Fire, tantrums and cheese sandwiches: facts about the filming of "The Shining" (12 photos + 1 video)

A short and slightly chaotic history of the creation of Stanley Kubrick's cult horror film.







"The Exorcist" by William Friedkin

In the 1970s, Kubrick decided to show everyone what he could do. miracles in all genres. Incredible box office success for a horror film "The Exorcist" ($400 million on a budget of $12 million) he perceived as challenge and decided to make the scariest movie in the world, the epitome of the creepiest viewers' nightmares.



This is what King looked like in the 1970s

Here he, or rather someone from his vast staff employees who read all the new literature and wrote to the boss brief reviews of each book caught the eye of a novel by a young American writer Stephen King. Bestseller "The Shining" hooked Kubrick. He called the book "one of the most exciting and inventive in your genre."

The director bought the rights to the novel, and King wrote the script. How strangely enough, the screenwriting abilities of the American "king of horrors" are not impressed the British director. He called the script weak and became remake a book for cinema on their own, calling themselves co-authors writer Dyne Johnson.



Kubrick laughs at the ashes left on the site of the scenery of "The Shining"

The sets for the Overlook Hotel and the labyrinth were built in England, since Kubrick was afraid to fly (after his friend died plane crash). They say Kubrick criticized the labyrinth, said that everything must be redone, since it is impossible to get lost in it. gone check and get lost. Leave the labyrinth.

Filming was quite tense, and when some of the material was filmed, a fire broke out in the studio, and all the scenery perished in the fire. The construction of the new Overlook cost the studio an additional $2.5 million.



The introductory helicopter footage was filmed in Colorado. This the only footage of the film shot in the US. Operator, knowing, knowing what Kubrick is picky, he shot too many scenes. There's a lot left unclaimed general plans of the Colorado mountains and plains, which then used in their films by other directors. For example, Ridley Scott "Blade Runner".



Here are just a few examples of where Stanley Kubrick's perfectionism went on the set of The Shining:

The scene of Jack talking to Grady, the hotel's previous caretaker, required 80+ takes.

The scene in which Dick Halloran, in his bedroom, hears "shining", demanded 60 takes. Actor Scutman Crothers had a breakdown.

A record 127 times filmed the scene in which Wendy hits Jack with a bat on the stairs.

But the scene in which rivers of blood pour from the elevator was filmed for three doubles. But Kubrick had been preparing for it for a whole year. It's from this scene was the first trailer of the picture - the people were intrigued.



The scene where Torrance breaks down the toilet door with an axe, filmed for a month. Every day, Nicholson broke 2 doors. In the end he shattered 60 doors until he hit the right pace for the director. In youth the actor worked as a firefighter, so he broke doors too quickly, which for the movie didn't fit.



Robin Williams, Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford and other equally famous actors. Cockpit said he chose Jack Nicholson because he was comparable as big as Hollywood golden age stars like James Cagney. But King did not like this choice. He said that the chief the hero must go crazy gradually, and Jack looks crazy with first frames. And in general, he later called the picture "a beautiful Cadillac without motor".



Jack Nicholson to put himself in the right state for film, ate only cheese sandwiches for two weeks, which he couldn't stand it. Wendy's scandal scenes were written by Kubrick based on motives of Nicholson's scandals with his ex-wife.



Shelley Duvall

Shelley Duvall remembert shooting in "The Shining" as the most difficult throughout her entire career. Kubrick liked her type (in his opinion, it was such a girl would dutifully endure Torrance's tantrums), but was often not happy with her performance. This constant dissatisfaction, multiplied by perfectionism is an explosive mixture. From stress, the actress began to go bald on filming.



Although Kubrick did not like King's script, he sometimes consulted with the writer during filming. One day he called him at three o'clock in the morning and asked: "Do you believe in God?". "Yes". "I knew it" Kubrick shouted and hung up.



Italian poster "The Shining"

When the film was released in 1980, critics were about the same opinion about "The Shining" as the original author. wrote something like this:

With everything it takes to create a hit, Kubrick company with the ever-bouncing Nicholson destroyed everything that was so frightening in King's bestseller.

Now it seems surprising, but Kubrick received the Golden raspberries" as the worst director, and Shelley Duvall for everything that she experienced on filming - as the worst actress (three years before that, she was awarded Palme d'Or at Cannes). The film was not lucky enough to be released simultaneously with the second (fifth for us) Star Wars. However, when budget of $19 million, he earned $46 million, that is, he brought in a little more than $6 million profits (half is taken by cinemas). But The Shining turned out to be expensive wine, not soda, and over time, the people deservedly appreciated the intricate horror movie Kubrick.