What's up Doc..?

Last night we went to see a screening of Stanly Kubrick's The Shining at the NFT. Great to see this master piece on the big screen with the original stereo sound track, also something about the 1970's decor of NFT1 made me feel as if we were watching it on it's original run.

So far so good, wide areal vistas of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA, probably. That great shot where the camera is down behind the Beetle and then off the edge of the road. Brilliant. I was also aware that although not as wide as usual cinema films, the projection looked wider than the rumored 4:3 ratio. Turns out that its at 1.85:1. See Wikipedia for more info...

A few scenes in and something is different, is it the grating sound track or just viewing the film on the big screen? Turns out my fellow film geeks present also experienced a different film. New scenes, slightly tweaked editing and a new order. This was still a great film going experience and it almost felt as if we were seeing something new, as if Kubrick had returned and re-hashed his master peiec.

Looking on the mighty IMDb I have found there are different versions. After The Shining's original theatrical release in the US on 23rd May 1980 and after a difficult box office reception, Kubrick decided to re-cut the film for it's World wide theatrical relaece. This re-cut version is The Shining I know and love. What we saw at the NFT was the original US version.

These are some of the changes Kubrick made that stood out. For more detail see IMDb...

When Danny first 'sees' the Grady twins in his bathroom at home, he blacks out. When he awakes, he is being examined by a doctor (Anne Jackson). This entire examination scene, and the subsequent conversations were all cut. Danny says that before his black-out he was talking to Tony, "the little boy who lives inside my mouth". Wendy and the Doctor then talk in private, and Wendy mentions an incident in which Jack dislocated Danny's shoulder in a drunken fit of temper, at which time he swore never to touch alcohol again. That was five months ago, and since then, he has kept his word.

During their tour of the Overlook, Jack and Wendy are brought into the Colorado Lounge, and Wendy asks if the Indian designs are authentic. Ullman explains that they are based on ancient Navajo and Apache motifs. He then mentions the prestigious history of the hotel, saying it was a stopping place for the jet set, for four presidents, movie stars and "all the best people".

The end of the scene where Wendy brings Jack his breakfast has been cut. He comments that he has never been as happy or as comfortable anywhere as he is in the Overlook and Wendy reveals that she thought the place was scary when they first arrived. Jack replies that he fell in love with it straight away and he felt as if he had been there before.

Some dialogue has been cut from the first conversation between Jack and Lloyd (Joe Turkel). Jack toasts, "Here's to five miserable months on the wagon and all the irreparable harm that it's caused me". Lloyd then asks him how things are, and Jack comments that they could be a whole lot better, that he is having trouble with his wife. Lloyd comments, "Women! Can't live with 'em. Can't live without 'em", and Jack wholeheartedly agrees.

On the plane, Hallorann asks a stewardess what time they are due to land in Denver and she tells him at 8.20. Jack is then seen typing in the lounge of the Overlook. Hallorann's plane lands at the airport and he calls Larry Durkin (Tony Burton), a garage owner, to rent a Sno-cat so as to get up to the Overlook. Durkin says the mountain roads are completely blocked off, and Hallorann explains that the people looking after the hotel turned out to be "completely unreliable assholes". Hallorann estimates that it will take him five hours to drive from the airport to collect the cat, and Larry says the Sno-cat will be waiting for him when he arrives.

In the final scene, when Jack is pursuing Danny through the maze and Wendy is being confronted by some of the Overlook spooks, a short scene where she encounters a group of skeletons sitting at a table with a champagne bottle and glasses has been cut.

Also interestingly, before these changes, whilst The Shining was on it's US run Kubrick requested changes to the end of the film. Requesting that projectionists cut out 10 mins from the end of the film. These scenes came after Jack is frozen in the Overlook Hotel's maze. Including shots of state troopers and the hotel manager inspecting the Overlook. The scene also depicted Wendy and Danny in hospital being told that Jack could not be found and there is no evidence of the 'apparitions' Wendy saw.

Woof...