Shining, The (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

This is, of course, the iconic Stanley Kubrick movie, which heavily adapted Stephen King's novel (which apparently King either disliked immensely or outright hated) of the same name. It stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a writer who agrees to become the winter caretaker of The Overlook Hotel on the side of a mountain in Colorado. He moves there with his wife Wendy, played by Shelly Duvall, and son Danny, played by Danny Lloyd. Both Jack and his son have "The Shining" which allows them to see ghosts and other, disturbing, imagery. Over the course of time, Jack is driven crazy by evil living in the hotel. The movie definitely does not follow the novel to a tee, which may upset fans of the novel as it did King. I do tend to agree with King that his interpretation of Jack as a good guy who slowly devolves over the course of time is not really borne out in the movie. Nicholson never really gives off a vibe that he is a "good" person, and about 45 minutes into a two and a half hour movie, he is already going nuts. Duvall's character was not exactly written as a strong character as she was in the book, and Kubrick totally changed the ending. That said, I do think Kubrick did a perfect job with his interpretation of the story and got great performances from all the characters, including Danny Lloyd, who did a great job for being so young. Nicholson nailed the "nuts" Jack Torrance and you totally could buy that he was off the rails, even if he did not have the kind of progression the character in the book did. For those who get the 4K Blu-ray, the AV quality is very good, especially the visuals at the beginning of the movie on the drive to the hotel, and the exterior shots of the hotel. The extras include a commentary track on the movie by one of the camera operators and Kubrick's biographer. There is also a making-of documentary which was filmed on the set by Kubrick's daughter. There is also a featurette on the composer and the music of the movie. A lot of good material. Overall, I cannot say that the movie is for everyone. It is very violent, has a lot of swearing and some nudity in it. So, if that turns you off to a movie, then don't even think about this. Also, those who are huge fans of the book may not like Kubrick's adaptation. But, if you can look beyond those things, and are a fan of horror movies, especially those that do not involve an unstoppable killer, this is definitely worth checking out.

This is more about my experience than an actual review. OK here we go....I read the Stephen King novel twice before I finally got to see this movie at a late night showing in Southend, Essex(UK)in the 80's. Stephen King had a problem with Stanley Kubricks interpretation, other websites go into this in more detail but to be fair if you want the actual version of the book, Stephen King remade it in 1997 as a TV mini series, and that version is pretty good. It has a couple of moments in Stephen King's film version of 'The Shining' which I wish was in Mr Kubrick's version. 'The Shining' has influenced me throughout my life. I remember in the 80's when I used to say it was my favourite film of all time, people would look down their noses in disapproval or laugh. Nowadays when I say `The Shining' is one of my all time favourites people agree...My instinct was correct all those years ago. For me there is nothing more scary than having Jack Nicholson chasing you down long corridors with an axe in a hotel isolated in the middle of bloody nowhere. Period. (OK, I lied, if you have played games `Dead Space' and 'Dead Space 2' on Xbox 360 that's not scary, it's bloody terrifying!). I took my film club buddies to a special screening of `The Shining' at the REX Cinema in Berkhamsted, a beautiful red and gold art deco cinema, unmatched by any other venue here in the UK. This cinema will blow you away: [...] The atmosphere of The Rex was perfect to see `The Shining'. The icing on the cake, which was unexpected, was that Kubrick's daughter introduced the film. `Wow, it doesn't get better than this' I said at the time. It was a dream come true to see this film for the second time on the big screen. My good friend Wayne had never seen it before, he said afterwards...'I dunno what to say, I can't say I liked it because it was an experience. It blew me away. I'm speechless'. Wayne's totally right, the film is an experience and one that I've cherished. I remember when I was at drama school we had to be a famous person for a day and I chose to be Jack Nicholson. When I arrived at the school in character, in my old black city mini, I had the third year students check the school over for bombs and security because I asked them to be my body guards. My explanation for driving a small car was due to the fact my limo had broken down. I (Jack) was visiting the school to talk about `The Shining 2'. I never forget Damon Albarn (who was in my class at drama school) decided to be the Ayatollah Khomeini and said he wished he thought of having body guards like I had. I also learned Jacks lines from `The Shining' and continued to use them throughout that drama school day. Great memories! The film had an ongoing impact with me, 'Jack Torrence' would be the part I was born to play, but damn, Stanley made it when I was too young to play a recovering alcoholic father. Years ago when we went to Canada and crossed over to Maine, I enquired about the location of the `Overlook Hotel'. At the time I didn't know the inside scenes were film sets. And I was way off target to travel to the actual Timberline lodge which is an hours drive from Portland. The lodge is featured in the film as the outside of the `Overlook Hotel'. So eventually a video shop owner in Maine (with a shelved wall dedicated to only Stephen King videos) told me where the man himself, Stephen King, lived... I was going to press the button on the open security gate to Stephen's home, but my bottle went, I chickened out. The home was huge, red with iron fencing with three serpent headed iron bats resting on the gate entrances. My friend Guy has an actual framed print from the film which is very cool, I have a Blu - ray copy I bought overseas which is the full version. A long time ago I had the idea for a film `Shining 2'. The story; a group goes on a trip to see where `The Shining' locations and influences are ....and one of the group actually has some kind of breakdown similar to the Jack Torrence character. I remember seeing a similar idea in the sequel to 'The Blair Witch Project'. I missed the boat on that one, I had a good idea and someone else not only thought of it as well, they had the means to implement it. Nicholson is spectacular in the role of Jack Torrence, Shelley Duvall is an absolute wreck as the story develops. The making of `The Shining' by Kubrick's daughter is enlightening, especially about Kubrick's demands on Shelley. The film is way ahead of its time, especially with the Steadicam work that enables the camera operator to run smooth following the actors, most notably the child on the cycle Go Kart rolling over wood and carpet, in turn creating the distinct changing floor thud sounds. Awesome stuff. I also remember seeing the soundtrack available on record once in London, I didn't buy it and boy do I regret it now because it's unavailable. So many film makers have been influenced by this film and deservedly so. Kubrick's obsession with attention to detail is crazy or genius; everyone has their own take on this. I think it's a bit of both. However, it is the end result that matters. I wonder what people in their twenties and thirties feel about the film. Maybe it's not on their radar or they have their own personal film that's made a mark. Who knows. It's inevitable one day `The Shining' will be remade. You could research so much about this film online, it really is that interesting. I remember reading that Simon Cowell almost worked on it but decided not to. I hope this film holds it's value in the future, it's so unique. I'll leave you with this thought; Can you imagine an amusement thrill ride park that has a huge special set built exactly like the Overlook Hotel and real snow covering an external large hedge maze and when you visit this experience....a Jack Nicholson lookalike (one that can act of course) comes after you. Some people would pay alot of money for that thrill. And so would I. Terrific. bleedingcritic bleedingfilms.com

