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Shining Through (1992)

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Gripping, tense, and utterly unbelievable from start to finish, this wartime thriller has Melanie Griffith going behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany. She succeeds largely because the Nazis are stupid rather than because she outsmarts them, and yet there are some fine moments, and the movie maintains enough momentum to keep it going.

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Shining Through (1992)

Rate: 6 Viewed: 3/23

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This article was written on 24 Dec 2019, and is filled under Reviews .

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anti-Semitism , behind enemy lines , half Jewish , Jew , Jewish , jewish woman , new york city , spies

Shining Through (1992, Michael Douglas, Melanie Griffith, Liam Neeson) – Classic Movie Review 9189

Melanie Griffith stars in writer-director David Seltzer’s hypnotically awful 1992 World War Two-set romantic thriller drama Shining Through as Linda Voss,  gets a job at a New York law firm and later becomes a spy for colonel Ed Leland (Michael Douglas)’s OSS agency. She is half Jewish and can speak German, though not very well on this evidence.

As Ed’s secretary and translator, she begins to suspect he is involved in spying, and the pair become lovers. After America joins the war, she volunteers to go undercover and she is sent in to Berlin to photograph some bomb plans. Sunflower (John Gielgud) and Margrete Von Eberstien (Joely Richardson) help her to infiltrate Nazi officer Franze-Otto Dietrich (Liam Neeson)’s house.

Shining Through is a shoddy, overlong, poorly acted and totally unconvincing wartime spy movie, directed by Seltzer with an unerring eye to magnifying all the clichés and absurdities in his script: ‘Tell me about the war, when did you first become interested in it?’ ‘In one leap I landed in the upstairs chambers of the German élite.’ ‘I knew it was a Friday we said goodbye because the next day was Saturday.’ ‘Mein Gott, you’ve got guts!’ The actors are stranded with lines like this.

Seltzer’s screenplay is based on a novel by Susan Isaacs.

Also in the cast are Sylvia Syms, Francis Guinan, Patrick Winczewski, Anthony Walters, Victoria Shalet, Sheila Allen, Stanley Beard, Ronald Nitschke and Hansi Jochmann.

The film is an absolute gem for those who like laughing at bad movies. Its badness shines through the decades. The movie won the 1993 Razzie Award for Worst Picture, Worst Actress and Worst Director, the 1992 Stinker Award for Worst Picture, and the Worst Picture award at the Hastings Bad Cinema Society’s 15th Stinkers Bad Movie Awards in 1992.

Shining Through is directed by David Seltzer, runs 132 minutes, is made by Twentieth Century Fox, Sandollar Productions and Peter V Miller Investment Corp, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by David Seltzer, is shot by Jan De Bont, is produced by Peter V Miller, Howard Rosenman and Carol Baum, is scored by Michael Kamen, and is designed by Anthony Pratt.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 9189

Check out more reviews on   http://derekwinnert.com

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Shining Through

Reviewed by: Brett Willis STAFF WRITER

T his fictional WWII spy story has good performances all around and authentic costumes and sets; yet it doesn’t have an emotional, realistic “feel” as the best modern films do. It seems more like an elaborate stage play or a film produced in the ’40s. Maybe that’s because it’s presented as the later-life reminisces of lead character Linda Voss (Melanie Griffith), who supposedly got some of her “spy training” from watching contemporary (that is, ’40s) films.

Voss, an American who is German-born and half-Jewish, lands a job as secretary to Ed Leland ( Michael Douglas ), who is an international lawyer and (as Voss correctly guesses) a spy. She slowly works her way into Leland’s confidence and finally (after the U.S. enters the war) volunteers for spy work herself. She’s assigned to pose as a domestic in a German officer’s house and to attempt to microfilm the plans for a new secret weapon and the location of its factory. As in most spy stories, nothing goes as planned.

Considering the rating, there’s very little profane language. There’s a gratuitous sex scene between Voss and Leland with about half a minute of partial nudity. Several on-screen killings and some spy-related treachery. There are some fairly big holes in the plot. Linda’s search for her Jewish relatives who are hidden in Berlin is the element that conveys the deepest on-screen emotion; however, the romantic bond between Voss and Leland is presented as strong enough for them to risk their lives for each other as well as for their country. This film is average for its type, but is interesting for its unique method of presentation.

Surprise new film about the making of ‘The Shining’ is on the way

"This is a story which has never been told"

A surprise new film about the making of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is on the way – check out all the details below.

Approved by the Kubrick Film Archive and family estate, the film, Shine On – The Forgotten Shining Location, will premiere on the official Stanley Kubrick YouTube channel on July 26 at 7pm (UK time) to coincide with the late filmmaker’s birthday.

