Jack Nicholson is one of my very favourite actors. You could sell me on any film by telling me that he is in it. The Shining very well may be his greatest moment. His performance in this film is cemented in history, so much so infact that to a lot of people "Heeeere's Johnny!" is a quote from The Shining and poor old Johnny Carson doesn't get a look in. Fun Fact: The line was improvised by Nicholson.
The outline of the plot for those who have not seen it (if you haven't, you've never lived) is Jack takes a job as a caretaker for a hotel that closes over winter as so much snow blocks off access to the hotel. He and his family move in to the empty hotel for the winter. The hotel has a history of murders and the previous caretaker went insane and killed his family, which for some reason doesn't bother Jack at all. Danny, the young son, has a form of ESP called The Shining.
Jack wants to write a novel which doesn't go very well, mainly due to him going mad i suppose.
As time goes on Jack becomes increasingly irate and his wife becomes increasingly scared, wanting to take her son out of the hotel.
We also have a chef called Dick who too has The Shining, he able to talk to Danny through this and can feel he is in danger. This also doesn't end very well, but i won't spoil it.
The Shining has many iconic scenes including an elevator that opens to unleash a sea of blood, the twins in the hallway who one moment are alive and the next dead and soaked in blood and Danny on his cycle. These scenes and many more are iconic for a reason, they're so powerful. The music that accompanies the film is perfect, it creates an unsettling atmosphere from the very start of the film. Nothing has even happened and the music takes you to a place of fear, hanging over the viewer like a pendulum that can't be seen, yet you know it's there.
The use of children, while a cliche, works very well. The twin girls in matching clothing, always silent but always lingering leave a lasting impression from the moment you first see them with no explanation of who they are and without them doing anything.
The film also makes use of some great camera work. Danny rides about the hotel on his cycle and the camera follows him from behind, turning every corner with him. Is the camera something following him or is the camera what Danny can see ahead of him, the viewer waiting for the something to be stood waiting around every corner that we turn with Danny. I also enjoy the sound created by the cycle. No music is heard, just the sound of the bike and as he rides across wooden flooring, a loud bassy sound is heard, almost like a roar of a demon. As he runs over carpet it stops. He changes the two surfaces often creating a distinct and eerie noise.
Another of my favourite camera angles is Jack pressing the top of his head against a door with the camera under him. We get to see his face. Bright red with sweat running down it and his hair in a mess. He looks genuinely crazed.
I really can't begin to express how good The Shining is. Every twist and every scare is superb. The build of terror from the second it starts up to the second it ends is a ride of horror and delight. It should be a film everyone has to see before they die. If you have never seen it, i won't spoil it, but take some time out to see one of the best films of all time. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
No comments:
Post a Comment