The Shining
Essay Question #1
The Shining by acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick was initially released in 1980 to lukewarm reception at best. The public and critics were clearly disappointed that their expectations were not fulfilled, and even the author of the source material, Stephen King, admitted to hating the film for not adhering to his original ideas closely enough. King did not anticipate that Kubrick would throw out so much of the book’s material and replace it with his own ideas, and the reaction by the public upon release reflect King’s animosity towards the film for this reason. As time ticked by, people found that they continued to watch the film over and over despite not liking it; and now decades later years of re-watching …show more content…
Numerous theories have been put forward, each with evidence supporting them, and all (or most at least) are completely valid analyses.
The major theme of the film is the Past. Kubrick targets and challenges our predominate view that the past is neither a place nor a thing, or merely a record; an observation of the world and events as they once were, but are no longer, and are therefore of no consequence. It is this disregard of the importance of remembering that Kubrick is attempting to fight so strongly, and the film as a whole is a retelling of the old phrase, ‘history repeats itself’, which Kubrick expands by showing that ‘history repeats itself, and it is our fault for not remembering it’. A continual and compelling motif in The Shining is the subtle references to genocides of history; specifically the American Indian genocide and the Nazi holocaust. In the documentary ‘Room 237’, about different theories on The Shining’s meanings, there are a few notable examples of references to the aforementioned genocides that a majority of the audience would miss. There is attention drawn to Jack’s typewriter which is of …show more content…
It is a warning from Kubrick that the Past is important to remember, and that it is our lack of awareness of previous events that can lead to the same mistakes being made again and again. Whilst The Shining makes it its business to make us aware of this issue, it does not tell us explicitly how to solve it, encouraging us just to observe the consequences of not paying attention to the past. Everything in The Shining is placed for a reason; it is there to make us think for ourselves rather than be spoon-fed ideas by Kubrick, and it works so well because at the end of the day The Shining is a horror film. We feel the terror of the film which subsequently not only allows us to see the horrors that lay in the past, but really feel the terror which they wrought upon humanity. The real world horrors finally become relatable due to the horror the audience experiences upon viewing The
Essay Question #1
The Shining by acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick was initially released in 1980 to lukewarm reception at best. The public and critics were clearly disappointed that their expectations were not fulfilled, and even the author of the source material, Stephen King, admitted to hating the film for not adhering to his original ideas closely enough. King did not anticipate that Kubrick would throw out so much of the book’s material and replace it with his own ideas, and the reaction by the public upon release reflect King’s animosity towards the film for this reason. As time ticked by, people found that they continued to watch the film over and over despite not liking it; and now decades later years of re-watching …show more content…
Numerous theories have been put forward, each with evidence supporting them, and all (or most at least) are completely valid analyses.
The major theme of the film is the Past. Kubrick targets and challenges our predominate view that the past is neither a place nor a thing, or merely a record; an observation of the world and events as they once were, but are no longer, and are therefore of no consequence. It is this disregard of the importance of remembering that Kubrick is attempting to fight so strongly, and the film as a whole is a retelling of the old phrase, ‘history repeats itself’, which Kubrick expands by showing that ‘history repeats itself, and it is our fault for not remembering it’. A continual and compelling motif in The Shining is the subtle references to genocides of history; specifically the American Indian genocide and the Nazi holocaust. In the documentary ‘Room 237’, about different theories on The Shining’s meanings, there are a few notable examples of references to the aforementioned genocides that a majority of the audience would miss. There is attention drawn to Jack’s typewriter which is of …show more content…
It is a warning from Kubrick that the Past is important to remember, and that it is our lack of awareness of previous events that can lead to the same mistakes being made again and again. Whilst The Shining makes it its business to make us aware of this issue, it does not tell us explicitly how to solve it, encouraging us just to observe the consequences of not paying attention to the past. Everything in The Shining is placed for a reason; it is there to make us think for ourselves rather than be spoon-fed ideas by Kubrick, and it works so well because at the end of the day The Shining is a horror film. We feel the terror of the film which subsequently not only allows us to see the horrors that lay in the past, but really feel the terror which they wrought upon humanity. The real world horrors finally become relatable due to the horror the audience experiences upon viewing The