It was made into a film by stanley kubrick in 1980. And well, a guy running around at night with a sledgehammer after murdering a man wanting to murder his son. Shelley duvall transforms the warm sympathetic wife of the book into a simpering, semiretarded hysteric. Its been a long while ago that i read the shining but it didnt matter, things come back to you, and i didnt even really need to read the shining to get this book. Stephen king attacked kubricks vision for lacking the underlying soul of his film and that jack. Jerusalem the goldens less than shining start with critics. A solid commercial success for the film which opens here next week would confirm one of kubrick. Stephen kings hatred for stanley kubricks the shining, explained. The shining was stephen kings third book, following carrie and salems lot. Stephen king s the shining is arguably his most renowned book, both due to the novel itself, and the 1980 filmic adaptation.
For contemporary critics, one of the major sticking points of kubricks adaptation was his departures from the source material. The shining is considered by many critics and readers to be one of kings best works. At the beginning of the novel, jack is hired as the caretaker of the remote overlook hotel for the winter offseason. Colonel, vann soon perceived something amiss in the us approach to the blossoming war. With ghosts, visions and psychological horror, the shining by stephen king is a very good horror story, i would say one of his best, right up there with the likes of salems lot which is another sk novel that i recommend if you enjoy horror. The shining is a slender, barely believable tale being asked to carry a lot of style and weight. It could be argued, of course, that the shining, built around the stephen king story that might well have been retitled the axeman cometh, is far from kubricks first or best horror film. Oct 11, 20 his colleagues and criticsand perhaps stephen king himselfmiss what makes his writing great.
The result is the first epic horror film, a movie that is to other horror movies what his. I couldnt help but feel sympathetic for jack because hes come from such a horrible place, tried to rise above it, but is destroyed by this malevolent place. Nostalgia critic s6 e36 the shining mini series nostalgia critic duration. A presold prefab blockbuster, what with kings carrie hitting the moviehouses, salems lot being lensed, the shining itself sold to warner bros. The shining, pet semetary and misery occur, as do most of kings books, in the same universe. Apr 11, 2020 stanley kubricks the shining is a classic horror film if there ever was a classic horror film. Having said that, i can understand how someone might not like it as first blush. If you have never read the shining, please give yourself a gift and read it if you enjoy horror. Nov 08, 2019 if critics struggled with the shining when it finally emerged in 1980, then maybe thats because it didnt adhere to the conventions of a typical horror movie. I love the shining because of how jack unravels and because of how real the overlook feels. A married couple with a small son are employed to look after a resort hotel high in the colorado mountains. Stephen king hates the shining because its misogynistic. Stephen king remade the shining to be more like the book and it sucked.
Why stephen king hates stanley kubricks the shining. It was the only one of kubricks last nine films not to be nominated for an oscar. His colleagues and critics and perhaps stephen king himselfmiss what makes his writing great. The shining by stephen king misscole december, 2011 at 12. Stephen kings hatred for stanley kubricks the shining. When you sit down to the shining, you sit down with normal expectations of being diverted, perhaps even being gripped, but not being undermined. Stephen kings vocal disdain for stanley kubricks masterful the shining is legendary. Some historians, looking back over the first half of the 20th century, were inclined to think that it was particularly noteworthy for its literary criticism. So much so that it has build an otherwise unfound legacy of the author being a tough critic. Stanley kubricks the shining was released in 1980, and since has been hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. At the time of release, many people did not like it at all.
This is why stephen king hates the shining so much. May 23, 2016 perhaps harder to believe than the fact that stanley kubricks the shining which turns 36 today wasnt universally beloved by critics in 1980 is the idea that it was nominated for two. This trend began early for king, who saw his debut book. Perhaps harder to believe than the fact that stanley kubricks the shining which turns 36 today wasnt universally beloved by critics in 1980 is the idea that it was nominated for two. For others steeped in horror movie criticism, it might be the hotel itself. As with many films though, the shining would go on to be reevaluated by both critics and audiences, and is now rightly considered one of the greatest horror movies to ever grace celluloid. Heres whats actually the scariest part of the shining. A mustread that inspired kubricks brilliant film is a literary masterpiece of the horror genre the film was one of the most frightening entertainment pieces i had ever experienced until i read the book. In the shining, he has gone after the ultimate horror movie, something that will make the exorcist look like abbott and costello meet beelzebub.
