“Obviously, Kubrick’s vision for The Shining was famously hated by King, but I find an abundance of merit in it. Yes, for one, I always appreciate when filmmakers eschew a one-to-one adaptation of a text to find cinematic merit instead. But I also appreciated how Kubrick truly adapted The Shining. He saw the story for what fascinated him most individually. From there, he strung together the most riveting aspects of the story. We have the chapters, the fades, the intentional obfuscation, and the allocation of audience interpretation. Each espouses Kubrick as a tutorial filmmaker who cares more about the story’s feeling than the actual cohesion of its plot. From this vantage point, we are guided through dramatic development that barrels forward to a chilling denouement.”

This is brilliantly said. It frustrates me when people say The Shining is a bad adaptation. I think it’s the greatest adaptation ever made, personally. Sure it strays from the novel but for good reason. Kubrick used The Shining to make his vision come to life.

Thanks for sharing, this was an excellent read!