Stephen King's The Shining (Two Disc Special Edition)
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List Price: $14.98
Our Price: $5.51
Your Save: $ 9.47 ( 63% )
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Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
Starring: Stanley Anderson, Peter Boyles, Dan Bradley, Lou Carlucci, Rebecca De Mornay
Directed By: Mick Garris
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: Warner Brothers
EAN: 9780790772721
Format: Anamorphic
ISBN: 0790772728
Label: Warner Home Video
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Warner Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2003-01-07
Running Time: 273
Studio: Warner Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: 1997-04-27
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the best made for TV King adaptations ever
Comment: Jack Torrance (Steven Weber) has hit rock bottom, both personally and professionally, having lost a teaching job due to roughing up a student who slashed his tires and (almost) his marriage to his wife, Wendy (Rebecca DeMornay)after roughing up their son (Courtland Mead) to the point of breaking the young boy's arm.
But all is not quite lost; a friend of Jack's (and fellow recovering alcoholic) has helped him get a job as the off-season caretaker for the Overlook, a swanky old resort hotel in the mountains of Colorado that is about to close for the winter (when it will be buried in snow from October until spring). The Torrances pack up and prepare to spend the season by themselves in the hotel, moving in just as the regular season employees - including the cook, Dick Halloran (Melvin Van Peebles) - are moving out. Danny, it seems, shares a gift with Mr. Halloran; what we now call "psychic abilities" or "ESP", but what is referred to here as "the shining".
But this could be a curse rather than a blessing for Danny at the Overlook; you see, the place has a long and often unpleasant history, including a suicide, a mob-hit murder, not to mention a previous winter caretaker who ended up killing his own family and then himself. Bad fodder for a hyper-sensitive young mind.
And bad fodder for Jack, who becomes more obsessed with the Overlook's history the more he learns, searching through old newspapers and scrapbooks in the basement. He and Danny both are literally (?) haunted by the Overlook's ghosts. They frighten Danny, but Jack . . . well, let's just say, this is not a good time to be trapped inside with him because there's a perpetual blizzard outside.
All in all, this is one of the best made-for-TV productions ever done. The acting is first-rate, the effects are the same, and the atmosphere is striking (it was filmed in an actual hotel in Colorado; the same hotel, in fact, the Mr. King himself was staying in the night he first conceived the idea for the book).
Highly recommended, especially for King fans.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Just Like Pictures In A Book...
Comment: Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the 1980 Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. No one can ever top Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" Nor can anyone top his performance.
Naturally when I heard that a made for TV movie version was going to air on ABC over the course of three nights, a total of six hours, I was VERY interested. I knew from the start that this was going to truly be based on the book, especially since the title is Stephen King's The Shining. I'm really happy that he decided to not remake the movie (you really can't remake the 1980 version!) but instead give viewers who either haven't read the book a great story or viewers who have read the book a chance to 'see' what they read. Sure not EVERYTHING from the book is here, but in order to do that, they'd have to broadcast this on cable, not ABC.
I was very happy with what I saw. Not only was the acting great, but the story was excellent. Instead of seeing Jack basically crazy throughout the entire movie (mini-series in this case), you see a loving father and husband who is battling alcoholism and who gradually, thanks to a haunted hotel, goes crazy. That was probably one of the best plot points. Jack Torrance in the book loved his son and his wife, even at the very end.
What is really interesting is the fact that this was filmed in Estes Park, Colorado which is where the Stanley Hotel is located. King and his wife stayed at this hotel and it's where he got the inspiration to write The Shining and much of the filming was done there. I'm not sure, but I think he may have stayed in room 217. I've never been there but I bet that room is probably booked all the time.
Onto the acting. Of course no one is going to 'replace' Jack Nicholson. That's darn near impossible to do. But I must give props to Steven Weber. I was really skeptical at first when I heard he was going to be playing Jack. I had really only seen him in the sitcom Wings. But wow! This guy was really able to do drama/horror/suspense.
Rebecca De Mornay was a great Wendy. From the commentary by Stephen King, she is exactly who he had envisioned as Wendy on screen. There were times where I thought she was a little boring and looked as though she was really trying a little to hard to bring her character's fear of the hotel to life.
The only person I didn't exactly care for was Courtland Mead who played Danny. His acting was pretty good but what really irritated me was the fact that he very rarely closed his mouth! The expressions on his face were sometimes bland and kind of expressionless, especially when he had his visions. It almost looked as though he wasn't scared...you really couldn't tell what he was feeling until he actually said it.
All in all, I'm really happy with this version. Even though the special effects are only so-so you have to remember that it was made for television and of course the effects aren't going to be as good as what you see in a movie theater. And the acting was toned down compared to the 1980 version. But I'm not comparing the two since you really can't; they are literally two separate movies, both very well done. It would have been really neat to have Stephen King work with Stanley Kubrick in The Shining. I would have really loved to see the two of them work on it or any other Stephen King novel.
