Of all the places in the film that a picture of bears could appear this one is right above Dannys bed and there are no other framed bear pictures in the film. One of the most chilling details about both the novel and film versions of The Shining is that the Overlook Hotel is based on a real (possibly haunted) location that Stephen King once visited. Therefore, it makes sense why Doctor Sleep didn't include The Shining bear man. A shift from dog to bear costume doesnt have any significant effect on the aesthetic scariness of the scene so there must have been some sort of logic at work in Kubricks decision. Add to that the fact that he reads Playgirl magazine. The easiest one to notice is in the scene of Danny talking to the psychiatrist. A flustered Jack heads to the empty Gold Room, where he starts talking to the bartender Lloyd and opts to drink. Without Kubrick around to spell out his intentions, the answer is probably not. Both of them secretly despise their wives. Jack also mentions his wife being a horror movie addict and her character is typical of a scream queen/damsel in distress (something out of a conventional 40s horror flick). Dannys exposure to T.V is also mentioned and it does raise questions over the authenticity of the visions that we see. In the same interview, the screenwriter says, "The photograph was always in the ending. The complete lack of wires running to the TV, pointed out by of my correspondents, may also be related to the concept of a fractal film. Few films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks The Shining. Specifically, the spaceship sweater with Apollo 11 written on it, which was the name of the rocket used in the moon landing. This is right before the fatherly love scene. Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. Those who believe in this theory point to a particular poster visible on the wall in the background as proof. The one on the left would be overlapped by the stretched size of 237, seen in the bathroom scene and the one on the right shows a stairway going downstairs where Room 237 is. Yet, this isn't Jack, rather, it's Lloyd the bartender, albeit not the same Lloyd Jack himself encountered. The fact that his films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Shining require detailed explanations says a lot about his craft. Connecting the dots, The Shining bear man and his partner could be stand-ins for Danny and Jack. One newspaper article is called Illness as metaphor and was written by Susan Sontag. 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. Over the past four decades, The Shining has been picked apart, shot by shot, by hundreds of viewers looking for hidden meanings, ranging from film scholars who adore the work of Kubrick to conspiracy theorists who think that Kubrick was involved in faking the Moon landing. Her gullible belief of Dannys room 237 story is plain silly. Next: Every Shining Character Who Returns In Doctor Sleep, The Shining's Bear Man Is The Film's Biggest Mystery: Here's What It Means, Are Charles & Delbert Grady The Same Person? However, in Kubricks adaptation, this context was missing which left many viewers questioning what they were looking at and why at that moment. The biggest reason for the sideways panning when Ullman shows the hotel is to let the viewers sink in every corridor and direction, before he changes the set design completely, creating an anomaly to disorientate the viewers.Theres also an EXIT sign cleverly put on the left end of the hallway leading to Torrances apartment where the bathroom is, strange foreshadowing. The following video is based upon chapters 16 & 17 of this analysis, though both the video and article equivalents Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. It's considered one of his best novels to date and one that has gone through all types of analysis thanks to the various themes it addresses, such as family, addiction, isolation, and mental health. Either way, The Shining is not so much a ghost story in a literal sense, but a story about the ghosts (or demons, in some cases) of violence and abuse, and how these can come back to continue with the cycle. The film is very different from the novel so much so that Stephen King has said he hates The Shining many times. 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. Both the usage of pre-existing music and the original score composed for The Shining are standouts of the genre. The Shining bear is no different, and, if Rob Ager's theory is correct, could explain a much darker nature to the relationship between Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) and his father, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). Another tracking shot and Danny encounters the Grady twins again, with a new vision of them lying bloodied on the ground. 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. The ball itself is featured in another scene with Jack throwing it against a wall in the hotel lobby. But also the sexual abuse is shown in a scene between Jack and his father in the bizarre scene with the man in the bear costume and older gentleman. Some believe this suggests Lloyd the bartender was never a real person, and instead just a role the Overlook assigns to one of the souls it owns. Kubrick replaced the hedge animals in the book with a hedge maze, which like the movie offers endless possibilities but barely any solution. But one of the films most unforgettable elements has to be the haunting visuals of the film. At one point in the movie, there is an unexplained scene of a man in a bear suit performing a sexual act on another man. She has either overlooked or deliberately ignored the abuse that has cause Dannys problems. Jack takes his wife, Wendy (Shelley Duvall), and their son, Danny (Danny Lloyd), with him, but little do they know, the Overlook has some dark secrets of its own. The point of Horace's request was cruelty. 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. A popular theory, and one that has gone very deep into the symbolism of The Shining, says that the film also addresses sexual abuse. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) enters The Overlook for an appointment with Mr. Ullman, the manager. Make sure you come right back 'cause Im gonna make lunch soon. But, to be perfectly honest, every other piece of evidence in support of this theory is beyond far-fetched and not to be taken seriously. In order to buy into The Shining conspiracy theories in this vein, you need to already be on board with the moon landing being a hoax, which, of course, it wasnt. Roger in his costume, jumping, running, barking, howling, and absolutely humiliating himself in front of an assortment of celebrators. The Bear Man. As for all the weird stuff Wendy stumbles across while running through the hotel, like the guy in the bear suit blowing the party guest and the lift full of blood, it's like Halloran said earlier in the film: "A lot of things happened in this hotel over the years, and not all of them were good". This theory goes all the way back to classic Greek myths. 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. Buy a book on film making from any part of the world, either Russia or Japan or Sweden, and youll find this name mentioned not once but in every chapter, ranging from minutely monumental details like breaking the 180 degree rule to establishing genres like science fiction and satirical comedy. Both Jack and Humbert are writers. Heres another parallel. Another interesting point, Wendy later holds Danny in the same way as Jack holds the old lady, and also has Jacks blue robe on (the same robe he had while he abused Danny). It. He tells her that he had disabled both the radio and the snowcat and there was no means of escape left, while the camera points at him in an inverted position giving the impression of him hanging upside down, innovative angles to insert craziness. Flanagan purposefully decided to leave the ghost out, despite Doctor Sleep containing many ghosts from The Shining. This parallels the big brotherly relationship in Barry Lyndon between the adult Lord Bullingdon and his younger half brother, who is also a Danny Torrance look-alike. Because what we really see are two different versions. The Bear Man is the biggest evidence of Dannys sexual abuse. He decided to adapt Stephen Kings best selling novel, The Shining. Interesting. 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. Jack later speaks to a disappointed Grady through the door, who believes Jack doesnt have the stomach to carry out the task. The movie doesn't expressly explain the identity of the man, but in the book, Stephen King provides the answer. A month passes and we are greeted with the most iconic tracking shot of all time and unlike most of them, it tracks the tricycle of a kid moving around empty corridors with the echoing sound of the wheels rolling against the wooden floor creating a oddly satisfying atmosphere. That being said, The Shining bear didn't appear in the sequel. The sound design is top-notch but is literally so powerful at this time, every blow feels like one to your heart. There are also various historical parallels that support the theory that Kubrick wanted to express subtle themes surrounding the genocide of Native Americans. Tonally, I didnt know if the film would survive that kind of speed bump," Flanagan admitted. Theres an evil side to it. When Shelley Duvall witnesses the bear giving oral sex to another man, she is confronting the true horror and cruelty of her husbands actions toward her son, animating in front of her eyes as a disturbing vision. The Shining (1980) R Horror Drama Director: Stanley Kubrick Release Date: June 13, 1980 Cast: Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall, Jack Nicholson, Scatman Crothers Writers: Diane Johnson, Stanley Kubrick Rating: R Runtime: 146 minutes Cinematographer: John Alcott Producer: Stanley Kubrick Production Company: 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. Wendy too looks in the mirror, and overlap the two scenes and you find Jack holding Danny while the mirror shows the filthiness of his atrocities. In researching the film I have found three thematic interpretations of the bear man scene and I believe Kubrick intended all three of these metaphors as part of the subliminal narrative. He chose each clip for thematic reasons. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. Learn More{{/message}}. The most obvious parallel is that both stories feature their combating opponents showing down in a sprawling maze. Now I wont beat around the bush by building up to my interpretation of this theme. The elevator blood scene first appears as a vision to Danny, and materializes near the end of the film when Wendy is looking for him. What makes The Shining so special? On its own, this again seems more like a tiny error rather than an intentional clue. As mentioned above, Kubrick left many details open to interpretation, whether for viewers to come up with their own explanations or just to mess with them. This broader theory became directly connected to The Shining as Kubricks subtle way of validating the claims. We see Halloran contacting the rangers to get in touch with the hotel. Of course, there are some more convincing (and coherent) than others, but The Shining is, at its core, a story about violence and abuse and how these are often cyclical. 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. In attempting to answer "what is The Shining about?" He thought there might be something else that would be metaphorically and visually more interesting. Its now even more clear why Kubrick chose such a sombre piece of music for the fatherly love scene. After being freed from the kitchen pantry by Gradys ghost, Jack (whose sanity was already shattered by that point) goes after Wendy and Danny, axe in hand. Coming back around to consciousness, Danny awakes to see that his trousers are around his ankles and he is laying on top of a large stuffed toy bear. The young woman had inexplicably transformed into an old lady who walks after the frantic Jack laughing all the while. The bear also appears when a doctor visits Danny and his mother at. Based on the book of the same name by Stephen King, The Shining follows Jack Torrance ( Jack Nicholson ), a writer who has been hired as the winter caretaker at the isolated Overlook Hotel in. 