Interesting to hear what you think the best Kubrick film is, I assume you would say 2001 as that is the only other acceptable answer :)
There are so many layers of depth to the shining, it’s a nutrient-dense, rich tapestry of a film and the mythos around it (including conspiracy nuts like in room 237) is testament to that. It may not be the most immediately cinematographic of his films which is why people tend to prefer the more stylised pieces like 2001 or Clockwork Orange.
However the Shining, for me, is the gift that keeps on giving - like the overlook hotel it is a story that continues to retell itself through time and I’m always taken by how strikingly relevant it feels.
Great write up. Most of the film was shot at Elstree Studios, including the outside of the Overlook hotel -- a huge set was built on the backlot. My bedroom window looks out on the very spot where it once stood... a space that was recently occupied by the Buckingham Palace set from The Crown.
I read the book first and that was a “scariest” spoiler for me.
Dr. Strangelove was fantastic and the polar opposite of 2001. The amount of sets, the number of plots, and the ability to roll an unknown/unexplained ‘cold war’ into entertainment, was pure genius... especially since it was released 13 months after ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ hit the screen.
Strong disagree with it being the best of all time. It’s not even the best Kubrick. Agree that it’s good, though.
Interesting to hear what you think the best Kubrick film is, I assume you would say 2001 as that is the only other acceptable answer :)
There are so many layers of depth to the shining, it’s a nutrient-dense, rich tapestry of a film and the mythos around it (including conspiracy nuts like in room 237) is testament to that. It may not be the most immediately cinematographic of his films which is why people tend to prefer the more stylised pieces like 2001 or Clockwork Orange.
However the Shining, for me, is the gift that keeps on giving - like the overlook hotel it is a story that continues to retell itself through time and I’m always taken by how strikingly relevant it feels.
Great write up. Most of the film was shot at Elstree Studios, including the outside of the Overlook hotel -- a huge set was built on the backlot. My bedroom window looks out on the very spot where it once stood... a space that was recently occupied by the Buckingham Palace set from The Crown.
I find it shallow. The characters are not complex.... how did they get together? There is no rhyme or reason behind anything.
Dislocation is the theme... and thus the result is rather shabbily patronising.
Just another movie...
Amazing that you got to see it at the BFI IMAX. Jealous!
Oof!
I read the book first and that was a “scariest” spoiler for me.
Dr. Strangelove was fantastic and the polar opposite of 2001. The amount of sets, the number of plots, and the ability to roll an unknown/unexplained ‘cold war’ into entertainment, was pure genius... especially since it was released 13 months after ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ hit the screen.