Filling dreams with terror and pants with stinky pudding for over 30 years, The Shining has always been a source of much conjecture. It is Heisenberg grade crack for theorists. Filled with offbeat moments, and just pure W.T.F-ishness, Stanley Kubrick's adaptation is utter brilliance. As with most beacons of genius, the history surrounding Kubrick's film is a murky one. Stephen King thinks Stanley Kubrick butchered his work, and Kubrick thinks King is a petulant brat. This is the common consensus when it comes to public perceptions of The Shining's transition from book to film. There are various statements that support this theory, and some even think there is concrete evidence of Kubrick's goading of King within the film. A common, and frankly obscure one, comes in the form of Kubrick changing room 217 to room 237. Personally, I think this proves nothing. It is indeed an odd change to make, but it proves nothing. Further 'evidence' of the animosity is fuelled by this extract from the book;
"Tony was gone and Daddy's battered red bug was turning the corner...His daddy swung the VW into the curb..."
Then juxtaposed with this brief clip from the film;
The wrecked red beetle is very clearly a 'v-sign' from director to author, if you care to see it that way. However, upon reading King's source novel and then watching Kubrick's film, it becomes glaringly obvious that the director was actually very respectful to the novel. In fact, it is doubtful that Kubrick's adaptation was done to spite King, and as such one might see some clear indicators in the novel which answers some of the unresolved questions from the film. Namely, what the heck was that final image all about? This is likely not a new theory, I am sure. But it is a conclusion I have recently come to...