Production Year: 1997 - Horror - Director: Mick Garris - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Melvin Van Peebles, Rebecca De Mornay, Steven Weber, Courtland Mead, Wil Horneff, Elliott Gould, John Durbin more
A made-for-TV mini-series based on the classic Stephen King horror novel, STEPHEN KING'S THE SHINING is a tense psychodrama about a man named Jack (Steven Weber) whom accepts a... more
television, that bears very little resemblance to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick version. Which is not surprising since Kubrick practically threw out most of King's nove...
television, that bears very little resemblance to the 1980 Stanley Kubrick version. Which is not surprising since Kubrick practically threw out most of King's nove...
Stephen King's The Shining
Jack Torrance (Steven Weber) and his family (Rebecca De Mornay and Courtland Mead) move ... more
into the sprawling, vacant Overlook Hotel to get away from it all. Away from the alcoholism that derails Jack's writing career. Away from the violent outbursts that mar Jack's past. But Jack's young son Danny knows better. He possesses a psychic gift called the shining - a gift the hotel's vile spirits desperately want.In the hands of Stephen King the dead Overlook comes horrifyingly alive. Phantoms lurk, the message redrum appears with scary frequency and even garden topiary lurches into macabre existence in this atmospheric shocker scripted by King from his own novel and directed by ace King screen adaptor Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, The Stand)
The Shining - Stephen King
Ghostly bursts of plaster dust. A low, rhythmic sound in the background: Red rum-RED ... more
RUM-red rum-RED RUM. A sense of something evil swirling inward on itself, like a whirlpool of black ectoplasmic energy. The experience of being inside the actual consciousness ("come out and take your medicine!") of a frightened little boy. Echoes of Shirley Jackson ("whatever walked there, walked alone"), of Poe'sMasque of the Red Deathand of creepy folk tales (Hansel and Gretel).How do we loveThe Shining? Let us count the ways. In 1977,The Shiningwas the first widely read novel to confront alcoholism and child abuse in baby-boomer families--especially the way alcoholism, a will toward failure in one's work, and abusing one's kids are passed down from generation to generation. The heart of the book is not an evil hotel but a pair of father-son relationships: Jack and his father, Jack and his son. This was both daring and insightful for its time, long before "dysfunctional family" was a cliché.The Shiningwas written in a frenzy. Stephen King imagined the whole novel in his head while sitting up all night in the dark, in the very Colorado hotel where the story takes place. He then transcribed it (that's how he puts it) in a burst of sustained energy. He could pull that off because, even at that early point in his career, King had figured out a successful way of structuring a popular novel. The speed of its composition gives the writing a powerful flow that sweeps you along past the awkward wording.The Shiningis one of those rare novels that can burn its images--such as Room 217--into your brain. Time alone will tell, butThe Shiningmay well turn out to be one of the best horror novels ever written. By the way, you know that film starring Jack Nicholson? Stephen King says, "I have my days when I think I gave Kubrick a live grenade on which he heroically threw his body." --Fiona Webster
A review by bonsi6337 on Stephen King's The Shining (DVD) April 7th, 2006
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Good
Special Effects
Outstanding
How does it compare to similar films?
Good
Advantages:
One of the better remakes around
Disadvantages:
Long
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Based on the book written by Stephen King, the original film of The Shining was adapted as a TV mini series and is now out on DVD. The teleplay iteself was written by King and directed by Mick Garris, who has also worked on Sleepwalkers and The Stand (another 2 masterpieces by King). Yes it is on 2 discs, but one of these is a double sided DVD so, actually it is a 3 disc set.
Okay - you may have guessed it - I'm a Stephen King junkie! I love his books and love to watch films based on his books. But, though I do love his written work, I am still quite objective on the film and tv adaptations so will try to give an honest and unbiased opinion.
The DVDs themselves are housed in double cover, with card overlay. On opening the cover, you are greeted with the Scene Index (I did have this included but have taken it out as it is rather long). Disc 1 is a single disc, while disc 2 is double sided and you have to check by reading around the inner hole to make sure that you are playing the right side. To me, it would have been easier to make it a 3 disc edition but then that would have pushed the price up probably.
DVD Info ~~~~~~~
Audio - 2.0 Dolby Surround Aspect Ratio - 1.85:1 Widescreen/Colour Running Time - 260 minutes approximately - Pal Languages - English, French, Italian Hearing Impaired - English, Italian Subtitles - English, French, Italian, Spanish, German, Dutch, Arabic, Romanian Certificate - 15 (some bad language, moderate violence, some references to sex, and "paranormal horror") Region - 2 PAL Produced for Warner Bros Television - www.warnerbros.co.uk RRP - £19.99
Cast ~~~~
Jack Torrance - Steven Weber Wendy Torrance - Rebecca De Mornay Danny Torrance - Courtland Mead
Basic Storyline ~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack Torrance is an author and recovering alcoholic, who gets a job as the janitor at the Overlook Hotel for the winter. The hotel is massive and set in secluded grounds. It is closed over the winter but someone has to stay to tend to the basic maintenance of the place. Jack really wants to get away from it all and be able to work on his writing and this job is perfect for him. He also wants to get away from alcohol as it blurs his judgement, as his family know only too well.
Along with Jack comes his wife Wendy and son, Danny. While there they all meet Dick Halloran, the chef at the hotel. He notices that danny has a special gift - he is psychic. Dick knows this because he too is psychic - he calls it 'the shining'. He and Danny are able to communicate with each other without talking, and Dick tells Danny not to believe everything he sees at the hotel and to stay away from room 217. Danny (also known as Doc) agrees to call Dick if he needs help. Danny has his own 'imaginary' friend (Tony) who talks to him and agrees with Dick.
