This is right before the fatherly love scene. In an earlier scene, for a split second we see Jack reading a PlayGirl magazine which has an article on incest. The Overlooks construction in the early 1900s and the photograph of Jack in the 1920s both pose interesting clues. As for Jack, he does die but not in the snow: a malfunctioning boiler explodes and kills Jack while also destroying the hotel. This is typed inconsistently throughout , with typos and no punctuations highlighting Jacks own ever-growing trance or unstable mental health over the course. But some take the theory farther and interpret the film as a representation of sexual abuse. In attempting to answer "what is The Shining about?" At first glance, the scene in which The Shining bear appears seems brief and, quite frankly, somewhat forgettable given all the other intense imagery in Kubrick's classic. The dialogue of the scene is full of innuendos about abuse. The hotel was built upon a Native American burial ground and is decorated with various works of Native American art. Now comes the most shocking question. Viewing the figure through an open hotel room door, Wendy sees the person in a bear costume give oral sex to another man lying on a bed initially out of shot. 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. In the HD version, several book and newspaper titles are visible in the psychiatrist scene. Who are these people? the scene really doesnt make sense in the movie and i've never read the book so idk if its explained there. Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this. Wendy runs around the hotel searching for Danny, and encounters ghosts, the flooding red liquid, skeletons in a completely changed section of the hotel covered with cobwebs and torn hangings and probably the most disturbing instance in the movie, the bear man performing fellatio on a man with blazing tribal music in the background. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado made a strong impression on King thanks to its long, eerily empty corridors during his stay right before the hotel closed for the winter. This next theory also suggests that the continuity errors are actually intentional and represent something different entirely. Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Shining follows Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), an aspiring writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the off-season caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. When Ullman and Bill Watson approach Jack in the lobby on Closing Day, Jack is reading a January 1978 issue of Playgirl Magazine. 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. The second half brings out the worst in Jack, his actions replicating that of Gradys and also notice the scrapbook placed beside the typewriter. When the psychiatrist asks Danny Who's Tony Wendy, stood defensively with her arms folded, quickly interjects, Tonys his imaginary friend, as if trying to gloss over the issue. The latter is the one that Jack says he saw in the newspaper (and the one who killed his family in the hotel), and thus the reincarnation of Delbert Grady. Yes! Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. The aforementioned Room 237 doc covers this theory and the following video digs even deeper into this Native American genocide interpretation. contain their own pieces of unique information. The poster in question depicts a skier, despite Jack being told there is no skiing in the area. Talking about The Overlook, the epicenter, Ullmans room is very strange. The Shining's Room 237 is known for having a female specter, as referenced when Jack encounters a woman in the bath. While he may be one of the weirdest Overlook Hotel ghosts in the movie, Mike Flanagan decided to keep all the ghosts that would've stuck with Danny the most, and that wasn't the bear man. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. In the novels story, one of the hotels former owners has a homosexual relationship with a party guest in a dog costume. This scene is during the most climatic part of the movie. We are given a tour of The Overlook, and in these long takes Kubrick covers every detail and clue that is crucial to the story, a prime example of his unparalleled intelligence, something that left me shell-shocked on a second watch. He also informs Danny about the hotels ability to shine owing to its tragic past from being built on an Indian burial site to the murders, discovered and undiscovered. About the Jack in the picture, Kubrick confirmed that it wasnt taken at The Overlook and doesnt serve as an evidence of Gradys claim that Jack had always been the caretaker. You dont know Jack and neither do I. The hallucination ends when an hysteric Wendy comes running in and informs Jack about a woman in Room 237 who tried to strangle Danny. The young woman had inexplicably transformed into an old lady who walks after the frantic Jack laughing all the while. One newspaper article is called Illness as metaphor and was written by Susan Sontag. Even when looked at more literally, The Shining's meaning is still up for debate, as some fans disagree on whether the ghosts in The Shining are even real. Where the clear subtext and The Shining abuse theory diverge is on the type and extent of the abuse. Figurative representations of hell can be found in other horror films, so it wouldnt be a stretch to imagine Kubrick was doing the same thing. 