View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' (2007)
An overview of the making of, and a look at the continuing popularity of, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.
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By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.
View from the Overlook: Crafting 'The Shining' (2007) *** (out of 4)This 2007 documentary isn't nearly as memorable as Vivian Kubrick's MAKING 'THE SHINING' but there's enough here for fans of the film to check out. Pretty much we get fans of the film, Kubrick experts, famous directors and even Jack Nicholson sharing their thoughts and opinions on the film. These thoughts range from how the film was shot to how Kubrick took his sweet time to make sure that everything was done exactly the way he wanted it. We also learn that the scene between Danny Lloyd and Scatman Crothers as they talk about their powers took over eighty-takes yet the kid kept coming back from more. Hearing about the relationship between Kubrick and Lloyd was pretty interesting and one wishes that the actor had been interviewed here. Another wonderful part was just hearing Nicholson share his thoughts on Kubrick and why he thought he was so great. Directors William Friedkin, Ernest Dickerson and Sydney Pollack are all interviewed and share a few interesting through about the movie. It funny that one mentions they don't like THE SHINING yet they can't help but be drawn to it, which is something I'm sure many people feel. Overall the 28-minutes are extremely funny but at the same time you can't help but wish they put a little more into and expanded the running time. There are so many other things that could have been talked about but are overlooked and this includes the alternate ending as well as Kubrick cutting the film down for overseas.