Things go well for the family at first, and then the hotel starts to have a life of its own. The message "REDRUM" starts to appear and danny starts to see things and hear things that his mum and dad are oblivious to (at first). Then it becomes apparent that the hotel does have a life of its own and it wants danny's 'shining' to feed its own malevolance. Jack becomes increasingly paranoid and starts drinking again, much to the dismay of his wife. Jack also gets pulled into the 'reality' of the spirits that want to gain control of his son's gift.
As the horror of the hotel escalates, Danny calls on the only person who understands what is happening to him - Dick. Although Dick is hundreds of miles away, he hears the call and comes running to Danny's aid. But will he make it to the Overlook Hotel in time? Will Danny succumb to the Hotel's spirits and their vile desires? What happens to Jack? What lurks in Room 217? And what's been forgotten? Sorry I'm not telling you - thats giving too much of the plot away!
Extras ~~~~~
The extras on this DVD are pretty self-explanatory and they are:
* Feature length commentary by Stephen King, Steven Weber (cast), Cynthia Garris (cast), Mick Garris (director) & Select crew
* 11 Additional scenes that were deleted from the final version. On watching these, I agree that they do nothing for the story and it is better without them.
* Scene Access
* Interactive Menus
My Opinion ~~~~~~~~~
The one downside of this boxset is the length. Because it was adapted for a tv mini-series, it makes for a long stint in front of the telly. I found it easier to watch one disc at a time, as if I was watching the series itself. But if you have the time, it is worth watching in one go.
Price wise - I paid £19.99 for this and class it as decent value for money - but I would advise that you shop around as I have seen it on play.com for £14.99 with free delivery so you can get it a lot cheaper if you look around.
The special effects are pretty good, considering this was filmed in 1997. The quality of the acting is great, although Steven Weber's Jack is not as scary as Jack Nicholson's original, although exceptionally believeable nonetheless.
In my opinion this is a great remake of a truly great original film, and a classic adaptation of a brilliant book, written by a truly twisted mind. King is a genius at twists and turns in a tale, and this has them all in my opinion, albeit in a lengthened way. Even though it is a lot longer than the original film, this has allowed King to include a lot more information from the book into this adaptation, than was in the original film.
If you get a chance to see this, watch it. I highly recommend this DVD set as I have watched it many times since I bought it and envisage that I will watch it many more times in the future. Definitely a 5 star for me!
Thanks for reading and enjoy! Diane xx
More Reviews
Shine On Danny!! Review ofStephen King's The Shining (DVD)by
corkoz
Advantages: Great plot - Absolutely absorbing!! Disadvantages: Bit on the long side.
...definitive version of 'The Shining', Stephen King's acclaimed masterpiece. This version is faithful to the actual events of the book and as a result, tension and suspense is created effortlessly and a far deeper sense of actually being there at The Overlook with the Torrances is acheived when compared with Stanley Kubrick's own film version of the story. The story will have you hooked. Whereas in the opening scenes, the Torrances are portrayed as ... ...it is not long before the family are staying in a vast, empty hotel that holds many dark and scary secrets.
So, if you've read the book and want more or even if you just want a chilling and disturbing film, look no further than Stephen King's 'The Shining'. ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
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25.07.2007
the shining Review ofStephen King's The Shining (DVD)by
mariegall
Advantages: great horror Disadvantages: abit long
...the story is writing by stephen king.I have seen the old shining with jack nicolson in and thought that was a great film.heres a bit about the film its about a family who are looking after a hotel for the winterJack torrente and his wife and son who can see and hear ghosts move into the hotel for the winter and strange things start happening and jack starts going crazy and he tries and kills his family but they get a way from him.
The only thing ... ...Discs 2 arthour Stephen King Languages Main Language English Technical Information Special Features Audio Commentary - 1. Stephen King - Screenwriter and Key Cast Members, Additional Footage - 11 Scenes Sound Dolby Digital 5.1 Dubbing Sound Dolby Digital 5.1 English ...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Plot: A made-for-TV mini-series based on the classic Stephen King horror novel, STEPHEN KING'S THE SHINING is a tense psychodrama about a man named Jack (Steven Weber) whom accepts a caretaker job at a winter resort, relocates his wife (Rebecca De Mornay) and child there, and subsequently goes completely insane. Jack, already in a slumbering state of depression, seems to be taken over by supernatural beings within the resort, leading him to threaten the lives of his family. More of a literal adaptation than the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film.
DVD Description
A made-for-TV mini-series based on the classic Stephen King horror novel, STEPHEN KING'S THE SHINING is a tense psychodrama about a man named Jack (Steven Weber) whom accepts a caretaker job at a winter resort, relocates his wife (Rebecca De Mornay) and child there, and subsequently goes completely insane. Jack, already in a slumbering state of depression, seems to be taken over by supernatural beings within the resort, leading him to threaten the lives of his family. More of a literal adaptation than the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): WARNER HOME VIDEO; CINRAM LOGISTICS
Release date: 10/02/2003
No of Discs: 2
Catalogue No: D 015115
Screenwriter: Stephen King
Writer: Stephen King
Author: Stephen King
Barcode: 7321900151153
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Audio Commentary - 1. Stephen King - Screenwriter and Key Cast Members, Additional Footage - 11 Scenes
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Dubbing Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
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Listed on Ciao since : 30/10/2005
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