The Shining (1980)

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

Never seen it. Not interested at all.

I am shocked and appalled.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by dubious

Yeah, you're right, I compared one of the screens of the BD here to my open matte DVD. There's a bit missing from left to right, but that's a frequent occurrence with older open matte releases for home video. Not sure what this DVD's excuse is though, anyways, a fully open matte BD would be welcome in my collection anytime.

BD framing:

[Show spoiler]

DVD framing:

[Show spoiler]

You do not want a fully open matte transfer of this or most other films shot with this technique. Do you like boom mics, camera shadows, helicopter blades, and other items never meant to be seen by audiences in the frame?

[blonde_devil]

Got it at home but haven't sat down to watch it yet. The Simpsons version was funny but I don't think this one will have as many laughs....

[BaronVH]

So horror movies are very subjective to the viewer. One movie can scare one person to death and another can find the same film boring. The Shining is, to me, the best example of the top tier of horror movies. If somebody called it the best horror film, I could not argue against it. A recent example is my teenage son, who watches the kind of horror movies teens watch now, said, "Dad, show me a really scary movie." With a sideways grin, I put in The Shining. At the point in the movie where Danny reaches for the doorknob of that particular room, my son's exact words were, "Turn it off, turn it off, I'm done with this." It is also one of the few examples where I feel the movie is better than the book, no disrespect to Mr. King.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by BaronVH

So horror movies are very subjective to the viewer. One movie can scare one person to death and another can find the same film boring. The Shining is, to me, the best example of the top tier of horror movies. If somebody called it the best horror film, I could not argue against it. A recent example is my teenage son, who watches the kind of horror movies teens watch now, said, "Dad, show me a really scary movie." With a sideways grin, I put in The Shining. At the point in the movie where Danny reaches for the doorknob of that particular room, my son's exact words were, "Turn it off, turn it off, I'm done with this." It is also one of the few examples where I feel the movie is better than the book, no disrespect to Mr. King.

I think Kubrick's take on Stephen King's book is far more substantial than King's own made for TV version, which was a huge let down.

The novel is very, very good, but goes off the deep end at the climax. Kubrick's subdued, even icy touch is more effective from an artistic perspective.

[I KEEL YOU]

I honestly don't know what I find scarier about The Shining: The shots where the ghosts (or what we assume are ghosts) are present or the ones where they're not. Some of the shots where those long hallways are completely empty I find so eerie. This movie creates an atmosphere that is unparalleled in motion picture history, IMO.

[Stefan1]

One of the greatest masterpieces of modern cinema. Its sense of dread, unsettling atmosphere and stifling terror builds up. It transcends just being a "movie", it's art.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

I much prefer the BD shot. The top added on the DVD takes away from the characters in the image.

Well, there were only two screenshots for The Shining on blu-ray.com for me to choose to match a screen from... the interiors of the hotel are much more impressive in open matte.

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

You do not want a fully open matte transfer of this or most other films shot with this technique. Do you like boom mics, camera shadows, helicopter blades, and other items never meant to be seen by audiences in the frame?

As I pointed out in two posts above the one you quoted, Kubrick accounted for the open matte version while composing his shots for the camera so that during most scenes, both 1.33 and 1.85 would appear properly framed. There are no boom mics or unsightly extras in the current open matte (slight crop) dvd. His intention was that 4:3 home video and TV broadcasts of the time would present the film open matte.

Originally Posted by dubious

[Show spoiler]Read this if you want your mind blown - potentially - some portions NSFW or Skip to Chapter 16 for the head trip!

... and I'll just quote my own post again, as this is an argument for having the open matte version as well.

TL;DR

[Show spoiler]Jack molests Danny, the movie is filled with clues and imagery to support this interpretation. Jack is his father, and Danny is Jack, and the flashbacks recall how he was molested as well. The pattern repeats.

[Mandalorian]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

I honestly don't know what I find scarier about The Shining: The shots where the ghosts (or what we assume are ghosts) are present or the ones where they're not. Some of the shots where those long hallways are completely empty I find so eerie. This movie creates an atmosphere that is unparalleled in motion picture history, IMO.

The production design in this film is amazing, from the decor to the lighting, but in addition to the production design, the camera work is amazing as well. I love those long hallway shots. I'm not sure if this is my favorite Kubrick film, but it's definitely in the discussion.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by dubious

Well, there were only two screenshots for The Shining on blu-ray.com for me to choose to match a screen from... the interiors of the hotel are much more impressive in open matte.



As I pointed out in two posts above the one you quoted, Kubrick accounted for the open matte version while composing his shots for the camera so that during most scenes, both 1.33 and 1.85 would appear properly framed. There are no boom mics or unsightly extras in the current open matte (slight crop) dvd. His intention was that 4:3 home video and TV broadcasts of the time would present the film open matte.