The film is narrated by Michael Sheen and includes interviews with the film’s executive producer, Jan Harlan, art director Les Tomkins, and Kubrick’s daughter Katharina Kubrick.

As per a synopsis of the film, the interviewees will “revisit the studio locations and share their memories about a film frequently voted the best horror film of all time.”

The film explores key locations in the making film as well as the art direction when creating the Overlook Hotel at the famous Elstree Studios.

In a press release, the documentary film’s director/producer, Paul King, said fans will discover some new information about the sets used on the film.

He explained: “There have been so many rumours about some of the sets from The Shining still existing at Elstree Studios, but to actually find them and walk around them was like discovering a holy grail of film history.”

Recommended

Katharina Kubrick, who also worked as a location researcher on the film added: “The production of The Shining has been well documented and analysed, but this is a story which has never been told. Pivotal scenes from the film took place in these areas, so going back to them felt like stepping into the movie itself.”

A new trailer for the documentary will arrive this week on February 19.

Last week (July 11), it was announced that Shelley Duvall – who appeared as Wendy Torrance in The Shining – died at the age of 75.

Her passing was confirmed by her long-time partner Dan Gilroy who told The Hollywood Reporter that she died in her sleep of complications from diabetes at her home in Blanco, Texas.

“My dear, sweet, wonderful life partner and friend left us. Too much suffering lately, now she’s free. Fly away, beautiful Shelley,” Gilroy told the outlet.

Duvall was known for her work with director Robert Altman, who cast her in 1970’s Brewster McCloud as her first on screen role. From there, she went on to appear in films such as McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Thieves Like Us (1974) and Nashville (1975).

“Despite being dogged with exaggerations of her treatment on set, Shelley was always vocal about her experience filming The Shining saying she ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’ because ‘working with loveable Stanley was a fascinating learning experience,’” the official X/Twitter account of the late director Stanley Kubrick wrote. “Our thoughts are with Shelley’s friends and family.”

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Why Did Shelley Duvall Quit Acting?

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Duvall's put through the ringer on the shining set, continued success in the '80s, from film to television work, duvall officially retires in 2002, return to the big screen & sudden passing.

Hollywood is shining a little less brightly after news recently spread that silver screen great Shelley Duvall sadly passed away at the age of 75 on July 11, 2024 , leaving behind an illustrious film and television career that spanned decades. The unique and vivacious actress began her enduring cinema career back in 1970 when she was discovered by chance by director Robert Altman, with the popular filmmaker giving the then 20-year-old Duvall a lead role in his comedy Brewster McCloud despite the young talent having never acted a day in her life; the rest, as they say, is history.

Duvall became a bona fide scream queen when she delivered a knockout performance as Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick's critically acclaimed horror masterpiece The Shining, further propelling the actress to superstardom. She would follow up the career-defining performance with films like Popeye, Time Bandits, and Roxanne, showcasing her range with every project she took on. Both fans and the entertainment industry were left shocked when Duvall announced her retirement from acting in 2002 following over thirty years on screen. Let's delve in and take a look at Duvall's enduring career and figure out why she walked away from fame.

For Kubrick's cinematic adaptation of the celebrated Stephen King horror novel, Duvall was cast as Wendy Torrance, a devoted wife and mother who accompanies her writer husband to serve as the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel along with their young son Danny. Quickly, however, the family begins to realize the hotel is haunted. The actress famously worked alongside Jack Nicholson in The Shining and production of the fan-favorite flick was tumultuous for Duvall, who was constantly at odds with Kubrick over his methodical nature and antagonistic approach to directing his actors.

Duvall's Tempestuous Relationship with Kubrick

Kubrick intentionally isolated Duvall during filming and made her go through mentally exhausting shoots over and over again, forcing the actress to do the iconic baseball bat scene a whopping 127 times. Principal photography took a year to complete, and she would later state that for the final nine months of shooting, she was required to cry 12 hours a day throughout the grueling schedule, going on to comment that "it was so difficult being hysterical for that length of time." Duvall even presented the notoriously difficult director with clumps of her own hair that had fallen out as a result of all the stress she was under, and she suffered from nervous exhaustion because of his compulsiveness and perfectionism .

Both Duvall and Nicholson were in agreement that starring in The Shining was one of the hardest films of their respective careers, and they were also openly frustrated that Kubrick was singled out as the reason for the movie's widespread success and not their own brilliant contributions. Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece is now considered to be a trailblazing film in the genre and one of the greatest horror movies of all time, though despite Duvall's performance being considered her most phenomenal, she was controversially nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress (an insult that was ultimately rescinded in 2022). When reflecting on the stormy experience, Duvall expressed in 2001:

"I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. Why? Because of Stanley. And it was a fascinating learning experience, it was such intense work that I think it makes you smarter. But I wouldn’t want to go through it again."

