had to use our imaginations and physical things that we had. I think the movies pre-Obama were as good as it got until woke came hard. Woke was there in the 80s and 90s, but in pieces.
Me in the home office, drinking whiskey, writing Substack comments.
😂
Beautiful movie one of my Top5 to watch over and over again.
I saw the shining alone in the theater in my teens. My parents had just moved to Baltimore and I knew no one. I made the late show after getting lost for 2 hours driving alone trying to find the theater.
Watching That film was the scariest experience I had ever had. I hadn’t done any research. I had no idea what to expect. What fun as a teenager. Loved those days.
The Shining is one of the few movies (maybe the only one) that I thought was better than the book it was based on. Unfortunately, I can't even read a Stephan King book any longer.
If Jack didn’t want to be bothered, why did he insist on working in the room that literally everyone has to walk through to get anywhere in the whole giant hotel?
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Because then the movie would only be like 20 minutes long.
This was my dumb-ass piece on The Shining from a while back.
https://open.substack.com/pub/brianhoward/p/the-sum-of-all-fears?r=c50dd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
Almost same scene he played in As Good As It Gets. As Mr. Udall, when he gave same spiel to Greg Kinnear after throwing his dog down the garbage chute. 😂
because he’s 1) an addict 2) abusive and 3)insane
Her face is an absolute poem in those scenes.
Nicholson portrayed the mindset and mannerisms of an alcoholic so accurately that it still gives me chills. This was my old man to a tee. When he’s sitting on the bed talking to Danny I swear I can smell the booze breath. I remember feeling just like Danny in such moments.
I was just telling someone about The Shining today, and have plans to watch it tomorrow. My family is taking a trip on Friday to our favorite vacation spot, Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY. In case you don’t know this place, you should look it up right now. And you will understand when you see it, that it was supposedly Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining, and not the hotel in which it was filmed. It has been in the same family since the late 1800s, and every addition, renovation, every sheet of new wallpaper or furniture, has remained true to the era. You feel as though you have stepped back in time, and there’s something lovely and spooky about it at the same time. I can’t wait to get there again.
I lived in New Paltz for a short time in 2008/2009 when I was attending college there, and whenever I’m in upstate NY, I try to visit, because it’s just a gorgeous little town and because Lake Minnewaska is just *chef’s kiss* gorgeous. My college friends and I used to call New Paltz SUNY Narnia whenever we were hiking around there. There’s a little grassy field on the east side of the lake (I think) that sits between the lake on one side and a beautiful view of the Hudson valley on the other. I have a lot of fond memories of playing frisbee up there and tossing (compostable) paper planes from the cliff’s edge. Say hi to New Paltz for me 👋😄
WOW, Sasha!
Absolutely loved reading your commentary on The Shining.
God has certainly blessed you with the gift of writing. Thank you for sharing that gift with us!
Another excellent article. Kubrick is one of my favorite directors. I love The Shining. Two things you can tell that it’s Kubrick movie is the lighting and the set design. His movies always have certain lighting style. You see it in The Shining, A Clockwork Orange and 2001 A Space Odyssey. They all have this certain lighting. Dr Strangelove in B/W also has it.
In my opinion The Shining also has probably one of the greatest scenes in cinematic history. You show it in your piece. Wendy running through the hotel as Jack is coming close to Danny in the maze. She stops to look at the elevator as gallons upon gallons of blood pour out of the side of the elevator. The music to that scene and her look of terror is worth the price of admission.
Regarding the lighting, notice how in almost every scene the source of light is visible on screen. The lamp, the fluorescents, the candle. Almost no directors do that and he did it in almost every shot.
You’re right. I didn’t think or notice it. Thanks!
This was one of the first suspense / thriller movies to freak me out. Jack Nicholson was absolutely superb in it 👏👏👏. I doubt it would’ve been the success it was had anyone BUT Jack played his role.
Such a great movie
The Shining by Stanley Kubrick
TY
Worshipping evil people pretending they are good kills your soul …
Such an absolute masterpiece.
...
Brilliant.
My wife and I are going to watch The Shining before Halloween.
Halloween still spooks me when Michael wakes up over Jamie's shoulder :-D The whole movie resembled my neighborhood, all of our neighborhoods. Not the murders, of course, just the console TVs, leaves on the ground, close neighbors.
I hate to say it, but it seems too easy these days. Before digital, artists worked their asses off. I play guitar and pay attention to artists via folks like Rick Beato; Tom Scholz made an entire album in a analog studio(Boston) before things like ProTools came, cutting tape etc.
Not blaming technology, but growing up in the 70s and 80s we had to use our imaginations and physical things that we had. I think the movies pre-Obama were as good as it got until woke came hard. Woke was there in the 80s and 90s, but in pieces.