Release Date: October 20, 2007
Rating: 3 ½/5  ½ /
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd
Based on the Novel by Stephen King
Screenplay by: Stanley Kubrick & Diane Johnson
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
The Shining is Stanley Kubrick’s harrowing take on Stephen King’s ghost story of the same name. Conceived by Kubrick as his statement on the horror film genre, it slowly builds its momentum and suspense from the opening moments until all hell breaks loose in the final act. Seen today, some 27 years after its initial release, the film still holds a lot of power, mostly from Jack Nicholson’s strong performance as captured by Kubrick’s menacing camera. As is typical for Kubrick, the imagery is quite potent. And it is a huge bonus that for the first time, the current edition of the film on DVD is matted to theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which removes unnecessary headroom and footroom and provides for more focused compositions. (Kubrick composed for the theatrical aspect ratio, but kept the headroom and footroom clear for home video versions – with the advent of widescreen televisions, we can now see at home what he intended us to see only in the theatre.)
The current version of The Shining has been released simultaneously on all 3 DVD formats, each containing the same bonus features, but with the high definition discs containing 1080p VC-1 transfers and high definition audio.
 VIDEO QUALITY: 3 ½/5 ½
The Shining is presented in a smooth 1080p VC-1 transfer of a matted 1.85:1 image. There’s a little grain here, but it’s not a bad thing. This is without a doubt the best that this film has ever looked on home video. The opening helicopter shots show the water rippling as we soar past, the costuming and art direction show more detail, and the whole presentation is truly satisfying. There is a pretty wide color array on display here, from the stark red bathroom where Nicholson meets the former caretaker to the green bathroom of infamous room 237 to the truly Gold Ballroom. Again, it’s truly a pleasure to see this film in its proper aspect ratio, and that pleasure is enhanced by the quality of the transfer.
AUDIO QUALITY: 3 ½/5 ½
The Shining is presented in a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix in English, along with Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 mixes in English, Spanish, and French. It’s interesting to listen to the film in the surround environment, as the score actually goes in and out of the surround speakers. For example, the opening bars of “Dies Irae” at the beginning of the film begin in the front speakers, and slowly move to the surround speakers, effectively enveloping the viewer in the mood. It’s also important to note that the film really uses music as a sound effect for much of the time. (In some ways, this is done in a similar vein to American Grafitti, but that’s an analysis for another day...) The dialogue stays in the front channels, while the music gradually encircles the viewer. This is pretty creepy stuff, and it’s a good sound mix to boot.
SPECIAL FEATURES: 3/5 ½
The Shining contains several special features, all ported over from the standard definition DVD. These include a feature commentary, three new featurettes, Vivian Kubrick’s The Making of The Shining with her commentary from the previous release, and the original trailer, presented here with an anamorphic transfer. All of the special features are in 480p standard definition.
- Commentary by Steadicam Inventor/Operator Garrett Brown and Historian John Baxter– The feature commentary by Brown and Baxter from the current release is included here as well. This is an edited commentary, combining the comments of both men from different screenings. There’s a lot of great material here, with Brown relating stories from the set (some of which overlap with the interview material on the featurettes) and Baxter relating perspective regarding Kubrick’s work and how this film fits in to his canon.
- View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining – (30:20, Non-anamorphic) - This standard definition featurette is included from the current release. It includes interview material with Jack Nicholson and Jan Harlan (which looks like it was culled from extra material not used for Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, as well as interviews with Garrett Brown and Diane Johnson and others, all intercut with some of the footage from Vivian Kubrick’s The Making of The Shining and footage from the film itself. It’s very interesting material with very little filler. The featurette recounts Kubrick’s wish to make something a bit more commercial than Barry Lyndon, and his wish to make something more of a psychological thriller than an overt horror film with this ghost story. (For this reason, the topiary forms of King’s novel were replaced by the hedge maze.) For completists, an explanation is offered as to how the impossible high shot of the hedge maze was accomplished in an era before CGI. One humorous note, which gets repeated in both the feature commentary and in Vivian Kubrick’s commentary, concerns crew members actually getting lost in the hedge maze and having to shout for rescue. The casting of Danny Lloyd is discussed, with one note being made by Garrett Brown that Lloyd could actually handle the high number of takes Kubrick would do, while Scatman Crothers could not. That number of takes is also addressed, although Jan Harlan’s explanation that Kubrick would rehearse on camera doesn’t quite explain running up to 100 takes... But there is total agreement that Kubrick, who worked with a relatively small crew, would take as much time as possible and do as many takes as possible to get his shots.
- The Visions of Stanley Kubrick - (17:16, Non-anamorphic) – Also included from the current standard definition release, this shorter featurette focuses on Kubrick’s imagery and style. Interviews with other filmmakers, as well as Nicholson and the crew for this film, are intercut with film footage. Garrett Brown notes that the actual look of the snowscapes on the set was a kind of yellow, but that Kubrick designed this to be addressed in post production, where he transformed everything to to a cold blue and white. Kubrick’s ability as a photographer is examined here, along with a series of some of the indelible images seen in 2001 and Barry Lyndon. Sydney Pollack convincingly describes Kubrick as the combination of a chess player (which he was) and a perfectionist photographer (which he also was).
- Wendy Carlos, Composer - (7:31, Anamorphic) - This is a brief, standard definition anamorphic visit with the woman who wrote synthesizer compositions for both A Clockwork Orange and The Shining. She discusses her work with Kubrick briefly and plays some cues from her scores, including material that was not used in the films.
- The Making of The Shining - (34:37, Non-anamorphic) – Vivian Kubrick’s original “making of” featurette from the earlier releases has been included here, along with the commentary she recorded for the last DVD release. This footage is some of the only material we have that frankly captures what was happening on the set of a Kubrick picture. Interviews with the cast reveal a little of what was going on, but the eyewitness material of Kubrick working on and off set is far more illuminating. Vivian Kubrick’s commentary adds to the experience considerably, including the revelation that the giant hotel kitchen in the film was actually a redress of the paint shop for the studio. She also notes how hot it was on the sets where it had to seem bitterly cold, which was in direct contrast to the filming of Full Metal Jacket where the actors were simulating hot weather while filming in very cold temperatures.
- Theatrical Trailer (1:31, Anamorphic) – The film’s original trailer from 1979 is included here. It’s a standard definition anamorphic transfer, and it’s showing its age, but it’s still good, creepy fun to see the uncut shot of the blood pouring from the elevator.
Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish for the film itself, but not for the special features. A standard chapter menu is included for quick reference, along with the usual pop-up menus while the film plays.
IN THE END...
The Shining remains a scary experience, even a quarter century after its release. It’s interesting to note that it does so with a minimum of gore – there is some, to be sure, but it tends to be limited to brief glimpses that don’t dwell too much. The film’s power lies in its subtlety – in its suggestion of what COULD happen, and for that reason, it will likely retain its power to get under our collective skin for the foreseeable future. I recommend this as a purchase, if only to see a solid 1080p transfer of a solid Kubrick film.
Kevin Koster
November 17, 2007.
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