The Premiere of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining

It's summer 1979 at Els Tree Studios on the outskirts of London, England.

On set, 42-year-old actor Jack Nicholson fixes a frenzied grin on his face as he looms over a closed bathroom door with a large axe in his hands.

Three years ago, Jack won an Oscar playing a man pretending to be insane in the movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

For the last few months, though, he's been shooting a new movie involving a real descent into insanity.

In The Shining, Jack plays the caretaker of a hotel in the Rocky Mountains that's closed for the winter.

The isolation of the mysterious Snowden Hotel drives the caretaker into madness until he attacks his wife and young son.

Action!

Now Jack is filming the scene in which he chops through a door with an axe while his wife cowers on the other side.

As the camera rolls, Jack tries the bathroom door handle.

It's locked.

He puts his head close to the door, gently taps on the wood, and he steps back, lifts the axe, and swings it again and again.

The blade chops a ragged hole in the door, and Jack puts his head through the gap.

He doesn't have a line scripted.

At this point, his co-star is just supposed to scream out in terror, but Jack's decided to improvise.

He inhales, ready to call out, Here's Johnny in the style of the Johnny Carson Show, a popular program on American television.

But before Jack has a chance to say his ad-libbed line, Director Stanley Kubrick calls cut.

Something's not right.

Jack sighs, irritated that he'll have to shoot the scene all over again.

And it's not the first time during production of The Shining that Stanley Kubrick's perfectionism is going to result in a long day of filming.

The Shining will one day be celebrated as a movie classic, and the scene in which Jack Nicholson chops through the bathroom door with an axe will become an iconic moment in Hollywood history.

Stanley Kubrick's obsessive pursuit of his vision may pay off in the end, but it also makes production of The Shining a long and difficult process, one that will test everyone involved before the movie finally makes it onto the big screen on May 23, 1980.

From Noiser and Airship, I'm Lindsay Graham, and this is History Daily.

History is made every day.

On this podcast, Every Day, we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is May 23rd, 1980, the premiere of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

It's February 1959 in Los Angeles, California, 21 years before the release of The Shining.

A ringing telephone echoes through the downtown apartment of 30-year-old director Stanley Kubrick.

Stanley is lying on his couch, a pile of scripts on the floor beside him.

Hearing the phone, he gets up and tosses the mediocre screenplay he's been reading to the side.

Stanley is a film director with four movies under his belt and a rising reputation as one of Hollywood's hottest young directors.

Since wrapping up filming on the war movie Paths of Glory, Stanley's been searching for another project when he wants to be his breakthrough moment.

But despite reading dozens of screenplays, he's yet to find a story that fits the bill.

So Stanley almost welcomes the distraction of the phone call, and when he picks up the phone, he hears a familiar voice on the other end of the line, actor Kirk Douglas.

Stanley and Kirk have worked together in the past, and the two exchange small talk before Kirk turns the conversation to his latest movie.

Kirk's just begun filming Spartacus, a big budget historical epic set in ancient Rome.

But Spartacus is not just an acting job for Kirk.

He's also producing the movie, and just one week into filming, he's sacked the director.

So Kirk is called to ask whether Stanley would be interested in taking over.

Stanley's pulse quickens.

This is an unexpected chance to take the reins of the most expensive movie in Hollywood history, so he eagerly accepts.

But what Stanley doesn't know is that Kirk Douglas chose him because Kirk thought he'd be able to control Stanley.

But after he arrives on set, Stanley soon shows who's really in charge.

He replaces the inexperienced lead actress, makes major changes to the scripts and even tests Kirk's temper by cutting all but two of Kirk's lines in the movie's first 30 minutes.

Kirk is frustrated that Stanley refuses to share creative control, but Kirk can't deny that Stanley's single-minded determination is turning around the movie's sluggish production.

Stanley manages a cast of thousands and a $6 million budget with barely a hitch.

Spartacus is then released in theaters in October, 1960.

