The Shining bear suit scene is one of the most confusing and mysterious in the movie. In the scene, Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall) is roaming through the halls of The Overlook Hotel with a knife when she approaches a door at the end of a long hallway. Next: The Shining: The True Story & Real-Life Hotel Behind The Movie. The Shining Ending Explained: Why Jack Is In The Photo, The Shining Movie's Most Significant Difference From Stephen King's Book, IT Chapter Two's Shining Reference Hints At Stephen King's Shared Universe, The Shining Has An Alternate Ending You Will NEVER See, What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining, Lloyd the bartender was never a real person, The Shining: The True Story & Real-Life Hotel Behind The Movie. Jack then goes after Danny, who runs into the hedge maze all this during a snowstorm. Its also possible that the framing of the bear picture is a parallel of the felatio bear being seen within a door frame. It seems ridiculous on the surface, but Ager's in-depth analysis points to some very compelling evidence of sexual abuse. The maze in The Shining went over better than the hedge animals would've in Kubrick's vision. How did these pictures get there if Wendy does all the menial chores. A previous caretaker Charles Grady had killed his family, including his two daughters and himself after a claustrophobic breakdown. The scene seemed almost accidental but knowing Stanley Kubrick, every shot that made it to the final cut was necessary. 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. We are tracking a yellow car driving through the mountains and at the same time observing the vastness and seclusion of the landscape. Buy a book on film making from any part of the world, either Russia or Japan or Sweden, and youll find this name mentioned not once but in every chapter, ranging from minutely monumental details like breaking the 180 degree rule to establishing genres like science fiction and satirical comedy. The easiest one to notice is in the scene of Danny talking to the psychiatrist. Kubrick replaced the hedge animals in the book with a hedge maze, which like the movie offers endless possibilities but barely any solution. Quite sensibly quoting Martin Scorsese Watching a Kubrick film is like gazing up at a mountaintop. 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. This theory posits that the Overlook Hotel represents hell (or another form of afterlife for the ghosts such as purgatory). The horrific happenings, the fact that the Torrance family is trapped, and the suggestion that Jack has been in the hotel for decades support The Shining analysis that the Overlook represents hell. I love Joe Turkels mesmerizing performance as Lloyd, his calmness giving a helping hand to Jacks boiling conscious. He also echoes back the same words the Grady twins say, forever and ever and ever. The Shining Is About Sexual Abuse. Vivian Kubrick explains in the commentary that James Mason was acting in a local theatre, and so Kubrick gave him an invitation. What's more, while staying at the Stanley Hotel, King reports having caught glimpses of a young boy roaming the halls even though he and his wife were the only registered guests at the time. Its understandable: Kubrick asked for freedom to change whatever he wanted, and he wasnt kidding. The Overlook is built on the sacred lands of Native Americans . 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. In particular, we see Jack Nicholson and James Mason having a personal chat, while the rest of Masons family meet Kubrick himself. 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. A drunk Jack, in a fit of rage had dislocated Dannys shoulder and this is presented as a possible explanation for Danny to develop a separate personality (Tony). Whilst a framed picture of two bears can be seen hanging above Dannys bed at the start of the film, the most obvious reference to the terrifying animals can be seen when the boy is speaking to the psychiatrist after he faints in the bathroom. Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. A month passes and we are greeted with the most iconic tracking shot of all time and unlike most of them, it tracks the tricycle of a kid moving around empty corridors with the echoing sound of the wheels rolling against the wooden floor creating a oddly satisfying atmosphere. Wendy and Danny lock themselves in the bathroom, and Wendy sends Danny through the window. The shot passes by within 13 seconds and is never referenced again which raises many unanswered questions. He goes upto the bar and meets Lloyd who fixes him another drink and says the expense is on the house, indicating the effort of the Overlook to carry Jack down the hill of madness. Ager suggests that Danny's experience in Room 237 was his way of externalizing his abuse and that it was his father who assaulted him instead. The Overlooks construction in the early 1900s and the photograph of Jack in the 1920s both pose interesting clues. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Returning to the comparisons between the bear costumed man scene and Danny talking to the psychiatrist, sexuality is subtly referenced in both scenes. A hostile Jack threatens her and claims he has responsibilities to look after and will get rid of her if she bothered him. We learn that Horace Derwent asked Roger to come to the ball in the outfit. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. The following video is based upon chapters 16 & 17 of this analysis, though both the video and article equivalents When Jack walks from the reception to the room, the camera travels in a perpendicular fashion highlighting the angle of the room and the apparent absence of a wall behind Ullmans room. But believers of this theory point to the word below the skier as proof: Monarch.. Related: The Shining Movie's Most Significant Difference From Stephen King's Book. ", Related: What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within. Therefore, it makes sense why Doctor Sleep didn't include The Shining bear man. Those who believe this theory also suggest that it indicates the events that happen to Danny inside of Room 237, which are not shown to the audience. Danny: "Tony is a little boy that lives in my mouth. The elevator blood scene first appears as a vision to Danny, and materializes near the end of the film when Wendy is looking for him. Move forward, we see Wendy talking to the radio operator about the failed telephone connectivity because of the snow storm. The novel decided to show all the images at the beginning, while Kubrick decided to use the conventional step by step process to create suspense. We meet Delbert Grady (not the Grady who killed his family) as he spills a drink on Jacks jacket and then takes him to the washroom to get cleaned up (more like clean him off his conscience). In order to buy into The Shining conspiracy theories in this vein, you need to already be on board with the moon landing being a hoax, which, of course, it wasnt. 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 boys 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 half of Full Metal Jacket, building up to its logical, murderous conclusion; the grandeur of the war room in Dr. Before he can retaliate, we hear the sounds of an engine running, marking the arrival of Halloran. As for all the weird stuff Wendy stumbles across while running through the hotel, like the guy in the bear suit blowing the party guest and the lift full of blood, it's like Halloran said earlier in the film: "A lot of things happened in this hotel over the years, and not all of them were good". Jack had a history of anger issues and violence, mainly against his family. This imagery is reinforced by the man in the bear outfit performing oral sex on another man at the films climax. It's no secret that Kubrick's take on The Shining deviated largely from Stephen King's novel in fact, Stephen King hates The Shining, somewhat notoriously but film scholar Rob Ager delved deep into what Kubrick may have been implying with The Shining bear man, that the novelization didn't clear up. Surprisingly, Jack expresses nothing but anticipation towards the role of the caretaker. This scene is during the most climatic part of the movie. A popular theory, and one that has gone very deep into the symbolism of The Shining, says that the film also addresses sexual abuse. Those who believe this theory point to a handful of other small details. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Kubrick deliberately left many things unexplained, including many details from the third act he did, however, explain why Jack Torrance appears in The Shining picture at the end. One strong and memorable element of The Shining that didnt directly factor into any of these theories was the soundtrack. The dialogue of the scene is full of innuendos about abuse. Parallely, Halloran borrows a snowcat to get to the Overlook in time. In an interview (via Huffington Post), Doctor Sleep director Mike Flanagan discussed why he didn't include this particular character, and his reasoning makes sense. Coincidence much? In Lolita, Mason played Humbert Humbert, a man who has a sexual relationship with his underage stepdaughter. The dog/sexual abuse interpretation hasnt been confirmed by those involved in the film, so its up to each viewer if they accept it or not. He tells her that he had disabled both the radio and the snowcat and there was no means of escape left, while the camera points at him in an inverted position giving the impression of him hanging upside down, innovative angles to insert craziness. The particular scene from Summer of 42 that we see on the lobby television shows the older woman telling the young man to sit down while she makes lunch for him. 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. Her relationship with Jack seems to be totally lacking in intimacy. 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. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The similarities are intentional. He also suggests that Kubrick dismissed the notion when King brought it up to him. Ager cites Jack's experience in Room 237 as evidence that he's abusing his son. Very compelling evidence of sexual abuse played Humbert Humbert, a man who has a sexual relationship with Jack to. Really like Filming the Shining: the True Story & Real-Life Hotel Behind the movie it makes sense why Sleep... 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