| | | A masterpiece of modern horror.
Features: DVD, Dolby Digital (5.1)
Think of the greatest terror imaginable. A monstrous alien? A lethal epidemic? Or, as in this harrowing masterpiece from director Stanley Kubrick, is it fear of murder by someone who should love and protect you -- a member of your own family? From a script he co-adapted from the Stephen King novel, Kubrick melds vivid performances, menacing settings, dreamlike tracking shots and shock after shock into a milestone of the macabre. In a signature role, Jack Nicholson ("Heeeere's Johnny!") plays Jack Torrance, who's come to the elegant, isolated Overlook Hotel as off-season caretaker with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd). Torrance has never been there before--or has he? The answer lies in a ghostly time warp of madness and murder.
"Kubrick is a master of the haunting visual..." The Motion Picture Guide
"The first epic horror film." Jack Kroll, Newsweek
Editor's Note
Opening with spectacular aerial shots of a beautiful, mountainous landscape, Stanley Kubrick's horror classic THE SHINING sucks the viewer into his frightening tale with quiet, relaxing visuals--but the ominous soundtrack warns that all is not right at the gorgeous Overlook Hotel. Based on Stephen King's best-selling novel, the film stars Jack Nicholson at his eyebrow-raising best in his portrayal of Jack Torrance, a Vermont schoolteacher working at the Overlook as a winter caretaker. The glorious early-20th century resort only operates in warm weather because the snowy roads deny access in the colder months, so Jack brings his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), with him, as well as his young son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), who possesses some unique psychic powers. As the Torrances settle in for the long, lonely months ahead, strange, unexplainable things start occurring in the hotel--and in every scene Jack seems to be growing a little more evil and dangerous....Cinematographer John Alcott (who also worked on BARRY LYNDON and A CLOCKWORK ORANGE) allows his Steadicam to float eerily through the deserted halls and corridors of the hotel, creating a creepy air of tension as Jack plummets into madness. Kubrick's obsessive eye for detail is prevalent throughout; the famous scene where Danny rides his toy buggy through the hotel is remarkable for Alcott's gliding camerawork and the desolate sound of the wheels alternately scraping across the hardwood and carpeted floors. Nicholson and Duvall are outstanding throughout, with both actors running the full gamut of human emotions as the film races towards a thrilling conclusion. Supplemented by an oddball cast of dead twin girls, suicidal ax-murdering ghosts, Scatman Crothers as the hotel cook, and many other weird and wonderful figures, Kubrick's film is a pulse-racing treat that is among the best in his inimitable body of work.
Plot Summary
When Jack Torrance finds a job as a caretaker for an old abandoned hotel during the winter, he thinks of it as the perfect place to focus on his writing. Even his son's misgivings about the move don't deter him. But soon after the Torrances arrive, strange things start happening...and it looks as if the spooky hotel has a plan of its own for Jack and his family.
| Features | French Subtitles | | English Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Spanish Subtitles | | Theatrical Trailer | | Standard Version | | English Subtitles | | Vivian Kubrick's Behind-The-Scenes Documentary | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 9/14/2004 |
| Running Time: 144 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1980 | | Catalog ID: 21156 | | UPC: 00085392115624 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 4:3 |
| Cast & Crew
| Memorable Quotes| "Well, you can rest assured, Mr. Ullman, that's not going to happen with me."----Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) to Stuart Ullman (Barry Nelson) when told about a previous caretaker who killed his entire family with an ax, then put a shotgun in his own mouth | | "Redrum! Redrum!"----Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) | | "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." | | "You've always been the caretaker here, Mr. Torrance."----Delbert Grady (Philip Stone) to Jack | | "Heeeeere's Johnny!"----Jack (ad--libbed) | | "Forever, and ever, and ever..."----Grady's daughters (Lisa and Louise Burns) to Danny | | "I'm not gonna hurt you. Wendy, darling, light of my life, I'm not gonna hurt you. You didn't let me finish my sentence. I said, I'm not gonna hurt you. I'm just gonna bash your brains in."----Jack to Wendy (Shelley Duvall) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...The atmosphere of the hotel is properly menacing and glamorous..." 05/28/1980New York Times
"...Spellbinding....Nicholson's Jack is one of his most vibrant characterizations, furiously alive in every frame and fueled by an explosive anger..." 05/23/1980 p.C8 Total Film
"THE SHINING works as a standalone masterpiece." 01/01/2004 p.134-5 Premiere
"Few monsters are more frightening than the loving and trusted dad (played to tightly wound perfection by Nicholson)..." 04/01/2004 p.56 Ultimate DVD
5 stars out of 5 -- "[With] agoraphobic locations and magnificent sets....Truly unnerving to watch." 04/01/2008 p.72 Greatestfilms.org 9 of 10
The Shining is creative director Stanley Kubrick's intense, epic, gothic horror film masterpiece--a beautiful, stylish work which distanced itself from the blood-letting gore of most modern films in the horror genre...Kubrick explores the dimensions of the genre to create the ultimate horror film. - Tim Dirks
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