It becomes the highest-grossing movie of the year and quickly turns a profit despite its huge cost.

Critics love it too, and Spartacus wins four Academy Awards.

Only nine years after his directorial debut and still only 32 years old, Stanley Kubrick is launched into the big time as one of Hollywood's most famous directors.

Over the next 18 years, Stanley directs a series of movies that continue to impress audience and critics.

Cold War satire Dr.

Strangelove is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Stanley's first nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.

Stanley also receives a Best Director nomination for his science fiction epic 2001, A Space Odyssey.

But Stanley's choice of subject often caused controversy.

One of Stanley's films is an adaptation of Lolita, a novel in which a middle-aged college professor is infatuated with a 12-year-old girl.

Stanley wants to faithfully replicate the book on screen, but he's forced to remove the novel's erotic elements to avoid being blocked by American censors.

A few years later, another of Stanley's movies sparks outrage in Britain over its graphic depiction of violence, forcing Stanley to pull a clockwork orange from theaters before authorities there ban it.

But despite these controversies, Stanley's movies are all financial successes and he's flooded with offers of work.

But the upward trajectory of his career comes to a sudden halt in 1975 with Barry Lyndon, a historical drama set in 18th century Ireland and Britain.

With a running time of three hours, many critics feel that Barry Lyndon is too long and slow moving.

Audiences seem to agree, and the film fails to match the box office success of Stanley's previous movies.

After this disappointment, Stanley takes time to choose his next project carefully.

He wants a box office hit, because otherwise he fears that Hollywood studios will stop funding his movies.

He also knows that nothing is certain in this business.

So to give himself the best chance of a hit, he decides to focus on the increasingly popular genre of horror.

Stanley reads dozens of horror novels, making a short list of books he thinks he can transfer to the big screen.

And eventually Stanley will select The Shining, the third novel by upcoming horror writer, Stephen King.

But before The Shining makes it to the big screen, Stanley's belligerent approach to his cast and crew will make the process of filming it into a horror story of its own.

It's fall 1978 at Elstree Studios in England, three years after Barry Lyndon was released to pull reviews in theaters.

The American director Stanley Kubrick is now 50 years old.

A little out of breath, he jogs behind a makeshift trolley as it rumbles through a film set of a hotel corridor.

A camera hangs precariously off the front of the trolley, its operator straining to hold it just above floor height.

A few months ago, Stanley began principal photography on his latest movie, The Shining.

It's been a costly enterprise so far.

Stanley has taken over L Street and is using almost every inch of space at the studio.

That's because he's making The Shining in an unusual way.

Normally on a movie, a set is built, the scene's featuring at a shot, and then the set is torn down and a new one built in its place.

That means that most movies are filmed out of chronological order, but Stanley doesn't want to do that.

He thinks it would be better on this production to shoot the story in a more linear fashion.

So he's had all the sets he needs for The Shining built at the same time.

That takes up a lot of sound stages, but it also means Stanley can move seamlessly from set to set as the story progresses.

That's not the only expensive departure from the norm on this production, though.

Stanley has used a chunk of the movie's budget on a new type of camera, the Steadicam.

The Steadicam uses a mechanical arm that keeps the camera perfectly stable even if it's being moved.

Stanley has fallen in love with the Steadicam's ability to record smooth tracking shots in tight quarters.

It's never been used like this in a Hollywood movie before, though.

And today's scene is the camera's biggest test yet.

Stanley calls action to begin filming.

He chases the trolley as the Steadicam operator captures six-year-old actor Danny Lloyd pedaling a tricycle through tight hotel corridors.

Stanley can barely contain his excitement.

The Steadicam smoothly follows the tricycle as it moves between the carpet and wood floor.

But as the long shot comes to an end, Stanley frowns.

Actor Danny has missed his mark, stopping the tricycle a few inches further than he should.

Stanley steps away from the Steadicam and shouts that they need to reshoot the scene.

But this instruction comes as no surprise to the cast and crew who are already preparing for another take.