The book s wendy does have a lot more depth shes fighting against the revelation which shes already made before the book starts that her husband is basically a marginallytalented. In an attic room in ranelagh or in the snowbound overlook hotel, where jack torrance roamed the corridors, the roque mallet swinging from one. The movie the shining is a really good movie, i say it should be available for kids 12 and over, it does involve supernatural themes, horror themes, mature themes, nudity. The setting is the overlook, a palatial resort on a colorado mountain top, snowbound and closed down for the long, long. Stephen kings the shining is arguably his most renowned book, both due to the novel itself. The shining is a horror novel by american author stephen king.
The shining collectors edition introduction by ken follett king, stephen on. John paul vann was a visionary as well as a gungho army officer. Born from a bad dream experienced during a onenight stay at a colorado hotel that was closing for the season, the shining is the first book stephen king wrote from a. The shining, by stephen king, is slowly but surely changing that perception. Personally, i have not seen this film, and dont really intend to. Check out his first column below, exploring the shining. And well, a guy running around at night with a sledgehammer after murdering a man wanting to. They are being shown through the overlook, the cavernous, isolated hotel where they and their young son danny will be spending the winter as caretakers, supposedly without any company. Edgar allan poe, american shortstory writer, poet, critic, and editor who is. Near the end of the film, on a frigid night, jack chases. Nov 01, 2012 born from a bad dream experienced during a onenight stay at a colorado hotel that was closing for the season, the shining is the first book stephen king wrote from a position of financial stabilit.
The haven foundation if you like the idea of stephen king giving you money so you can write some books, this is the website youve been looking for. The film is based on stephen kings 1977 novel of the same name and stars jack nicholson, shelley duvall, scatman crothers, and danny lloyd. And anyone interested will find on the interweb a plethora of reasons these were changed from book to movie. It only makes sense that the shining would take influence from his books. Strangelove and clockwork orange is simply working with less interesting material. Jun 18, 2006 but there is a deleted scene from the shining 1980 that casts wendys reliability in a curious light.
As the offseason caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, hell have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his. I am not going to go on and on about how frustrating it must be for someone of kings prolificity and stature to have people think that his best novel was written 22 years and 30some books ago. With analysis like that, you should definitely never consider a career as a film critic. Although king himself remains disappointed with the adaptation, having criticized its handling of the books themes and of wendys character, it is. In fact, the novels author is one of its biggest critics. Published in 1977, the shining was kings third fulllength novel, and like most of his work, didnt take that long to become a film. I watched the documentary room 237 that completely rocked my world and helped me appreciate the shining on a whole nother level. The shining npr coverage of the shining by stephen king. My longterm followers will now be very much aware that i am a selfprofessed lover of the gothic genre. It is regarded in some quarters as kings best book.
It was his third published novel, after carrie and salems lot. Stephen king was so upset over stanley kubricks loose adaptation of his book, the shining, that he made his own version, with poor results. Theres the sense that a great talent has been wasted. It was an important influence on literature itself, and it shaped the perceptions of readers in the. The shining is a supernatural horror novel written by stephen king and published in 1977.
American literature american literature literary criticism. Movie, hell be taking a critical look at movie adaptations of horror novels. The shining is about physical and sexual abuse perpetrated on young danny boy by his father jack torrance. The shining is two stories, both the same, but somehow very different.
