Clint Eastwood’s dislike of The Shining Outshined even author Stephen King, with the screen icon labeling the 1980 horror movie “A huge failure.” It felt like there was a time when every major genre director had to adapt at least one Stephen King book for the big screen. John Carpenter Helm ChristineDavid Cronenberg paid a visit The Dead Zone While George A. Romero helms each chapter of Creepshow. This makes it more unusual that the second King adaptation was directed by Stanley Kubrick 2001 And A Clockwork Orange Celebrity / Shy.
After being disappointed by the response to his period drama Barry LyndonKubrick decided to make something more commercial. He turned to the horror genre and took a liking to King’s The Shining. The resulting film is now considered a masterpiece; An immediate, haunting work filled with unforgettable images. yet, The Shining Receive detailed reviews upon releaseWith outlets such as Variety And The New Yorker Give it underwhelming notes. Its $48 million gross (via Box Office Mojo) is also considered disappointing.
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Why Clint Eastwood Felt Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining Was a ‘Salvation’
Eastwood didn’t mince words about the shining
Stephen King was open about his disgust at what Kubrick had done to his novelFrom character changes right down to his cool tone. King’s ideas are almost glowing compared to Clint Eastwood’s, however, which once vented about The Shining To journalist Paul Nelson (by Conversations with Clint: Paul Nelson’s Lost Interviews with Clint Eastwood, 1979-1983). During this discussion, Clint recalled seeing the film at a Warner Bros. screening and summarized his feelings as:
It was just a giant failure. The biggest example in the picture is that there is just nothing terrible about it.
Eastwood felt The Shining Lacked in emotion and energy Because of Kubrick’s tendency to do dozens of names. “I’ve never seen so many good actors, really good performers that you’ve seen in many, many films – all these people who are old pros – come off so stiffClint said. He thought that none of the horror scenes worked, and that Kubrick had “Fell in love“With its own footage, leading to long, repetitive Steadicam shots that the audience wouldn’t care about.
Eastwood and Nelson are largely in agreement about their issues with The ShiningFeeling that Kubrick set out to make a true horror film but that his style ruined it. They seem to see it as an expensive folly, with Eastwood feeling that if a first-time filmmaker had directed it, “…They would have bombed it right out of the building.”
Clint Eastwood’s criticism of The Shining mirrors the reception of the movie in 1980
No one got the Shining in 1980
It’s funny looking back The Shining’s Initial reception in light of its current status. The film often tops lists of the scariest movies ever made, and endless articles and video essays have pored over its many mysteries. The film had its admirers when it arrived in 1980, but Eastwood’s issues with the film were mostly in line with how it was received at the time. Major critics such as Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael felt The Shining was also a big disappointmentAnd that it was not scary or thrilling.
Eastwood’s words are harsher than even some of the Shining’s worst reviews, but it’s not exactly a contrary opinion.
Many – including King – felt that Jack Nicholson’s turn as Jack Torrance was also over the top and that he already appeared crazy from his first scene. Like John Carpenter The thing, It took many years for people to rediscover The Shining On TV earrings or VHS for the critical tide to turn. True, Eastwood’s words are harsher than even some of them The Shining’s Worst reviews, but that’s not exactly a contrary opinion.
Eastwood considered parodying The Shining’s tagline for one of his own movies
Either way you can almost throw shade at Stanley Kubrick
Kubrick was meticulous in almost every facet of production on his movies, right down to the posters. There are records of his correspondence with The Shining’s Poster designer Saul Bass (by Open culture), with Kubrick’s handwritten notes, detailing his issues with most of them; Bass and Kubrick went through 300 iterations on the design before settling on the final one. It was Kubrick’s idea to put the tagline “a masterpiece of modern horror” on top of The Shining’s Poster too.
In Eastwood’s conversation with Nelson, he took Kubrick to make such a lofty declaration. Clint recalled several of the WB execs trying to talk the director out, saying “Stanley, maybe you’d better wait and let some reviewer put the byline on this film, because it might be considered a bit ahead of you to do so.“Eastwood then told Nelson that while discussing the ads for his 1980 comedy Any way you canhe thought”Well, maybe we should call it a masterpiece in modern comedy and adventure.”
|
The Shining Franchise |
Release year |
|---|---|
|
The Shining (film) |
1980 |
|
The Shining (mini series) |
1997 |
|
Doctor Sleep |
2019 |
Although no doubt a tongue-in-cheek comment, it actually seemed odd if Eastwood’s film attached the slogan to the poster. Instead, they went for the much milder tagline “Faster, funnier and wilder. It will knock you out!”
Even Stephen King isn’t as harsh on The Shining as Eastwood
The author of The Shining paid Kubrick’s film several compliments
generally, Kubrick The Shining is considered a horror classic that is too A terrible adaptation of King’s novel. The book is deeply personal to King and speaks to his own issues with addiction and raising a family. The author was so dissatisfied with how Kubrick handled his original story that he later remade it The Shining Like a miniseries that was much more faithful to the source material.
King often wrote about his views on Kubrick’s Shining And gave many interviews on the subject, but perhaps his most famous quote comes from the TCM documentary A Night at the Movies: The Horrors of Stephen King. Here, the author stated the pictures inside The Shining are “Striking“But that it is all surface without substance, and “It’s like a beautiful car that has no engine in it.” Despite his issues, King still paid compliments to The ShiningFrom young Danny Lloyd’s performance to his visuals.
In 2019, Mike Flanagan helmet Doctor SleepA Shining Sequel that did the seemingly impossible by combining the different tones of King’s book And Kubrick’s film. After seeing the sequel, King told Flanagan that Doctor Sleep “Redeemed“Everything he didn’t like about the 1980 film – although it seems the author still isn’t a fan. Regardless, even King found some nice things to say about The ShiningWhereas Clint disliked Kubrick’s film from top to bottom.
Eastwood’s criticisms of The Shining are valid
Rightly or wrongly, Eastwood is thoughtful in his shining criticisms
Scatman Crothers played Dick Halloran in The Shining and followed that film with a role in Eastwood’s favorite western of his own, Bronco Billy. There is an unconfirmed story that Crothers cried after Eastwood declared that he was happy with the actor’s first scene and was moving on; Crothers didn’t cry because he was upset, but because he was so used to endless hours working with Kubrick..
Their contrasting styles may be at the heart of why Eastwood was left cold by Kubrick’s The Shining, with the latter finding the film’s patient rhythm too clinical.
Kubrick was known for filming dozens of takes for even the simplest of scenes, while Eastwood often shot first or second takes of a given scene. Their contrasting styles may be at the heart of why Eastwood was left cold by Kubrick’s The ShiningWith the latter found the film’s patient rhythm to clinical. Eastwood’s co
Eastwood is thoughtful in his Shining Commentary on the reasons he felt the film didn’t work, from its use of sets instead of actual locations, the overuse of Steadicam to the lack of energy in the performances. These were all intentional choices by Kubrick and are the reason it is now held in such high regard, but for Eastwood and others who felt left out by The ShiningThese are fatal flaws.
Source: Box Office Mojo, Open culture, YouTube/The Drew Barrymore Show