Review a Subject: The Shining (Movie)

The Shining is a movie that follows the Torrence family on their winter “vacation”. Jack
and Wendy Torrence are parents to Danny. The movie goes along the journey of the natural to
supernatural stressors of the lower middle class family; Danny is the one who is connected to
the hotel and has the ability to “shine” as described by Dick Halloren, who also has the same
ability.
The opening sequence in the shining paved a new way directors work with cameras. A
long sweeping shot from a helicopter shows a mountain range in Montana is shown with a high
pitched scream in the background (native american war screams). Ever since its release this
movie has been the most speculated in cinema for the longest amount of time. People have
been theorising its deep and hidden meaning. The shining is a metaphysical and mental maze.
Kubrik never wanted to disclose the secrets of the Overlook to preserve the movies arcana.
In my perspective, The Shining is a tale of the violence and delirium that begins once
subject to long term isolation. Some believe that is it about the mass genocide of the Native
Americans which came from early America. That America is a stolen land and the hotel is on
that stolen land that was cursed before it was taken from the white man; This is the reason for
the hotel being haunted, the vision of blood coming out of the elevator, and other context clues
such as the many Native American art pieces scattered throughout the hotel. Others believe
that it is all in Wendys head, calling it “The Wendy Theory” and that she is actually suffering
from schizophrenia. This alludes to the hidden details such as chairs disappearing and
reappearing within scenes. However, I believe Kubrick slid details such as this into the movie to
create a feeling of unease.
The Overlook hotel itself is an entity, or a character. It is a living, breathing thing and its
hungry for human souls. Those who give into the hotels disillusionment and foreboding feeling
as it tries to take your soul and claim it as its own. Jack Torrence eventually gives into his anger
that he had been penting up ever since the last time he had alcohol. Because he was a violent
drunk, him and Wendy agreed that he would never have another drop again.
Wendy is first introduces as a tired and battered woman. You can tell by the amount of
cigarettes and the tired expression on her face that is hidden through her smile. A woman goes
to the torrence residence to evaluate Danny psychologically as Danny has been talking about
his imaginary friend ‘Tony’ who Danny describes as “the little boy that lives in my stomach” and
Wendy was very hesitant to share details about her and Dannys past with being abused by Jack
and his struggles with alcohol.
Jack and his relationship with alcohol is very interesting to me. Jack seems to give off a
fake or manufactured persona for the first half of the movie with hints of rage peeking through.
As the family is getting a tour of the hotel the owner, Stuart Ullman, he establishes at the
beginning that there is absolutely no alcohol on the hotel grounds; The hotel is requred to move
it out of the hotel during the winter. As Jack gives into his rage and anger, the hotel begins to
enable his alcoholism.
Danny becomes intruiged by a certain room 237 in the hotel that the hotel manager, Dick
Halloran, specifically told him to stay away from it. Danny asked Dick about the room because
Tony told him about it and the film hints that Tony has ill intention toward Danny. The moment
Jacks anger sparks his decent into madness, is when Danny comes to the main hall of the hotel
with a big bruise on his neck and Wendy immediately pins the blame on Jack because of their
past. You can see the life leave Jacks face when he sees the state of his sons well being,
questioning if he really did that to his son. Jack makes his way to the bar in whats called the
“Gold Room” eveytime he passes a mirror, bursting out with his anger and his head getting
hotter and hotter by each mirror.
As he gets to the bar and sits down, he has a moment to himself questioning his well
being. “God Id give anything for a drink.” he says. “Id give my god damn soul for just a glass of
beer.” He rubs his face and looks directly into the camera, slowly giving off a grin. “Hello Lloyd!”
A man appears from where the camera was positioned, a bartender. This scene in the bar sets
up the remainer of the movie. “You set them up, and Ill knock them back” “One by one”.
Referencing killing his family. As Jack extends a $5, the bartender tells him his money is no
good here. This perhaps means the hotel doesnt take money as its payment but rather the souls
of those who do the hotels bidding. Jack does just that.
The next scene cuts to wendy running to the gold room that Jack is in with a baseball
bat. She is shown emotionally distraught. As the camera pans to Jack sitting at the bar, there is
no longer any alcohol and Lloyd is gone. Wendy tells Jack that a theres a woman in the hotel
with them and shes the one who hurt Danny. Jack asks Wendy, “Are you out of your fucking
mind?” sluring his words as if he is actually intoxicated. She asks him to take a look inside the
room for her and he agrees.
Inside the room there is strange carpet pattern, not shown anywhere else in the hotel.
The camera is in the perspective of Jack as he enters further into the room. We are led to the
bathroom which is painted green and a naked woman appears sitting in the bathtub. My theory
is that this is the hotel tempting Jack even more to do as it pleases. The two begin to kiss but
suddenly Jacks face turns from swoon to disgust as the camera flips around and shows the
woman to be covered in wounds and she appears much older than before. He runs out of the
room in fear.
Wendy is shown sitting in the bedroom with her baseball bat. Suddenly she hears
someone knocking at the door, “Its me.” Jack says and she lets him in. He is in a much calmer
state than the previous scene with a caring tone to his voice. As their conversation continues
she asks Jack if they can go home and his anger comes back. He storms out of the room and
the rest of the movie is Jacks rampage against his family.
Danny “shines” to communicate with Dick Halloran inviting him to the hotel to save him
and his mother. Through Jacks hallucinations, hes able to find out that Danny is trying to bring
Dick, adding another person to his kill list. As Dick enters the hotel, he wanders around for a
minute calling out for the Torrences before Jack plunges an axe through his chest.
At the end of the film. The camera slowly pans towards a picture on the wall, a picture
that can be seen throughout the movie, showing a group photo with the hotel staff with Jack
front and center with “July 4th 1929” in big bold letters. This was the craziest ending to a movie
ive ever experienced.