After her trailblazing performance as the ultimate scream queen in The Shining, Duvall decided to switch things up and opted for a more light-hearted and fun next project: playing Olive Oyl opposite Robin Williams' Popeye in the big-screen adaptation of the popular comic character. Popeye was a massive financial success and grossed $60 million at the box office, with Duvall's performance as the iconic sailor's lady love garnering rave reviews from moviegoers; Roger Ebert wrote that Duvall was "born to play" Olive Oyl and that the film proved "it is possible to take the broad strokes of a comic strip and turn them into sophisticated entertainment."

Pursuing Her Other Goals & Aspirations

The actress then went on to star in a slew of films of all genres throughout the decade, notably appearing in Terry Gilliam's Time Bandits and the horror comedy Frankenweenie, as well as alongside Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah in the rom-com Roxanne. Duvall also branched out and explored more of her personal interests in the entertainment industry , founding the production company Think Entertainment in 1988 and producing shows like Nightmare Classics, Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories, and Mother Goose Rock 'n' Rhyme. By the time the 1990s rolled around, her career began to wind-down and she shifted her focus from the big screen to television work.

After working alongside revered directors like Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Terry Gilliam, and Tim Burton , Duvall started appearing in more television programs during the '90s and nabbed supporting roles in shows including L.A. Law, Frasier, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and Wishbone , in addition to the made-for-TV movies Frogs!, Alone, and Aliens for Breakfast. Following the devastating 1994 Northridge earthquake, Duvall relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas partially because of the terrifying natural disaster as well as to be closer to her ailing brother.

Duvall's Career Slows Down

Duvall briefly returned to California to appear in Steven Soderbergh's 1995 crime drama The Underneath and also ended the decade on a high note with roles in Casper Meets Wendy, Home Fries, and The 4th Floor. She would go on to appear in just one released project in the 2000s, with the 2002 religious comedy Manna from Heaven marking her final acting endeavor before she announced her retirement from the craft that same year . Duvall's long hiatus from Hollywood would ultimately last for 21 years until she made a return to the big screen in the 2023 horror film The Forest Hills.

Shelley Duvall had no intentions of ever becoming a movie star, having instead intended to pursue her love of science and work in the microbiology field; her unexpected discovery by Robert Altman completely altered her life's intended trajectory and opened up new and exciting doors for the talented performer. Back in the '90s, Duvall relocated from California to Texas to be closer to her brother, and she decided to make the move a permanent one in 2002 in order to be closer to her family and sibling when he was diagnosed with spinal cancer. The actress announced her official retirement that same year and devoted herself to her loved ones, supporting them all through the difficult time .

Duvall's Retirement Is Shamefully Cut Short

Duvall enjoyed a private and secluded life away from the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, though her tranquility didn't last as her personal life eventually garnered media attention. In November 2016, The Shining star was controversially interviewed by Phil McGraw on his daytime talk show Dr. Phil, with the TV personality discussing the former actress' mental illness in a segment that received overwhelming criticism from the public . Many claimed that Duvall was exploited while on the program and both Stanley Kubrick's daughter Vivian and Mia Farrow vocally expressed their outrage towards McGraw for the shameful episode.

In 2021, The Hollywood Reporter writer Seth Abramovitch located Duvall and she expressed her regrets about the interview:

"I found out the kind of person he is the hard way. My mother didn’t like him, either. A lot of people, like Dan, said, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, Shelley.' He started calling my mother. She told him, ‘Don’t call my daughter anymore.’ But he started calling my mother all the time trying to get her to let me talk to him again."

After a 21-year absence from acting, Shelley Duvall made her triumphant return to the silver screen when she appeared in the 2023 independent horror thriller The Forest Hills . She initially only intended to have a cameo role but joined the ensemble out of a desire to have more scenes. Duvall called her buzzed-about comeback "so much fun" and went on to joke that "Jessica Tady won an Oscar when she was 80. I can still win." Sadly, the quirky and captivating actress was unable to achieve this dream as she passed away on July 11, 2024, at 75 following complications from diabetes.

The World Mourns the Loss of an Acting Great

Both fans and celebrities paid tribute to the decorated performer, who was beloved for her upbeat and cheerful disposition and who proved herself to be one of Tinseltown's most exciting and successful actresses in the '70s and '80s. Duvall was celebrated as a trailblazing scream queen who dominated every scene, role, and project she took on, and during her illustrious career, she was the recipient of prestigious accolades like a Peabody and a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She leaves behind an awe-inspiring life and legacy that likely won't be replicated, with Dazed magazine accurately calling the sensational actress "one of the most magnetic on-screen presences of the last century."

