The Shining Opening Scene Deconstruction

Immediately we see the Warner Bros production splash, simply showing that this big name company produced the film.

SCORE

In contrast to the visuals we see in the opening two minutes of the film, the score we hear is quite surreal. The non-diagetic music we hear is very dark, whereas the images we see show colourful and bright scenery. Maybe this shows that things will change for the worse in this movie, that something dark will happen.

The camera pans across this scenery at the very start of the film. It has nothing to do with the film in the slightest, but I think the director wanted it to be symbolic of the film as a whole. The island in the middle of the lake is on its own, isolated from everything else. The theme of isolation plays a big part to this film, and I think that this is why Kubrick made this his first shot.

As the viewer our attention is drawn to this car. The bird’s eye view allows us to see the car and it’s surroundings, suggesting environment/setting is very influential on the film. We automatically assume that the person in the car is of vital importance. Later we find out the person in the car is Jack Torrance, (Jack Nicholson) who is travelling to an interview so he can become caretaker of a hotel, which ultimately becomes the setting of the film. As the car is placed between a forestry of trees, the theme of isolation is also tackled here again, showing that more isolation is to come for this man in the car.

As soon as the credits start we see that the name of the director/screenplay writer rather than that of the stars of the film.

Although that might be the case, the text is exactly the same here as the director’s. Not only that but it also seems to appear on the screen for the same amount of time, connoting that they are equals. It also shows that

this is an actor who plays a vital part in the movie as he is the first to appear in the credits. This is the case, as Jack Nicholson plays the part of the man who turns psychotic and attempts to kill his family with an axe.

Shelley Duvall also shares the same colour, font, and size as the others. She is another star of the film, who plays the part of the wife.

Next comes the title of the film. The font does not differentiate in anyway to the font for Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson or Shelley Duvall, suggesting that the film is being sold on the big names

rather than the title. It also suggests that they are the only stars of the film, as they get priority over the title.

Danny Lloyd plays the boy in The Shining who actually has the gift called “The Shining.” He has a similar amount of time on camera to Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall yet he is only “featuring” in the film and not “starring” in it. The fact that he comes after the stars of the film and the title show that perhaps the film is being sold on big names, and just because Danny Lloyd does in fact star in this film it doesn’t mean he gets put up with the big names in the credits.

At the end of the two minutes we see this stopped car. This is the only other vehicle we see, and it is stopped dead. This may show that no one will be there to help later on, and that no one wants to follow him to where he is going.