Classic movie, fantastic, audio, and video

It's a classic. You either love it or you hate it. I won't try to rate the movie itself. I always liked it and wanted it for my media collection. Great bluray transfer and extras. I'm happy with it.

This film looks great on 4k and it works with ease

Zum Film: Die längere US-Fassung von Shining ist mein persönlicher Favorit. Mit mehr Atmosphäre und ausführlicherer Figurenentwicklung kann man bei dieser Fassung wirklich von einer "Charakterstudie" des Wahnsinns sprechen. Stanley Kubrick ist das seltene Meisterstück gelungen, die King- typische Trivialität des durchaus spannenden Romans an Intelligenz weit zu übertreffen und ein gänzlich eigenes Werk zu schaffen. Eins zu Eins-Verfilmungen leiden oft unter ihrem Anspruch, den Fans gerecht werden zu wollen, so dass der Roman mehr kopiert als interpretiert wird (z. B. "Das Parfüm" oder andere King-Verfilmungen, deren bestes Beispiel die Neuverfilmung von "Shining" darstellt). Hier wird keine oberflächliche Banalisierung des Dämonischen ins trivial-nichtssagende geboten, dafür mehr Metaphorik und inszenatorisches Kalkül in jeder Einstellung. Die Kameraarbeit ist brillant und "saugt" den Zuschauer förmlich hinein in den Körper des Overlook-Hotels. Für einen Horrorfilm ist diese Fassung dennoch außergewöhnlich lang, jedoch keine Minute überflüssig oder gar langweilig. Shining ist eine kalkulierte, kalte und grausame Studie seelischen Verfalls: Die Arbeit eines filmischen Mathematikers, welcher seine Vorliebe für absolute Symmetrie, genau berechneten Einstellungen und strammer Figurenführung hier ausgiebig frönt wie ein Wissenschaftler, der mikroskopische Vorgänge durch das kalte Auge eines Vergrößerungsglases betrachtet. Zur Qualität: Das Bild ist meines Erachtens sehr scharf und detailliert, ebenso die hell/dunkel Kontraste. Ich bin jedenfalls sehr zufrieden.

No debe faltar en la colección, una imagen y un audio excelente está si cuenta con doblaje al español latino

I hate reviews on Amazon for films. I mean I like reviews of films, I just don't look for them on Amazon. No, what I want is a produxt review. I wan't to know if the Blu Ray is any good or not. I don't care if you think The Shining is rubbish. I wouldn't be buying this thirty year old film if I didn't love it. Rant over. This Blu Ray is fantastic. If you love the film and have been subjected to the european version for these many years then I would recommend you getting this. It adds a lot of nice detail and fleshes out some scenes and details. This will work on Europenn blu ray players as it is region free. (I am reviewing the US blu ray by the way) It has all the same extras as the European version but for fanatics of the film you NEED to have this version. Wonderful film. Wonderful version.

