ROOM 237

I have a major confession to make. I do not like “The Shining”. At all. Personally I find it overrated, overblown, and an irritating entry into the genre. I know that I am in the minority and I have learned to live with that handicap (*sniff*). Whilst I appreciate the amazing cinematography (especially the opening sweep across the American mountains, and the tracking shots in the frozen maze), the OTT performance by Jack Nicholson, and the sense of isolation, I just don’t get the adulation that grew up around it, as most of it doesn’t work at all for me, and just seems extremely pretentious. To be honest, it irks me to see the movie continually being listed at the top of “Best Horror Movie” listings in various publications. It continually baffles me how it is rated above such classics as “The Exorcist”, “Psycho”, or even “Halloween”! That’s why it’s all the more surprising that I enjoyed “Room 237” so much.

“Room 237” is a documentary about “The Shining”, but it’s not a film about the making of the movie. It’s subtitled: “…being an inquiry into The Shining in 9 parts”, and is an exploration of the hidden themes that supposedly exist within its scenes. Five movie enthusiasts/critics narrate “Room 237” for the entirety of documentary and present their own thoughts on what Stanley Kubrick was trying to depict when directing the movie. You never see their faces, as this isn’t a “talking heads” piece. All the narration is visually represented by clips from (unsurprisingly) “The Shining”, news-reels, and other Kubrick films like “2001” or “Eyes Wide Shut”. Not only that, but we also get off-the-wall clips from films like “Creepshow”, “Capricorn One”, and even “Demons” to add to the mix. Some shots are literally frame-by-frame analysis of “The Shining”, which even include white-arrows to draw your attention to things you may not have noticed, or subliminal images.

However, it is the narrators stream of opinions and revelations, that make the documentary such an entertaining piece of work. Some of these are outright conspiracy theories and some are quite well researched with moments of how-the-hell-did-I-miss-that scenes. A few of these are probably true; there are so many references to the slaughter of Native Americans that it does seem to be legitimately part of Kubrick’s intentional theme. There are some dubious connections; does it mean the film was about the Nazi Holocaust, just because the typewriter was German and the number ‘42’ (1942) is used a lot? There are also some downright mental connections! One of the narrators states that the haunted room in the hotel was changed from “217” to “237” because the Moon Is 237,000 miles from Earth, and Kubrick had filmed a fake Moon Landing! Really? Another charges that because a poster of a skier looks a bit like a Minotaur (if you squint) then the whole film is a reinterpretation of Greek Mythology.

It’s not just the (sometimes wacky) theories that make this such a good documentary though. Other intriguing facts and points are raised and proven. The floor plan of the Overlook Hotel is shown to be logistically impossible. One fan arranged a showing of “The Shining” with a super-imposed screening of the same film being run backwards over the top of it. Now whether Kubrick intended it or not, it throws up some wonderful scenes. For example, the opening shot is framed like a postcard, complete with caption. Also, there is some definite proof that Kubrick was going out of his way to piss off Stephen King, which seemed to work a treat.

This is all captivating and fascinating stuff, and it doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the film itself or not. Although, it is almost guaranteed that you’ll want to view “The Shining” again pretty soon after seeing this. The real point is that we all have films that we obsess over, and we can all find hidden layers to them if we hold onto that obsession. For my part, I still bore people rigid with tales about “Psycho”, and every friend that I’ve got knows that it was the first major film to show a toilet flushing! So I totally get this. The documentary distances itself from Warner’s and the Kubrick family quite majorly, with disclaimers printed all over the place, so it’s not meant to be a considered analysis of the movie. It’s more enjoyable than that.

Crisply directed, and excellently edited, by Rodney Ascher, there are some nice little aesthetic touches throughout “Room 237”. The opening tweaks film footage to show Tom Cruise and Robert Redford enjoying “The Shining”. Strangely enough there is also a nice Euro-Horror-alike soundtrack playing unobtrusively during the film, which adds to the flavour nicely.

A recommended treat. It might not float everybody’s boat. The average cinema-goer is probably going to get turned off by the constant narration and MTV-speed flow of film clips. But if you’re a fan of the film itself, or have a serious love for genre movies, you’ll get a real kick out of this. Just remember 2x3x7=42. Weird or what?
DVD Extras: A trailer. Seriously? Where’s the love people?

It doesn’t matter if you like “The Shining” or not. This is a fascinating journey into the psyche of obsessive film fans, and the work of a master manipulator. If you love the cinema, book yourself into this room as soon as you can.