The Shining 4K UHD (1980)

[RCRochester]

I love that The Shining has become this website's flashpoint for US vs UK bickering.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

I love that The Shining has become this website's flashpoint for US vs UK bickering.

Friend, all I'm getting on US v. UK over here is wall-to-wall coverage of Harry and Meghan.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

Friend, all I'm getting on US v. UK over here is wall-to-wall coverage of Harry and Meghan.

Blame Canada!

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Blame Canada!

Never trust a man who calls you "buddy".

[forever 4K]

Was really impressed by this film on 4k.

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by crazybeats

At the end of the day Kubrick decided to live in England for many years so how important was America really to him? He allowed both cuts to exist. If he felt those scenes were important he wouldn't have cut them. Same thing with King's book, it's not important to the film, it's a different thing altogether, he should be thankful he got paid, that's all Kubrick did, just paid him to use the character names and the hotel setting, Kubrick didn't sit there and read it and say oh wow a great book, the alcoholic father get's possessed by ghosts and this and that. He just paid him for the use of the characters and the setting that was it. He had no intention of following the book closely.

He also withdrew A Clockwork Orange from circulation in England, so I suppose by your logic he wanted to cut the entire movie from existence

[philthehip]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

He also withdrew A Clockwork Orange from circulation in England, so I suppose by your logic he wanted to cut the entire movie from existence

He requested to Warner that the film be removed from British circulation because of the media attention and response to it. It was clearly something that weighed on his mind given some horrific murders that had drawn comparison to the movie. That you would attempt to liken it to the existence two cuts of another movie is bizarre.

The Shining has existed happily in two versions for decades and the decision to only treat the US version to a 4K restoration is a terrible one. Both should be available in 4K for fans to choose from.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by philthehip

He requested to Warner that the film be removed from British circulation because of the media attention and response to it. It was clearly something that weighed on his mind given some horrific murders that had drawn comparison to the movie. That you would attempt to liken it to the existence two cuts of another movie is bizarre.

The Shining has existed happily in two versions for decades and the decision to only treat the US version to a 4K restoration is a terrible one. Both should be available in 4K for fans to choose from.

I've only ever seen The Shining in the US version. I wrote Roger Ebert when the UK cut of Eyes Wide Shut came out -- you know, the "naughty bits" version -- and told him I refused to watch the film until I could see his intended cut. Turns out Stanley was fluid, bringing an expensive product to market, and not being so iconoclastic and rigid he would sacrifice commercial viability for his own pride. So...all I can say on this topic is I'm happy The Shining on 4K is the version (and only version) I've ever seen of Kubrick's film. I think I'd miss everything that was trimmed out...and at the same time, annoyed the U.S. got the "pillars and plants" CGI alteration of Eyes Wide Shut. Not because I need or want to see people bumping uglies, I just get the sense it's a compromise, and to your point, I want Stanley's UK cut of Eyes Wide Shut, while not feeling like I'm missing out on his U.S. cut of The Shining, because it feels like the movie he wanted to make. So sure, make both cuts of The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut available. Kubrick was cool with different cuts in different territories, so if he was shrewd enough to live with it, who in the world am I to say he was wrong...

"Do I contradict myself? Fine. I contradict myself. I am large. I embrace multitudes."
-- Whitman

[moreorless]

The main difference to me would be that I think the European cut makes the bloody colonial legacy the centre of what's going on were as in the US cut you have more of a sense of Jack having abused Dany in the past and the idea of US mass culture like TV being partly a source of the violence a swell.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by moreorless

The main difference to me would be that I think the European cut makes the bloody colonial legacy the centre of what's going on were as in the US cut you have more of a sense of Jack having abused Dany in the past and the idea of US mass culture like TV being partly a source of the violence a swell.

The Shining is about alcoholism. Full throttle. Kubrick read King like an x-ray machine. Zap. That, in my opinion, is why King was so ticked off. Kubrick called King out. He saw through him.

