What Makes "The Shining" Great.

Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the Stephan King novel is a film that took a while to get decent recognition. Like many of his films though, it is now considered a groundbreaking piece of its genre. The setting, the performances, and Kubrick's bag of tricks has elevated this film into a horror icon.

Writer "Jack Torrance" takes the job of "Caretaker" of "The Overlook Hotel", which is located deep in the Rocky Mountains and has to be closed every winter. Jack brings his wife "Wendy" and son "Danny" who possess a unique psychic ability called "Shining". Jack hopes to use the quiet and isolated location to help finish his writing. But the hotel is haunted by supernatural forces, and their influence takes its toll on Jack's sanity.

The Hotel setting presented in the film is magnificent in terms of scale and atmosphere. Kubrick brilliantly brings this place to life thanks to the inventive camera work he is known for. Kubrick's use of the "Steadicam" allows for some great tracking shots of the characters roaming the various areas of the hotel. These scenes, ranging from Jack centered in the room writing on his typewriter, to Danny riding his tricycle around the floors give an immersive vibe and a sense of isolation, which describes how the characters feel.

Jack Nicholson brings his usual A-game as Jack Torrance. Nicholson perfectly portrays the descent of the character into madness. No one does crazy quite like Nicholson, and those facial expressions and line delivery are all things only Nicholson can pull off. The real star of the film though is the child actor Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance. Much of the film is from Danny's perspective which makes sense given his psychic connection to the hotel, and Danny himself is a bit of a mystery throughout the film, esspisally when considering his imaginary friend "Tony". Danny is key to many of the plot elements of The Shinning, so the fact that the performance works this well is a big plus.

Much like "2001: A Space Odyessy", Kubrick leaves this film up to many interpretations and questions still linger after the film. These range from what is Danny's friend Tony? What is Jack's real role in the hotel? and what is up with "Room 237"? All these things are more exciting to figure out yourself, rather than the movie spoon-feeding you everything.

Much like what he has done with genres such as Science Fiction and War, Kubrick makes the Horror genre his own. There are few Horror flicks out there as well crafted as this one.