criterionforum.org

Big Ben wrote: Kubrick constructed it like one of those Carnival houses you go to have your senses messed with.

Big Ben wrote:Can you even get the shorter version anywhere?

Big Ben wrote:Can you even get the shorter version anywhere?

The 4K remastering is of Kubrick’s original 146 minute version of the film which premiered in the United States on May 23rd, 1980.

EddieLarkin wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 10:55 pm The press release states that the UHD disc will contain neither the US cut or the shorter European cut that have both appeared on home video so far, but instead the even longer premiere cut with the original ending:

The 4K remastering is of Kubrick’s original 146 minute version of the film which premiered in the United States on May 23rd, 1980.

It doesn't clarify if either of the other cuts will be available via branching.

tenia wrote: Wed May 15, 2019 9:20 pm In the end, it seems to me Warner are amongst the rare studios (maybe the only one) to include remastered BDs with their UHDs. They also did it for Unforgiven, the Matrix trilogy, 2001, and possibly others.

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 1:14 am I can definitely see it being the big bonus of this release but I can't see them whitewashing Kubrick's intentions by only including that cut. Gosh, I'm very excited to see it if this is true though

ivuernis wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 2:12 am This has got to be an error. Not a chance a cut of the film other then the 144 min US or 119 min international cut will be released by WB. Nor should it. The shorter version is better anyway. Those edits were necessary.

I'm seeing lots of mixed reports and speculation here, and I'd like to clear a few things up... (SOURCE: am a Shining fanatic. See post history for a little evidence of this).

1.) The standard theatrical and home video release US audiences have been enjoying for 40 years has been listed as 142, 143 and 144 minutes by Warner Bros themselves on various home video releases through the years. I know, I have copies of each of these releases (and a hundred more from across the world) and I just double-checked.

2.) The reason this is causing so much discussion is because Stanley Kubrick famously had an ending scene excised from the original release of the film days after it opened on May 23, 1980 in NY and LA. It was a short epilogue that fell between the shot of <SPOILER, I guess> Jack's frozen body and the final tracking shots and close-ups into the photo. It took place in a hospital where Stuart Ullman goes to visit Wendy and Danny who are recovering. He checks in on them, explains to Wendy that there was no evidence of anything supernatural at the hotel, and then he goes to see Danny, where he silently gives Danny the tennis ball as a wink to the audience. After it opened, Kubrick decided that it made the supernatural elements in the film much too explicit, and the film lost all of its psychological edge. (For reference, please see 40 years worth of analysis, literature and debate on whether or not Kubrick's Overlook Hotel is haunted.) Again, this was mere days after release, and it was only playing in NY and LA, so there were very few prints of that cut of the film at the time. Projectionists were ordered to physically splice out that scene and return it to Warner Bros. Legend has it that Kubrick himself ordered every copy destroyed. He was a notorious perfectionist and once he'd decided the film was better off without it, he would have wanted to ensure that's how it remained, or so the legend goes.​

3.) Until recently (2013-ish), the only cut of the film available in Europe was an even shorter 119 minute cut of the film. This version is often considered Kubrick's preferred cut. After the American release, he cut the film down even further for Europe following mixed critical reception in the US. LOTS of material was cut.

4.) In 2011, a theater in Rochester, NY advertised a very unique screening of The Shining featuring a "deleted coda" cut after the film's initial release. Film sites widely reported this once it was announced and it became a very big deal that a rare, not-seen-in-decades version of the film would be screening. I know all of this because I had purchased plane tickets to Rochester to attend the screening. DAYS before the screening was to take place, the theater corrected the listing and said that the details were announced in error and what they would be playing was the standard cut of the film on 35mm. Rumors abound that this "mistake" was too obvious to make and that Warner Bros had essentially sent them a cease-and-desist. (For those of you wondering, no, I wasn't able to get my plane tickets refunded and the theater received a strongly-worded email from me as a result).

5.) Last year, many websites began reporting that a cut of the film with the deleted scene was up for auction from Kubrick's assistant's (Emilio D'Alessandr) personal collection. Many of these articles are still live. I suspected this was not actually what was being auctioned (since it wasn't what was pictured and the description was misleading) and confirmed that with the auction house. (Screen grab of my email exchange). What was originally listed as "Long cuts" of the original film was subsequently corrected to "Long fragments." This was not the complete film, it was unused film from various takes of the scene where Wendy carries Danny (which was pictured in the auction listing the entire time and made me wonder just how in the hell none of the sites reporting this thought to check). Bottom line: anyone reporting that the full cut of the original film with deleted hospital scene was auctioned off in 2018 is mistaken

6.) The likelihood that this release includes the deleted scene is very small. It would be the first time this footage would be publicly seen in 40 years, and would be a MAJOR and explicitly-stated selling point in the announcement and press coverage. I'd be very excited, but would advise that people manage their expectations on this one until we have more info and a confirmation from Warner Bros.

FlickeringWindow wrote: Thu May 16, 2019 6:57 pm WBShop just sent out an email specifically noting it’s the premiere version.

I do hope it at least has an option for the three cuts branched.