The book is more psychologically disturbing, thrilling, and all of those are sprinkled with touches of spooks. The result is the first epic horror film, a movie that is to other horror movies what his 2001. They are being shown through the overlook, the cavernous, isolated hotel where they and their young son danny will be spending the winter as caretakers, supposedly without. Using the life of one man as his framework, sheehan the arnheiter affair, 1971 has written the best book on americas involvement in vietnam since frances fitzgeralds fire in the lake. The shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by stanley kubrick and cowritten with novelist diane johnson. The victim danny can be viewed as the inner child of jacks spouse, wendy torrance, which means that the abuse is a traumatic. For many people, the ghosts are the scariest part of the shining. The shining collectors edition introduction by ken follett. The characters are interesting and well rounded, especially jack, an essentially decent man battling not.
This book was all that i hoped it would be and more. But there is a deleted scene from the shining 1980 that casts wendys reliability in a curious light. Author stephen king famously hates stanley kubricks iconic 1980 movie version of the shining, for a number of reasons. Near the end of the film, on a frigid night, jack chases danny into the labyrinth on the hotel grounds. Unlike your average fiveyear olds, danny has a gift called the shining, in which he could sense, experience unnatural phenomena, have dreams about the future, and even read other peoples minds. Jul 09, 2016 the shining was stephen kings third book, following carrie and salems lot. The shining critics consensus though it deviates from stephen kings novel, stanley kubricks the shining is a chilling, often baroque journey into madness exemplified by an unforgettable turn. Read what all the top critics had to say about the shining at. It is a great story and the book has a lot more depth to it than stanley kubricks film version of the story. Critics rarely classify franz kafka as a horror author, but his surreal tales of alienation are undoubtedly horror tales. The shining, stanley kubricks spellbinding foray into the realm of the horror film, is at its most gloriously diabolical as jack and wendy torrance take the grand tour. Aug 23, 2017 parents need to know that the shining is the classic 1980 stanley kubrickdirected film based on the stephen king novel about a man hired to be the caretaker of a hotel deep in the mountains of colorado who develops severe dementia from a combination of cabin fever and the dark and haunted past of the hotel. The shining is a tragedy, and wed be remiss to classify the ending otherwise. Danny thinks in surprisingly deep ways throughout the story.
Nov 05, 2019 stanley kubricks the shining is widely praised as a brilliant film, but not by the man who wrote the book it was adapted from. Stanley kubricks the shining is widely praised as a brilliant film, but not by the man who wrote the book it was adapted from. The shining mini series nostalgia critic channel awesome. Eclipsed perhaps only by its 1980 film adaptation, the novel is one of the most popular and enduring horror stories of all time. S tanley kubricks indelible take on both the horror genre and the popular fiction of stephen king, the shining is both a radical distillation of its source novels densely stuffed ghostsandgore imagery as well as a conflation of its hidden central theme of the truelife horrors of domestic abuse. Eclipsed perhaps only by its 1980 film adaptation, the novel is one of the most popular. The shining is a gothic horror novel by stephen king, first published in 1977. Mar 30, 2017 for the first time, the shining s producer and cowriter explain in detail why the horror tales ending changed from stephen kings novel and how it evolved again and again during the filming. Perhaps harder to believe than the fact that stanley kubricks the shining which turns 36 today wasnt universally beloved by critics in 1980 is the idea that it was nominated for two razzies. As a result, they are the sole occupants during the.
The shining is generally considered by critics and king enthusiasts to be one of his best novels, along with carrie 1974, salems lot 1975, and the stand 1978. The shining collectors edition introduction by ken. The setting and characters are influenced by kings personal experiences, including both his visit to the. The shining is full of moments that have passed into the popular imagination. Jack torrances new job at the overlook hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. Published in 1977, it is kings third published novel and first hardback bestseller. The shining, even though might not be the one to deliver an extremely frightening tale, it manages to provide us a pool of drama, thrills, disturbance, and everything you could think of in a good horror story for us to dive into. The shining is stanley kubricks bid for a super hit, his attempt to even a number of scores.
851 1199 243 662 924 1205 477 233 729 1113 225 1150 301 288 518 1345 255 1497 994 832 736 272 996 545 57 403 1167 69 1414 1090 8 583 1227 91 207 787 743 255 1430 284 503 205 425