The Shinging - A New Understanding

Creator of the now epically succesful cult-classic (and alleged worst film ever) "The Room", Tommy Wiseau has said that he is not bothered by his movie's, eh hem, less than intended reception - that The Room is about getting a response from an audience, and if that response is to laugh (as it is at least 99.9% of the time) then that's great. It sounds, at first, like a feeble attempt to retain some dignity and credit for what is in actuallity just an immense misfire. Of course to some degree it is. But still, The Room is what it is because Tommy Wiseau did what he did. It was Wiseau's vision that has caused people to respond. I surely could not have made a "The Room". Most people couldn't have.

Which brings me to a revelation I've had about one of my all time favorite films: Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining". I've loved this movie for years and years, and not arbitrarily. I have long exalted it as an utter and complete masterpiece, and defended even the most mild of criticisms under the conviction that, well, it's Kubrick. Kubrick knew what he was doing, about everything, on a movie set, and knew it so well he neerly drove many of his actors mad. He sweated every detail, and it shows. The Shining looks and feels like no other movie on earth, and is a venerated classic, and, well...the chopper blades that are visible in that one ariel shot of the Overlook Hotel - those were intended, surely. ...As was the chopper's shadow, earlier.

His signature! Is the classic defense. Sure, of course, right! His signature. After all, it's Kubrick, who was by then legend of movie making; how could he Not sign his movies? And obviously, he meant to make most of the dialogue in the film feel strange and cardboard. Obviously. Even though in the behind the scenes featurette he's lambasting Shelley Duvall about jumping with every axe landing - for looking fake. Jack Nicholson, though, was surely supposed to seem completely irreverent and scripted, to, um, indicate the way that middle class America is, like, ireverent and scripted. Right?

That sounds over-the-top. I promise you it is not. The meanings people have read into the Shining are, putting it lightly, elaborate. Just this morning I read one man's insight on the Overlook Hotel being plotted on an Indian burial ground:

"This is a secret that most Americans choose to overlook; the true horror of the shining is the horror of living in a society which is predicated upon murder and must constantly deny the fact to itself.”

Right. Not the ghosts. Obviously. After all, the movie spends a whole line of dialog mentioning the burial site; how could it not tower over the rest of the film? Like when the 500 gallons of blood come cascading out of the elevator, clearly the commentary is that, ya know, the West was LOST, not won.

I don't put a consideration like this past Kubrick. Not at all. I am sure that there is a lot going on within The Shining that is not luminously apparent, it's just that, sorry, Nicholson's mugging steals the show. You'd think a great director would know that, and perhaps in some ways he did, but I think that Kubrick's blind spots show in "The Shining" whether he means them to or not.

Now, granted, a film like The Room seems to be all blind spots - a matter of total disorientation and delusion, which it certainly is likely to be. The Shining is not like that. There are visual pieces in this flick that are simply profound. They are the work of a true master of color, lighting, and composition, and they're not put to waste. The mood and atmosphere of The Shining is an immense accomplishment which is not at all isolated from the narrative portion of the film, as the two very consistently work together to create a viewing experience that is un-deniable. The Shining is, in some regards, a masterpiece, as it is clearly the work of a master if you look in the right places.

It's just that the Torrences don't seem like a real family. Jack's movement into psychosis (on whichever terms you believe) is...well, it's funny. The Shining so often feels like a spoof of its self, like a movie that is so engaged with technicality that things like character arks bceome annoyances - something to poke fun at and with. We as an audience know what's coming in The Shining and so the feeble optimism exibited by Wendy and Danny becomes a really funny juxtaposition as Jack just basically cannon balls into insanity. Fairly early in the film, as in before any kind of real provocation, we find him starring dead out the window, very likely imagining the joys of life as an axe murderer. If you didn't know what was coming, it would't be awful hard to sort it out.

That's the real humor of the movie. Jack pretty much walks two feet into the Overlook, smiles at his family, and grabs the axe. It's funny. And not because hacking people up is funny, but because Jack Nicholson is the one with the axe. His central transition scene at the Golden Room's bar is funny. His encounter with Delbert Grady in the men's room, where Grady basically encourages Jack to go after his family, is hilarious. Not strangely humorous; hilarious. There is a line where Jack informs Grady, with great zeal, of his crimes while alive.

"Mr. Grady... You chopped your wife and daughter into little bits... And then you blew your brains out."

I can accept that this was a conscious attempt at humor, but if it is, then it's poorly placed. The point is that Jack is being convinced to kill his wife and son. What registers is that Jack thinks murdering one's family is a secret akin to losing someone's sweater. In which case, he's sort of already there, I guess.

My point is that I enjoy The Shining i a sort of "The Room"-esque way. I am not actually frightened by anything in the movie (although I'm not terribly fond of the bathtub lady part) and I'm not ever worried for Danny or Wendy torrence. I am swept away by marvelous imagery, which cradles an interesting progression of plot, which allows for really entertaining moments. Like the part where Jack is locked in the pantry, and suddenly finds that "Go check it out!" is now his favorite phrase in the entire universe. He says it a good 47 times, apparently more entetained with how it sounds than what it means.

See, if it had been a different director, maybe the governor would have been put on Nicholson's performance a bit more, but then the film wouldn't have looked and felt like it did, and thus would have been an entirely less engaging experience, however functional. It would not be the classic it is, or the favorite it has become for me. That, after all, is part of what great artists do; showcase where they're coming from, whether or not the final porduct is truly flawless. It's more interesting to see Scorsese or Kubrick's flaws than it is to see other director's prowess, especially when they have Jack Nicholson in a lead role. See the Shining, if you haven't. Watch it with friends and maybe a drink. And for the love of all, laugh.




By Dave Beauchene