Jacks manifestation as a rotten, naked old woman in the room 237 dream sequence parallels the horrific physical disgust Danny would have felt during his nightmarish ordeal. Perhaps the most analyzed part of The Shining is the ending; the final shot in the Stephen King movie adaptation is a 1921 photograph showing Jack with other guests in the hotels ballroom. Stanley Kubrick's iconic Stephen King adaptation is intentionally dense and even nonsensical at times. Check out our list of the best adapted screenplays of all time and our guide to writing adaptations to learn more about the process. You look up and wonder, how could anyone have climbed that high? Those who believe in this theory point to a particular poster visible on the wall in the background as proof. Were in a golden age of TV writing and development. Perhaps the Overlook hotel is merely something of a mental prison for Danny, with his peculiar powers bringing in the consciousnesses of his mother and father in order to process his sexual abuse. Of all the places in the film that a picture of bears could appear this one is right above Dannys bed and there are no other framed bear pictures in the film. The second obvious factor is that Kubrick has omitted the entire back story associated to the dog costumed man in the book, leaving his audience at a complete loss as to the scenes meaning. One of the many mysteries of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is why Jack appears in the photo at the end, and it actually has a semi-simple explanation. Is this implying that Jack forced his son to perform felatio in the fatherly love scene? With scenes that show an elevator gushing out blood or creepy twins that greet you at the end of a hallway, its not hard to see that the visuals of the film are enough to keep anyone on the edge of their seat. Of course, the ghost of Grady freeing Jack from the freezer remains hard to explain away, although that doesn't stop some from trying. All the aforementioned signs, and many more, point to the likelihood that Jack sexually abused Danny, making sense of the childs fragile mental state where he frequently has terrifying visions about the vast hotel. Hasnt she ever challenged him on this? The scene with the man in the dog costume and the man in a tuxedo is the one used to support this theory, which says the dog represents young Danny Torrance (who earlier in the film is shown to have a plush toy) and the man in the tuxedo represents Jack. Notice how Ullman even points his finger at the magazine as if informing us of its significance. This scene is during the most climatic part of the movie. Kubrick failed in adapting Stephen Kings book, but he succeeded in making a film full of metaphors and symbolism that have made way for countless interpretations of its true meaning. I dont go for number interpretations generally, but here Ill make an exception. The ball itself is featured in another scene with Jack throwing it against a wall in the hotel lobby. The Overlooks construction in the early 1900s and the photograph of Jack in the 1920s both pose interesting clues. Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is a textbook example of a storied film. Of course the caption relating to incest is the one thats relevant to this chapter, while the Starsky & Hutch caption may be a reference to Jack giving his soul for a drink and the affair caption could be related to Jacks encounter with the woman in room 237. In Barry Lyndon a commoner, who marries his way into high society, systematically beats his stepson, Lord Bullingdon. There are emotional passages and images and spaces in his films that have an inexplicable power, with a magnetic force that draws you in slowly, mysteriously: the boy's rides on his Big Wheel through the endless corridors of the hotel in 'The Shining'; the monumental silence of outer space in '2001: A Space Odyssey'; the inhuman pace of the first Watch the scene below and let us know what you think the scariest scene in The Shining is. The Bear Man is the biggest evidence of Dannys sexual abuse. One of the things that horror stories can do is to show us the archetypes of the unconscious; we can see the dark side without having to confront it directly. Jack embraced Danny on the bed in the fatherly love scene, from which Danny would have also been able to see his own predicament in a mirror. The sound design is top-notch but is literally so powerful at this time, every blow feels like one to your heart. Triggered by Dannys psychic abilities, the hotel releases some dangerous supernatural forces that mess with Jacks sanity and the safety of Wendy and Danny. This imagery in itself is enough to unsettle some people. We are shown a photograph in the hallway at the end, which is dated July 4,1921 and has Jack smiling with a crowd of people at a party. Ullman shows the Torrances their apartment and Jack, not Wendy, steps forward and peaks into the childs room. In the psychiatrist scene Danny lays on the bed with his jeans removed and his hands curiously covering his groin area, just as Jack did in the fatherly love scene. Without Kubrick around to spell out his intentions, the answer is probably not. Hedge animals and objects coming to life, Gradys ghost, generalized and plot favored characterization, the spirit of the Overlook Hotel and playing safe with the gore; stuff like this grows campy over time and Kubrick turned this into an atmospheric psychological horror. Theseus was a king of Athens and one of the legendary heroes of old. One of the most chilling details about both the novel and film versions of The Shining is that the Overlook Hotel is based on a real (possibly haunted) location that Stephen King once visited. Despite all the changes Stanley