Gabriel Molina: Analysis of King's and Kubrick's Versions of The Shining

The Shining was originally a novel, written by Stephen King in 1977. The movie adapted and directed by Stanley Kubrick was made in 1980.



By reading the novel and watching the movie, in that order, I could see how Kubrick cut the chase and made more horrific changes to the tale. In the book we are introduced to the Torrance family, knowing all about their troubles and how Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) came to need a job in the Overlook hotel. Kubrick cuts the chase and delivers us almost directly to the Overlook.

We start the movie with the caption "The Interview", and then a beautiful air view to Jack Torrance's car in a narrow road through the mountains. Unlike the book, the interview goes smoothly and Jack gets the job. In the book Jack had a bitter interview with Ullman, the Overlook's manager. From here the first big change comes into place. We get, then, introduced to Danny and Wendy, Jack's son and wife. In the breakfast scene we also meet Tony; a boy that lives in Danny's mouth and that sometimes talks for him. In the book Tony is a boy that comes to Danny in dreams, or trances, much like an imaginary friend.

The sounds are the biggest and better changes that Kubrick makes to the movie. The dialogue between Wendy and Danny, or between Jack and Ullman, is slow, it gives the audience time to think about the conversation. To swallow what's being said.

In one aspect the book and the movie are the same; all the important characters and most of the important conversations are kept the same. We get to know that Danny has "The Shine" when Dick Halloran, the Overlook's cook, is introduced to the audience. The first time Kubrick uses sound to sharply involve us is when Dick is explaining the kitchen's functions to Wendy. While he is telling her something we hear this very high toned sound, and while he is talking to Wendy he is also using his mind to communicate with Danny. In a little conversation later on Halloran explains to Danny that he's got "The Shine".

The cabin fever settles in after everyone else, but the Torrance family, has left. In the book there is not a real sense of claustrophobia, but in Kubrick's movie I started to feel that there is not a world outside of the Overlook. Jack quickly deteriorates into a bad father and husband, treating Wendy and Danny like trash, like they were holding him back, keeping him from advancement in his play. Nicholson's acting is the best, he never really shows a nice side, and his bad side is great. As Jack's behavior becomes more erratic, the Overlook's appearance also becomes darker. Danny also starts to have bloodier and bloodier dreams. At this point the claustrophobia settles in with terrible force, and the audience is ready to believe there's not an exit from the evil hotel.

I believe that the Overlook hotel it's also an important character in the movie or book. This character is not only a building, but a character with many faces. The most famous face of the building would be the woman in the shower, which also makes a great horror scene. The setup of this scene has been used once and again after Kubrick's loose adaptation (this scene does not appear on the book). This scene starts after Danny wanders into the room, and finds a corpse, which later on we know has tried to murder Danny. Jack, already in an erroneous behavior, goes to check the room. He finds a beautiful and sexy woman in the shower, and they start to kiss each other. In retrospect, when I watched this scene when I was younger it scared me to my deepest nerve. After kissing passionately for a couple of seconds, Jack opens his eyes and looks into the mirror, only to find out he is kissing a shambling corpse. He then stumbles out of the room, comes back to his own apartment in the Overlook, and lies to Wendy about his experience. He says he didn't see anything. In the book he actually never got to see the woman, but heard steps when he got out of the room, he, of course, lied about it.

After a series of events, he starts his psycho berserk on his own family, and unlike the book, where he used a crocket mallet; he uses an axe, which makes the experience a more terrifying one. The final act changes from the book, in the book the overlook blows to hell, because Jack didn't depressurize the boiler, which is kind of absurd, because the Overlook itself would have told him, also, Dick Halloran survives Jack's beating, and a new life begins anew. In the book is pretty clear that the Overlook is a haunted hotel, pretty much alive. Whereas in the movie one never really finds out if it was Cabin Fever, after being with the same two people after a couple of months.

In both versions Jack Torrance dies, but in the book the Overlook dies with him. The movie is more terrifying, because you know someone will come back to be drove to madness again, and again, and again...