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‘The Shining Hour’ Blu-Ray Review – Joan Crawford Commands Incendiary Melodrama

• By Dillon Gonzales
• July 11, 2024
• No Comments

When Joan Crawford saw The Shining Hour on the Broadway stage, she pleaded with M-G-M executives to let her spread her acting wings in the film version. Ms. Crawford got her way, playing a New York siren who marries a prosperous farmer (Melvyn Douglas) and moves to Wisconsin. There she is drawn to his handsome brother (Robert Young) , even as she befriends the brother’s selfless wife (Margaret Sullavan, Crawford’s choice for the role). The passionate triangle plays out in the best tradition of classic screen melodrama, glossy and chic, but resonant with honest emotion, all under the expert direction of the great Frank Borzage. The film’s heart-stopping climax with Crawford battling flames to rescue Sullavan from certain death is both literally and figuratively, incendiary filmmaking.

For thoughts on The Shining Hour, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required: 

Video Quality

Warner Archive presents The Shining Hour with a great 1080p transfer sourced from a new 4K restoration of the best preservation elements. The label always finds a way to make a movie appear as good as new even when not working from the Original Camera Negative. The black-and-white photography from George J. Folsey maintains the perfect amount of natural film grain that resolves impeccably. There are a handful of softer shots, but the transfer is a beauty with no excessive signs of wear and tear or dirt specks. Both the city setting in the beginning and the country estate provide intricate textures and clarity throughout the narrative. Black levels are deep with robust stability throughout, and the contrast holds steady with nothing appearing overly bright. Compression seems to be in enviable shape overall. Warner Archive has made Joan Crawford fans very happy with this release.  

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a restored DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that stands tall alongside the video restoration. The restoration has eliminated all obvious instances of deficiencies in the track such as previous popping, hissing, and dropouts. This track ensures every distinct element thrives with firm fidelity. Dialogue and background texture flow out with perfect accuracy along with a grand score from Franz Waxman. Dramatic exchanges come through clearly without being overpowered by other elements. The more lively moments such as a disaster that occurs in the latter half of the film are handled well as they give the track some substance. The audio presentation knocks it out of the park. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included in the feature film.

• MGM Radio Program: A 23-minute vintage program entitled Good News of 1939 which features scenes from The Shining Hour among various skits and promotional bits. 
• Classic Cartoons
• Love and Curses: The nearly nine-minute Merrie Melodies short is provided here in HD which finds an elderly couple reflecting on their youth filled with danger and jealousy.   
• Porky’s Five and Ten: The seven-minute Looney Tunes short is provided here in HD which finds Porky attempting to cross the sea to open up a general store until he is interrupted by aquatic life. 
• The Sneezing Weasel: The seven-minute Merrie Melodies short is provided here in HD which finds a weasel impersonating a doctor to get close to a sick chick. 
• Original Theatrical Trailer: The three-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

The Shining Hour is a decently engaging melodrama that is held aloft by Joan Crawford. Neither of the main men in this story has much of a connection with the leading lady, but Crawford is so good that you completely buy into the emotional complexity of the character. We were more hooked by the banter with Margaret Sullavan, who just about matches Crawford in screen presence. For the women alone, this feature is worth a look. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray that features a pleasant A/V presentation and some valuable special features. If you are a fan of the performers, you will cherish this release. Recommended 

The Shining Hour can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.

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Shelley Duvall and ‘The Shining’: What she said about her experiences

Before Shelley Duvall vanished from the screen in early 2000s, she spent years as one of Hollywood's hottest actors.

Duvall, who died July 11 at age 75 , starred in Robert Altman's Oscar-winning 1975 drama “Nashville," played Olive Oyl opposite Robin Williams in the 1980 live-action "Popeye," and made fans laugh in the zany 1981 sci-fi comedy "Time Bandits."

But Duvall’s most famous role, that of Wendy, the terrified wife of Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance, in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” proved to be her most challenging.

In an interview on TODAY in 1981, she called making the movie "extremely difficult."

Duvall’s character in the Stephen King adaptation is in a constant state of terror in the movie because she’s being tormented by a husband who goes insane in a snowed-in hotel. Jack ends up chasing Wendy and their young son, Danny, through the hotel with an axe.

Duvall said in interviews that playing Wendy was emotionally and physically draining — a job made even harder by the famously exacting Kubrick.

“So here was my chance to work with Kubrick," Duvall told Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert in December 1980. “And that was another category. Going through day after day of excruciating work. Almost unbearable.

"Jack Nicholson’s character had to be crazy and angry all the time. And in my character I had to cry 12 hours a day, all day long, the last nine months straight, five or six days a week," she added.

The following year, Duvall opened up to People about the emotional toll the movie took on her. "I will never give that much again. If you want to get into pain and call it art, go ahead, but not with me," she said.

Duvall's memories of filming the classic American horror movie remained unchanged 40 years later during a candid February 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter .

The movie’s shoot took a whopping 56 weeks with Duvall and Nicholson putting in up to 16 hours six days a week.

Kubrick, who died in 1999, famously demanded his actors reshoot scenes over and over, even earning a mention in the Guinness Book of Records for “most retakes for one scene with dialogue " for one "Shining" scene featuring Scatman Crothers and child actor Danny Lloyd that was shot 148 times.

“(Kubrick) doesn’t print anything until at least the 35th take,” Duvall recalled to The Hollywood Reporter. “Thirty-five takes, running and crying and carrying a little boy, it gets hard. And full performance from the first rehearsal. That’s difficult.”

One of the movie’s most famous scenes features Jack stalking a sobbing Wendy up a staircas e as she clutches a baseball bat to protect herself from her suddenly deranged husband.

Kubrick made Duvall and Nicholson shoot the scene 127 times.

“It was a difficult scene, but it turned out to be one of the best scenes in the film," she added.

She told the BBC in 1980 about the effect multiple takes had on her as an actor.

“I had never done more than say, 15 takes before in my life. So, it was a great change for me to do so many. After you do a certain number, it sort of goes dead, and then five more takes or so, it revives itself, and by then you know the scene like the back of your hand and you can make no mistakes with it and you forget all reality other than what you’re doing,” she said.

Duvall also revealed, to The Hollywood Reporter, how she channeled her character's emotional state. She prepared each day on set by listening to "sad songs" on her Sony Walkman.

"Or you just think about something very sad in your life or how much you miss your family or friends. But after a while, your body rebels. It says: ‘Stop doing this to me. I don’t want to cry every day,’" she said.

"And sometimes just that thought alone would make me cry," she continued. "To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realize that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled — I would just start crying...

"I don’t know how I did it. Jack said that to me, too. He said, ‘I don’t know how you do it,'" Duvall added.

When The Hollywood Reporter asked Duvall if Kubrick had been cruel to her during the shoot, she replied, "He’s got that streak in him. He definitely has that," though she also said Kubrick was "very warm and friendly to me" in the same interview.

Oscar winner Anjelica Huston, who was Nicholson's live-in girlfriend when he was shooting "The Shining," had a different take. She told The Hollywood Reporter she remembered Nicholson and Kubrick "ganging up" on Duvall on the movie's set.

“I got the feeling, certainly through what Jack was saying at the time, that Shelley was having a hard time just dealing with the emotional content of the piece,” Huston told The Hollywood Reporter. “And they didn’t seem to be all that sympathetic. It seemed to be a little bit like the boys were ganging up. That might have been completely my misread on the situation, but I just felt it.

"And when I saw her during those days, she seemed generally a bit tortured, shook up. I don’t think anyone was being particularly careful of her," she added.

Huston said watching "The Shining" today, she believes "actually carried the movie on her back."

What's for sure is the movie propelled Duvall to a new level of fame, which she recalled to People in 1981.

“When somebody recognizes you at a Dairy Queen in Texas,” she said, “you’re a star.”

Gina Vivinetto is a writer for TODAY.com.

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How The Shining Changed Shelley Duvall Forever

In a now-infamous video shot by a 19-year-old Vivian Kubrick, her father Stanley calls action for Shelley Duvall before a scene in "The Shining." Perhaps it's because Kubrick is outside and Duvall is behind a large door to the set of the Overlook Hotel, or perhaps the sound of Kubrick calling for action is muffled by the snow machine blasting at the set, but Duvall misses her cue. Kubrick calls "cut," and then meets Duvall at the door not to figure out why the cue was missed but instead to ream her out, telling her, "You're wasting everyone's time." 

Following this clip, Vivian Kubrick's making-of documentary shows Duvall saying that she doesn't think her performance would have been as good if Kubrick hadn't gotten a rise out of her, and she also notes that Kubrick knowingly treated her this way in order to get the performance. She looks calm. She smiles. 

She seems positive, but that was over 40 years ago. In the years since the release of "The Shining," much has been revealed about the horrendous working conditions for all of the cast and crew of the film, but no one experienced anything quite as extensive or exhausting as Shelley Duvall. In fact, her experience on "The Shining" is one of the worst things an actor has ever had to suffer while making a horror movie . At the time, Duvall was a star on the rise, but Kubrick's treatment of her on set almost made her walk away from acting for good.

Stanley Kubrick completely mistreated Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining

The magnum opus of Stanley Kubrick's cruelty toward Shelley Duvall came in the form of one of "The Shining's" most iconic scenes — the baseball bat confrontation on the stairs. Kubrick made Duvall and Nicholson shoot the scene in a record-setting 127 takes, something that horror fans love to spout off as a fun bit of trivia. The result of the constant takes were Duvall's hands were shredded raw from gripping the bat for such a prolonged period of time, her voice was hoarse from crying, her eyes became swollen, and she left the set completely dehydrated. The moments we see on screen of Duvall crying in pain, fear, and exhaustion were not acting but an actor delivering lines while enduring a trauma response.

