Director Stephen King wanted to shine instead of Stanley Kubrick

Although Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film “The Shining” is often cited as one of the scariest films ever made, it is well known that Stephen King, who wrote the 1977 novel on which the film is based , I hated her. Kubrick changed many details from King's book, and the author felt the changes were arbitrary at best and insulting at worst. King wrote his story as the story of an ordinary man who gradually descended into madness. King expressed interest in bland actors like Martin Sheen or Michael Moriarty for the role of Jack Torrance, feeling they would be immediately liked. However, Kubrick cast Jack Nicholson in the role and King felt that Nicholson was already unstable from the start. For Nicholson, it was not the story of a sane man gone mad, but of a truly mad man.

However, Kubrick already had permission from Warner Bros., so he went ahead with the version of “The Shining” he preferred, much to King's dismay. To this day, King remains angry about the film, feeling that his version was much better. In fact, King prefers the 1997 TV miniseries directed by Mick Garris and starring Steven Weber, which is much more exciting than Kubrick's famously austere version.

By 1980, King was already a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood, having written the book that inspired Brian De Palma's hit film, “Carrie.” He also seems to have a cinematic mind and keeps an eye out for directors who might be right for his work. In 1978, King gave an interview to Cinefantastique magazine, conveniently archived on the Scraps from the Loft website, and gave his very clear thoughts on Kubrick's The Shining and his preferred director. King wanted Don Sigel.

Enter interviewer Peter S. Perakos gets into the thick of things with King, who at the time was preparing to publish his apocalyptic epic novel “The Stand.” Perakos asked about the psychology of his work, noting that Kubrick was often accused of including Freudian imagery in his films. The king became angry at this statement and said:

“Please believe me: no one has a Freudian vision of man's relationship with his society. Not you, not me, not Kubrick, not anyone. The whole concept is absolutely ridiculous. As a movie buff, I don't give a damn what the director thinks, I want to know what he sees.. Most directors have good visual and dramatic instincts (most good directors, at least), but intellectually, they're usually stupid. There is nothing wrong with that; Who wants a film director to be a supporting actor? Let them do their job, let them enjoy their work, but, for the love of God, let's not see Freudianism in the work of any film director. “

In fact, King and Kubrick were at odds philosophically. King assumed that the Swedish master Ingmar Bergman was the only one who could be said to approach his films from a psychological point of view, and even then, King noted that he was more Jungian than Freudian. He also lazily assumes that Bergman's version of “The Shining” would have been amazing.

However, King noted that Kubrick was already talking about changing his narrative very early in the production process. King claimed that Kubrick wanted Dick Halloran, the character played by Scatman Crothers, to stop Mad Jack's attack on his family, but he himself became possessed and killed Danny and Wendy. The king hates that. Fortunately, the script, at that time, was still being rewritten. Kubrick took a long time to perfect his projects.

Brakus also asked King about his extensive use of violence and hypothesized that the blood and gore might deter any potential filmmakers who wanted to adapt his work. King agrees that his novels were already filled with violence and all an adaptation requires is a director who can handle it. In their opinion, this was “Dirty Harry” director Don Siegel. The king said:

“Violence is dynamite. It's a serious package to handle. It is too easy to allow violence to take control. Many good directors have stumbled over that same rock. That's one of the reasons I like Don Siegel, because he handles violence so well. I would have preferred Siegel to direct.the brilliant“Or maybe”salem piece.' I think he will be very successful as a director.salem piece“.'”

Neither “Flower Time” nor “Unrest in Cell No. 11.” In 1956, he directed the timeless megalomaniac classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” Eventually, Siegel teamed up with actor Clint Eastwood and the duo made five films together, including “Coogan's Bluff,” “Two Mules for Sister Sara,” “The Beguiled” and, yes, “Dirty Harry.” Siegel was a master of cold violence and grizzled masculinity.

There is no doubt that Siegel would have created a dynamic, humane version of “The Shining,” and King would probably have publicly approved of it. However, as things stand, King will have to live with the fact that Kubrick turned his book into one of the scariest movies ever made.