The Shining reading project

The Shining 237When The Shining is hear those two words you don’t have to follow the crowd.mentioned in a generalconversation or a passing The Various Plotscomment, most people would havethree mental reactions. Someone The plots of the Shining arewho has read the book may think integral to what I will be talkingof the masterfully written horror about later on in the article. Hereclassic The Shining published in is he plot of the book: covers the1977 by Stephen King. Movie story of the Torrance familylovers and many others would (Wendy, Jack and Danny)think of the spine chilling travelling to the Overlook hotel foradaptation of the book, which was Jack to become the caretaker. It isdirected by Stanley Kubrick and is known to Danny that he has athe basis of numerous horror power called the shine whichmovies to come after it. But the allows him to see into the futuremajority of men and women would and talk telepathically to the chefthink of Jack Nicholson’s head Halloran, who also has the ability.sticking out of a broken door Things downhill for the familyshouting maniacally at a hysterical from there: They become awareShelley Duvall “Here’s Johnny!” that the hotel is “alive” and want toNo matter what you may think capture Danny for his powers sowhen those words pop into your they persuade Jack to try and killhead you might not consider what him. Under the control of thecomes with them. The Shining is supernatural hotel, Jack goes on amuch more than a book, a movie or murderous rampage looking foreven a face. It is a rivalry, an icon Danny. Meanwhile Dannyand beyond all else insanity. This contacts Halloran the chef to comemagazine article will take an in and help him, which he does.depth look into everything to do Danny escapes Jack and Halloranwith the Shining so next time you carries Wendy and the boy to safety before the hotel blows up. The film chose a different path to go down. It is mainly the same

apart from a few small hotel. In the film he is crazy fromdiscrepancies until Jack goes the minute go. Who can forget thatcrazy after that is nearly smile?completely different. Wendy goesto find an insane Jack and then Wendysees all he wrote on his typewriterfor the entirety of the time they “Shelley Duvall as Wendy is reallywere there was “all work and no one of the most misogynisticplay makes jack a dull boy”. Jack characters ever put on film she’sfinds her looking and is clearly basically just there to scream andinsane and threatening her so she be stupid” are the words of thehits him in the head with a bat and author. What followed was himlocks him in a cellar. He is let out saying “that’s not the woman Iby a ghost and then the famous axe wrote about” which is true. Thescene is performed but Jack is Wendy in the book is a resourceful,interrupted by Halloran coming in beautiful woman with blonde hairon a snowmobile. Jack kills and Kubrick presented ShelleyHalloran with an axe and then Duvall. He was famously horriblechases Danny through the snow to her and his treatment attitudemaze but is outthought by Danny. towards her was awful. They ranThe boy escapes and Jack freezes over schedule forcing her to stay into death. England away from her family for over a year, made her cry 12 hoursNow you know all of that we can a day for 9 months straight,get into the secrets of The Shining. constant diminishing of her, he deliberately bullied her to makeJack her more insecure and agree with his character, telling her that herThere is now doubt in anyone’s ideas were worthless and makingmind that Jack Nicholson played her do 127 takes (a Guinnessthe role of a deranged murderous World Record) in a scene wherehusband expertly. This was not the she is crying in hysteria. After allrole King wanted him to play this he said “don’t sympathise withthough. In King’s mind Jack was Shelley”. Consequently she“a piece of metal that’s bent one appeared on Dr. Phil (anway then the other by these American Jeremy Kyle) withmalignant spirits”. The general significant mental illness and theidea is that Jack Torrance was not effects of her “13 month trauma”insane but made that way by the were evident.

Stephen King DeliberateThis writer has achieved Unfaithfulness?worldwide acclaim for his works,his movies and even his If you think of The Shining filmpersonality. When he wrote his adaptation the iconic scenes youfirst ever novel Carrie he wasn’t may relate to it could be thegoing to publish it or even finish it aforementioned axe scene, theuntil his wife saw it lying around Grady twins in the hallway, thethe house and told him she wanted typewriter scene, the maze finaleto finish it. That “skinny little or possibly the scene with Wendything” marked the start of Stephen swinging a bat everywhere. None ofKing’s career (selling 1 million the above are in the book. All ofcopies in the first year) and he those iconic scenes never featuredhasn’t stopped writing since. The in the book and are the soleShining is one of King most creation of Stanley Kubrick’s film.praised novels and covers the story If that wouldn’t perhaps makeof the Torrance family. You may Stephen King jealous enough tonot know how much he hates the hate the film I don’t know whatfilm though. He believes that every would.story needs warmth or even areaching out and that Kubrick Room 217…turned his film cold and you couldnot get an emotional connection In King’s version one of the mostwith the characters. The example overwhelming signs that the hotelhe used to describe the contrast would like to kill Danny is hisbetween the play and the book was venture into room number 217this: “In my novel the hotel burns, where he is strangled by a bathtubin Kubrick’s movie the hotel lady. Kubrick puts this in the filmfreezes”. King has every right to but changes the door number tohate the film as it could seem to 237. Why is a very good questionhim that the film was deliberately but no one really knows. Theunfaithful towards the book as “official” response from Kubricknearly all of the fundamental was that the Timberline hotelpoints were changed or in some (where the exterior was filmed)way tinkered with. asked for the room number to be changed as “they were afraid their guests might not want to stay in room 217 after seeing the film”. No

one really wants to believe a logical and his intellectual masterpieceexplanation though so here is a fan was complete with one photo.theory to a method behindmadness. That it was Kubrick The intelligent man that is Stanleyapologizing for faking the Apollo 11 Kubrick rang up Stephen Kingmoon landing. The hints are one day and said this: “don’t youDanny’s Apollo 11 jumper, the agree that all stories of ghosts areGrady twins signifying the Gemini fundamentally optimistic?”missions and astronaut food in thepantry. Of course this is allspeculation.KubrickAfter everything that has been saidin this article Kubrick reallydoesn’t seem like a great guy but hehad his reasons. The reason hechanged the ending was this “Iwanted an ending which theaudience couldn’t anticipate”. Hedecided to kill Halloran to scarethe audience, make them feel asthough Wendy and Danny weretrapped with no escape. He alsohas a different take on thesupernatural. He wanted theaudience to be almost certain itwas Jack causing problems, Jacktrying to kill them, Jack beingpsychotic and then at the end ofthe film give the audience a subtlerealisation that is was the hotel allalong. He used Jack Nicholson asa smoke screen to forestall thepsychological misdirection of theimages and film. When all along hehad planned and knew thatsupernatural forces were at work