Kubrick made to the ending, one of the director's visions remained in place throughout all of it: The Shining picture at the end. The Bear in The Shining has a lasting legacy though an especially unsettling moment in an already unsettling film. This scene has been interpreted many ways, and one of the most popular explanations is that it represents the hotel absorbing Jacks soul. When she's not writing, you can find her trying to learn a new language, watching hockey (go Avs! Kubrick was renowned for not allowing visitors during a shoot, but in the documentary we see James Mason and his family visiting the Torrance apartment set. In researching the film I have found three thematic interpretations of the bear man scene and I believe Kubrick intended all three of these metaphors as part of the subliminal narrative. There are many visuals to prove this theory, small details that would be termed as continuity errors but are present to signify the difference between the real world and Jacks world. Here's the meaning of The Shining Bear Man explained. Connecting the dots, The Shining bear man and his partner could be stand-ins for Danny and Jack. However, in Kubricks adaptation, this context was missing which left many viewers questioning what they were looking at and why at that moment. The Shining's Room 237 is known for having a female specter, as referenced when Jack encounters a woman in the bath. But it is the mystery and strangeness of it all that makes it so terrifying. King famously hated the adaptation in Kubricks film because it was such a far cry from his original story. In 2019, famed horror director Mike Flanagan brought the story to the big screen, starring Ewan McGregor in the titular role. Danny who witnesses this screams from the cupboard he was hiding in, runs towards the maze when Jack starts getting closer. He was creating a parallel between Jack Torrance and the main character of Kubricks earlier film Lolita. Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this. Its understandable: Kubrick asked for freedom to change whatever he wanted, and he wasnt kidding. The similarities are intentional. Supporting this theory are the way Danny/Theseus overcomes Jack/the minotaur which parallel each other to a certain degree but not explicitly. On the way he sees the corridors filled with balloons and ribbons and discovers a huge party going on in the Gold Room. Danny escapes the maze and reunites with Wendy, and they escape in Hallorans snowcat. The puzzled look on Jacks face can be interpreted as an effort to get his mind straight, and notice him using slurs every time he talks to Wendy. But some take the theory farther and interpret the film as a representation of sexual abuse. Quite sensibly quoting Martin Scorsese Watching a Kubrick film is like gazing up at a mountaintop. She has either overlooked or deliberately ignored the abuse that has cause Dannys problems. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Another tracking shot, where Danny finds Room 237 and is about to open it before changing his mind and quickly wheeling away. Vivian Kubrick explains in the commentary that James Mason was acting in a local theatre, and so Kubrick gave him an invitation. Interesting. The young woman had inexplicably transformed into an old lady who walks after the frantic Jack laughing all the while. A previous caretaker Charles Grady had killed his family, including his two daughters and himself after a claustrophobic breakdown. Although only 13 seconds, this scene was an eerie moment that is enough to disturb viewers and keep them questioning even 40 years after the film has been released. Three minutes into the movie and we come face to face with the words, The Interview in block letters resembling the beginning of a chapter. We identified in previous chapters that Jack strangled Danny in the fatherly love scene and with these new details it would seem that he also sexually abused his son during this event. Famous Guns in Movies Cinemas Most Creative Movie Guns, What is SAG-AFTRA Guild History, Eligibility & Membership. Here's The Shining bear scene explained. Physical child abuse is clear from Dannys broken arm, his trauma response, and the words of his child psychologist. For a detailed description of this subplot follow this link. Wendy Torrance, (played by Shelly Duvall) frantically roams the halls of the Overlook Hotel looking for her son Danny while her husband, Jack Torrence ( played by Jack Nicholson) goes on an axe rampage. He was an auteur with an exclusive vision and wouldnt settle for anything less. Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. At the hedge maze, Danny manages to escape by laying a false trail to mislead Jack. In one of the most beautiful 5 minutes on the big screen (the heavenly use of colors and symmetry and such calm destruction of the imaginary axis), we see Grady convince Jack to correct his family and reminds him that he has always been the caretaker, which was then shown in the B/W picture at the end. Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. Also introduced is an invisible character Tony, who apparently lives inside Dannys mouth. The movie doesn't expressly explain the identity of the man, but in the book, Stephen King provides the answer. This is thought to reference the estimated 237,000 miles between the Earth and the moon, even though this number is inaccurate. Some of the interpretations expressed in Room 237 are interesting and hold water. But there was always one particular scene in the movie that left me with an unsettling feeling: the bear man scene. There seems to be many hints in the film that Wendy is aware of her sons abuse and is covering up and denying the issue. He doesnt want to spend any time with her, he refuses to take her for a walk after breakfast, he bars her from entering the Colorado Lounge where he hangs out and he stays up all night while she's in bed and sleeps alone in the day. The novel provides Roger and Horace's story as an example of atrocities that have happened in the hotel; in a cruel act of domination, Horace instructed Roger to attend one of the hotel's balls in the costume and behave like a dog for the other guests. the scene really doesnt make sense in the movie and i've never read the book so idk if its explained there? ), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. In this post, well break down the six biggest theories on The Shining, including our own theory that its actually a Christmas movie! Also to be noted, this is the first time we see Jack in the burgundy jacket, the color similar to that of the liquid gushing out of the elevator in Dannys vision. We also see two doors on either side of Room 237 that lead nowhere. Another interesting point, Wendy later holds Danny in the same way as Jack holds the old lady, and also has Jacks blue robe on (the same robe he had while he abused Danny). Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Her gullible belief of Dannys room 237 story is plain silly. The layout of the hotel seeming to fluctuate throughout the film is also used as evidence toward this interpretation. Its actually quite simple. We are given a tour of The Overlook, and in these long takes Kubrick covers every detail and clue that is crucial to the story, a prime example of his unparalleled intelligence, something that left me shell-shocked on a second watch. ", Doctor: "Does Tony ever ask you to do things? That scene towards the end of The Shining where Wendy (Shelley Duvall) is navigating the hallways and sees a man receiving a bj from a person in a creepy bear suit. Directed by modern horror master Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep offered an unexpected treat in the form of an extended cameo by none other than Jack Torrance himself, now played by Henry Thomas. Next to the bed is a mirror above a sink and in front of the sink is a stool for the child to stand on, just as he was stood on a stool when brushing his teeth. Its eyes are similar in design to the floor dials of the gaping mouth elevator, which weve already identified as symbolic eyes, and the teddys mouth is bright red, which again is similar to the gaping mouth doors of the elevator. The Shining Caretaker Explained. As for Jack, he does die but not in the snow: a malfunctioning boiler explodes and kills Jack while also destroying the hotel. Charles Grady killed his family with an axe, and Jack was on track to replicate that. INCEST: Why parents sleep with their children. It seems that commitment to family is a problem for all of these males. All Rights Reserved. The bears are only discernible in the HD version. Both of them keep their personal writings hidden from their wives. The Shining. Danny has visions about the hotel right after Jack gets the job and during his time at the hotel, and has a traumatizing experience when drawn into the forbidden room 237. Its Tuesday, and frankly speaking shits about to go down. He also informs Danny about the hotels ability to shine owing to its tragic past from being built on an Indian burial site to the murders, discovered and undiscovered. published July 29, 2020. Danny laying on the bear pillow with his pants removed and hands over his genitals. Move forward a few seconds and we see a close-up of Jack, his unsettling green eyes beautifully matching the green sweater, a rough stubble compared to his shaven appearance a few seconds earlier, indications of insomnia as a result of writers block. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. And Kubrick all but disregarded the novel when making the film. Look carefully at this teddy pillow. He also made a brief appearance in one of the bizarre " WTF ?" scenes in the 1980 adaptation of The Shining by director Stanley Kubrick. He also extended the closing date of the hotel to October 30, to welcome the series of Halloween events. It was great. it is impossible not to mention the documentary Room 237. You dont know Jack and neither do I. Is she a lesbian? Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes. With a narrative that's as puzzling and confusing as the hedge maze found in the terrifying climax, The Shining has led fans to rack their head for it's various meanings for the past 40 years. In the HD version, several book and newspaper titles are visible in the psychiatrist scene. We see an overly terrified Wendy screaming in agony at the sight, but slashes Jacks hand when he tries to turn the knob open. Proponents of this theory also point to objects and furniture in the background moving and disappearing between takes as further evidence. Surprisingly, Jack expresses nothing but anticipation towards the role of the caretaker. Its a new day, and Jack shows an increasing sense of depersonalization in a chilling conversation if you notice the details. But one of the films most unforgettable elements has to be the haunting visuals of the film. There are actually several other references in the film to bears. Ultimately, it's all speculative, but Ager's cogent proof unravels the mystery of the bear man all the same. Super Dark The Shining Theory Reveals The Story Is All In Wendy's Head. This next theory also suggests that the continuity errors are actually intentional and represent something different entirely. In the same interview, the screenwriter says, "The photograph was always in the ending. The maze chase grew out of the topiary animal hedges that move around in the book. 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