Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of "The Shining" is renowned for its haunting final scene, featuring a chilling photograph from the Overlook Hotel's 1921 Fourth of July ball. This image, which prominently includes Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) despite him not being born until years later, has captivated audiences for decades. The original photograph used in the film had long been lost to obscurity, but in an exciting development, it has been rediscovered 45 years after the movie's release.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared the journey of finding the photograph on Getty's Instagram. He explained that facial recognition software identified the unknown man in the photo as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer. The photograph was taken by the Topical Press Agency during a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms in the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington. Spark's post included a new scan of the original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.
The search for the image was a collaborative effort involving Spark, New York Times staffer Arick Toller, and numerous dedicated Redditors. Spark described the process as challenging, with many leads failing to pan out, leading to fears that the photograph might be lost forever. However, a crucial tip from on-set photographer Murray Close, who had taken the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani, pointed them toward the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark and his team sifted through millions of images at Getty, eventually discovering that the photograph was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick's production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in "The Shining."
Spark clarified that the photograph, dated correctly by Kubrick as from 1921, depicted a group of ordinary Londoners at a social event, debunking various theories about celebrities, bankers, or even devil worshippers being present in the image. The only alteration was the addition of Jack Nicholson.
This rediscovery is a thrilling moment for fans of "The Shining." Stephen King's novel, released in 1977, has been adapted into two notable works: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' 1997 miniseries, which stayed truer to the book.
