Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of "The Shining" features one of the most chilling final scenes in cinematic history: a photograph from the Overlook Hotel's 1921 Fourth of July ball, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), despite the fact that he hadn't been born at the time. This image, created by superimposing Nicholson onto an existing photo, had its original source shrouded in mystery—until now. After 45 years since the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has been discovered.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared insights into the journey of uncovering the photograph via Getty's Instagram. He explained, “Following the earlier identification by facial recognition software of the unknown man in the photograph at the end of The Shining as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, I can reveal that the photo was one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency at a St. Valentine's Day Ball, 14 February 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post also featured a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and other supporting documents.
Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and numerous dedicated Redditors, embarked on a challenging quest to locate the image. He recounted the difficulties, stating, “It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match... There were some places we could not find images for and we started to fear that meant the photo might be lost to history, and never be found.”
Spark further elaborated that he was initially informed by on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson used in the film, that the photo originated from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark decided to search through the agency's vast collection. This search led to the discovery that the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick’s production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in "The Shining."
Spark concluded, “Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct... The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on — the Trix Sisters for instance — nor the bankers, financiers or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined there. No devil worshippers either. Nobody was composited into it except Jack Nicholson. It shows a group of ordinary London people on a Monday evening. ‘All the best people,’ as the manager of the Overlook Hotel said."
This revelation is sure to delight 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 remained true to the book.
