The critically acclaimed film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining – The Wonderful World of Madness has just secured a new streaming home on Max. The 1980s horror classic will hit the platform this September.
Based on King’s 1977 novel of the same name. the famous adaptation of The Shining – The Wonderful World of Madness arrives on Max on September 1st. In the film, directed by Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson plays Jack Torrence, the newly appointed caretaker of the haunted Overlook Hotel. As Jack’s mental state rapidly deteriorates, his wife and son, played by Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd, find themselves in grave danger. Although Kubrick’s adaptation was initially panned by critics upon its release, the film is now considered one of the best horror films of all time.
King’s novels have since been made into films. Carrie 1976. Max currently hosts both new and old adaptations of his works, including The outsider, a 2020 HBO original series based on the novel of the same name. In addition, the reboot of Salem’s Lot is set to appear on Max in October. But that’s not all. A film adaptation of King’s The long road is in progress.
How Kubrick’s adaptation differed from the novel
Although it is the most well-known film adaptation of a King novel, it is no secret that the author does not like Kubrick’s interpretation of the material. The film differs significantly from the book, especially in terms of the character of Jack Torrence. Rather than focusing on the novel, it is worth noting that Kubrick took notes from David Lynch’s Eraser head in the development of adaptation. In the original novel, Jack was portrayed in a much more sympathetic manner than in the film. Although Nicholson gave an excellent, truly disturbing performance, King felt that it deviated too much from the original vision.
In 1997, a miniseries was created for The Shining – The Wonderful World of Madness was released with the intention of creating an adaptation that would remain faithful to the source material. Written by King himself, the miniseries managed to stay true to the novel; however, the film is not nearly as well received due to pacing issues and is significantly less scary than Kubrick’s interpretation. King also praised Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the sequel to The Shining, Doctor Sleepfor faithfulness to the source material. Flannigan was entrusted with the challenging task of respecting the source material while paying tribute to Kubrick’s classic film. Doctor Sleep was relatively well received by fans of both the novel and the 1980 film.
The Shining – The Wonderful World of Madness will be available to stream on Max on September 1st.
Source: Max
