24 June 2019
Tonight I finished reading The Shining (Stephen King, 1977). I watched the Kubrick film for the first time last year (8/10) and I have to say I like the book more. 4/5. Enough that when I watch the movie again I'll probably kick the rating down a notch.
There are a few reasons why: Kubrick focused on a simpler story, where he told a story about Jack, rather than the book which has the family, the hotel, and others as more integral to the story as a whole. I also like how the book makes the characters more complicated than the caricatures Kubrick presented: Nicholson kinda haphazardly falls into madness, Shelley Duvall's screams, and Danny Lloyd is a present child actor. In this book you can actually sympathize or understand the characters a lot more.
Lastly, I think the visuals between both mediums are ultimately better in writing. Reading about Jack's wielding an uncharacteristic weapon like a roque mallet adds more to the story than hacking away at a door with an axe. Kubrick also added his own visuals (hallways of blood, 'All work and no play', 'Here's Johnny' axe scene) that hold up for a cinematic achievement but feel far less meaningful; reading things like the topiary scenes or the boiler scenes felt like more sincere pieces of storytelling and I appreciated them more. 4/5