Film Analysis Of The Shining

The analysis of “The Shining” directed by Stanley Kubrick

The Shining is a horror movie filmed by Stanley Kubrick. It bases on the namesake novel written by Stephen King. The film tells a story of the Torrance family that included Jack, Wendy and their son Danny that shows signs of strange powers from the beginning of the movie. The trio went to the Overlook Hotel where the husband would work as a caretaker during the winter. It appeared the building was possessed by some evil power (Kubrick suggested it could be because the house was built on the Native Americans’ cemetery) that killed some of visitors and workers. The spirit or demon was interested in Danny’s abilities, but the boy used them to call help and save himself and his mother. Jack died (froze to death in the movie) and joined the ranks of people affected by the Overlook Hotel.

Kubrick’s The Shining can be called the most famous screen adaptation of this novel. This status remains despite the fact the director cut and changed some aspects of the original story.

The music often supports wide shots, like scenes with landscapes, or the most important dialogues, like the moment when Danny asked Jack if he wants to hurt him or Wendy (“The Shining” 56:30); or when he called Wendy and looked in the room 237. Such type of the soundtrack is quite unusual for modern movies, where the music is the major (if not the main) part of the development of the plot. In The Shining music only supports the intension created by the acting, dialogues or background sounds. For example, Jack’s burst of anger (“The Shining” 1:19) started without the background music; man’s feelings were demonstrated with his face expression, aggressive movements and the sound of falling saucepans he threw off the table. Filmmakers also did not use the “pattern” of quite dialogues and loud, “dramatic” music accords in speechless scenes, which is a common choice for modern horror