Favourite films

Martian Tom said:

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ah Stanley Krubrick, always makes one think, great film maker, lots of intersting theroies about his film making.

And I think it is so difficult to make successful re-makes of his films because he was such a perfectionist.

Stephen King thought he got 'The Shining' fundamentally wrong, though - even though it was a good film in itself.  It just wasn't at all faithful to the book.  King was hugely disappointed by it.  He thought Kubrick missed something fundamental about the Jack Torrance character. But I suppose it was Kubrick's vision as a film-maker, reinterpreting King's vision as a writer.

I love both the film and the book.  But they are quite different in the sensibilities behind their execution.  King is a religious man.  Kubrick wasn't.  I think this is evident in the differences between the book and the film.  I don't think Kubrick had a full enough grasp on the supernatural and spiritual, so in is vision Torrance became the architect of all the horror.  King saw Torrance more as a channel, or cipher.

To be perfectly honest, Tom, I wasn't totally happy with the Kubrick version but then, artistic license and all that!

Did you know they brought out a 'made-for-TV version' (I forget exactly when) that was shown over several installments? It built up the story much more gradually and I think King had more control over the screenplay so that it was more faithful to his novel. Of course, it's not really fair to compare a movie that people have to sit and watch over a couple of hours or so to a TV version that can be drawn out but perhaps the original movie was meant for more general consumption rather than to cater for King's fans.

As I recall, King himself made a cameo appearance as a bandleader or something as the hotel 'came alive.' (Echoes of Alfred Hitchcock).

Martian Tom said:

[quote][/quote]

[quote][/quote]

ah Stanley Krubrick, always makes one think, great film maker, lots of intersting theroies about his film making.

And I think it is so difficult to make successful re-makes of his films because he was such a perfectionist.

Stephen King thought he got 'The Shining' fundamentally wrong, though - even though it was a good film in itself.  It just wasn't at all faithful to the book.  King was hugely disappointed by it.  He thought Kubrick missed something fundamental about the Jack Torrance character. But I suppose it was Kubrick's vision as a film-maker, reinterpreting King's vision as a writer.

I love both the film and the book.  But they are quite different in the sensibilities behind their execution.  King is a religious man.  Kubrick wasn't.  I think this is evident in the differences between the book and the film.  I don't think Kubrick had a full enough grasp on the supernatural and spiritual, so in is vision Torrance became the architect of all the horror.  King saw Torrance more as a channel, or cipher.

To be perfectly honest, Tom, I wasn't totally happy with the Kubrick version but then, artistic license and all that!

Did you know they brought out a 'made-for-TV version' (I forget exactly when) that was shown over several installments? It built up the story much more gradually and I think King had more control over the screenplay so that it was more faithful to his novel. Of course, it's not really fair to compare a movie that people have to sit and watch over a couple of hours or so to a TV version that can be drawn out but perhaps the original movie was meant for more general consumption rather than to cater for King's fans.

As I recall, King himself made a cameo appearance as a bandleader or something as the hotel 'came alive.' (Echoes of Alfred Hitchcock).