The Shining: Book vs. Movie

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

Hey is it just me or does the movie not explain everything it should have to make the viewer understand what's happening?

[urgeok2]

are you saying you feel it does - or it doesnt ??

[alkytrio666]

Yeah, without Nicholson's excellent turn as Jack Torrence and Kubrick's careful eye and patient hand, The Shining is a pretty spotty production. King's book, which is much, much different, is more careful and intricate with detail. It's a shame Kubrick didn't employ the story exactly the way it was written; if he had, the film would be even more chilling than it already is.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

i dont think it did. i read the book first then a few of my friends came over and watched the movie and they said it didn't make any sense and I had to keep explaining things explained only in the book.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

Yeah, without Nicholson's excellent turn as Jack Torrence and Kubrick's careful eye and patient hand, The Shining is a pretty spotty production. King's book, which is much, much different, is more careful and intricate with detail. It's a shame Kubrick didn't employ the story exactly the way it was written; if he had, the film would be even more chilling than it already is.

haha yes, that is what i told my mum and aunt and they said i couldn't appreciate the classics

[urgeok2]

i find when people are watching a movie they get lazy - tune out most of the dialogue and only wake up when there's action.


i recently watched The Shining and didnt find it wanting for any explaination.
if you're paying attention everything you need to know is there..

same thing happened with dune.

in a visual media you arent forced to listen - but you still should

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

haha yeah that is true. I keep forgetting that people like me who do pay attention are few and far between. Yeah it does explain enough, I just wish it went as far as the book. and i miss the hedge animals T.T

[Zero]

that's kubrick - no respect for literary material. that said i think Kubrick's version of The Shining is awesome and stands on its own (afterall the King version that ABC TV did was god awful)

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

haha well i havent seen the king version, but his movies usually arent that great

[urgeok2]

that's kubrick - no respect for literary material. that said i think Kubrick's version of The Shining is awesome and stands on its own (afterall the King version that ABC TV did was god awful)


i know Kubrick and King fought because King was all into the supernarural and Kubrick wasnt.
Kubrick wanted it to be a study of madness ...


so knowing that - one thing always bugged be about the movie .... Grady letting ol' Jack out of the food locker.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

well yeah even so, there was no way for the shining to be done without some supernatural events. jack went crazy in the book, but the supernatural hotel drove him to it

[Kemal]

I thought the movie was actually better than the book... if you explain everything you make it less frightening.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

yeah i guess you've got a point there. but they did replace stuff in the book that would've made a great movie with things that weren't as great, like the hedge animals and the ending.

[tonemeister]

steven king did his version which was much closer to the book but kubrik's version kicks ass. not everything translates well on film and then there are time constraints. you have to cut them a little slack.

[missmacabre]

I saw the movie first and I thought it made perfect sense. Then I read the book and enjoyed reading it, aswell as it made me enjoy the movie more. Just cleared up a few things that bugged me otherwise. The book was still better IMO cause I loove little nuances and tons of detail.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

haha yeah, you guys are right. dont get me wrong i love the movie, i just wish they didnt take out the hedge animals or change the ending

[alkytrio666]

steven king did his version which was much closer to the book but kubrik's version kicks ass. not everything translates well on film and then there are time constraints. you have to cut them a little slack.
No, no, no. Time constraints have nothing to do with this. Kubrick's film was three hours long, and much of it is empty space. King's complete narrative could have been done well in the same three hour period.

And to clear things up, I don't believe the movie is confusing in any way- just a complete misfire of what Stephen King originally intended- something that would have translated exquisitely on film.

[Psycom5k]

and i miss the hedge animals T.T

They left that out of the movie because of the fact that they had no way to actually make it look good, and be justice to the book.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

haha ok the animals i understand. but they still couldve gone with jack using a roque mallet, halloran survivng, and the overlook exploding

[Elvis_Christ]

Kubrick's film kills the TV adaption that was more faithful to King's novel.

Grady busting Jack out of the meat locker was part of his madness to me. Trippin' out delusional as fuck he realized you can open it from the inside (well all the lockers I've had the displeasure to be in workin' for the man and his killmachine) he just needed the white wabbit to show him the way.

The majority of SK adaptions leave a lot out of the books... it's a good or a bad thing depending on which version of the story you prefer.

At least Kubrick didn't dilute The Shining as much as Mary Harron did with American Psycho. It still has power and is faithful to the original text unlike Harron's take on Pyscho (people always bring up "you couldn't put that on film"...but thats just bullshit Kubrick left out some pervo twisted trademark King moments but did it subtely leaving it to the viewers imagination rather than ditching it completely).

I dig this Christine, Misery and The Dark Half a lot. Pet Semetary is dope too but it's nice to see directors given some freedom with his original texts rather than a 100% adaption.

[Jack_Torrence_Kills]

hmm yeah thats true. now that i think of it halloran dieing makes it better, though he was my favorite