Many people are confused about the runtime of the blu ray which says 119 mins. Well, on IMDB it says the movie is 2 hours and 29 mins long. So the story is that American version of the film is indeed 149 mins long and this disc has the european version which is the shorter one. If u wanna buy the longer edition then buy the latest shining anniversary edition.

Le Blu-ray américain de Shining est un Blu-ray "zone-free" qui sera lu sans problème par les lecteurs et écrans français. Il a l'avantage de contenir la version "longue" de Shining (25 minutes de plus que la version que nous connaissons ici en Europe) ! Et celle-ci en VO sous-titrée français ET en VF intégralement (même sur les scènes normalement inédites ici : le doublage avait été réalisé avant le remontage, d'où la possibilité de voir la version longue entièrement en français bien qu'elle ne soit jamais sortie en Europe). J'ai toujours adoré le film Shining, que je revois depuis avec plaisir à chaque hiver et dès que les premiers flocons tombent. Je n'avais toutefois pas eu l'occasion de voir le montage américain du film jusqu'à une diffusion télé par hasard (le programme télé n'avait pas spécifié que c'était la version longue, j'ai donc constaté en cours de route des scènes inconnues jusque là). Je trouvais déjà le film passionnant, mais là, quel régal ! La version longue rend le film encore plus riche et luxuriant, ajoute à ce qu'il y a "autour" de l'Overlook (une réalité extérieure qui paraît plus proche, mais paradoxalement encore plus inatteignable), renforce l'impression d'étau autour de la famille Torrance et augmente l'ambiance unique du film. Certains préfèrent le montage européen pour son côté beaucoup plus elliptique et moins explicite, néanmoins les 25 minutes inédites ne font pas qu'expliquer des détails mais ajoutent bien à la vie de l'Overlook et de ses habitants (visite de l'hôtel plus longue et complète, permettant d'admirer les sublimes décors du film, scènes rallongées, plans inédits ou alternatifs, références à l'alcoolisme de Jack - une dimension écartée de la version Européenne). Le lien est davantage fait entre certaines séquences, et tout passe très bien de cette façon. Ça ne semble en aucun cas "trop", c'est tout juste ce qu'il faut. Je ne voudrais plus voir le film autrement. Concernant la haute définition, c'est un vrai régal au niveau du piqué et des couleurs : dès le début avec les décors grandioses de nature, et l'entretien dans le bureau de M. Ullman, on observe des détails incroyables et l'image rayonne. Quel plaisir de (re)découvrir le magnifique hôtel Overlook, son "salon Colorado", sa géographie absurde et irréaliste (les incohérences spatiales - volontaires ! - sont légion dans le film, avec fenêtres impossibles, portes et couloirs ne pouvant mener nulle part, Kubrick ne s'étant pas contenté de créer un labyrinthe devant l'hôtel mais également... dedans !), ses décorations et ses couleurs comme jamais vues auparavant, et la neige éclatante qui s'accumule à l'extérieur. Petit paragraphe pour ceux qui s'interrogent sur le nouveau format de l'image : il est à noter que le film apparaît sur le Blu-ray comme Stanley Kubrick l'avait souhaité au cinéma, c'est-à-dire (pour résumer grosso modo) qu'il remplit l'écran en 16:9 et n'est plus au format 4:3 (tel qu'on le voit sur les anciens DVD - avec bandes noires à droite et à gauche), qu'il avait souhaité conserver à l'époque pour les diffusions télé (les télés répandues à l'époque étant en ce format, il n'avait pas souhaité envoyer un film en 16:9 et le voir découpé à droite et à gauche comme ça avait été le cas pour son 2001 : Odyssée de l'Espace). Ce n'est pas une trahison de Kubrick, ses archives contiennent encore les story boards où il écrivait en toutes lettres "filmer évidemment l'action pour du [16:9], mais conserver impérativement le [4:3]". Maintenant que les télés qui se vendent sont toutes sur le format 16:9, il n'y avait plus de raison de continuer à diffuser ce format assez carré qui laissait beaucoup d'espace en haut et en bas (de fait, ce que Kubrick ne souhaitait pas voir apparaître à l'écran n'y apparaît plus, notamment cette ombre d'hélicoptère dans le générique de début). Le film est à mon sens encore beaucoup plus beau ainsi (et est de cette façon plus fidèle à la version que les spectateurs ont pu voir au cinéma à sa sortie). En bref, un film fascinant quelle que soit la version, mais qui se révèle encore plus excitant et fourmillant de points d'intérêt dans ce montage américain. Je recommande donc vivement le Blu-ray américain (attention, pas le DVD qui n'est pas "zone-free" et ne jouera pas sur des lecteurs français ou européens) afin de profiter de cette version qui ravira à coup sûr aussi bien les fans du film que les chanceux qui s'apprêtent à le découvrir pour la première fois. Cinq étoiles bien méritées pour ce film... brillant !