Rating: 
Summary: Supplemental documentary alone worth the price
Review: While I could grouse about the picture and sound quality of this DVD (as others have), I won't. Purchased as part of the Stanley Kubrick Collection, The Shining has become a favorite disc. As the title of this review suggests, the best reason to hit the Add to Shopping Cart button on The Shining is the accompanying documentary "The Making of the Shining". Unlike the usual E!-type pabulum designed strictly to hype the film, this little 16mm gem was made by Stanley Kubrick's daughter as an exuberant tribute to what her dad did for a living. Her conversation with Jack Nicholson in a bathroom mirror - she holding the camera, he brushing his teeth - is a wonderful, insightful moment. So is the footage of Kubrick directing Shelley Duvall, the cast rehearsing lines in the cavernous kitchen set, and the various interviews with cast members. If you want to see what Stanley Kubrick was like at work, this, sadly, is your only chance. Like Barry Lyndon before it, The Shining seems to be, in part, an experiment. As Barry Lyndon shows us what a Kubrick costume drama would be like, so The Shining answers another eternal question - "What would a Stanley Kubrick horror film be like?" Oddly, the other Kubrick film it is most like is 2001: A Space Odyssey. It has about the same running time; the same four-act construction; the sense of isolation; the long, wordless passages; a supernatural element; a homicidal maniac (HAL in the previous film, Jack in the latter); and a headlong rush into the unknown at the end (flying down corridors of light in 2001, running down corridors of a hedge maze in The Shining). The cliché is true: in some ways it is a thinking-man's horror film. The Shining works on at least two levels. On the surface, we have the populist, iconic imagery - "Heeeeers's Johnny!", the blood pouring from the elevator, and Tony the gravel-voiced finger-puppet of doom. At the end, Kubrick even has fun with us by doing something we would not expect of him - the terrified wife sees visions of cobwebs and skeletons bathed in theatrical blue artificial moonlight. It's meant to be a grim joke about the genre. But like a great illusionist, Kubrick is misdirecting us, catching us off-gaurd with deft but cheap cinematic tricks so he can work on entirely deeper level. In this respect, The Shining owes more to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness than to Sean S. Cunningham's Friday the 13th. This duality led to many critics to dismiss The Shining in their first reviews, as they responded to only the surface of the film. It did not earn blockbuster dollars in its first theatrical run, either. But then The Shining's second layer - the film the subconscious sees - began to take hold, and The Shining started to haunt our collective dreams. In a quiet moment, the memory of Danny Torrance wheeling his tricycle through the corridors of the Overlook will bubble up, and bring a genuine chill we may not have even felt when first we saw it. The Shining is most effective for its after-effect, rather than its initial catalogue of haunted-house theatrics.
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Summary: Shining DVD quality
Review: I just wanted to say that this is a great movie, but also wanted to comment on the DVD and the quality of the picture. Kubrick is known for his excellent lighting in his movies. The shining is no exception, and the DVD's quality in fullscreen, is stunning and super clear. If you get a chance, watch this movie on a computer's DVD player with a 17 inch monitor. The clarity over a normal TV is amazing. That is because the computer's DVD player plays the DVD in progressive scan mode which is what HDTV's use. Normal DVD players use what is called "interlaced" which is not nearly as clear. Its a real treat to watch on a PC.
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Summary: again?
Review: Yes!For those expecting Warner working at their best here is Johnny!!THIS movie is not the 144 min.It just got the old well known115 min.we all have seen.How the hell do you get the REAL long version?
Rating:
Summary: Great, but a little long
Review: This is probably one of the best and most remembered horror movies made. Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Jack Torrance fits just a little too well. Stanley Kubrick's overview of the mountains of Colorado makes the viewer feel like a voyeur of an unfolding tragedy, and nothing is even going on. The use of Bela Bartok's music and other original scores alone will make your blood run cold. There are many good elements to this sophisticated movie. "The Shining" is one of the few movies where it's better than the book. One of the creepiest elements of the movie, the maze chase scenes, were completely non-existent in the book. Plus, the story went better for me with a visual aid; i just could not picture a place as big as the Overlook Hotel in my mind. Also, the book obviously doesn't feature the spellbinding music. However, the book doesn't totally surpass the movie. The film version features complicated plot and character turns that never seem to get explained, which is annoying to me. Even though the movie is great, it runs a bit too long, and is somewhat too slow-paced. Perhaps a condensed version would make this film a masterpiece. i definitely recommend this for horror movie fans, but don't walk into it thinking you'll see a whole bunch of blood, guts, and murder (or "redrum" as Danny refers to it). This movie is scary because it messes with your head and makes you think about what it happening. In a nutshell, this is a movie that belongs in the memory bank of everyone out for a good horror pic.
