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Quickie Review - Room 237

Another movie I'd heard nothing good about. This documentary on the hidden symbolism found in the Stanley Kubrick film version of Stephen King's The Shining is all over the place. From the obvious to the absurd, from the logical to the flat out insane. This gives Kubrick credit for everything from faking the moon landing to giving us the greatest social commentary on genocide ever on film. Oh yeah, occasionally, it talks about what happens in the movie and hits the nail on the head.  The real shame of the film is that in trying to peel off all these layers found within the classic, it's reveals the human side of Kubrick. A man known as a perfectionist is revealed as a mistake oriented director who feared thoughts of the Holocaust so much, that he inserted his anger into every film he ever made, because he didn't have the guts to make his own movie about it. That is if you believe it to be true.

I've long thought The Shining was actually a pretty simple movie, but then again, I've never read the book, so I have no idea where the true inspiration comes from. I have always felt that there are three thoughts here.  Jack's, the slow decent into mania, resulting from alcoholism and a fear of losing his family, due to his personal failures. There is Wendy, the concept of a rock, who actually does everything for Jack and in doing so, emasculates him. Then there is Danny, who is innocence. Everything he sees while with the family is secure (even if a false sense), but everything without them is madness. The halls, reveal his learning the truth. Yes, at times this has something to do with things other than the family, but it's about the lose of control. Everyone is protected by what is their own environment, but when they stray within the house, into someone else's, it all falls apart. The maze, a symbol of confusion, is more of the mind and in the center there is order, but the surrounding area is confusion. Danny's innocence is what saves him, because he can go from inside and out. The scene where he squeezes through the window, but the mother can't, for me is the key scene in the movie. If one wants to take Room 237 commentary's angle, it makes sense too. All the movie is about is a simple story about not making the same mistakes twice and how adults have no choice, because history dictates that it be repeated, while the innocent child, sees what he wants to see and is free to explore different paths.

Enough of that for now. I could go on and on and break down scenes as the documentary did, but without reading the book, I'm simply making my own half cocked assumptions. Only worth it for the laughs in my opinion, you'd be better of simply watching the actual movie again and enjoying one of the greatest horror films of all-time.

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