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| the LA freeway in 1977 |
I find myself identifying deeply with The Shining, because I feel like I've been to that world. In so many ways reading The Shining is like a personal trip down memory lane. I don't know these people, but I am familiar with their alien environment.
It's all in the little things. Jack drives a yellow VW. My aunt and uncle had a yellow VW, and my family had a blue one. The year, late 1970's -- same time frame the Shining was written in. So, the scene where Jack pulls up in his VW is especially powerful to me, since I remember playing in my families driveway, and looking up to see my father coming in his VW Bug. My mother hurried me to get out of the way -- I think I was playing with toy cars.
A big deal is made in the book of Jack having a phone installed -- and again, I feel like I vaguely remember that world.. A world that used microphones to record things;a world where boilers still had to be checked 3 times a day. A world where someone can't just cell phone or text to announce the outcome of a job interview. A world where Richard Nixon was long gone -- but his memory still stung.
Who can really say they remember the 70's with any kind of fondness? Well, I can. I don't remember it well, mostly just feelings -- but mostly all good. In 1977 the Apple II went on sale, the average income was $15,000 and the average home cost under $50,000. Get this, the average monthly rent was $240. In theaters Star Wars was released. Meaning that in 1976, people didn't know what Star Wars was!
Also released was a movie named Roller coaster Not great on plot, but it was filmed at Magic Mountain (partly) and I like it because I can spot old rides. Notice in the movie The American Revolution, the first roller coaster to make a full loops, does not have shoulder straps. Magic Mountain was also Wally World in National Lampoons Vacation. And, again, notice that back then Revolution required no shoulder straps! They only added the harness because people thought they would fall out, even though that's impossible.
By the way, goodreads lists The Shining as #1 on their list of "Most Popular Books Published In 1977." (www.goodreads.com)
Do you remember this world. . .
A Note About Jack:
King objected to the portrayal Jack Nicholson gave Jack Torrance. Reading the novel again, I can really see what was missed. Kubrick's Jack is crazy; King's Jack is broken. The difference is that crazy Jack is always seething just under the surface. He is not tender toward his wife or son, just completely self absorbed.
The Jack of the novel is more complex. He deeply loves his wife and son and sacrifices for them. He plays with Danny, changes diapers when Danny was a baby and fights to keep his marriage together.
When Kubrick's Jack goes nuts and kills everyone, there is absolutely no surprise. It's crazy to watch it unfold, but you could tell he was nutso from the get-go. King's Jack displays moments of rage, but in the early novel King is careful not to show us that Jack in action -- instead we see the Jack who has to live with the consequences of his bad behavior. It's like seeing the aftermath of a nuke and having to imagine what exactly the force was that brought on the devastation Only later will King show us the nuke in action.
The Shining, Journal #2
In all fairnes, it's possible Nicholson MIGHT have been able to do well in the role if he had a better script to work with, however Kubrick had other ideas, none of them really connected with the story (I still don't believe that "Shine" whisper on the soundtrack theory).
ReplyDeleteAnother problem is the question of "range" as some actors can only lay versions of themselves, i.e. John Wayne, Jeff Goldblum, and i sometimes worry if Nicholson doesn't fall into that category.
I once had this film teacher who said "Even when he isn't playing the Joker, Nicholson is "always" playing the Joker", though I think a great many Batman fans might disagree with that (I'm talking about the character, not the actor here).
Nice to know there's a Shining journal now, though. Keep it up.
ChrisC
Count me among those who think Jack Nicholson was perfectly cast. (The Jack Torrance of the novel is seething beneath the surface from literally the very first line, after all!)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Reminds me of this insightful remark from Neil Gaiman: "when people in the far future want to get an idea of how things felt between 1973 and today, they'll look to King. He's a master of reflecting the world that he sees, and recording it on the page. The rise and fall of the VCR, the arrival of Google and smartphones. It's all in there, behind the monsters and the night, making them more real."
I remember the 1970s quite fondly. Economically and politically, it was hell on our parents, but it sure was a fun time to be a kid.
ReplyDelete