In association with

The Shining [1980]
from Warner Home Video
starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd, Scatman Crothers, Barry Nelson
directed by Stanley Kubrick

Features:

• Dubbed
• Full Screen
• PAL

Editorial Review:

Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is less an adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling horror novel than a complete re-imagining of it from the inside out. In King's book, the Overlook Hotel is a haunted place that takes possession of its off-season caretaker and provokes him to murderous rage against his wife and young son. Kubrick's film is an existential Road Runner cartoon (his steadicam scurrying through the hotel's labyrinthine hallways), in which the cavernously empty spaces inside the Overlook Hotel mirror the emptiness in the soul of the blocked writer settled in for a long winter's hibernation. As many have pointed out, King's protagonist goes mad, but Kubrick's Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) is Looney Tunes from the moment we meet him--all arching eyebrows and mischievous grin. (Both Nicholson and Shelley Duvall reach new levels of hysteria in their performances, driven to extremes by the director's fanatical demand s for take after take after take.) The Shining is terrifying--but not in the way fans of the novel might expect. When it was redone as a TV mini-series (reportedly because of King's dissatisfaction with the Kubrick film), the famous topiary-animal attack (which was deemed impossible to film in 1980) was there--but the deeper horror was lost. Kubrick's The Shining gets under your skin and chills your bones; it stays with you, inhabits you, haunts you. And there's no place to hide... --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

• Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

• JACK NICHOLSON AND STEPHEN KING
  The Shining [1980]
  An ugly, hard-to-stomach horror movie, from Stanley Kubrick, whose sense of taste and feeling for his character have somewhat dulled. His source: Stephen's King's novel, was a horrifing tale, too, but King evokes a sence of concern for his characters which has totally eluded Kubrick's work here. Jack Nicholson is suitably menancing but Shelly Duvall is almost ludricrously weak.

• Film/Book Comparison
  I decided to read the Shining Before watching the film. I Loved the book a i feel i would have enjoyed the film alot more if i hadnt read the book 1st, not only did the film take stuff away, but it added stuff that was never mentioned in the book or touched upon, it is a good film and it was scary but its not how i would have made it

• GREAT FILM
  Having never heard of this film i was told by a friend to get it, i watched it and realy enjoyed it , yes the film looks dated , and there are no great special affects, but the film is a classic 80,s horror and well worth watching .

• If you have read the book dont watch the film!!
  I read the book a few months ago and i loved it but when i watched the film i just wanted it to be over its a very bad adaptation of the book there is so much wrong about the film in particular the room number in the book its 217 in the film its 137 and there are so many more things diffrent and not in a good way ither.
  If you havnt read the book on the other had i think this might be quite an entertaining film even tho its quite dated.

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