Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining is renowned for its haunting final scene, featuring a photograph from the Overlook Hotel's 1921 Fourth of July ball with Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) prominently displayed, despite not being born at the time. This image, which was digitally altered to include Nicholson, has long fascinated fans. The original photograph, however, had remained elusive until recently, resurfacing 45 years after the film's release.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared the journey of uncovering the original image 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 one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency at 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 from 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 dedicated Redditors. Despite numerous dead ends and the fear that the photo might be lost forever, Spark's persistence paid off. He had been informed by on-set photographer Murray Close that the image was sourced from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty took over in 1991, Spark delved into Getty's vast archives. This 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 clarified that the photo, dating back to 1921 as Kubrick had stated, depicted a group of ordinary Londoners at a Monday evening event, debunking various theories about the presence of celebrities, bankers, or even devil worshippers. The only alteration was the addition of Jack Nicholson.
This revelation is a thrilling find for fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel, released in 1977, has been adapted into Kubrick's iconic film and a 1997 miniseries directed by Mick Garris, which stayed true to the book.
