Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining features one of the most iconic final shots in cinematic history: a haunting photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) despite him not being born at the time. This image, which had Nicholson digitally added to a real photograph, had faded into obscurity until recently. After 45 years since the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has finally been uncovered.
Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark shared the journey of finding this image on 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. Valentines Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post also showcased a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.
Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and numerous dedicated Redditors, embarked on a challenging quest to locate the image. He noted, "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 on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani, had previously informed him that the original photo came from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty took over in 1991, Spark was motivated to sift through the agency's extensive archives. This effort 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.
"Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct," Spark concluded. "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 discovery is sure to delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel, released in 1977, has been adapted into two notable versions: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' book-accurate 1997 miniseries.
