Room 237

[Keel M.]

Apparently there's a documentary-style movie coming out soon which examines hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel 'The Shining'. This is a blurb about the film (from the blinding official website):

In 1980 Stanley Kubrick released his classic horror film, THE SHINING. Over 30 years later, viewers are still struggling to understand its hidden meanings. Loved and hated by equal numbers, the film is considered a genre standard by many loyalists, while other viewers dismiss it as the lazy result of a legendary director working far below his talent level. In between these two poles, however, live the theories of ardent fans who are convinced they have decoded THE SHINING’s secret messages regarding genocide, government conspiracy, and the nightmare that we call history. Ascher’s ROOM 237 fuses fact and fiction through interviews with the fans and scholars who espouse these theories. Ideas of five devotees of the film with wildly different ideas about its true meaning are braided together in a kaleidoscopic deconstruction of the horror classic.

I'm curious to know if anyone here has heard of these theories and if so, do they interest you or not? If this film is a direct adaptation of the book, is there really much room for the director to add his/her own views on ideas, hidden or not?

[Space Commander Travis]

I've been trying to look up what these Conspiracy theories are exactly, but it all seems rather vague stuff about that tedious old severely-beaten-dead-horse the Moon Hoax, and just about anything else anyone seems to want to make of it. I expect there's probably something about 9/11 as well. I wouldn't be surprised.

[Keel M.]

Yeah I would have thought it'd be something vaguely familiar to most people, but I've never heard any of this.

[Ealdwita]

Then there's the old thing about '42'.

There 42 vehicles in the hotel's car park. Danny and his mother watch 'Summer of 42' on the TV. The hotel was built in 1907. 42 is a multiple of 7. The photo in the final scene is dated July (the 7th. month). The room number....237 (2x3x7=42). The film relies heavily on Thomas Mann's novel 'The Magic Mountain' where the number 7 was frequently used to signify danger.

Stephen King disliked Kubrick's screen intepretation of his novel.

[rashore]

I never heard of this before.. It's interesting though.

[AZDZ]

never heard of it, sounds... interesting, I suppose. I'd really be interested in hearing from King himself on the matter, though. Are any interviews with him in the book are is it all her interpretative?

I'll just leave this here. http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/feb/04/stephen-king-shining-sequel-doctor-sleep

[Keel M.]

never heard of it, sounds... interesting, I suppose. I'd really be interested in hearing from King himself on the matter, though. Are any interviews with him in the book are is it all her interpretative?

I'll just leave this here. http://www.guardian....el-doctor-sleep

A friend of mine said King didn't like Kubrick's adaptation.

[Ealdwita]

A friend of mine said King didn't like Kubrick's adaptation.

Yeah...me! Post #4.

[Keel M.]

I have more than one friend, believe it or not, eald. She was basically agreeing with you, though I didn't tell her of your response.