The Shining | Stanley Kubrick

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The Shining is based on the gothic novel, 'The Shining' by Stephen King. It was filmed in 1980, in a large hotel at the top of a mountain. It could be described as a scary fairy tale. The hotel itself is like a labyrinth full of mysterious spaces which should not be explored. The film predominantly takes place in and around the surroundings of the hotel, there are 3 main architectural aspects throughout the film, the interior of the hotel to represent a modern hotel kitsch, the exterior of the hotel to represent a haunted castle from a gothic novel and the maze, which represents a timeless myth i an 18th century English garden. The scale of the set is vast and the interior is emphasised by polished surfaces and the use of mirrors throughout the set. Echoing voices also display this. The building appears to be a never ending maze similar to the maze out in the grounds of the hotel. Kubrick has shown the set so it is impossible to figure out its spatial configuration. The viewer has no real aspect of how the hotel really is. This is important to the story as there is a theme of being isolated and trapped in this evil world. It's dramatic but enticing, the suspense and thrill of not knowing what strange event might happen next or people will survive. Many elements relate to the maze idea, Jack is lost in a maze of his own mind making him go mad. Inside the hotel everything points to parts of a labyrinth, such as the decor, tapestries on walls and carpets on the floors which are quite prominent throughout the film. The narrative is also like a maze, confusion of several happenings, reality, myth, dream,memory, future visions etc...

Kubrick uses the space throughout the film in a clever way, playing with it, confusing the viewer. Rooms with windows couldn't possibly have them if you look at the plan of the hotel. E.g the managers office. He plays with the scale of the building, by making the characters all look like lost children. The immensity of space becomes a spatial imprisonment.

Throughout the film there are many visual aspects which connect throughout the film, many parts are repeated, such as the blood river and the vision of the twins. This is drummed into our heads similar to what the child is thinking and seeing gin his own head.

One of my favorite parts of the film is when the boy rides his tricycle throughout the hotel building, alternating the sound and texture of riding on the wooden floor and the patterned carpet. The use of the steadicam is very effective and really helps create an idea that the child might be being followed by someone or something, mirroring his actual life of being followed by his supernatural friend, Tony. The camera work is very smooth and adds to the eery atmosphere of being alone in the vast space.