If you're a Stephen King fan and you love the novel of The Shining, you will really appreciate this version. I'm not saying that you won't like the Jack Nicholson version (hey, I loved it and I still get scared watching it!), but as far as book adaptations go, you'll like this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is the best version...
Comment: The original movie is nothing like the the book by Steven King. This version follows the book almost exactly.
If you are ever in Estes Park, Colorado, you need to stay at the Stanley Hotel. It was the hotel that inspired King to write the book in the first place.
The hotel is not inexpensive, but it is a beautiful setting. I think King stayed in room 217 while he was there and that room is ALWAYS booked.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not half as good and creepy as Kubicks version...
Comment: Its OK.... worth seeing.
Its not half as good as Kubicks version. And the child actor in this one is a good actor, but he has a very annoying voice and its very hard to stop focusing on his lips which never close. Watch it and you will see what I mean.
Customer Rating:
Summary: True to the original story -- really good scary entertainment
Comment: I liked this movie/miniseries a lot. I like the original "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson a lot too. Fact is, they are just different, but both are good. The Nicholson version is Stanley Kubrick's interpretation of the story, and it deviates a great deal from the original novel.
This version of "The Shining" hews extremely close to the original Stephen King novel, which is one of King's best. Further, the actors here are much closer to the characterizations in the novel. In particular, Rebecca De Mornay is superb as Wendy Torrance, and she is gorgeous to boot. I also thought that Stephen Weber did a very good job as Jack Torrance. While no Jack Nicholson, he actually nails the Jack Torrance character much better than Nicholson did -- his slow descent to madness is the real story of the book, and he carries it off adroitly. (Nicholson was nuts from the onset.) Weber also does a great job of portraying a struggling alchoholic. In this respect I thought he did a better job than Nicholson. Courtland Mead is pretty good as young Danny Torrance. I disagree with those reviewers who don't like the lad -- I thought he came across as pretty much a typical nine year-old. Melvin Van Peebles is a much better Dick Halloran in this film than the chap who plays the role in the original movie version.
The main flaw of this miniseries is that it is maybe a bit too long. It does drag at times. But mostly, it holds the viewer's interest, and is a faithful retelling of the original King novel. This makes it well worth seeing.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the best made for TV King adaptations ever
Comment: Jack Torrance (Steven Weber) has hit rock bottom, both personally and professionally, having lost a teaching job due to roughing up a student who slashed his tires and (almost) his marriage to his wife, Wendy (Rebecca DeMornay)after roughing up their son (Courtland Mead) to the point of breaking the young boy's arm.
But all is not quite lost; a friend of Jack's (and fellow recovering alcoholic) has helped him get a job as the off-season caretaker for the Overlook, a swanky old resort hotel in the mountains of Colorado that is about to close for the winter (when it will be buried in snow from October until spring). The Torrances pack up and prepare to spend the season by themselves in the hotel, moving in just as the regular season employees - including the cook, Dick Halloran (Melvin Van Peebles) - are moving out. Danny, it seems, shares a gift with Mr. Halloran; what we now call "psychic abilities" or "ESP", but what is referred to here as "the shining".
But this could be a curse rather than a blessing for Danny at the Overlook; you see, the place has a long and often unpleasant history, including a suicide, a mob-hit murder, not to mention a previous winter caretaker who ended up killing his own family and then himself. Bad fodder for a hyper-sensitive young mind.
And bad fodder for Jack, who becomes more obsessed with the Overlook's history the more he learns, searching through old newspapers and scrapbooks in the basement. He and Danny both are literally (?) haunted by the Overlook's ghosts. They frighten Danny, but Jack . . . well, let's just say, this is not a good time to be trapped inside with him because there's a perpetual blizzard outside.
All in all, this is one of the best made-for-TV productions ever done. The acting is first-rate, the effects are the same, and the atmosphere is striking (it was filmed in an actual hotel in Colorado; the same hotel, in fact, the Mr. King himself was staying in the night he first conceived the idea for the book).
Highly recommended, especially for King fans.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Just Like Pictures In A Book...
Comment: Let me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the 1980 Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. No one can ever top Jack Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" Nor can anyone top his performance.
Naturally when I heard that a made for TV movie version was going to air on ABC over the course of three nights, a total of six hours, I was VERY interested. I knew from the start that this was going to truly be based on the book, especially since the title is Stephen King's The Shining. I'm really happy that he decided to not remake the movie (you really can't remake the 1980 version!) but instead give viewers who either haven't read the book a great story or viewers who have read the book a chance to 'see' what they read. Sure not EVERYTHING from the book is here, but in order to do that, they'd have to broadcast this on cable, not ABC.
