Friday, November 8, 2013

The Shining: Book vs Movie

The Shining by Stephen King is one of the most acclaimed horror novels on record.  The movie by Stanley Kubrick is widely praised as a cult classic.  However, with most movies and books, a number of significant differences exist, resulting in one being much better than the other.

Let's start with King's work since it is the original.  The Shining details the Torrance family - Jack, Wendy, and Danny.  Jack is a man with aspirations and responsibilities, but also a man that struggles with an addiction to the bottle.  Danny is a young, innocent child that was given a special gift of the "shining" - he KNOWS things and SEES things.  To uphold his responsibilities, Jack takes his little family to the secluded Overlook Hotel in the mountains of Colorado for the winter.  He wants a fresh start and he believes this is the answer.  Needless to say, it is not.

King builds an elaborate world, developing his characters deeply.  The first time I read the book, I did not catch the foreshadowing, the depth of his characters, the complexity of the situation.  However, in my recent re-read for the #shinealong, I fell into this well-constructed world of the Torrance family.  I could relate to the fight for a marriage and the hardships of a mother.  In the end, there was a creepiness as well as an appreciation for this piece of work.

Since I re-read the book, I thought it was only fair to re-watch the movie.  I was not a fan of the film the first time around, but could not pinpoint the why after so much time had elapsed more than a decade ago.  As I started watching it, it was like I was watching it again for the first time.  I really had not remembered the movie beyond a few iconic photos.

In the movie, I found many issues that made it frustrating for me.  Wendy was weak.  In the book, she had a history that explained behavior that may be construed as weak, but she was far from it.  She was a fighter, a woman who fought for her family and for her son.  Danny's "shining" was awkward in the movie.  Tony lived inside him and spoke from his own mouth, indicated by a movement of his hand.  In the book, this relationship with an imaginary friend was portrayed in a more developmentally friendly form, like any other child who would interact with a friend invisible to adults.  And, Jack - well, I didn't like him in either case - but, he was easier to attempt to sympathize with in the written version.

Beyond the characters themselves, I did not like the ending in general in the movie edition.  Without spoiling the ending, I will only say that the book was simply creepier and there was more closure to the story.  (I do know a miniseries was made that followed the book closer than the movie.  It has been a long time since I viewed this version, but if my memory serves me well, I preferred the miniseries.  The acting was hard to compare to Jack Nicholson, but the story was more accurate and the characters more fitting to their roles.)

The Verdict:  Read the book.  Forget the movie.

Have you read the book and watched the movie of The Shining?  Which did you prefer?

20 comments:

  1. The movie freaked me out so I didn't even attempt the book. But back then I wasn't a reader, I need to give the books another try!

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    1. Tanya @ Moms Small Victories ... I would recommend the book, but also would warn you that there are creepy parts within the story! The book is much more complex than just Jack going spooky crazy!

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  2. I enjoyed the TV mini-series much more than the Jack Nicholson movie. They're both unique to each other, but I recall the mini-series being far truer to the book.

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    1. Andi ... I remember liking the mini-series better too! I was trying to get my hands on a copy of this one as well, but no luck so far.

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  3. This is one instance where I feel that the movie is better than the book. In the movie, you get a true sense that Jack has been overtaken by something sinister. In the book, Jack is more subdued. Also, Wendy can be construed as weak in the movie but not really. She fights him tooth and nail. The only thing I did not like in the movie was how it went down with Mr. Halloran.

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    1. Ti ... Yes, I really did not like the ending for Mr. Halloran in the movie either. You can add that to my list of complaints! Just another reason why I like the book better! ;)

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  4. I watched the movie first and thought it was so-so. I didn't find it creepy or scary. I read the book a couple or so months ago and it scared the beejesus out of me! It was incredibly good written and the characters and the story have the depth they lack in the movie.

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    1. Paula (Find a girl who reads) ... I agree!! I originally read the book before watching the movie though. On my re-read it, I appreciated the read even more!

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  5. YES!!!

    I finally watched the movie after reading the book this year, and I think the movie is TERRIBLE. Jack Nicholson is always great, but that's the only plus side.

    The characters in the movie were not true to the characters in the book at all. I hate that Wendy is a simpy screamer in the movie, and I hate that Kubrick made Jack out to be an asshole from the very beginning instead of showing that it was the hotel that was making him act that way. A labyrinth instead of moving topiary animals is just dumb--not scary at all. Even Danny was a terrible character compared to the book.

    I agree--skip the movie and read the book.

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    1. Heather ... Agreed! Agreed! Agreed! On every single point!!

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  6. I was going to comment... then saw Heather's comment above and was like, 'Yeah, what she said!" I hated the way Wendy was portrayed in the movie, and the movie left me feeling like Jack was a not-nice guy to begin with who just really went crazy -- didn't make it clear that evil forces were behind the hotel or let us know the history of all the crimes and murders that had happened there. And yes, hedge animals are scary, a big labyrinth isn't !! I'm 100% on board with the advice to read the book, skip the movie (even if it is an iconic role for Jack Nicholson).

    Lisa

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    1. bookshelffantasies.com ... I don't know if Jack was a truly nice guy in the book to begin with, but he was at least conscientious of his tendency towards anger and he tried not to give into it. I definitely prefer that over what he was portrayed in the movie!

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  7. I was never a fan of the movie and a lot of that came from my parents (two huge SK fans) returning from the film and talking about how bad it sucked. I made that determination myself years later. I finally read the book earlier this year and it was SO much better. I agree with you about Wendy. That part really bugged me too. And the film made Jack out as a bad guy early on, where as the book made it more like he was made that way by the hotel. Bottom line...the book is just better.

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    1. Michelle Miller ... Yes, yes, yes! The book is better in my opinion as well. It is so much more complex ... and in a very good way.

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  8. I watched it again recently with my husband and it was werid. It's very dated. Now, a lot of things would have been cut- like all that driving. It was very 1970s. My husband commented, "It wasn't really scary." Scary for then, maybe. There are things I like about it but much of the time I felt bored.

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    1. Chris bookarama ... You've got it! When I watched it again recently, I got bored with it too and actually had to watch it in two different sittings (not like me). It is dated, a lot of stuff would have been left on the cutting room floor today. Great points!

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  9. As a horror fan I love a lot of the elements of The Shining movie. it creeped me out so much I never read the source material. I did watch the mini -series and got a sense of Kings vision from the book but I found it kinda slow:)

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    1. FICTION STATE OF MIND ... I would recommend reading the book if you have the chance. It is so much more complex and really, a great read. I do think the mini-series sticks closer to his vision, but it has been so long since I've seen it that I can't remember just how well it follows though.

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  10. The Shining is one of King's books that I haven't gotten around to reading yet, probably because I wasn't a big fan of the movie. Will have to put it back in my TBR pile now that everyone seems to agree it's better than the movie. I should really know that by now! The book IS usually better than the movie!

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    1. Alexia561 ... The book IS better than the movie, especially in this case (IMO)! One of the few movies that I think is a better movie than a book is one of King's, but that is a rare occurrence!

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