The Shining (1980)

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by pmil

King is obnoxious and a big mouth. Seems to always gripe about something. He should know better that a film is not likely to go exactly or much at all like his books. If that's a problem with him then he shouldn't give rights to make movies based on his books.

It's not like buying the rights to adapt a book means you've purchased the author's approval to misrepresent it. And I've read King's criticisms of The Shining in his wonderful horror chronology Danse Macabre. He respects the film and does nothing to bad-mouth it, but points out why it's not a true adaptation of his book, stating the difference in perspective between himself and Kubrick which may explain why the film adaptation is fundamentally different from the book.

[JimDiGriz]

Originally Posted by captainron_howdy

Exactly, & let's not forget, some of us are fans of Kubrick more than King.

I love both. I also love the book and the film - they are just different. And Im not watching King's TV version again!

[bobbyh64]

Originally Posted by JimDiGriz

I love both. I also love the book and the film - they are just different. And Im not watching King's TV version again!

I need to read the novel again. I read it many years ago and I remember liking it but I don’t remember it that well. I also like the movie a lot so I’m predicting after reading the novel again I’ll feel the same way you do.

And yes, that TV version was horrible from what I remember. Those CGI animal hedges were ridiculous!

[drush9999]

King's best period of writing IMO was when he was still an alcoholic, I remember him saying he doesn't remember writing Cujo

[The Sovereign]

Originally Posted by pmil

There's never a very defined transition from decade to decade when it comes to things like fashion, and other trends. At least in America, the early 80s, to around 83, had more in common with the 70s than the rest of the 80s. The movie was made in 1980 and I don't really see them standing out style wise.

I completely agree with that. I'm living in my 6th decade now and I can say each of those needed at least a couple of years to establish its own identity and style. The Shining was firmly 70s and the Overlook, being an older hotel, went beyond that.

[Bronson13]

Originally Posted by P-Rock

Sure, but calling the writer of the book an arrogant, obnoxious big mouth who should've embraced Kubrick's vision and be grateful his book was adapted at all is a bit too much. He wrote a book that was obviously very personal to him and then Kubrick only used the parts he liked. I don't think any writer would be okay with that. King also recognizes that the movie is a classic, but it's not the story he told, yet his name is always attached to it.

Hey the way I see it, if you wanted a faithful adeptation to the book don’t sell the rights of your movie to Stanley Kubrick. Lol it’s all on King. Money was more important then the integrity of the book to him.

[bo130]

Originally Posted by Bronson13

Hey the way I see it, if you wanted a faithful adeptation to the book don’t sell the rights of your movie to Stanley Kubrick. Lol it’s all on King. Money was more important then the integrity of the book to him.

King may have been entranced and flattered by the idea that SK wanted to do an adaptation of one of his books.

I still think that King's criticism of the changes between his novel and the film don't have a great deal of merit to me. Particularly his criticism that Jack is crazy from the beginning of the movie. The character in the book was described as unhinged from almost the first page, due to his history of violence professionally and personally.

[eiknarf]

So for fans that want the movie to be an almost direct port of a King novel, you have THINNER. That's almost page for page, identical.

[P-Rock]

Originally Posted by pmil

King is obnoxious and a big mouth. Seems to always gripe about something. He should know better that a film is not likely to go exactly or much at all like his books. If that's a problem with him then he shouldn't give rights to make movies based on his books.

Did you read The Shining, because you come across as someone who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

[The Great Owl]

Originally Posted by AaronY

I love this movie but I do agree with King's criticism of Shelley Duvall's character. She plays the part perfectly but is just like an annoying dingbat. Like an amalgamation of King's book character and Edith Bunker. No movie is perfect (well maybe some are) and I think this could have even better if her character was better.

In the Stephen King novel, Wendy Torrance is an attractive blonde.

I think that, by casting Shelley Duvall, Kubrick was going for a more believable angle by choosing an actress who could look, to put it crudely, like the type of woman who would stay in an abusive relationship.

I love both the novel and the Kubrick film, but for different reasons.

[P-Rock]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In the Stephen King novel, Wendy Torrance is an attractive blonde.

I think that, by casting Shelley Duvall, Kubrick was going for a more believable angle by choosing an actress who could look, to put it crudely, like the type of woman who would stay in an abusive relationship.

I love both the novel and the Kubrick film, but for different reasons.

Kubrick obviously went with a wallflower type, a battered wife who is on the verge of a nervous breakdown and who only comes into action when her son's life is threatened. But Rebecca de Mornay was a good Wendy too, closer to how King wrote her. Too bad the rest kinda paled in comparison to Kubrick's Shining. Weber did his best too, but when he goes crazy you just long for Nicholson's Torrance.

[TylerDurden389]

Originally Posted by P-Rock

Weber did his best too, but when he goes crazy you just long for Nicholson's Torrance.

I was 13 years old when the TV version was made, and Weber definitely gave me a scare during that nightmare scene when he had those contacts in lol.

[English Patient]

Originally Posted by The Great Owl

In the Stephen King novel, Wendy Torrance is an attractive blonde.

I think that, by casting Shelley Duvall, Kubrick was going for a more believable angle by choosing an actress who could look, to put it crudely, like the type of woman who would stay in an abusive relationship.

That's pretty much what Kubrick said in an interview (reprinted in Michael Ciment's book "Kubrick"): "Shelley seemed to be exactly the kind of woman that would marry Jack and be stuck with him."

I remember co-screenwriter Diane Johnson saying that in her version of the script, Wendy was a much stronger character.

[Axl Rose]

Oh god is the mini-series awful.

If thats Kings vision for his book then im happy with the liberties Kubrick took.

[pmil]

Originally Posted by ravenus

It's not like buying the rights to adapt a book means you've purchased the author's approval to misrepresent it. And I've read King's criticisms of The Shining in his wonderful horror chronology Danse Macabre. He respects the film and does nothing to bad-mouth it, but points out why it's not a true adaptation of his book, stating the difference in perspective between himself and Kubrick which may explain why the film adaptation is fundamentally different from the book.

What can and can't be done can be or is spelled out clearly in the contracts associated with such an agreement. In the absence of of that, he shouldn't expect too much and he shouldn't be surprised when the moving story doesn't go along with his wishes. That's all.

Like I said, he does like to gripe a lot.

[Rzzzz]

Yeah, I am old enough to remember when the movie came out. He *****ed and moaned like a little girl and seemed to want to tell the whole world how Kubrick screwed it all up. Now he has to back pedal because the movie is a bona fide classic and is held dearly by Kubrick's die hard fans (like myself). And come on, the guy DOES have a big mouth....

[pmil]

Originally Posted by P-Rock

Did you read The Shining, because you come across as someone who doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Not necessary to recognize the fact that King likes to gripe a lot. That's all.

[P-Rock]

Originally Posted by pmil

Not necessary to recognize the fact that King likes to gripe a lot. That's all.

I think it is necessary to understand why he gripes a lot about the misrepresentation of his book.

[moviebuff75]

I think it is scarier knowing Jack is a lunatic from the start. You fear for the others that they will be stuck in the hotel with him. And you fear the moment when he will truly snap, because you can see it coming.

[eiknarf]

Originally Posted by moviebuff75

I think it is scarier knowing Jack is a lunatic from the start. You fear for the others that they will be stuck in the hotel with him. And you fear the moment when he will truly snap, because you can see it coming.

Hell yeah!
Even watching the family drive up there... talking about cannibalism... Every mile they get further from their house you're thinking, "Oh yeah, this family is F'd!!"