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Room 237: Unauthorized Doc About The Shinning


February 11, 2013 | Marina Galperina

Hey, you guys. This very hype Kubrick documentary Room 237 has a giant Kubrick-had-nothing-to-do-with-it disclaimer. Look:

NEITHER THIS FILM, NOR ANY VIEW OR OPINION EXPRESSED IN IT, NOR THE CONTEXT IN WHICH FILM FOOTAGE AND IMAGES ARE USED, IS APPROVED OR ENDORSED BY, OR IS IN ANY WAY ASSOCIATED WITH, THE KUBRICK 1981 TRUST, STANLEY KUBRICK’S FAMILY, WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC., OR ANYONE ELSE CONNECTED WITH THE MAKING OF THE MOTION PICTURE THE SHINING (“THE SHINING FILMMAKERS”). THE VIEWS AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS DOCUMENTARY FILM ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE COMMENTATORS IN IT AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF STANLEY KUBRICK OR THE SHINING FILMMAKERS.

Oh my. So serious.

In the 30 years since the film’s release, a considerable cult of Shining devotees has emerged, fans who claim to have decoded the film’s secret messages addressing everything from the genocide of Native Americans to a range of government conspiracies. Rodney Ascher’s wry and provocative Room 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with cultists and scholars, creating a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of Kubrick’s still-controversial classic.

In this first ever comprehensive The Shinning doc, there a lot of fan interviews. One thinks The Shinning is Kubrick’s confession that he faked the Moon landing with NASA. Apparently the maze is a reference the Minotaur. Overlook’s pantry is a reference to Hansel and Gretel. It may also be about the Holocaust. Or maybe not. Very hype doc. Must see. Aren’t you loving the minimalist trailer?