Here's a bit of movie trivia for you.

[Ohiogal]

What movie is in the Guinness Book of World Records for “most retakes for one scene with dialogue”?

The answer is Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” - the scene where Scatman Crothers and Danny Lloyd (the boy who played Danny Torrence) discuss the ability to “shine”, a psychic gift that allows the boy to envision the hotel’s horrific past. Kubrick had the actors do that scene 148 times.

But another far more demanding scene — the staircase scene — was shot 127 times. “It was a difficult scene, but it turned out to be one of the best in the movie,” according to Shelley Duvall, who played Wendy Torrance.

(Recall Duvall in that scene, hysterical, meekly swing a bat on the staircase at Nicholson as he threatened to “bash [her] brains in.”

They filmed that scene for three weeks. She had to work herself up to that extreme hysterical state 127 times!

“We filmed that for about three weeks,” she replies. “Every day. It was very hard. Jack was so good — so damn scary. I can only imagine how many women go through that kind of thing.”

I’m just blown away!!! Damn!!!

Taken from this interview... much more about Ms. Duvall

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/searching-for-shelley-duvall-the-reclusive-icon-on-fleeing-hollywood-and-the-scars-of-making-the-shining

[Mike 03]

1. Great factoid. Kubrick was famous for multiple takes. When he was filming "Eyes Wide

Shut" he shot something like 95 takes of Tom Cruise entering a room, no dialogue.

There are some great stories about "Full Metal Jacket" too.

[jmowreader]

7. Strangely for Kubrick...

...almost all the scenes with Lee Ermey were shot in one take, because that’s all improv. (I suspect the scene at the rifle range where Hartmann praised murderers’ shooting abilities was scripted because of all the interaction between Hartmann and the recruits.) The only time Kubrick stopped him was because Kubrick didn’t know what a reach-around was...Ermey explained it, Kubrick laughed and left it in, and Ermey was allowed to riff freely after that.

[Lunabell]

2. That really was a great movie.

I only wish that CGI was around back then to bring the topiary to life as in the book.

[CaptainTruth]

5. I thought the exact thing when I watched it!

[CaptYossarian]

3. Kubrick really got the best out of each of the actors in that film.

Now we know how.

[Lord Ludd]

4. Here's Murray Melvin (Rev. Runt in Barry Lyndon)

reminiscing about doing 57 takes of a scene in that film, taking a break, then doing 20 more.

[RVN VET71]

8. Now that last line had me laughing out loud!

Whoever said acting is easy needs to study what it was like acting under Kubrick. Whoever thinks “genius” is getting it right the first time, needs to study what it was like being directed by Kubrick.

Fascinating.

[jmowreader]

6. I have wondered...

When they cast Danny Torrance, did they specifically look for actors named Danny to play the role?

[Nitram]

9. I understand Duvall has a mental breakdown following her experience with Kubrick, who

berated and belittled her to the point she broke out in tears. All in the name of Art! I love the movie, and I love Kubrick's work, but I have a feeling he may have crossed a line during the filming of the stair scene.