NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Warner 4K UHD (October 2019): The 3840 X 2160 resolution is a marked improvement over the weak Blu-ray from way back in 2007 that had a VC-1 encode, low bitrate and 16-bit audio. Like wise to all the, up to 20-year old, DVD iterations. The new 4K has over 5X the bitrate sitting on a triple layered UHD disc. This is such a huge title that it has sparked plenty of discussion in some of the minute differences (notably the end 'maze' scene) but speaking as a fan of the film - this image looks fabulous - by far the best the film has ever look digitally. The 'greens' in this presentation were very noticeable to me - ties, sweaters, bathroom tiles etc. and they had some beautiful rich hues in this UHD transfer. Reds as well - always Kubrick-ian. Contrast layering was, predictably, very strong with inky black levels. Detail rose and grain support was consistent giving a film-like appearance. Regarding the 1.78:1 ratio. Kubrick's films have had this discussion for many decades. We have had The Shining in 1.33:1 (Full Screen), 1.37:1 (negative ratio), 1.66:1 (theatrical ratio - Europe), 1.78:1 (Blu-ray and 4K UHD), and 1.85:1 (theatrical ratio - US & UK.)

It is likely that the monitor you are seeing this review is not an HDR-compatible display (High Dynamic Range) or Dolby Vision, where each pixel can be assigned with a wider and notably granular range of color and light. Our capture software if simulating the HDR (in a uniform manner) for standard monitors. This should make it easier for us to review more 4K UHD titles in the future and give you a decent idea of its attributes on your system. So our captures may not support the exact same colors (coolness of skin tones, brighter or darker hues etc.) as the 4K system at your home. But the framing, detail, grain texture support etc. are, generally, not effected by this variance.

NOTE: I own two different 4K systems and transfers frequently show a variance in the image presentation depending on the system and its set-up. This is also true of computer monitors. It is highly unlikely that these captures reflect the exact same color balance and brightness as on your home system, but the detail, grain support and other attributes will, hopefully, give you an indication of the value of this 3840 X 2160 resolution and restoration. I cannot say how you will like it on your 4K UHD set-up - only that I think it looked outstanding on mine. 

NOTE: 46 more full resolution (3840 X 2160) captures for Patrons are available HERE.

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Batman Returns (software uniformly simulated HDR), Don't Look Now (software uniformly simulated HDR), The Man Who Killed Killed and then The Bigfoot  (software uniformly simulated HDR),,  Bram Stoker's Dracula (software uniformly simulated HDR), Lucy (software uniformly simulated HDR), They Live (software uniformly simulated HDR),  Shutter Island (software uniformly simulated HDR),  The Matrix (software uniformly simulated HDR), Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

This audio is not in Dolby Atmos but rather a very robust DTS-HD Master in 5.1 surround (no mono). Separations are not intrusively abundant but exist and there is some prominent depth present (4000 kbps and 24-bit). The score is credited to Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind - notably the main title theme - based on "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath" from Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and traditional requiem "Dies Irae". The score was originally supposed to have been done by John Williams. It was replaced by Kubrick's own collection of music by Béla Bartók (from "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta") Hector Berlioz, György Ligeti and many pieces by Krzysztof Penderecki. There are multiple optional DUBs and subtitles including English and as with all 4K UHD discs, this is Region 'Free' - playable worldwide. 

The only extra on the 4K UHD disc is the previous commentary. But the included Blu-ray is new (Disc - 45,548,379,803 bytes, feature - 39,368,460,288 bytes in AVC, video bitrate 26.9 Mbps). It has all the extras of the 2-disc DVD and 2007 Blu-ray with commentary and featurettes (discussed below). No trailers though. There is a leaflet with a code for a digital copy.

The Shining is one of the great horror films and ranks strongly in Kubrick's oeuvre. I was so pleased to view it in the 4K UHD presentation which often felt like I was seeing for the first time. There is so much in The Shining that I do tend to notice scenes or shots that I never recall from previous viewings. This is the mark of a masterpiece. It never gets old and you see subtleties being exposed. This is a good price, has plenty of value despite Warner not giving us any new extras (in over 10-years?). Okay, now I feel like watching it again.

Gary Tooze

REGARDING THE EDIT - NOTE: (sent in email by Francois) "To sum it up, Shelley Duvall mentioned the deleted scene in an interview to French movie magazine "Positif" (which had a strong Kubrick coverage due to Kubrick expert Michel Ciment). It took place in a hospital where hotel manager Stuart Ullman visited Wendy and Danny, recovering, a few days after the events. Ullman told Wendy that Jack's body hadn't been found so far. He spoke with her about her plans for the future and showed concern for Danny and her. Then, he moved to Danny and threw a rubber ball at him. The rubber ball bounced exactly like the one Danny had found earlier in the lobby, suggesting that Ullman had been an accomplice with all the things evil from the very beginning. Cut to the final scene in the hall with the picture.

Duvall spoke of it as an "Hitchcockian ending", which was no surprise given Kubrick's love for Hitchcock. She had a clear recollection of the whole scene as it was a tracking shot requiring dozens of takes before getting one with the very same bounces.

Peter didn't mention in his recollection the bouncing ball. Maybe this part of the shot was already cut in the theatrical version, maybe it wasn't very effective to the audiences, which would explain why Kubrick removed it. In the event, he made way for one of the most powerful edits in all his work, going in a few shots from Jack's frozen body to the group photograph of 1921." (Thanks Francois!)

***

ON THE DVDs: ADDITION: 2-disc Special Edition - Region 1- NTSC (October 2007): The package consists of 2-discs (one dual-layered, a second supplementary disc is single-layered) coded for region 1- in the NTSC standard. The feature is progressive, anamorphic while the second disc is interlaced (some 16x9).

In detail, the old R1 appears washed out. In comparison the Region 1 re-mastered version is far superior in every category. What I am most interested in is the subtle differences such as the cropping. In certain scenes it appears the older version was cropped, but if you look closely it is apparent in all three versions. Also, I wonder WHY the title font in Vivian Kubrick's short featurette was changed when it was made so many years ago? It seems crazy to me. Nice addition in the new version ( both R1 and R2/4) is the commentary on the short which is not there on the older version. The re-mastered version is brighter, sharper clearer with occasional reddish skin tones. Buy the Region 1 re-mastered and watch the long version, less altered by critical judgment.