Ever since filming began, Stanley has insisted on multiple shots of every scene and his exacting requirements have led to long hours and a fractious atmosphere on set.

Stanley is also constantly tinkering with the script.

Lead actor Jack Nicholson finds this process so frustrating that he's given up trying to learn his lines in advance.

Instead, Jack reads through the script and memorizes what he has to say just before filming.

But even scenes with minimal dialogue take a long time to shoot.

When Jack reaches the point of the story where his character tries to force his way into a bathroom with an axe, Stanley has Jack break down 60 different doors.

The scene takes three days to film, and by the end of it, Jack's palms are raw.

But at least Stanley treats Jack with respect.

In contrast, Stanley treats female lead Shelley Duvall with contempt.

Stanley reasons that Shelley needs to be scared on camera and that she'll be more convincing if she herself is uncomfortable.

So Stanley keeps her waiting around on set for hours.

He relentlessly criticizes her acting and berates her publicly for even the tiniest mistake.

In one scene, Shelley must walk backwards up a staircase, swinging a baseball bat as Jack approaches.

But Stanley makes Shelley and Jack film the scene 127 times.

All the while Stanley gives Jack plenty of positive feedback, but he harangues Shelley.

Only when Shelley is exhausted and visibly upset, does Stanley finally declare that he's happy with her performance.

The constant stress caused by this bullying makes Shelley physically ill, so she is more than relieved when The Shining finally wraps.

It's taken 500 days, significantly more than scheduled, but now Shelley and Jack can return home for a well-deserved break.

But there's no time for Stanley Kubrick to rest.

As soon as the last scene is in the can, Stanley begins post-production.

But editing The Shining will prove just as frustrating as shooting it.

And Stanley's perfectionism will mean that he'll continue to tinker with the final cut of the movie even after its premiere.

Thanks.

It's May 23rd, 1980, outside a movie theater in New York, 10 months after the end of principal photography on The Shining.

32-year-old author Stephen King leaves the theater and offers a lackluster wave to the cheering crowds on the street outside.

Around him, celebrities and invited guests soak up the adulation, but Stephen isn't in the mood to celebrate.

He's just attended the premiere of the movie adaptation of his book, The Shining, and Stephen did not like what he saw.

Stephen's novel follows the gradual descent into insanity of the hotel's winter caretaker.

But in the movie, Jack Nicholson's caretaker seems sinister from the start.

Stephen wrote the caretaker's wife as a strong character, but on screen she's weak and submissive.

Several other aspects of the plot have been changed too, none of which Stephen thinks is an improvement.

And he's not the only one who dislikes the movie.

The initial reviews from critics are mixed, and that worries the movie's director, Stanley Kubrick.

He needs The Shining to be a hit, and thinks he still has time to improve the film.

Following the premiere, The Shining is only shown on a handful of screens of New York and Los Angeles.

Its full national release comes a week later, and Stanley uses this time to hastily re-edit the movie.

But these last-minute tweaks are not enough to change the minds of the critics.

Still, response from moviegoers is a little more positive, and by the end of the year, The Shining has more than recouped its production costs.

Still, this is Stanley's first film in over two decades not to receive any Oscar nominations, and it will be another seven years before Stanley returns to theaters with another movie.

Stephen King will always dislike the way Stanley adapted his novel, but despite The Shining's rough reception at first, the attitudes of most critics will soften over the years.

Today, The Shining is considered a classic and a landmark work in the horror genre.

It's lauded for Jack Nicholson's intense acting and Stanley Kubrick's perfectionist direction.

A major shift in critical attitude after The Shining's lukewarm reception when it premiered on May 23, 1980.

Next, on History Daily, May 24th, 1883, the world's longest suspension bridge opens to the public in Brooklyn, New York.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Molly Bogg.

Sound design by Molly Bogg.

Music by Thrum.

This episode is written and researched by Scott Reeves, edited by William Simpson, managing producer Emily Berth, executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.