Kubrick's psychological brutalization of Duvall was so severe that her hair began falling out. "To wake up on a Monday morning, so early, and realize that you had to cry all day because it was scheduled — I would just start crying," Duvall said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter . In the equally iconic "door scene," Jack Nicholson destroyed nearly 60 doors to get the shot to Kubrick's liking, filming this one moment over the course of three days. The scene was mostly improvised, and Kubrick reportedly kept information regarding Nicholson's choices to tear down the door with an axe from Duvall, meaning her horrified reactions are authentic . This isn't acting, this is responding to trauma.

The difference between acting and reacting

There's a quote from actress Dee Wallace in an interview she did for "Eli Roth's History of Horror" where she recounts the exhaustion from shooting "Cujo." In it, she states, "What most people don't understand is that your body does not differentiate between a perceived threat and an actual threat. So I blew all my adrenals out because for eight weeks, literally, I was in fight or flight."

This helps explain what was going on with Shelley Duvall. No matter how much she tells herself "I'm acting" and no matter how much she knows the actions she's performing are scripted, the body is going to respond to the circumstances as if they're truly happening. The documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" doesn't shy away from the filmmaker's ridiculous methods, with co-star Jack Nicholson admitting that Kubrick acted like "a different director" when dealing with her. 

Many of Duvall's lines were unexpectedly cut, she was frequently kept isolated, and she was forced to wait for extensive periods of time before performing her scenes to throw her off. "A Life in Pictures" even shows moments of Kubrick not acting alone but instead requiring the rest of the crew to follow his lead. "Don't sympathize with Shelley," he says to the crew. He also made the decision to never compliment her work, and instead, he criticized every choice or impulse she had for the character. At one point, he encourages the rest of the crew to ignore her and tells them to disregard any needs she expresses. Kubrick is notorious for being a perfectionist , but at what cost?

'I don't know how I did it'

Stanley Kubrick chose to shoot "The Shining" chronologically, which pushed filming to last around 56 weeks. This means Shelley Duvall spent over a year of her life being tormented by a man in an untouchable position of power. Kubrick was already considered an auteur at this point in his career, with his unconventional (see: abusive) techniques hailed as genius rather than correctly identified as harmful. He was awarded and given the space to direct anything he wanted. Many have tried to defend Kubrick by referencing the clips from "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures," where Duvall speaks positively about the director's choice to treat her sub-humanly, but never do they put it in context. If the daughter of the man with enough power to make or break the rest of Duvall's career puts a camera in her face and asks how she feels about his process ... what else do people expect her to say? 

In The Hollywood Reporter interview, Duvall said, "I don't know how I did it. Jack [Nicholson] said that to me, too. He said, 'I don't know how you do it.'" Author Stephen King has not shied away from his hatred of Kubrick's film , and the treatment of Duvall as Wendy is part of it. "She's basically just there to scream and be stupid and that's not the woman that I wrote about."

Shelley Duvall had an anxiety attack during The Shining

At one point in Vivian Kubrick's documentary, Shelley Duvall is shown lying on the floor with assorted cushions around her. It was a clear attempt to highlight the grueling process of moviemaking, but in actuality, this was footage of the aftermath of an on-set panic attack. Duvall confirmed this in an interview with ComingSoon.net , where she said, "For the longest time I couldn't remember what exactly was happening at that moment, but I do recall I had a really bad anxiety attack on set, and I believe that was what is shown in the documentary." Duvall continues to explain that the shooting days were often 15-16 hours long, and breaks were hard to come by. "The shoot was very hard on me and I got to the point where I just couldn't take anymore, I needed a break, but taking a break costs money and people need the shot done, so I had a little breakdown," she said.

"[Kubrick] has a vision in his head of what he wants to see through his camera and if you don't quite understand where he is coming from he gets frustrated and angry," she said. "Communication and understanding plays a big part of film sets, I just wasn't getting it, I did in the end." It's hard to hear Duvall speak about the experience because despite describing what is clearly an unacceptable work environment and mistreatment, she's still optimistically trying to justify what happened to her. The reality is that no actor should be pushed to the point of having an anxiety attack on set, and if the circumstances become this extreme, protective measures need to be taken. Duvall deserved better.

