Review of The Shining (1980) by Gerald O — 16 Jul 2017

This movie has both inspired and de-motivated me to write. On one hand, it's refreshing that Kubrick saw Stephen King's novel as the ludicrous bore-fest that it was. At the same time, he took the subtlest things from King's work, (the dichotomy of creative madness and fatherhood) and actually created a moving piece of art that transcends entertainment horror.

Every frame in The Shining is technically crafted to perfection, while every plot twist and ironic piece of dialog is allegorical, and in many cases, symbolic of American culture. I won't be one of the ones to claim Kubrick "confessed" anything in these movies.

For all I know, he trolled the world by playing with iconic symbols as recklessly as Pollock. What is clear is that when Stanley finally succumbed to the maze of human existence, we lost the last great cinematic painter in the spirit of Wells and Hitchcock.