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. Simply put, this The Shining analysis posits that the film is just as much about the genocide of Native Americans as it is about ghosts haunting the hotel. Jack had been researching the incidents that took place in the hotel quite possibly for his story and uses this information to conjure up a plot. Vitali became a close career-long collaborator of Kubricks and on the set of The Shining he was assigned to work closely with the young actor Danny Lloyd (there are several parallels in The Shining between actors first names and the first names of characters two Jacks, two Dannys and two Lloyds). Stanley Kubricks The Shining is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made, and one that to this day continues to be the subject of many debates and discussions. On its own, this again seems more like a tiny error rather than an intentional clue. Both Jack and Humbert are writers. This concept is further paralleled in our first view of Dannys bedroom in the Overlook. Despite being strange and somewhat out of place, The Shining bear scene exists in the book as well but involves a man dressed as a dog who is performing the sex act on one of The Overlook's owners, who was bisexual. The scene with the man in the dog costume and the man in a tuxedo is the one used to support this theory, which says the dog represents young Danny Torrance (who earlier in the film is shown to have a plush toy) and the man in the tuxedo represents Jack. We also see two doors on either side of Room 237 that lead nowhere. Theres barely any ambiguity about the end, since it only exists if we are certain of any one explanation, but there isnt one in this case. Kubrick failed in adapting Stephen Kings book, but he succeeded in making a film full of metaphors and symbolism that have made way for countless interpretations of its true meaning. While some fans felt this missed an opportunity to add some meaning to The Shining bear suit, Flanagan felt trying to give the bear from The Shining a backstory would disrupt the rest of the movie. The dialogue of the scene is full of innuendos about abuse. Watch my new Shining analysis video \"Danny's ordeal and the bear costumed man\" here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW2GrG7Zk0UMy written Shining analysis articles and videos are at: http://www.collativelearning.com/FILMS%20reviews%20BY%20ROB%20AGER.htmlRob Ager's analysis of The Shining was plagiarized in a video posted on the Screen Prism channel and credited to Jeff Saporito. Played with quiet confidence and wounded reservation by "Charm City Kings" star Winston, Kevin starts "We Have a Ghost . The supposed connection is that Monarch is believed to be the codename for one of the CIAs mind control experiments, though this is mere conjecture. The shot passes by within 13 seconds and is never referenced again which raises many unanswered questions. He is unable to put his undivided attention towards detailing while writing the story or thinking about it, since his consciousness pertains to a limit of recollection. Jack had a history of anger issues and violence, mainly against his family. Jack then goes after Danny, who runs into the hedge maze all this during a snowstorm. Kubrick used a yellow car instead of a red one and used a red snowcar contrary to yellow in the novel. Another connection is that both of these bear motifs are featured in relation to beds or bedrooms. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. She knocks him unconscious in an act of self defense and locks him in the pantry. Most recently, Pennywise was portrayed byBill Skarsgardin Demons, ghosts, and serial killers all make for frightening movie subjects. It seems that commitment to family is a problem for all of these males. Why did Kubrick break his code of on-set secrecy and why did he show this meeting in the documentary? Danny: "Tony is a little boy that lives in my mouth. The main headlines of the 1978 issue involve two key sections, reading as follows: Incest: Why parents sleep with their children, and, How to avoid a dead end affair. The Shining's Overlook Hotel itself also has a history of cyclical violence: it was built over an Indian burial ground, and by its existence is a testament to the violence of colonization. Add to that the fact that he reads Playgirl magazine. In the games room, Danny encounters the two girls who are supposed to be the Grady twins. Here's the meaning of The Shining Bear Man explained. The most obvious parallel is that both stories feature their combating opponents showing down in a sprawling maze. This gives you an inkling of the absurd lengths Kubrick will go to make a tiny subliminal detail that will go unnoticed by almost everyone watching the picture. The Shining bear suit scene is one of the most confusing and mysterious in the movie. One of the many mysteries of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is why Jack appears in the photo at the end, and it actually has a semi-simple explanation. The Shining Is About Sexual Abuse. With scenes that show an elevator gushing out blood or creepy twins that greet you at the end of a hallway, its not hard to see that the visuals of the film are enough to keep anyone on the edge of their seat. 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). I've never read the book. Contrary to the novel, Danny is not super intelligent and watches The Roadrunner Show (foreshadowing). The sighting of the pair in the novel, then, doesn't have much to do with Danny and Jack Torrance, at least not as clearly as in Ager's film analysis. She has either overlooked or deliberately ignored the abuse that has cause Dannys problems. Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. This is one of the more far-fetchedThe Shiningtheories. He tells Kubricks daughter Vivian, You look cute in your red shirt, a soft porn calendar is seen on his bathroom door, he is seen unzipping his pants to pull out a tape recorder and he provocatively unbuttons his shirt to pull out the connecting wires. However, in Kubricks adaptation, this context was missing which left many viewers questioning what they were looking at and why at that moment. And the parallels continue. The maze chase grew out of the topiary animal hedges that move around in the book. One of the most chilling and surprising shots in the movie is the man in the horrible, bear suit giving felattio to a man dressed in a tuxedo. The Shiningmoon landing connection is the one theory that extends film and into the life and work of Stanley Kubrick in general. Mickey and Minnie Mouse stickers are shown on Dannys bedroom door as he brushes his teeth and in the fatherly love scene he wears a Mickey Mouse sweater. And what is the meaning? Theres an evil side to it. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Move forward, we see Wendy talking to the radio operator about the failed telephone connectivity because of the snow storm. In the kitchen, Halloran takes Wendy and Danny through a twisting-turning path and then opens the freezer room, shot cuts, and we see him opening the door on the wrong side contradicting the previous shot. Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. As well as the incest parallels with the film Lolita, The Shining also carries abuse parallels with another Kubrick film called Barry Lyndon. The interaction between Tony and Danny takes place with the camera focused on a mirror in the bathroom and the shot composition is similar to the bear man shot later on in the movie. Because the movie's Overlook Hotel was built on an Indian burial ground, the blood coming out from the elevator has been interpreted as that of the Indians buried there. Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. Guillermo del Toro said hi to her once. Its understood for people to develop a separate identity as a result of trauma, with the identity built upon the very details of such incidents, i.e, Tony living in Dannys mouth and Dannys reluctance to talk about it. She clutches a knife and slowly ascends up stairs. Below are the six biggest and most popular theories on The Shining explained. One of the most frequent questions Ive received about The Shining is What does the guy in the bear costume mean? The popular interpretation is that the scene is a throwback to a subplot of Stephen Kings book, in which a party guest in a dog costume has a homosexual relationship with one of the hotels former owners. He even sought to create an alternate adaptation of his novel in the form of a television mini-series in the '90s. The Shining Caretaker Explained. Video unavailable This video is unavailable Watch on That strange scene with the bear costume, finally explained. Parallely, Halloran borrows a snowcat to get to the Overlook in time. First of all theres the obvious homosexual innuendo, but the story titles featured on this particular issue include the following: INTERVIEW: THE SELLING OF (STARSKY & HUTCHS) DAVID SOUL. The sequel to The Shining, 2019's Doctor Sleep movie managed to walk a delicate tightrope between adapting King's Shining sequel book and being a follow-up to Kubrick's Shining movie. Coming back to The Overlook, Jack then starts hacking through the main door of their quarters with an axe, while Wendy and Danny run into the bathroom. In Stephen Kings original novel, which the film was adapted from, the scene was given more context. Bullingdon bares a striking resemblance to Danny Torrance. Directed by modern horror master Mike Flanagan, Doctor Sleep offered an unexpected treat in the form of an extended cameo by none other than Jack Torrance himself, now played by Henry Thomas. Another tracking shot, where Danny finds Room 237 and is about to open it before changing his mind and quickly wheeling away. In the book, there's parts where it flashes back to the Overlook's crazy (and unusual) parties in the 1940s, and the owner of the hotel participated in these parties and had a sex slave, Roger I believe, who he'd dress up like a dog and make him do "tricks" as entertainment for the partygoers. 'The Shining:' Who is the Man in the Bear Costume? The ball itself is featured in another scene with Jack throwing it against a wall in the hotel lobby. He was a figure associated with a variety of grand adventures throughout his life, the grandest of which being his ordeal with King Minos minotaur in the labyrinth. One strong and memorable element of The Shining that didnt directly factor into any of these theories was the soundtrack. For example, during the scene where Danny is speaking to his psychiatrist, he is laying on stuffed bears. The following video is based upon chapters 16 & 17 of this analysis, though both the video and article equivalents Slowly ascends up stairs animal hedges that move around in the hotel lobby problem for of! The Shiningmoon landing connection is the Shining abuse theory diverge is on the the shining explained bear suit extent... Talking about the Shining bear Man explained in and informs Jack about a woman in the costume! 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