We need to call it what it is

Shelley Duvall appeared on the "Dr. Phil Show" in 2016, clearly in need of legitimate help and speaking incoherently. Dr. Phil treated it like sensationalist exploitation, but when he asked about "The Shining," her response was the most honest she'd been in years. "I guess this is what most people know me for, right? And look, I won't get into too much detail now, but that film was hell to be a part of," she said. She followed by saying:

"I mean, there was a great cast — Jack, Scatman [Crothers], Danny [Lloyd]. They were all wonderfully hilarious people, but then there was Stanley Kubrick, the director of this iconic masterpiece. All I'll really say for now is that if he hadn't directed the way he did, if he hadn't done everything with force and cruelty, then I guess it wouldn't have turned out to be as it was."

There's a tragic acceptance to Duvall's perspective, as if she has bought into the lie that she wouldn't have been as good in the role without having endured harm or as if she has convinced herself that the torture she underwent was necessary for the film to be as beloved as it became. Duvall didn't have the opportunity to act because she was too busy trying to maintain sanity while being psychologically exploited. That's not the sign of a bad actor, that's the sign of a bad director. To put a person in the position of feeling threatened and fearing for their life for 127 takes on a staircase is not legendary or the work of a perfectionist — it's abuse, and we need to start calling it what it is.

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Review: Thailand’s “How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” Is a Worthy Tearjerking Family Drama

Thai box-office hit "How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies" lives up to its hype with strong character dynamics and cultural relevance.

By Richard Yu , 19 Jul 24 04:01 GMT

Earlier this year, Thai family drama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies became a box office and social media sensation. The film—from famed studio GDH, which also produced other hits like Bad Genius —quickly became the top-grossing Thai movie of 2024 thus far, and also the 11th-highest grossing Thai film of all time. When released in other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and beyond, How to Make Millions continued its box office success. Young viewers across Southeast Asia took to sharing TikToks about the extent to which the movie made them cry, with many so touched that they felt compelled to reconnect with their grandparents. Indeed, How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has well-depicted character dynamics and strong cultural resonance for Asian audiences, making it fully deserving of its popularity.

How to Make Millions centers around M (played by popular Thai singer and actor Putthipong Assaratanakul ), a struggling game streamer and college dropout from a Thai Teochew Chinese family. M’s life lies stagnant, until his grandma (who he and all the other characters call Amah, the word for grandma in Teochew dialect) gets diagnosed with cancer. Inspired by how a cousin of his inherited her grandfather’s house after caring for him throughout a long illness, M decides to cozy up to Amah (played by the wonderful Usha Seamkhum) in an attempt to inherit her assets after she dies. 

However, living with Amah is not easy. Despite her cancer diagnosis, she still wakes up at 5am to sell congee, and constantly berates M for being a failure. To make matters worse, M has to compete with his two uncles and mother for Amah’s affections; there’s no guarantee that he’ll “make millions” when grandma dies. 

The well-crafted dynamics between How to Make Millions ’ characters gives the movie a strong foundation. Each family member plays a distinct yet complementary role that highlights the range of personalities that Asian families often embody. Amah’s two male offspring are M’s Uncle Soei, who’s perpetually in debt and asking for money, and Uncle Kiang, who’s coldhearted and materially driven. M’s mother, Chew, embodies the underappreciated daughter. Then there’s Amah herself, arguably the film’s most standout character, who authentically embodies an Asian grandma with a time-worn prickly exterior masking a warm heart. 

With this strong set of characters, How to Make Millions ’ proceeds to craft numerous tearjerking moments whose emotional punch comes from their degree of cultural relevance; many of the movie’s audiences in Southeast Asia could probably see such incidents playing out in their own families. This is especially true (and worth highlighting) with the movie’s treatment of how Asian families can treat daughters unequally, as highlighted by Amah’s strained relationship with her older brother, and M’s mother Chew’s precarious state compared to M’s Uncles. 

Amidst the tears though, moments of levity arise to give the film a more well-rounded, heartfelt tone. These, too, should feel extremely relevant for Asian audiences, especially younger ones, as many revolve around the generational gaps between M and Amah. For instance, we see M trying to boil water for Amah’s Guanyin altar using a microwave in order to save effort in one scene, and then Amah trying to use amusing smartphone camera filters in another. 

As How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies makes its US debut at the New York Asian Film Festival, it will be intriguing to see how the film gets received in the West. Perhaps young Asian Americans, who share intergenerational challenges with the young Asians who’ve already received the film warmly, may find it especially relevant. Scenes like M’s inability to understand when Amah speaks Teochew, for instance, may hit home among this sub-audience. While some Americans of non-Asian backgrounds may think sending grandma to a nursing home is OK (something that Asian cultures—and How to Make Millions itself—do not particularly approve), we have faith that How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies ’ tearjerking but also laugh-inducing family dynamics are resonant enough to cross cultural boundaries. 

How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thai: หลานม่า ) —Thailand. Dialog in Thai and Teochew Chinese.  Directed by Pat Boonnitipat. Running time 2hr 5min. First released April 1, 2024. Starring Putthipong Assaratanakul, Tontawan Tantivejakul, Usha Seamkhum. 

