Thursday, September 29, 2005

THE SHINING RETURNS


The rumors that you may have heard floating around about a wide theatrical release of a restored version of Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining were confirmed today by longtime Kubrick associate and the film's associate executive producer, Armen Karshargian, here in Burbank. Apparently buoyed by the box-office success of the special edition of The Exorcist back in September of 2000, studio executives, in conjunction with Karshargian and representatives of the Kubrick estate, revealed today that the film will be rushed into theaters to take advantage of the Halloween season and commemorate the film's 25th anniversary. (The release date was announced as October 24). The restored version will feature no added material, unlike the Exorcist rerelease, but some material has been recut slightly to conform to instructions found in the director's archives, reversing changes that were made in the wake of a less-than-satisfying sneak preview held in Lawrence, Kansas just two weeks before the film was originally released in May, 1980. "Fans of The Shining and Stanley's films may notice that some critical scenes play slightly differently," Karshargian said, adding that most changes could be equated to the difference between a "C" note on a musical scale and a C-sharp. "The scenes are still there and the film is recognizably what it has always been," Karshargian continued, "but the changes we initiated from Stanley's notes will hopefully have the effect he intended-- to expand the appeal of the film to a wider demographic and add a further frisson of terror to a few scenes that he always felt came off a little flatter than expected." Karshargian also noted that if the upcoming re-release of the restored version of The Shining does as well as expected, fans of the director's work can look forward to a similar revisiting of another Kubrick film, Barry Lyndon. "Stanley always imagined Lyndon's battle scenes as a bit more muscular and hallucinatory than what the studio had in mind when the film was originally released in 1975," claims the producer. If the project sees the light of day, Karshargian said, "expect a fully more visceral experience," which may utilize up to 45 more minutes of footage shot by Kubrick that he was forced to excise. Karshargian likens it to the work of another director familiar with the horrors of the battlefield: "I expect it'll end up looking a bit like an Oliver Stone film, but from footage shot 10 years before Stone ever exposed a frame of film as a director." The studio also made the trailer for the restored version of The Shining available today. You can see it here, but you'll need Quick Time.

UPDATE Oct. 1, 2:33pm: The Mysterious Adrian Betamax has directed me to a New York Times story about the creator of this recut Shining mini-phenomenon, Robert Ryang. You may have to register online to read it, however...

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whaaaa--? Is this for real?? That trailer is, er, either a very smart piece of tongue-in-cheek something or other, or a very strange way to market a movie whose tone is nothing like what they're selling. Very intriguing indeed!

Anonymous said...

Well, my dear Thom, I must say I'm VERY red-faced now--as soon as I logged off and started thinking about it (it took my brain awhile to start functioning again, having sat through "Man on Fire" tonight), I realized that it was an obvious hoax. Of course, it was a hilarious and brilliant hoax, but you're right: I should've seen through it immediately. In my own measly defense, I can say that I did virtually fall on the floor laughing, though I was perplexed by it--whereas Mrs. Blaaagh, when I insisted she come in and watch it, immediately laughed her head off and proclaimed it the work of some internet imp. I should learn to listen to her, I suppose. I can't wait to get down there and grab hold of the controller for TCM Scene It, to restore my dignity!

Anonymous said...

I think you fooled blaaagh because you obviously overdid it on your write-up! You're very devious. I knew beforehand, so I could appreciate how evil your posting was.

In blaaagh's defense I watched the trailer in a different location on the Web (criterionforum.org, posted by somebody named "two mules," to give credit) and without knowing whether it was a gag or not (but without Dennis' elaborate introduction).

At first I thought it was some horrible video trailer that perhaps was attached to some low-budget crap and trying to get stupid people watching some really stupid movie to watch The Shining. But by "Solsbury Hill" it was obvious it was a joke!! So I sympathize with you up until that point! :)

- The Mysterious (A)Dri(an) Be)t)am;ax

Scott H. said...

What it truly lacked was the music from Rudy. Then maybe I would have believed it.

Dennis Cozzalio said...

That would have been good, definitely. But that "Solsury Hill" montage just screams Working Title romantic comedy...

Anonymous said...

I thought I was duped good and proper--it's so funny that I don't even mind feeling dense! And thanks for your generous defense, M.A.B. I actually did think it was a joke, but I imagined it, while I was watching it, to be a joke played by the smug Kubrickites who had "restored" the film. Nevertheless, I at least should've realized it when I saw the web address at the end. Duh.

Dennis Cozzalio said...

Okay, in case anyone is still wondering, you can check out this link:

http://www.tatteredcoat.com

and look on the sidebar or in the archives for "The Shining Redux," posted September 28.

The Tattered Coat is another blog that has linked to this trailer and provided information as to its origins, and is in the process of unearthing even more information about it.

This trailer is so much better than the usual variety of Internet comedy, especially when it comes to movie parodies and making sly commentary about the corrupt nature of modern movie trailers and marketing, that I just had to put the spotlight on it. I hope everybody enjoys it as much as I have!

Anonymous said...

Forget everything you know....

This movie is a mental rollercoaster!

Ueber Alles - The Movie

They disproved Einstein!


http://www.ueberalles.com/

Anonymous said...

Eh? That actually isn't very funny at all. They didn't even spell "uber alles" correctly, did they? Dennis, I think you'd better beef up your security.

Anonymous said...

Oh, that last comment was from me...sorry.

Dennis Cozzalio said...

Indeed...

In case any of you missed it at the bottom of the article, there's now a link to an article in the New York Times concerning the little mini-phenomenon created by this Shining trailer. You might have to register on-line to read it though... (Thanks for the tip, MAB!)

Anonymous said...

And, for the flip side, so to speak, check THIS out:

http://www.ps260.com/Trailer/westsidestorytrailer_small.mov

xo
Jen

Brian Darr said...

I was directed here through greencine daily, and I love this line:

"adding that most changes could be equated to the difference between a "C" note on a musical scale and a C-sharp"

'cuz, you know, those notes are so similar to each other you can barely tell the difference, especially in the context of an A chord.

Dennis Cozzalio said...

Brian: Must have been my old music classes clawing their way out of the deep recesses of my subconscious! Thanks very much for stopping by. I hope SLIFR becomes a regular destination for you. I'm certain that your site, Hell on Frisco Bay, will become one for me-- from what I've seen, you've got a really good thing going there, and I hope to become a regular contributor to your comments sections. Blaaagh, as a resident of the Bay Area, I highly recommend you check this site out too. You can click on Brian's name above, or check out my sidebar-- I just added Hell on Frisco Bay to it. Green Cine Daily is great for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is getting to connect with fellow bloggers and other film fans. I look foreward to hearing from you again, Brian.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the props, Thom McGregor, pal o' mine--but really, I was tickled to be fooled by Dennis's clever essay! I really appreciate all your kind words nonetheless. I really think Dennis's set-up was brilliant, so brilliant that I bought the trailer right away, fool that I am! But it's so much fun that I've gone back and watched it several times. Look forward to seeing you and your wonderful family very soon! Bring on the TCM Scene It! (lord help me against Dennis).

B.