Here's more proof that a lot of people take Kubrick's The Shining really serious. The Shining Revealed is a paperback book that discusses various views of what the movie really means.
The Shining Revealed examines the narrative behind Stanley Kubrick's 1980 masterpiece as well as the many themes weaved into the film. Furthermore, it includes a scene-by-scene analysis that provides answers to the questions the audience is left to ponder once they have seen the film. Who is the woman in room 237? Why is Jack in the Fourth of July photograph from 1921? Is the Overlook Hotel really haunted? These questions and more are explained using actions and events, which occur in the film, transforming the plot’s ambiguity into reason and meaning. Only then, the true narrative is revealed and one is able to watch the film again for the first time. (theshiningrevealed.com)
theshiningrevealed.com says this about the King to Kubrick transition:
On May 23, 1980, The Shining premiered in theaters across North America. It was directed by acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and presented to audiences as a movie based on Stephen King’s novel. But the similarity between novel and film has been a subject of debate amongst fans and critics ever since the release of the movie. Does Kubrick’s version of The Shining accurately depict the story of King’s novel about one man’s descent into madness while spending the winter with his family in a haunted hotel? Or, was Kubrick’s objective to reveal a different story altogether? Trying to decipher Kubrick’s version of The Shining is like putting together a thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle wherein the picture on the box differs from the picture on the pieces. However, once the puzzle is complete, you know you are staring at the correct picture because the pieces do, in the end, fit together perfectly.
You can but the book at amazon.com
5.99 Kindle
10.99 Paperback
What we’re seeing here is nothing new when you think about it. All it is is the regular showbiz copycat effect that works somewhat like this:
ReplyDeleteKing says he wants to make a sequel to the Shining, Hollywood picks up on this news, and band wagon is created, and I get annoyed.
King makes a sequel, so naturally Hollywood thinks to take the opposite route in prequels, preferably as many until such time as the franchise prove unprofitable; I get more annoyed.
At last the fans, picking up on both King and Hollywood take care of the rest, and thus do all of Hollywood’s heavy lifting in the form of books like “The Shining Revealed; “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” I yell at anyone who’ll listen.
ChrisC