Stanley King

The Shining, brought to screen by the genius of Stanley Kubrick, is this adaptation of the Stephen King book by the same name. The movie has been called the most thrilling of all time and one of the most carefully thought out Film ever. Many critics will agree that there is something special about this movie, something about the way it manages to enact an emotional response from the viewer. Kubrick uses many devices in the creation of these emotional responses and certainly one of the most important elements used to create suspense and the sense of surreality is his particular use of plot in The Shining. This essay will examine the movies plot, looking at how it contributes to the creation of suspense in the Shining.

The story is essentially about an uninspired writer, Jack Torrence who takes a job at the Overlook, an old hotel, as the winter caretaker. He then progresses into madness and attempts to kill his wife and son. Like the crazy, unbelievable sequence of events that make up the plot, so to, the timeline that the story follows seems to exist within very little order, jumping in a meaningful, yet sporadic manner, from, 2 months later, to a few hours later, compressing progressively the audiences involvement and scope from the wide open, as in the title sequence of the mountains, through to the final detailed shots of the end. It is through these divisions that the plot is outlined.

The protagonist of the Film is the little clairvoyant boy, Jacks son, Danny. It is mostly through his eyes that we see the story unfold. He is the wisest of the characters and one in whom we vest our interest and conc ern. It could be argued that Jack is the main character, or indeed one who displays many of the archetypal protagonist characteristics. In many ways the story revolves mostly around his degeneration into madness.

The antagonist is undoubtedly the house itself. We get the clear impression that Jack is merely acting out the wishes of the house. It has the sinister hidden agenda, the motives for which the audience is left open to interpret. Nonetheless, through the dubious ghosts the house drives Jack into raving lunacy and homicidal tendencies.

At the overlook, Jack is given the job, while back home the hypersensitive Danny has a premonition. He asks Tony, the little boy who lives in his mouth whats wrong with the hotel. Then he sees torrents of blood gushing out of some elevators, in a strikingly vivid, colourful shot, followed or preceding a shot of two young girls, ghosts? The murdered daughters of the mad caretaker? Kubrick adds a serious element of danger. Thi s I feel serves as the turning point/climax of act one. The stage is now set and the characters must now deal with the unfolding body of act two.

The transition into act two takes place as we see the family on the road to the hotel. The conversation turns to the story of some pioneers who, trapped in the same mountain range, resort to cannibalism to survive. Again, a commentary on the inhumanity of humanity, as well as hinting toward the upcoming danger and violence.

At the overlook, they are shown around the mansion. Wendy and Danny meet with the head chef, Mr. Halloran. We learn from him that he and Danny share the gift of sight, the Shining, also that the hotel is somewhat dangerous especially the ominous room 237, and that Danny should at all costs stay out of it.

Mr. Hallornan, senses the on goings at the overlook and decides to go up there. Meanwhile, in a great, truly disturbing scene, Wendy discovers her husbands writings; pages and pages of the rep etition of the same sentence. She now knows absolutely the extent of her husbands madness. He finds her there and throws sarcastic remarks at her, in perhaps one of the funniest scenes in the movie.

In the end it is Mr Halloran who inadvertently saves the day. He arrives and distracts Jack only to become a corpse himself. Jack peruses his son into the maze and in a terrifying chase sequence, shot with the same unique very engaging steadicam technique in what comprises the pinnacle of the climax. Jack meets an icy grave and Wendy and Danny escape in the ice-mobile.

This movie definitely needs a couple of watchings to fully be appreciated. I feel there were many subtleties in its plot, which make it the engaging, and terrifying story it is. Kubrik uses visions to add the element of suspense. He portrays the house as an ominous almost omnipotent entity on its own. I personally found Jacks slip into madness a bit unbelievable. Perhaps it was to rapid, or through insu fficient dialogue we were not given enough to go on to accept his rapid degeneration. I found the plot distinctions in this story rather vague and difficult to spot. Certainly this movie deviates from many of the norms. From the length of the shots, to the nature of the shots. Nonetheless a Film with a successful difference and the sporadic nature of the plot does indeed contribute to the success of the Film.

The article was produced by the writer of masterpapers.com. Sharon White has many years of a vast experience in ACM dissertation writing and APA dissertation consulting. Get free samples of essays, courseworks and English essay.

Author:: Sharon White
Keywords:: Shining, Film
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