Matt and Laci go through the The Shining, probably the best English-language horror movie ever made. Is it the story of a man's battle with alcoholism, a complicated metaphor for the American ruling class's many sins, or is it just a simple haunted house story? What if I told you… yes?
The Shining started life as Stephen King's third novel. It was a very personal novel for King, inspired by his own life and his struggles with alcoholism and fatherhood. It's understandable that he wouldn't like Kubrick not centering those issues in his film, but Kubrick saw something completely different in The Shining. The podcast tracks the history of their very public disagreement and King's criticisms of the film.
The Shining's production was shrouded in secrecy and mystery. The cast and crew filmed in England for more than a year, and while Shelley Duvall was open in the press about the difficulty of the assignment, she never thought Kubrick treated her unfairly or unprofessionally, and she always pushed back whenever anyone said Kubrick mistreated her during production of the movie.
Time stamps:
- 00:02:43 — History segment: Stephen King's early career; early disagreements between Stanley Kubrick and King; Kubrick's career overview; Kubrick and co-writer Diane Johnson adapt the novel; casting Jack Nicholson, Danny Lloyd, and Scatman Crothers; Shelley Duvall's career overview
- 00:58:30 — Movie discussion
- 02:11:30 — Final thoughts & star ratings
Sources:
- The Stephen King Companion: Four Decades of Fear from the Master of Horror by George Beahm (2024) - https://amzn.to/4qvoNMO
- A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King - TCM documentary (2011) - https://bit.ly/4oXM9tf
- "Kubrick Films 'The Shining' In Secrecy in English Studio" by Aljean Harmetz | The New York Times (1978) - https://nyti.ms/47TYJUl
- Kubrick: The Definitive Edition by Michel Ciment | https://amzn.to/4nAScmh
- "How Stanley Kubrick protected child actor Danny Lloyd while creating 'The Shining'" by Swapnil Dhruv Bose | Far Out (2020) - https://bit.ly/4opNtEY
- "'No arc at all': The reason why Stephen King hated Stanley Kubrick film 'The Shining'" by Swapnil Dhruv Bose | Far Out (2024) - https://bit.ly/47bb3hol
- "Searching for Shelley Duvall: The Reclusive Icon on Fleeing Hollywood and the Scars of Making 'The Shining'" by Seth Abramovitch | The Hollywood Reporter (2021) - https://bit.ly/3Lkni3Y
- Interview with Shelley Duvall by Roger Ebert | RogerEbert.com (2012) - https://bit.ly/44eI0sT
- "No, Shelley Duvall was not traumatized by Stanley Kubrick on The Shining – she embraced it" by Tom Murray (2024) - https://bit.ly/3LbNvSq
Artwork by Laci Roth.
Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).
Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:
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