Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history. His films, which are mostly adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music.

Literary Nonfiction. Film Studies. Translated by Jacob Homel. Winner of a silver IPPY. Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining was released in 1980 and has been fascinating viewers ever since. It is a psychological thriller about a writer with writer's block (along with his wife and their young son) who takes a job as caretaker of an isolated hotel in the Colorado mountains during the winter off-season. The boy, Danny, is gifted with a "sixth sense" and soon begins receiving disturbing messages about the hotel's mysterious past, and thus begins a cinematic descent into madness and terror.

Festen est un quartet Jazz fondé en 2008. A l’origine de cette fête de famille, on trouve deux frères : Maxime et Damien Fleau, rejoints très vite par Jean Kapsa et Oliver Degabriele. Puisant dans l’univers complexe et inquiétant du cinéma de Vinterberg, le groupe s’est inspiré de cette sobriété formelle, de ce style vif et brutal propre au cinéma danois des années 90. Festen tente ainsi de s’affranchir des structures et des normes au nom d’un discours brut, réaliste, presque nerveux. Du Jazz donc, mais qui aurait succombé aux âpres séductions du rock'n'roll, qui aurait assumé son adolescence pour la resservir dans des compositions toutes aussi originales qu'énergiques.

A man, his son and wife become the winter caretakers of an isolated hotel where Danny, the son, sees disturbing visions of the hotel's past using a telepathic gift known as "The Shining". The father, Jack Torrance, is underway in a writing project when he slowly slips into insanity as a result of cabin fever and former guests of the hotel's ghosts. After being convinced by a waiter's ghost to "correct" the family, Jack goes completely insane. The only thing that can save Danny and his mother is "The Shining".

First published in 1977, The Shining quickly became a benchmark in the literary career of Stephen King. This tale of a troubled man hired to care for a remote mountain resort over the winter, his loyal wife, and their uniquely gifted son slowly but steadily unfolds as secrets from the Overlook Hotel's past are revealed, and the hotel itself attempts to claim the very souls of the Torrance family. Adapted into a cinematic masterpiece of horror by legendary director Stanley Kubrick – featuring an unforgettable performance by a demonic Jack Nicholson – The Shining stands as a cultural icon of modern horror, a searing study of a family torn apart, and a nightmarish glimpse into the dark recesses of human weakness and dementia.