preview

The Shining Analysis

Decent Essays
Open Document

Stanley Kubrick, already a renowned filmmaker, permanently left a mark on the face of the horror genre with the release of one of his most iconic films, The Shining. Though many themes, motifs, and theories have circulated since the films release, as a whole Kubrick’s film serves primarily as a commentary on how desperate isolation can heighten an individual's descent into insanity; whether that insanity is the product of supernatural forces or one’s own psychosis, is heavily debated. Many cinematic elements are employed to achieve the tones of isolation and insanity experienced throughout the film, including acting, cinematography, and directorial choices, but the power of editing in The Shining cannot be overstated. In the following paragraphs, three scenes will be discussed which highlight the editing techniques used by Kubrick and film editor Ray Lovejoy to create a foreboding sense of isolation and insanity.
First and foremost, though the principal characters of Jack, Wendy, and Danny Torrance, are pivotal to the film, one cannot help but feel that the films setting at the Overlook Hotel, in many ways, is a character in an of itself. Throughout every shot in the film, the hotel casts and ominous and disturbing supernatural presence, constantly serving as the driving force behind all actions in the narrative. It is as if the true villain of the film is the hotel itself and that the only hope for the characters is to escape far beyond its grasp. In addition to the

Get Access