If that was the case, the aerial shots wouldn't have the helicopter blades so prominent at the top of the frame in the open matte version. The man was meticulous to say the least to the point of phobia. The Shining, unlike some of his other open matte films, was more closely framed for a widescreen presentation. Some of the literature at the time even mentioned protecting for 1.85:1.

[blonde_devil]

Originally Posted by BaronVH

So horror movies are very subjective to the viewer. One movie can scare one person to death and another can find the same film boring.

Very true. I still hear people talking about how scary Blair Witch was yet I really thought it was boring. Same with all those "found footage" films - I watched part of one of the Paranormal Activity films about 2 months ago to see why people liked them, still don't know why people find them scary yet they do. It is like any other type of film - there are differences in style and you might like one style where as I might like a different style. I do feel that a lot of these older films really use suspense more which is something I like. Seems to many horror films over the past 30 years or so go more for the shock value than to build up to something.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

If that was the case, the aerial shots wouldn't have the helicopter blades so prominent at the top of the frame in the open matte version. The man was meticulous to say the least to the point of phobia. The Shining, unlike some of his other open matte films, was more closely framed for a widescreen presentation. Some of the literature at the time even mentioned protecting for 1.85:1.

I didn't say he got every shot perfect, I'm sure he picked 1.85 over both when he could only achieve one. Mounting a camera to a helicopter with a wide angle lens isn't going to give you many options.

I put together a small gallery of scene compositions which I think look beautiful and far more open in 1.33

11 screenshots from The Shining in open matte



... in this image, Jack reads Playgirl, this particular issue included the article INCEST: Why parents sleep with their children.

[warrian]

Originally Posted by dubious

I didn't say he got every shot perfect, I'm sure he picked 1.85 over both when he could only achieve one. Mounting a camera to a helicopter with a wide angle lens isn't going to give you many options.

I put together a small gallery of scene compositions which I think look beautiful and far more open in 1.33

Those are very well chosen caps and they help make your case compelling.

I still much prefer the 1.78:1 of the Blu-ray though. There's just way too much unnecessary headroom in the majority of the shots on my old DVD for my liking. The 1.78:1 compromise feels a lot more cinematic to me.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by dubious

I didn't say he got every shot perfect, I'm sure he picked 1.85 over both when he could only achieve one. Mounting a camera to a helicopter with a wide angle lens isn't going to give you many options.

I put together a small gallery of scene compositions which I think look beautiful and far more open in 1.33

11 screenshots from The Shining in open matte

[Show spoiler]

... in this image, Jack reads Playgirl, this particular issue included the article INCEST: Why parents sleep with their children.

It's a matter of opinion, but often times too much dead space will lead to the audience losing the main focus of the shot. If you see the same shots in the widescreen framing, the focus starts to switch back to the characters rather than just the environment they're in.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

It's a matter of opinion, but often times too much dead space will lead to the audience losing the main focus of the shot. If you see the same shots in the widescreen framing, the focus starts to switch back to the characters rather than just the environment they're in.

Yeah, but the environment, the Hotel, is very much a character of its own in this movie.

It's like the Ecto1 in Ghostbusters.

[redrunner97]

I've also never been bored by a second of The Shinning.

It's one of those rare movies that I find myself seeing new things I never noticed before, with each viewing.

[Captain Flint]

Originally Posted by MechaGodzilla

I am shocked and appalled.

You are so welcome.

[Stefan1]

Originally Posted by blonde_devil

Very true. I still hear people talking about how scary Blair Witch was yet I really thought it was boring. Same with all those "found footage" films - I watched part of one of the Paranormal Activity films about 2 months ago to see why people liked them, still don't know why people find them scary yet they do. It is like any other type of film - there are differences in style and you might like one style where as I might like a different style. I do feel that a lot of these older films really use suspense more which is something I like. Seems to many horror films over the past 30 years or so go more for the shock value than to build up to something.

I feel the same way about It Follows. what a snoozefest, and totally overhyped. great soundtrack though, but it was so great that it totally undermined what was happening on screen.

[Mr.Twinks]

Originally Posted by Stefan1

I feel the same way about It Follows. what a snoozefest, and totally overhyped. great soundtrack though, but it was so great that it totally undermined what was happening on screen.

I liked how the director/creator of It Follows took from Kubrick, Cronenberg, Carpenter with shooting style and also borrowed the analog synth sounds from those films. I liked the overall morality tale of the film. Was it scary to me no but I thought it was decent as a horror movie.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by Captain Flint

You are so welcome.

If you're a movie lover by any stretch of the imagination, you should check this title out.