Eclipsed perhaps only by its 1980 film adaptation, the novel is one of the most popular and enduring horror stories of all time. The death is also nothing like jacks fate in the novelization of the shining, written by stephen king. Oct 27, 2019 stanley kubricks version of the shining came out decades ago, and among the many details from the book that were changed for the big screen is the ending and theres an alternate ending that, sadly, will never be released. The shining tends to be opaque, even though its corridors are welllit. A very important, and often heated, area of discussion is the comparison between kubricks film and the original novel of the shining by stephen king. The author, who expressed his gratitude to kathleen murphy for her contribution to this article, has taken the liberty of discussing scenes that appear throughout the films narrative. A space odyssey and a clockwork orange, kubrick works across genres and his movies come with impeccable directing, atmosphere and a sense of intelligence. The shining, gothic horror novel by stephen king, first published in 1977. In this scene, jack is seen talking to delbert grady, one of the ghosts. The setting is the overlook, a palatial resort on a colorado mountain top, snowbound and closed down for the long, long. 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. I love the shining because of how jack unravels and because of how real the overlook feels.
Dannys ordeal and the bear costumed man, exploring hidden abuse theme in the movie. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Essay on the shining by stephen king 829 words bartleby. The shining is about physical and sexual abuse perpetrated on young danny boy by his father jack torrance. In the final shots of stanley kubricks the shining, the audience sees the corpse of jack torrance jack nicholson frozen to death in the hedge maze where he tried to kill his wife wendy. At the end of the shining, why is jack in the photo of. 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. The shining, a novel written by stephen king followed by a film directed by stanley kubrick in 1980 is a horrorthriller. Theres the sense that a great talent has been wasted.
However, the text version is a much more thorough breakdown of the film and includes video stills and other research sources. Published in 1977, it is kings third published novel and first hardback bestseller. What does that famous final shot of stanley kubricks the shining really. However, kubricks adaptation of the shining deviates from kings novel in a few. The shinings 1980 hedge maze chase is one of the most iconic endings in horror history. Analysis of the shining mawr gorshin film analysis, freud, horror novel, literature analysis, psychoanalysis october 9, 2016 may 23, 2017 11 minutes the shining is a supernatural horror novel written by stephen king and published in 1977. Movie, hell be taking a critical look at movie adaptations of horror novels. Differences between the shining book vs movie page 2. Jack is blown away, imaging the scene of wealth and splendor. The shining is the story of jack torrance, who is employed as the caretaker of the gargantuan overlook hotel in colorado one winter.
Stanley kubricks version of the shining came out decades ago, and among the many details from the book that were changed for the big screen is the. For nearly 40 years now, the shining has reigned as one of the most acclaimed and terrifying horror films ever made. What actions do kings characters take that develop and define their character. The shining study guide contains a biography of stanley kubrick, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Jan 29, 2019 the most debated element of the shining s ending is the revelation in the final shot that jack is present in a photo of the overlooks fourth of july party in 1921. How does the ending of the shining differ from stephen kings. The shining is a horror cinema masterpiece, and figuring out its haunting and iconic ending was no easy task for stanley kubrick.
Immediately download the the shining summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching the shining. Endgame mistakes charmed mistakes the biggest mistakes in the xmen movies the phantom of the opera questions 6 underground quotes unknown ending sex and the city trivia apocalypto. Identify how the setting of the shining influences the actions of its characters. May 31, 20 seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows kubricks inversion of kings novel shares the documentary room 237 has been called a diy mashup of the many theories put forward over the years as interpretations of stanley kubrickss 1980 horror classic, the shining. At first, it feels like a traditional horror setup a guy gets hired to spend the winter in an enormous hotel, secluded from civilization, where obviously something will go very wrong. Currently, we are building the largest digital library of film and television inquiry and related. And there is good reason for viewers to puzzle over the film 33 years after its release. Of course, an explanation from the filmmaker himself hasnt been enough for many. The main character jack torrance is a violent, recovering alcoholic who has broken his son, dannys arm while drunk before. 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. Ending spoiler for the shining 1980, plus mistakes, quotes, trivia and more. The overlooks manager, ullman, is concerned about giving jack the job. The final, terrible shot of jack on the ground, his frozen face forever stuck in its maniacal, upwardlooking openmouth gaze, instantly freezes itself into the brain of anyone who. Review and analysis posted on may 25, 20 by carl 21 comments stanley kubrick remains one of americas strongest filmmakers best known for classics such as 2001.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the shining by stephen king. For the first time, the shinings 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. The film version made big changes to the character of jack overall, and subsequently, many elements of the story were completely modified to better represent the character the picture was working with. Oct 09, 2016 analysis of the shining mawr gorshin film analysis, freud, horror novel, literature analysis, psychoanalysis october 9, 2016 may 23, 2017 11 minutes the shining is a supernatural horror novel written by stephen king and published in 1977. Jun 22, 2012 the shining is the story of jack torrance, who is employed as the caretaker of the gargantuan overlook hotel in colorado one winter. Below, executive producer jan harlan and screenwriter diane johnson who wrote the script with kubrick explain in greater detail than ever before how the legendary director considered several very different. The shining is stanley kubricks bid for a super hit, his attempt to even a number of scores. While expressing true kubrick style, the films utilisation of the temporal and. The story of this film is based off the book, the shining by stephen king. What happened at the end of stanley kubricks the shining. Check out his first column below, exploring the shining. The shining begins with jack torrance being interviewed for the caretakers job at the overlook hotel. What does that famous final shot of stanley kubricks film really mean. How does the ending of the shining differ from stephen king.