This article is part of Cinema Escapist ’s dedicated coverage of the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies will have its North American premiere at the festival, including a screening on Friday July 26, 2024 . 

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Remembering Shelley Duvall: In ‘The Shining’ and the Movies of Robert Altman, She Showed Us the Quirkiness of Our Normality

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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When Shelley Duvall was cast to play Wendy Torrance in Stanley Kubrick’s “ The Shining ” (1980), the film she would become most famous for, it was overwhelmingly the most mainstream movie she’d ever done — but more to the point, it was the most mainstream character . Duvall, who died July 11 at 75, had spent the better part of a decade playing vibrant kooks and eccentrics in Robert Altman movies (and in case you think “kook” sounds pejorative, there was never anything pejorative about it when Shelley Duvall played one). She had also rocked that cameo in “Annie Hall” as a Rolling Stone reporter who dates Alvy Singer and says, “Sex with you is really a Kafkaesque experience.”

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Lest anyone think that her days of playing eccentrics were over, she starred, just six months after the release of “The Shining,” in Robert Altman’s “ Popeye ,” an early visionary/cracked comic-book musical. With goldfish eyes, pursed lips, and a Victorian knot of hair set off by her dainty clenched-fist pose of adoration, Duvall gave a performance as Olive Oyl that was so perfect it was almost a joke. As an actor, Duvall could seem naturally stylized, which made Olive a role she was born to play. Yet within all that, she found a reservoir of heart. The highlight of “Popeye” might be Duvall’s performance of “He’s Large,” in which Olive explains her devotion to the oversize Bluto with a girlish defiance that’s indelible.

And indelible, make no mistake, was the word for Shelley Duvall. She imprinted her presence upon you; once you’d seen her, you couldn’t forget her. It was Altman who first had that reaction. In 1970, a few months after “MASH” came out and made Altman the hottest director in Hollywood (a status that wouldn’t last long — he was far too independent an artist), he was shooting his next feature in Houston, a fantasy comedy called “Brewster McCloud,” when he met Duvall at a party and, encouraged by a handful of crew members, decided to cast her in the movie. She’d had no experience as an actor. What they were all reacting to was what you can only call Duvall’s being — the eyes that were like something out of anime, her rabbity two front teeth, and a quality that could make you laugh or break your heart: the softness of her gaze, the tender passive radiance with which she looked out at the world.

“Brewster McCloud” is a movie that even a lot of Robert Altman fans have never seen. It stars Bud Cort, in round spectacles, in a man-child performance that’s very much a precursor to what he would bring off a year later in “Harold and Maude.” But “Brewster McCloud” is the more delicate and humane pop fairy tale. And Duvall, as the girl who falls for Brewster, was unlike anyone seen onscreen before. She acted in her own rhythm, with that spaced-out singsong voice, creating a character so sweetly detached she seemed like a cracked angel.

“Nashville” came out in 1975, and it seemed to seal Duvall’s place as Altman’s most irresistibly unlikely actress/muse. But the best was yet to come. If you’ve never seen “3 Women” (1977), you must. It’s Altman’s one-of-a-kind redneck fusion of Tennessee Williams and “Persona,” and Duvall and Sissy Spacek make it a duet to remember. Spacek plays Pinky, the shy and naïve one, while Duvall is Millie, the annoying trash-fashionista chatterbox who becomes her roommate at the Purple Sage Apartments. They are opposites destined to drive each other to distraction (to the point that they begin to exchange identities), but Duvall, who took the best actress prize at Cannes for 3 Women,” plays Millie as a material-girl version of Blanche Dubois. It’s a stupendous performance, and it positioned her to become the movie star she did in “The Shining” and “Popeye.” The world was now ready for Shelley Duvall.

Maybe more than she was ready for the world. Going forward, Duvall took on any number of television roles, often in children’s programming. She became the host, narrator, executive producer and intermittent star of “Faerie Tale Theater,” a kids’ series on Showtime. All of which seemed to express something of her childlike nature. Yet her movie-star days were over almost before they began. She was a vital producer, shepherding several more series, but as an actor she retreated. And when it emerged that she had struggled with mental-health issues, notably during a 2016 episode of “Dr. Phil” that drew intense (and deserved) criticism for the perception that it had exploited Duvall, one felt a sadness for her that seemed linked, perhaps, to something that was there in her performances: a solitary quality masked by her sublime matter-of-fact quirkiness. Maybe Hollywood had crushed her; maybe she was simply a frail blossom who needed to escape its grip. “Quirky” is a word that long ago became banal, but Shelley Duvall’s great gift is that she took her quirkiness and made it a reflection of our normality. That’s because of how exquisitely it expressed her innocence, her devotion, her damage, and her grace.

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