There is perhaps no major motion picture that has captivated audiences for as long as The Shining has while driving them all absolutely crazy. The film has influenced generations of filmmakers while driving people crazy with possible conspiracy theories like a link to the gold standard and more. Everyone seems to agree, though, that Stanley Kubrick was a genius, even if for some reason they weren’t super into The Shining as an adaptation of Stephen King’s book.
The Guardian ran a piece from the perspective of one of the crew members, Bob Tanswell, on The Shining and his insights into the process range from ridiculous to hilarious. This guy, who had the title of a “spark” on the film (lighting tech) saw and did a lot. He got to see how revered Kubrick was and how Jack Nicholson loved to push Kubrick’s buttons, even getting away with it. I mean, nobody called Kubrick “Stan,” but Jack did.
Bob even got to see some of that perfectionism that we’ve heard so much about. According to Tanswell, while Kubrick was approachable — even enough for the two to play chess together — some involved revered him to the point of fearing him. Even if they really didn’t need to.
He’d do 150 takes of a simple scene. He knew everybody’s job. If he asked you a question and you didn’t know the answer, you really got it – not me so much, because I was just a spark. After having a go at someone he’d be walking away and give you a wink, like: “See that? That’s got him going.” He was more tongue-in-cheek with us workers on the floor than with the upper echelons. They all looked up to him so he played the part.
This is just another footnote in a long line of already interesting information on the deceased director. It’s stories like these that help to keep his legend alive and well to inspire future generations to attempt to achieve his greatness.
(Via The Guardian)
