Casting The Shining in a Different Light

 

On Saturday evening, I took in a screening of The Shining at The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge. 

I first saw The Shining 40 years ago on television and its images have stayed with me ever since. To the best of my recollection, the last time I saw The Shining was in 2005 at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline - the 25th anniversary of its release.

What I remember about that particular screening was the reaction of the audience which treated it as more of a black comedy than a horror film. Almost every line uttered and every facial expression displayed by Jack Nicholson drew laughter. Tonight, however, you could have heard a pin drop. 

Perhaps the passage of time has played a role in the reaction. In 2005, Nicholson was still an active actor a year away from appearing The Departed which would win the Academy Award for Best Picture. In 2022, Nicholson is a dozen years removed from his last acting role. Indeed, I noticed a rather young audience. It is entirely possible those who attended the movie have never seen Jack Nicholson on the big screen and no nothing of his schtick. By contrast, when I went to see the 50th anniversary screening of Easy Rider at Radio City Music Hall in New York in September 2019, the moment Nicholson appeared on the screen there was a different energy in the audience. However, as I recall, that particular audience was older than the one on hand tonight. Another possibility is that modern audiences don't see the humor in a man torturing his wife and child.

Normally when I attend a classic movie there is applause at the conclusion of the movie. There was none of that at all. It could also be the case that a younger audience's idea of a horror movie is a slasher film. Most of the violence in The Shining is psychological one with notable exception. 

All I can say is that the performances in The Shining were extraordinary. It is certainly among Nicholson's five most memorable performances of his illustrious career. Shelley Duvall dug deep for her performance. Nicholson and director Stanley Kubrick's treatment of Duvall may have contributed to her later troubles with her mental health. 

Then there was child actor Danny Lloyd who arguably outshone them both. He did not play cute at all. There was foreboding seriousness in his performance which augmented the horror of the Overlook Hotel. Aside from a brief appearance as a young G. Gordon Liddy in the TV movie Will, Lloyd would never act again until a cameo in the 2019 sequel Doctor Sleep. For his part, Lloyd has said that Kubrick did not subject him to any cruelty and concealed the horrific nature of the film from him. It is interesting that Nicholson, Duvall and Lloyd are still alive but no longer involved with acting. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Scatman Crothers who played a toned down version of himself which added to the gravity of the movie. The brief but deep bond he forges onscreen with Lloyd is crucial to the story. Then there is the outdoor scenery of American West as well as the set of the Overland Hotel in the U.K. underscored by Kubrick's cinematic perfection.

Given the differences in reactions I've seen to the film it will be interesting to see how audiences react during the 50th anniversary of The Shining in 2030.