The hotel will soon close for the winter, but cant be left unattended. The victim danny can be viewed as the inner child of jacks spouse, wendy torrance, which means that the abuse is a traumatic. The shining by stephen king misscole december, 2011 at 12. The shining s 1980 hedge maze chase is one of the most iconic endings in horror history. Learn all about how the characters in the shining such as overlook hotel and danny torrance contribute to the story and how they fit into the plot. A presold prefab blockbuster, what with kings carrie hitting the moviehouses, salems lot being lensed, the shining itself sold to warner bros. Fans of the shining or any of stanley kubricks movies understand the importance the director placed on minor details. One particular interpretation has been adopted by many of the films. Paperback order in the next 6 hours 52 minutes and get it by monday, march 16. Jack torrances new job at the overlook hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start.
The most debated element of the shining s ending is the revelation in the final shot that jack is present in a photo of the overlooks fourth of july party in 1921. Seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows kubricks inversion of kings novel. Jul 08, 2015 in the final shots of stanley kubricks the shining, the audience sees the corpse of jack torrance jack nicholson frozen to death in the hedge maze where he tried to kill his wife wendy. Stanley kubricks adaptation of stephen kings novel about a haunted hotel and a boy.
The shining how a red book could explain everything read. 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. Producers reveal why stephen kings book ending was changed for the film adaptation. I would say that king has designed the overlook hotel to operate as the. He puts the invitation back in the book and starts reading the scrapbook. Whats the difference between the shining the book and the shining the movie. As the film develops, it becomes more mysterious, ambiguous, threatening, and hallucinatory. As somebody who is a massive fan of the movie, i was certain that i studied. Read stephen kings the shining and write a 2 page literary analysis. Overall, i think the both the book and the movie are worthwhile for their own sake. Jack torrance character the story take place in colorado and begins with jack torrance, going to a place by the name of the overlook hotel to be the caretaker over the winter months, because of coast of keeping a twentyfive mile road, in which it take to. The documentary room 237 has been called a diy mashup of the many theories put forward over the years as interpretations of stanley kubrickss 1980 horror classic, the shining. Lets take a close look at some of the characters in stephen kings the shining.
The shining is a tragedy, and wed be remiss to classify the ending otherwise. 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. Drama analysis of the shining the shining is a 1980 psychological horror film directed by stanley kubrick. Bathroom scene literary terms description of the shining the shining is a 1980 film about a man named jack torrance who is taking care of an isolated hotel for the winter with his wife and son. Until the last minute, the plot seems to be wrapping up in a conventional way. The shining by stanley kubrick is one of my favorite movies ever and im interested in reading the novel. He was renowned for using supernatural events in many of his stories making them a mixture of horror, gloom, and fantasy. For the real film buff, ive gone through and listed shots, images from each, and length of time of shots. Her gullible nature, her compassion for danny and her husband seems to be her only flaws.
A sequel, titled doctor sleep, was published in 20. The shining is a novel published in 1977 by stephen king, a wellknown american author. A solid commercial success for the film which opens here next week would confirm one of kubrick. Immediately download the the shining summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for. The tension felt when jack jack nicholson chases danny danny lloyd through the hotel grounds is incredible. As the offseason caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, hell have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his. The shining is a gothic horror novel by stephen king, first published in 1977. Detailed analysis of characters in stephen kings the shining. How does the ending of the shining differ from stephen. The shining is a horror novel by american author stephen king. Find summaries for every chapter, including a the shining chapter summary chart to help you understand the book. Masseys rotting corpse in the shining is unsettling whether youre reading the book, watching kubricks film, or checking out kings miniseries where. The shining how a red book could explain everything. Oct 15, 2019 fans of the shining or any of stanley kubricks movies understand the importance the director placed on minor details.
The unmasking will happen at the stroke of midnight. The shining has an alternate ending you will never see. Seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows. No one who has not seen the shining will be seated during the last ten paragraphs.
You may choose to use some of the following topics. I read the novel three times, although over fifteen years have passed since. Few authors have been adapted as many times as king has, and it chapter two is far from the first king movie to deviate from his original ending. At the end of the shining, why is jack in the photo of the. Stanley kubricks the shining was released in 1980, and since has been hailed as one of the greatest horror movies ever made. Analysis of kubricks the shining, table of contents. Moving his wife, wendy, and their son, danny, into it for the. The shining stanley kubrick, 1980 since its creation in 1980 by the late, great stanley kubrick, the shining has since developed a cult following and is now considered to be one of the greatest and most terrifying horror films ever created. Seriously exhaustive analysis of the shining shows kubrick. To watch my previous video analysis of the shining, based upon some of the concepts described in the text of the article, scroll to the bottom of this page.
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