I was very happy with what I saw. Not only was the acting great, but the story was excellent. Instead of seeing Jack basically crazy throughout the entire movie (mini-series in this case), you see a loving father and husband who is battling alcoholism and who gradually, thanks to a haunted hotel, goes crazy. That was probably one of the best plot points. Jack Torrance in the book loved his son and his wife, even at the very end.
What is really interesting is the fact that this was filmed in Estes Park, Colorado which is where the Stanley Hotel is located. King and his wife stayed at this hotel and it's where he got the inspiration to write The Shining and much of the filming was done there. I'm not sure, but I think he may have stayed in room 217. I've never been there but I bet that room is probably booked all the time.
Onto the acting. Of course no one is going to 'replace' Jack Nicholson. That's darn near impossible to do. But I must give props to Steven Weber. I was really skeptical at first when I heard he was going to be playing Jack. I had really only seen him in the sitcom Wings. But wow! This guy was really able to do drama/horror/suspense.
Rebecca De Mornay was a great Wendy. From the commentary by Stephen King, she is exactly who he had envisioned as Wendy on screen. There were times where I thought she was a little boring and looked as though she was really trying a little to hard to bring her character's fear of the hotel to life.
The only person I didn't exactly care for was Courtland Mead who played Danny. His acting was pretty good but what really irritated me was the fact that he very rarely closed his mouth! The expressions on his face were sometimes bland and kind of expressionless, especially when he had his visions. It almost looked as though he wasn't scared...you really couldn't tell what he was feeling until he actually said it.
All in all, I'm really happy with this version. Even though the special effects are only so-so you have to remember that it was made for television and of course the effects aren't going to be as good as what you see in a movie theater. And the acting was toned down compared to the 1980 version. But I'm not comparing the two since you really can't; they are literally two separate movies, both very well done. It would have been really neat to have Stephen King work with Stanley Kubrick in The Shining. I would have really loved to see the two of them work on it or any other Stephen King novel.
If you're a Stephen King fan and you love the novel of The Shining, you will really appreciate this version. I'm not saying that you won't like the Jack Nicholson version (hey, I loved it and I still get scared watching it!), but as far as book adaptations go, you'll like this one.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This is the best version...
Comment: The original movie is nothing like the the book by Steven King. This version follows the book almost exactly.
If you are ever in Estes Park, Colorado, you need to stay at the Stanley Hotel. It was the hotel that inspired King to write the book in the first place.
The hotel is not inexpensive, but it is a beautiful setting. I think King stayed in room 217 while he was there and that room is ALWAYS booked.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not half as good and creepy as Kubicks version...
Comment: Its OK.... worth seeing.
Its not half as good as Kubicks version. And the child actor in this one is a good actor, but he has a very annoying voice and its very hard to stop focusing on his lips which never close. Watch it and you will see what I mean.
Customer Rating:
Summary: True to the original story -- really good scary entertainment
Comment: I liked this movie/miniseries a lot. I like the original "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson a lot too. Fact is, they are just different, but both are good. The Nicholson version is Stanley Kubrick's interpretation of the story, and it deviates a great deal from the original novel.
This version of "The Shining" hews extremely close to the original Stephen King novel, which is one of King's best. Further, the actors here are much closer to the characterizations in the novel. In particular, Rebecca De Mornay is superb as Wendy Torrance, and she is gorgeous to boot. I also thought that Stephen Weber did a very good job as Jack Torrance. While no Jack Nicholson, he actually nails the Jack Torrance character much better than Nicholson did -- his slow descent to madness is the real story of the book, and he carries it off adroitly. (Nicholson was nuts from the onset.) Weber also does a great job of portraying a struggling alchoholic. In this respect I thought he did a better job than Nicholson. Courtland Mead is pretty good as young Danny Torrance. I disagree with those reviewers who don't like the lad -- I thought he came across as pretty much a typical nine year-old. Melvin Van Peebles is a much better Dick Halloran in this film than the chap who plays the role in the original movie version.
The main flaw of this miniseries is that it is maybe a bit too long. It does drag at times. But mostly, it holds the viewer's interest, and is a faithful retelling of the original King novel. This makes it well worth seeing.
Jack Torrance and his family move into the sprawling, vacant Overlook Hotel to get away from it all. Away from the alcoholism that derails Jack's writing career. Away from the violent outbursts that mar Jack's past. But Jack's young son Danny knows better. He possesses a psychic gift called the shining. - a gift the hotel's vile spirits desperately want. DVD Features:
Additional Scenes:11 additional scenes
Audio Commentary:Feature-length commentary by Stephen King, cast members Steven Weber and Cynthia Garris, Director Mick Garris and select crew
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