[moreorless]

The film as a whole to me always felt like it was almost a satire on King style horror.

[philthehip]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

The Shining is about alcoholism. Full throttle. Kubrick read King like an x-ray machine. Zap. That, in my opinion, is why King was so ticked off. Kubrick called King out. He saw through him.

King was too close to the story. If I had written my biography in the guise of a horror story and some director came along and stripped my part to the bare bones I would probably be annoyed too. He was not able to separate his story from adaptation. So much so that he then made probably the worst minseries in the history of miniseries.

That said I love King's work and I am glad he got clean and it was Richard Bachman that died from "cancer of the pseudonym" rather than King dying in his own drug and drink induced vomit.

[I KEEL YOU]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

The Shining is about alcoholism. Full throttle. Kubrick read King like an x-ray machine. Zap. That, in my opinion, is why King was so ticked off. Kubrick called King out. He saw through him.

Alcoholism is definitely one of the main themes of the movie. But there are also many other themes.

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by philthehip

King was too close to the story. If I had written my biography in the guise of a horror story and some director came along and stripped my part to the bare bones I would probably be annoyed too. He was not able to separate his story from adaptation. So much so that he then made probably the worst minseries in the history of miniseries.

That said I love King's work and I am glad he got clean and it was Richard Bachman that died from "cancer of the pseudonym" rather than King dying in his own drug and drink induced vomit.

The truth of it boiled down to the essentials.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by philthehip

King was too close to the story. If I had written my biography in the guise of a horror story and some director came along and stripped my part to the bare bones I would probably be annoyed too. He was not able to separate his story from adaptation. So much so that he then made probably the worst minseries in the history of miniseries.

That said I love King's work and I am glad he got clean and it was Richard Bachman that died from "cancer of the pseudonym" rather than King dying in his own drug and drink induced vomit.

University of Texas at Austin. Film narrative and history. Professor refers to Kubrick as HAL..."The Unblinking Eye". Staring. Witnessing. The Unblinking Eye. Kubrick's style, in his view, was HAL...the unblinking eye...like a photo-journalist. You know, just without the whole murder and homicide thing.

[Eye Candy]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Alcoholism is definitely one of the main themes of the movie. But there are also many other themes.

I've always thought the Hotel was the star of the movie, like HAL was the star of 2001.

[NotASpeckOfCereal]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

Alcoholism is definitely one of the main themes of the movie. But there are also many other themes.

Yes, with all of the supernatural aspects of the hotel and what Danny seemed to experience (independent of his father).

Or one could say that Danny's childhood was riddled with the visions of his fathers saturated mental state (Danny's own mental health being influenced by his fathers mean streak), and the hotel's history (complete with an picture of Jack in the past) is just an analogy for alcoholism throughout history.

I still have yet to see the sequel to see how Danny turned out (in King's mind).

Chris

[Roy_Batty]

This is a little off topic, but it is also fun to watch. Check this out!

The Shining starring Jim Carrey : Episode 2 - The Bat [DeepFake] - YouTube

[Alister_M]

Originally Posted by philthehip

He requested to Warner that the film be removed from British circulation because of the media attention and response to it. It was clearly something that weighed on his mind given some horrific murders that had drawn comparison to the movie. That you would attempt to liken it to the existence two cuts of another movie is bizarre.

The Shining has existed happily in two versions for decades and the decision to only treat the US version to a 4K restoration is a terrible one. Both should be available in 4K for fans to choose from.

That's not my point at all. The point is that the person I was quoting was going on as if Kubrick somehow would have preferred to remove the US cut from circulation entirely, which is clearly absolute bollocks.

[philthehip]

Originally Posted by Alister_M

That's not my point at all. The point is that the person I was quoting was going on as if Kubrick somehow would have preferred to remove the US cut from circulation entirely, which is clearly absolute bollocks.

Thanks for the clarity, and I agree.