MovieChat Forums > Room 237 (2012) Discussion > I love Kubrick, but come on...

I love Kubrick, but come on...

posted 10 years ago by sasha_the_brit
1 reply | jump to latest

Was Stanley Kubrick one of the most brilliant directors in the ~100 year history of film? Yes.

Was The Shining his masterpiece, and one of the most intelligent but frightening films of all time? Without a doubt.

Was he simultaneously talking about native genocide, the Holocaust, man-beast hybrids, the moon landing and sex-crazed ghosts looking for a little action whilst Jack gets his kid to demonstrate his Shining ability on him? No, and also what the actual *beep*.

Kubrick did use a lot of symbolism in this movie, but no one except him ever truly knew exactly what it all meant, and unless the zombie apocalypse comes and he decides to do an interview on CNN, no one ever will. One or two theories sort of made sense at first but quickly joined the others in being absolutely *beep* insane. The one guy was basing his analysis on the position of baking powder cans for Pete's sake.

The sad thing is that well-educated and intelligent people are coming up with this stuff. While I'm sure that the hipsters over at IFC absolutely creamed their vintage skinny jeans over this "documentary", it would seem that the real fans who enjoy The Shining and watch it over and over to catch new things we've missed are as unimpressed as me.

Some of these theorists sound like they need more hugs. Or sleep.

[–] alex_v 10 years ago

Kubrick did use a lot of symbolism in this movie, but no one except him ever truly knew exactly what it all meant...

This is true of almost all symbolism in all art, from Shakespeare to Rembrandt to whatever. As the doc mentions, analysis does not have to begin and end with what Kubrick intended. It also seems to me to be an argument from defeatism - because we can never know exactly what he intended, we shouldn't explore his art? We might as well give up on all complex art in that context!!!