The Shining

[Trevor]

Great horror novel
Loved by a 13 year old
Movie made 13 year old cry
Who wanted to see
The book in the movie.

[Allhallowsday]

I was wondering in times of #metoo if the abuse of Wendy would still fly these days. I'm actually kind of surprised The Shining hasn't receive any backlash yet.

She saves her son and is the hero! As far as #metoo and horror films. They made a movie called I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE III. I mean-the SHINING is kid stuff as far as abuse of women goes.
Plus it's a dam good film, politics be damned.

Damned straight.  I do not think of THE SHINING as a misogynistic film.  Plus, there are SO many that could be cited as examples before that film. 

[Allhallowsday]

...Kubrick was a genius but a boor to work for, and Ryan O'Neal almost punched him more than once during Barry Lyndon.

RYAN O'NEAL is hardly a walk in the park; he did knock out his own son's teeth.  Apparently, he brought his boxing skills to many of the sets he worked on.  I'm not inclined to leave tension at Stanley's door if Ryan is involved.  BARRY LYNDON is one of the greatest films made, I own the DVD and soundtrack (oop) yet it's the only instance of RYAN O'NEAL starring in a film I love.  I never cared for him.  

Great horror novel Loved by a 13 year old
Movie made 13 year old cry Who wanted to see
The book in the movie.

The key difference I remember from the book was the topiary garden became a maze.  Maybe there was more overt violence in the film?  

... Night Shift is my favorite King book, and it says something that I think his very earliest and shortest material is his best. (But his best among some fine storytelling throughout his career.)

I haven't been able to get into anything he's written since 11 22 63, and it was hit or miss for a long time before then because he seems to have lost the gift for pure storytelling and anymore wants to preach his views and teach lessons, often in a heavy-handed and not fun way.

I liked all of KING's early novels, but Night Shift was a wonderful collection.  

[RCMerchant]

^ Jack didn't use an axe in the book- he used a cricket mallet. And Halloren didn't die. He recused Danny and Mom in the Snowcat.
I still love both the book and the movie. The book was just as graphic as the movie. King didn't pull any punches. I think King was just p**sed at Kubrick for making his own movie and converting King's work into something less wordy and more cinematic. He was a film maker. King is not.

[Allhallowsday]

... He was a film maker. King is not.

I might have read THE SHINING twice, but it's been decades.  I read all of the books before (Salem's Lot) and after (The Stand, The Dead Zone,  Firestarter... by Pet Sematary they slipped).  His last great book was MISERY though I stopped reading him around 1990 or so and might have liked The Green Mile (I love the movie)...  or Dolores Claiborne (I love the movie)... THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Hope Springs Eternal) is a much better STORY as a MOVIE than the original novella.  That I went back and re-read and couldn't believe how much detail the movie added like THE WARDEN (His Judgement Cometh And Right Quick)... 

[RCMerchant]

... He was a film maker. King is not.

I might have read THE SHINING twice, but it's been decades.  I read all of the books before (Salem's Lot) and after (The Stand, The Dead Zone,  Firestarter... by Pet Sematary they slipped).  His last great book was MISERY though I stopped reading him around 1990 or so and might have liked The Green Mile (I love the movie)...  or Dolores Claiborne (I love the movie)... THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION (Hope Springs Eternal) is a much better STORY as a MOVIE than the original novella.  That I went back and re-read and couldn't believe how much detail the movie added like THE WARDEN (His Judgement Cometh And Right Quick)... 

I read all of those as well. And I agree on your opinions of them. But he has done some good books since. And lotsa good short stories. 11/22/63 is very good.

[RCMerchant]

Kubrick was a genius but a boor to work for, and Ryan O'Neal almost punched him more than once during Barry Lyndon.

BARRY LYNDON is a very underrated film. Beautiful to look at- and more complex than you would think. A wonderful film.
Ryan O'Neal is an a***ole.

[Allhallowsday]

Kubrick was a genius but a boor to work for, and Ryan O'Neal almost punched him more than once during Barry Lyndon.

BARRY LYNDON is a very underrated film. Beautiful to look at- and more complex than you would think. A wonderful film.
Ryan O'Neal is an a***ole..

yepper 

[chainsaw midget]

The key difference I remember from the book was the topiary garden became a maze.  Maybe there was more overt violence in the film?  

The haunting was far more overt in the book.  While the movie leaves you not quite sure what's in Jack's head and what's real, the book makes it painfully obvious that evil ghosts and spirits are responsible in the movie.  I think it actually makes for a much weaker story as it shows that it's not really Jack's fault, not completely. He just fell victim to some evil ghosties.  Likewise, the "Shining" itself and "Tony" are far more emphasized as

Also, the twins aren't in the book.  (Grady does hack up his daughter but they weren't twins and they never appear as ghosts.)  Also the Hotel blows up in the book.  

One complaint people have that I don't agree with is that Nicholson played the part as a man already insane while the book featured a character that was started normal and had to be corrupted.  

That's just BS.  

The book's Mr. Torrence was even worse than the movies.  The backstory tells us that he was a violent abusive drunk that beat his wife with and nearly broke his son's arm.  He also nearly beat one of his students to death and possibly kills a kid in a hit and run.  The character from the book lies about the fact that he has it all together and it seems like a lot of readers fell for that.

The book really feels like it contradicts itself with his character, pretty much everything we know about his backstory paints him as a horrible and unhinged person, but they still want it to not really be his fault because of the supernatural stuff.  Interestingly enough, when Stephen King did his own made for TV version he made Mr. Torrence a much more sympathetic person and got rid of a lot of his troublesome past.   

[Olivia Bauer]

Let me just remind people that this movie was nominated for two Razzies.

If you want proof that the Razzies are just as shallow and stupid as the Oscars, there ya go.

[ER]

Gosh, never have seventeen syllables about The Shining spawned so many words back!  

Random thoughts....

I did not know The Shining was under attack as misogynistic but that's ridiculous, and  a symptom of a wussy age we ilve in, wherein people LOVE to feel offended on behalf of others.

Yes, I think Ryan O'Neal sounds like a jerk.

Barry Lyndon was brilliant and likely as close to seeing what the 18th century truly looked like as we ever will, including candle lit interiors and smallpox-marked  faces powdered white.

Kubrick was a genius, also a perfectionist who loved his craft, and still a bully too.

The Shining was very different, obviously, as a novel and as a film, both are excellent. I've always said King created in the book's Jack one of the most realistic alcoholics ever,  and then continued on by showing how alcoholism affects everyone in the alcoholic's life. To me that was the deepest horror of the novel.

Great thoughts from everyone. You guys scare me.  

[chainsaw midget]

You guys scare me.

You guys scare me.

I'll take that as a compliment. 


Honestly, it's been a while since we've had such a nice bad movie talk, I think.