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Summary: Not as scary as everyone says, but this movie is the best...
Review: This is one hell of a movie.
Saw it on TV a few years back, and I thought it was great.
Everyone says it's a really scary movie, but I would have to say I only found a few scenes scary.
This is a must-see-movie. If you haven't seen it, BUY IT NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Scariest Movie Ever
Review: Awesome movie that freaks you out from start to finish. I read the book after seeing the movie and have to say that the movie is much scarier. The dead women in the bathroom scene is the most haunting. The final scene where Nicolson is chasing after the kid with an ax through the snowy maze is one of the most intense scenes ever. The awesome music creates half of the fright throughout the film. If you do not find this movie scary then I must ask you what would you call scary?
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Summary: EXCELLENT MOVIE - POOR DIGITAL TRANSFER
Review: I remember seeing The Shining in a theatre when it came out in 1980. I couldn't sleep for a week. Although it does not do justice to the Stephen King novel it is an excellent movie in it's own right and it is quite terrifying. Jack Nicholson does a first rate job as Jack Torrence. Seeing Nicholson's fall to insanity is the most terrifying part of The Shining(although he did seem pretty unstable at the start of the movie). I love the soundtrack- it adds so much to the movie- and it makes The Shining even more terrifying. Stanley Kubrick's excellent direction and cinematography gives a true feeling of isolation and hopelessness. The making of the Shining, a DVD extra, alone is worth the price of the DVD. Very interesting seeing how this movie was made behind the scenes. The only problem that I have with the DVD version of The Shining is the digital transfer. The picture is grainy and the sound quality is poor. This movie should have been in letterbox format also. Otherwise The Shining is worth 5 stars.
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Summary: Scary? You Bet!
Review: O babby this on did scare me to deth. But half the time I don't even know what happenning. Alls I can say is this guy caretaker is one nifty fello with an ax. Now let me axe a question. Is this a movie that explain itself well? I think not. It never clear what in world is going down. Fun to watch and creepy, aybe too instense for children under 12. Its gold mine of horror and probly scaryest one ever made in 1980s. Jack is scary at his best even more than Coo Coo Nest. When he says HERES JONNY, i nearly wet my pants.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a Horror Movie?
Review: Incredible errie film of a father,mother, and son haunted by unseen evil forces that slowly drives the father insane. Never explained and ultimately a waste of good film.
Rating: 
Summary: After King's 1997 miniseries, the original loses its luster
Review: I have to admit, The Shining is one of the scariest stories that has ever been made into a movie. But, I could never help feeling that it could have been even better. Let's face it, the acting is NOT very good. The lines seem forced and unnatural. Shelly Duvall's character is horrible, she seemed like she read her lines off of a card. As for Danny, all I could think is why didn't they get this kid's hair cut? Also, it doesn't necessarily do the book justice, lacking in character development and the true gradually decline of Nicholson's character. I don't buy into the criticism that Kubrick's version is less appealing because it doesn't closely follow the book. I think some of Kubrick's changes made the story even creapier. However, when King had his hands more firmly in control of the 1997 television remake, the true horror that could have been was finally glimpsed. Granted, its 4.5 hours long and that allows for a little more, but the character development is extraordinary. With the original it seemed that Jack woke up one day and was crazy. In the remake, its possible to see the subtle levels of his insanity as it happens. And this was made for TV! If this would have been made for theaters and not subject to TV's guidelines, this would have been the horror movie for the ages. Unfortunately, the miniseries has to date not been released on video. But if you ever get the chance to see it, then you will put your Kubrick version firmly on the shelf, where it will accumulate more dust than Calista Flockhart's oven. For the original - 3 stars, still very scary and has great atmosphere. For the remake - 5 stars, this IS Stephen King.
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