Stanley Kubrick’s horror classicThe Shiningis surrounded by rumors and myths, and one of them has recently been debunked, which is actually great for the movie. Stanley Kubrick is responsible for various classic movies across different genres, but he was also a very controversial filmmaker. Kubrick pushed boundaries in most of his movies and this wasn’t always well-received by the audience, but his biggest controversies came from behind-the-scenes stories, though not all of them have turned out to be true.
One of Kubrick’s most controversial movies isThe Shining, based on Stephen King’s 1977 novel of the same name.The Shiningfollows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel, and he takes his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) with him. Once there, Danny’s “shine” is triggered by the ghostly presences at the hotel, which begin to terrorize the Torrances.The biggest myth aroundThe Shiningwas about the many takes of one scene, but this has now been debunked and it greatly benefits the movie.
The Shining’s Debunked Myth Of 148 Takes Changes The Movie’s Legacy For Good
This Particular Myth Wasn’t Good For The Movie
For decades, stories about issues and not-very-nice working conditions on the set ofThe Shininghave been told, with many of them becoming myths. One of the most notable behind-the-scenes stories aboutThe Shiningsaid that the scene where Wendy walks backward up the stairs with the baseball bat, defending herself against Jack, took 127 shots. TheGuinness Book of Recordseven gave this scene the record for most retakes in cinematic history, but in 2020, it was updated to147 takes, for the scene where Danny and Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers) talkabout “the shine.”
Unkrich has documents from the set ofThe Shining, among them the notes of script supervisor June Randall, in which the exact number of takes for every scene is documented.
However, author and filmmaker Lee Unkrich, in his 2024 bookStanley Kubrick’s The Shining, sets the record straight about both myths, fully debunking them. Speaking toComicBook,Unkrich said the 127 and 147 takes myths are not true, and he has proof. Unkrich has documents from the set ofThe Shining, among them the notes of script supervisor June Randall, in which the exact number of takes for every scene is documented. Unkrich toldIndieWirethatthe shot with the most takes is the dolly shot when the hotel’s manager shows Jack and Wendy aroundand they go into the Gold Ballroom.
It quiets down rumors of unfair treatment on the set and Kubrick being abusive to the cast and crew.
According to Unkrick, this took 66 takes. Debunking these myths is great for the legacy ofThe Shining, as it quiets down rumors of unfair treatment on the set and Kubrick being abusive to the cast and crew.The Shining’s legacy can now be fully focused on the movie’s visual and narrative quality and the performances of its cast, rather than on the obscure stories of what happened behind the scenes, though that doesn’t mean there weren’t a couple of problems.
What Really Happened Between Kubrick & Shelley Duvall In The Shining
The Shining Did Have Some Issues Behind The Scenes
The most alarming stories from the set ofThe Shiningare those about the tense relationship and dynamic between Kubrick and Duvall. Speaking toComingSoon.Netin 2016,Duvall admitted to having moments where they “exploded at each other”because they had different ideas about what Wendy Torrance should be like and she had a very bad anxiety attack on set at some point, but they also shared more lighthearted moments. It has also been said thatThe Shiningwent through very long filming days, which added to any tension there could have been between Kubrick, the crew, and the cast.
The 127 takes myth and Kubrick’s bad treatment led to claims that these were the reasonswhy Shelley Duvall quit acting, but in reality, she left Hollywood to be closer to her family, and a series of situations unrelated to Kubrick andThe Shiningled her to make that decision.The Shining’s legacy can now be changed for the better and the production of the movie can be seen in a new light, as there was no such thing as over 100 retakes of one scene.
