Kubrick's "The Shining"...

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TikiSoo
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by TikiSoo »

Intrepid37 wrote: May 29th, 2023, 6:01 pm Wow. It's puzzling to me, but if you thought it was a good movie after reading the book it just goes to show that we're all unique in our own way.
I liked King's books and always got a copy from the library to read on the bus. But I would NEVER see a horror film, I am pretty easily disturbed by movies.

A bunch of us went to a midnight show of some Pink Floyd movie and whoops-it turned out to be The Shining! Everyone else wanted to stay, the opening looked so promising.
Well, I didn't sleep for a week after that.

Maybe I'm not so critical about the differences between the book/movie because they both "effected" me similarly. But as I stated earlier, the visuals of the movie evoked nightmarish confusion & fear in a way reading couldn't.

(I also think seeing a movie in a theater has a different impact than at home on TV)
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

kingrat wrote: May 29th, 2023, 12:23 pm I wonder how much people's view of The Shining depends on how much you like Jack Nicholson's performance. If you think Nicholson made a mistake in playing the guy as crazy from the get-go--I remember people in the theater giggling at his first scene with Barry Nelson--then you may not like the film as much.
I agree about Nicholson's performance. While I think Kubrick's direction is brilliant, Nicholson's performance is WAY over the top, though it doesn't ruin the film. I was laughing at many of his scenes when I should have been terrified.

My favorite Kubrick film- Paths Of Glory (1957)

My favorite King movie adaptation - Misery (1990)
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by jamesjazzguitar »

Thanks for the comments. I didn't believe I was part of the "lacked reading comprehension" pair, but I felt the comment was overly harsh, and thus I was defending the pair. I don't believe Sepia intentionally engages in trollish behavior. Yea, over the years at the old TCM board there were times he has got under my skin, but I took it more as a style thing on his part. Like all of us he can misread someone's post and fail to grasp the point, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt that it isn't intentional.
Last edited by jamesjazzguitar on May 30th, 2023, 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by jamesjazzguitar »

Detective Jim McLeod wrote: May 30th, 2023, 8:02 am
kingrat wrote: May 29th, 2023, 12:23 pm I wonder how much people's view of The Shining depends on how much you like Jack Nicholson's performance. If you think Nicholson made a mistake in playing the guy as crazy from the get-go--I remember people in the theater giggling at his first scene with Barry Nelson--then you may not like the film as much.
I agree about Nicholson's performance. While I think Kubrick's direction is brilliant, Nicholson's performance is WAY over the top, though it doesn't ruin the film. I was laughing at many of his scenes when I should have been terrified.

My favorite Kubrick film- Paths Of Glory (1957)

My favorite King movie adaptation - Misery (1990)
I also agree with what you're saying about Nicholson's performance, but I tend to fault such performances on the director. Take your avatar character: That performance by Kirk Douglas borders on the edge of going over-the-top, but due to the solid direction of Wyler (E.g., coaching, pacing, editing etc..), it ends up being really compelling.

Of course, Nicholson was a major star when The Shining was made (as compared to Douglas in 1951), but unless I find out that Kubrick tried to restrain Jack and Jack wouldn't listen, I have to assume Jack gave the type of performance Kubrick and the producers, were looking for. I.e. they viewed scenes as they were being filmed and didn't demand a reshoot.
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Sepiatone
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Sepiatone »

I really don't know how Kingrat got the impression that Nicholson played the character "as crazy from the get go." From what I recall he seemed normally rational at the beginning but slowly unraveled under the resort's influence as the movie lurched on. One of the few things the movie got right as concerns the novel.


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Intrepid37
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Intrepid37 »

Sepiatone wrote: May 30th, 2023, 12:27 pm I really don't know how Kingrat got the impression that Nicholson played the character "as crazy from the get go." From what I recall he seemed normally rational at the beginning but slowly unraveled under the resort's influence as the movie lurched on. One of the few things the movie got right as concerns the novel.
Slowly unraveled?

Hardly.

I could see the barely suppressed rage inside him from the very start - and it took no time at all to begin manifesting overtly.

We perceive differently - kingrat and I one way, you and others another.
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

jamesjazzguitar wrote: May 30th, 2023, 11:59 am



Of course, Nicholson was a major star when The Shining was made (as compared to Douglas in 1951), but unless I find out that Kubrick tried to restrain Jack and Jack wouldn't listen, I have to assume Jack gave the type of performance Kubrick and the producers, were looking for. I.e. they viewed scenes as they were being filmed and didn't demand a reshoot.
From what I read in Vincent LoBrutto's biography of Kubrick, the director was such a big admirer of Jack Nicholson that he pretty much let him do what he wanted, even encouraging him to improvise (the "Herrrre's Johnny" scene was one of these). His direction of him was mostly short and clear, though he did make him do multiple takes, sometimes 50 or more.
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Sepiatone
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Sepiatone »

Intrepid37 wrote: May 30th, 2023, 2:00 pm
Sepiatone wrote: May 30th, 2023, 12:27 pm I really don't know how Kingrat got the impression that Nicholson played the character "as crazy from the get go." From what I recall he seemed normally rational at the beginning but slowly unraveled under the resort's influence as the movie lurched on. One of the few things the movie got right as concerns the novel.
Slowly unraveled?

Hardly.

I could see the barely suppressed rage inside him from the very start - and it took no time at all to begin manifesting overtly.

We perceive differently - kingrat and I one way, you and others another.
You seem to be forgetting that Torrance's murderous rampage wasn't induced by his own inner demons, but rather the resort's resident demons influencing his behavior. And that previous caretakers have also gone mad. And that telling a story that covers several weeks or a few months in the span of a 2 1/2 hour movie you could possibly see it as taking "no time at all".

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Intrepid37
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Intrepid37 »

Sepiatone wrote: June 1st, 2023, 12:03 pm You seem to be forgetting that Torrance's murderous rampage wasn't induced by his own inner demons, but rather the resort's resident demons influencing his behavior. And that previous caretakers have also gone mad. And that telling a story that covers several weeks or a few months in the span of a 2 1/2 hour movie you could possibly see it as taking "no time at all".
You see it your way. I don't see it your way.

The movie just doesn't work for me at all.
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Sepiatone
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Re: Kubrick's "The Shining"...

Post by Sepiatone »

Intrepid37 wrote: June 1st, 2023, 5:37 pm

You see it your way. I don't see it your way.

The movie just doesn't work for me at all.
Well at least we see eye to eye on THAT point. ;)

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