"The Shining" Adaptation

   "The Shining" is a horror film by a famous director Stanley Kubrick, it is an adaptation of a novel "The Shining" by the same famous author Stephen King.

   However Stephen King dislikes this cult- favourite adaptation of his novel "The Shining". At the same time, he said that he considers Kubrick's work to be "impressive", immediately accompanying the praise with a humiliating comparison: "It’s like a big, beautiful Cadillac with no engine inside it."(Stephen King, 2016) He mentions that the character of Jack        Torrance does not develop in this film.

   It should be noted that writer’s negative attitude towards this adaptation, is not entirely groundless.  In King’s novel main heroes really have much more depth in their characters. Nevertheless, Stanley Kubrick is known for the fact that he actually used writer’s texts to form the plot, creating absolutely independent and magnificent works.

Figure 1. Film's poster and Book's cover (2015)

   This is what Stanley Kubrick(1980) thinks of Stephen King’s novel: "Novel seemed to strike an extraordinary balance between the psychological and the supernatural ."

Kubrick’s made his "Shining" more a psychological drama than a horror; it does not have cliche horror methods inherent to all films of that type. Rather than that, this movie frighten the audience with its oppressive atmosphere, feeling of paranoia and depression and tensions in a relationship of Torrance family.

   Speaking about our main protagonist in The Shining, from the very beginning he seems very suspicious type with his inner demons living inside him. It looks like this film doesn't want us to empathise him from the start. From Svyatoslav Sergeev's research(2016) of The Shining, "Stephen King tried to persuade Kubrick from inviting Jack Nicholson to the leading role of Jack Torrance...He wanted to convince Kubrick that the audience is much more interested in watching the gradual madness of the actor with initially normal facial expression rather than Nicholson, who from the very beginning of the film has a very crazy look." That is true that Jack Nicholson's facial expressions are sensationally astounding, but it's is the main reason what makes his character look so real. Just by looking at Torrance you can understand that this man is mad, he was initially crazy. The Overlook Hotel, the Torrance family stayed in, did not break him down mentally; he was already broken, the hotel just provided this man with the environment where he was able to unfold fully.

Figure 2. Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance(2014)

   Stephen King's sequel to the "Shining" - "Doctor Sleep" – looks like an attempt to  get back what is his by right. In the end, King wants to finish the story in his own way.

Bibliography:
1. King, S. (2016) [Interview face to face, 2nd February 2016]
2. Kubrick, S. (1980) [Interview face to face, 1980]
3. Святослав Сергеев(2016) Он уже был похож на человека [In Russian] He no longer looked like a man. At: https://www.stihi.ru/2016/05/04/4691 (Accessed on 9 November 2017) Translated by Anastasija Strelcova

Illustrations:
1. Figure 1. Flint, H.(2015)[Illustration] http://metro.co.uk/2015/06/05/there-are-so-many-differences-between-stephen-kings-the-shining-and-stanley-kubricks-film-5232328/, accessed on 9 December 2017.

2. Figure 2.(2014)[Film Still] https://www.lafabriquecrepue.com/2014/10/14/les-annees-80-films-cultes-a-profusion-par-jennifer/, accessed on 9 December 2017.