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. There are many visuals to prove this theory, small details that would be termed as continuity errors but are present to signify the difference between the real world and Jacks world. Hasnt she ever challenged him on this? In addition to beating him, Jack sexually abuses Danny. At the hedge maze, Danny manages to escape by laying a false trail to mislead Jack. This appearance doesn't clear up the question about why Jack is seen in the 1921 photo at the Overlook, but it does suggest that the theory about his soul being somehow absorbed by the haunted hotel is actually true. Wendy and Danny lock themselves in the bathroom, and Wendy sends Danny through the window. In Stephen Kings original novel, which the film was adapted from, the scene was given more context. Jack like a crazy wolf, knocking down anything that comes his way, delivers the iconic line Heres Johnny! after hacking parts of the bathroom door. In an interview (via EW), executive producer Jan Harlan and screenwriter Diane Johnson both expand on the final scenes of The Shining, including The Shining picture at the end. The Shining movie's brief moment of intimacy between the man in the bear costume and his partner has a different context behind it in King's book. When Jack walks from the reception to the room, the camera travels in a perpendicular fashion highlighting the angle of the room and the apparent absence of a wall behind Ullmans room. Ager suggests that Danny's experience in Room 237 was his way of externalizing his abuse and that it was his father who assaulted him instead. We see Halloran whos in Miami but suddenly gets shocking visions that arent shown and the shot switches to a traumatised Danny whimpering because of the visions. The novel decided to show all the images at the beginning, while Kubrick decided to use the conventional step by step process to create suspense. The open patch on the bear mans behind in the film simply adds to the sexual emphasis. Did Jack put them there? We are tracking a yellow car driving through the mountains and at the same time observing the vastness and seclusion of the landscape. Tony disapproves of the Torrances decision to move to The Overlook and in a very intriguing scene, Danny is shown visions of the consequences ranging from a flood of red liquid gushing out from elevators, two identical young girls and a totaled image of himself. Kubrick was never into the idea of making a typical horror film, and he certainly got what he wanted out of the film, even if Stephen King didn't like it. With a narrative that's as puzzling and confusing as the hedge maze found in the terrifying climax, The Shining has led fans to rack their head for it's various meanings for the past 40 years. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. All Rights Reserved. A hostile Jack threatens her and claims he has responsibilities to look after and will get rid of her if she bothered him. The Shining. The aforementioned Room 237 doc covers this theory and the following video digs even deeper into this Native American genocide interpretation. 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. Later in the film, the adult Bullingdon is played by Leon Vitali. Adrienne is very into films and she enjoys a bit of everything: from superhero films to heartbreaking dramas, to low-budget horror films. 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. Its rumbling overcome by Jacks maddening bellows, who eventually freezes to death. Danny goes back to his room to get his firetruck and sees a grim looking Jack, his face shown through the mirror again. I've never read the book. Cookie Notice This is one of the more popular and widely circulated The Shining theories, but its also one of the sillier interpretations. Spiked with sexual innuendo, this conversation holds several clues to the truth behind the relationship between Danny, his father and the imagery of the bear, with many suggesting that the animal is symbolic of Jacks predatory control over his family and sexual abuse of his son. Additionally, lines of dialogue such as white mans burden further support this association. Among those are the ending of The Shining and some of the scenes that come moments before that final shot of the photo. The first thing to note is that in the film the guy is dressed in a bear costume instead of a dog costume. The bear symbolizes homosexuality and sexual abuse. The meaning and topics addressed in the novel are very different than those in The Shining movie Stephen King hates so much, given Kubricks many changes to the story in order to fit his vision. The dog/sexual abuse interpretation hasnt been confirmed by those involved in the film, so its up to each viewer if they accept it or not. In the HD version, several book and newspaper titles are visible in the psychiatrist scene. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. Those who believe this theory also suggest that it indicates the events that happen to Danny inside of Room 237, which are not shown to the audience. Stanley Kubrick's epic, bizarre, somewhat controversial adaptation of Stephen King's The Shining was released 40 years ago this week. Because of that, The Shining book and movie are very different entities, and details that are explained or at least easier to interpret in the novel are either not included or left very ambiguous in the film. One of the things that horror stories can do is to show us the archetypes of the unconscious; we can see the dark side without having to confront it directly. Jack had a history of anger issues and violence, mainly against his family. Also introduced is an invisible character Tony, who apparently lives inside Dannys mouth. Inside, a man in a bear suit is performing fellatio on one of the Overlook's guests. Also notice his two hands placed on his crotch, almost like protecting it from something. 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. Vivian Kubrick explains in the commentary that James Mason was acting in a local theatre, and so Kubrick gave him an invitation. This scene has been interpreted many ways, and one of the most popular explanations is that it represents the hotel absorbing Jacks soul. Were here to help. I've watched the movie somewhere between 5-10 times over the years and still haven't been able to figure out the meaning of this scene. 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. However, skeptics would say these could easily be a result of simple continuity errors. The Shining is full of allegory and mystery, but none are as wild and potentially insidious as what could be lurking behind that strange man in a bear suit. Makes sense why Doctor Sleep did the shining explained bear suit appear in the film was adapted from the! 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