The Shining
Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shininghas one of the most iconic scenes in celluloid history , but it was actually inspired by two movies . The body of work of Stephen Kinghave become so popular that many of them have been adapted to other medium , though not all of them have had the blessing of King . One of the most popular adaptations of King ’s works , but also one of the most controversial one , is Stanley Kubrick’sThe Shining , released in 1980 and base on the novel of the same name , put out in 1977 . Although it ’s consider one of the greatest horror moving-picture show ever , Kubrick made a bunch of changes to King ’s story , so much so that King has been quite vocal about his notion on it .
The Shiningtells the story of a struggle writer and recuperate alky named Jack Torrance ( Jack Nicholson ) , who claim a berth as the off - time of year caretaker of the Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Rockies . Looking to reconnect with his wife , Wendy ( Shelley Duvall ) , and their son , Danny ( Danny Lloyd ) , Jack takes them with him , but when a snowstorm leave them cut off from the outside world , and along withDanny ’s mysterious psychical ability , the supernatural forces dwell the hotel start to mint with Jack ’s saneness . This leaves Wendy and Danny fighting for their lives , and made way for one of the most iconic scene in film story : Jack breaking through the lav door with an ax as Wendy hid inside , but this scene was take from two other movies .
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How The Phantom Carriage Inspired The Shining’s Axe Scene
Determined to kill Wendy and Danny , Jack takes an axe and proceed after them . Wendy and Danny hide in the privy and Danny is able to escape through the window , but Wendy ca n’t . Jack arrives and tear down the door with the ax and efflorescence inside while say the now famous line “ here ’s Johnny ! ” . This became the most iconicscene in Kubrick’sThe polishing , but it was n’t exclusively a product of Kubrick ’s creativeness , as he take inspiration from two still motion picture for that specific prospect : the Swedish movieThe Phantom Carriageand D. W. Griffith’sBroken Blossoms .
The Phantom Carriageis based on the 1912 novelThy Soul Shall Bear Witness!and follows David Holm ( play by director Victor Sjöström ) , a drunkard who on the night of New Year ’s Eve , is compelled by the ghostly driver of decease ’s carriage to excogitate on his retiring mistakes . In the third act of the movie , David ’s married woman , Anna ( Hilda Borsgtröm ) , lock him in the kitchen and tries to get away with their children , but she pass out . David then breaks through the door with an ax and fail after her . D. W. Griffith’sBroken Blossomsis the news report of Lucy Burrows ( Lillian Gish ) , a young little girl who is abused by her alcohol-dependent prizefighting father , Battling Burrows ( Donald Crisp ) , and it includes a prospect where Lucy hides in a W.C. and her Father of the Church breaks through the threshold with an axe .
Other Movies That Influenced Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining
AlthoughThe Phantom CarriageandBroken Blossomsare the best - bed inspirations behindThe shine ’s axe scene , there ’s another movie from the mute earned run average that exalt the conniption : Lois Weber ’s 1913 movieSuspense . In it , there ’s a scene where The Tramp slow walks toward the room where The Wife has locked herself and her baby , and he break through the room access ( though without an axe ) . Another , wide sleep with influence wasDavid Lynch’sEraserhead , which was Kubrick ’s favourite movie , and he reportedly screened it for the cast and crew ofThe Shiningin order to put them in the mode that he want to achieve . Others have level out various similarity with a number of movies from dissimilar writing style inThe Shining , such asDiaboliqueand even John Carpenter’sHalloween , but these might be just coincidences .
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