Room 237 was pretty good and had some interesting observations. There are various fanatics who spot all these little things in The Shining. Some are more believable than others.
I don't know if I'd give it all the praise these star-giving critics did, since some of the theories were really stretching it, but it reminded me of a paper I wrote. I went to the University of Vermont for about a month and a half before I had to take a medical leave. While I was there I took a class called The Films of Stephen King. In the class we analyzed the movies that are based off of Stephen King books, it was a great class with a great teacher. The last assignment I did was a paper analyzing a short clip of any of the films we had watched thus far. We had watching Stand By Me, Carrie, Apt Pupil, and The Shining by then. I chose The Shining, and I chose this scene:
Unfortunately, I wrote this paper, turned it in, and due to my own mental instabilities, took a medical leave from school. I have no idea what my teacher thought of my paper. But, I will share it with you all. I wrote it when I was 20 and there are some errors and things I would change. But I will leave it unmolested for you all.
"It is with the introduction of Lloyd that Jack Torrance takes the final step in his downward spiral to a complete mental breakdown. In the first few seconds of the scene we discover that Jack is fully taken over with mental illness with his first encounter with a supernatural entity. At the beginning of the scene we cannot see Jack’s face as he covers his eyes and makes smacking motions with his mouth. It is an obvious portrayal of an addict wanting their fix. As he does this there is an increasingly loud drum role that builds anxiety until one chime is heard as Jack peeks his eyes out from under his hands and stares straight at the camera. These are similar noises used through out the film as Kubrick, like a magician, wants us to pay attention at certain and critical moments. As Jack stares at the viewer, it is easy to see he isn’t really breaking the fourth wall because we can tell he is not really seeing us. Perhaps this is a reflection to how Wendy and Danny felt, as he might make eye contact with them, but was never really seeing them either once he’s psychological shift overtook him. Jack removes his hands and smiles with a “Hi Lloyd,” it is with that utterance that we aware that there is someone else in the house, someone that Jack already knows the name of, is pleasantly surprised to see, and understand what “it is a little slow tonight isn’t it?” means. From this moment we then see Jack look around the Gold Room as if maybe there are people there. The audience is aware that changes are taking place in the Overlook Hotel, but Jack is the only one who see it as of now. We know Jack knows these changes the way he suddenly laughs at the camera, or to “Lloyd,” in a devilish manner. This laugh tells us Jack knows something others do not know. Jack has a secret that he shares with Lloyd.
Finally the scene changes off Jack looking right at the camera to a side view of Lloyd behind the bar. From this angle we see a wall of alcohol bottles interrupted by two breaks in the wall that just was white light that SHINES behind Lloyd. This wall symbolically represents the elements that are at work in making Jack mentally ill. The alcohol is an obvious sign, Jack was a former alcoholic who has been sober for months but just “sold his soul” for a drink. These bottles represents Jack’s weakness in mind and character and how his desires (mainly alcohol and his desire to be of a higher class) are over powering him. This can be seen in how much alcohol there is, and how all of a sudden the bar looks high class. The break in the wall of white light symbolizes the power the Overlook Hotel emits and uses to control Jack increasingly as the film goes on. This wall in the background is a precursor for the tragic events that will follow.
Lloyd is another important piece of this scene, after all he is the focus of the shot. Right as the camera changes from Jack to Lloyd a chime sounds again, Kubrick the magician wants the viewer to pay attention. Lloyd is dressed as a high class bartender, juxtaposed to Jack’s dark red sweater and jeans. Despite being better dressed than Jack, Lloyd responds to Jack “Yes Mr. Torrance, what will it be?” Lloyd’s words tell us a few things, he also knows Jack by name and he calls Jack “Mr. Torrance,” giving Jack respect and in a position of power that Jack has been wanting this entire film. Also, Lloyd is going to serve Jack alcohol. Lloyd is enabling Jack to indulge in his vice of choice that has led to a few problems in his life, addiction and ripping his son’s arm out it it’s socket. Lloyd is now a know enemy because of this. We, the viewer, see Jack’s downfall into psychosis and already fear for Danny and Wendy. Alcohol makes Jack harmful and now he is being given that by Lloyd. One of the more subtly interesting aspects of the introduction of Lloyd is that never in this entire discourse between Jack and Lloyd is there a two-shot in which Jack and Lloyd are in the same frame. This is to reinstate that Jack is dealing with something that is not like him and that there is a distinct difference between the two characters. We see Jack talk off camera and focus his attention on something the viewer cannot see, then we are shown Jack’s point of view by seeing Lloyd at the bar. This gives distance between the two characters, but this changes in, for example, the bathroom scene where Jack and Grady are quite close in the frame. Lloyd’s presence in this scene gives many indicators to his danger to Jack and his family, though Jack embraces him with iconic Jack Nicholson smiles.
The Shining has many powerful scenes that show much about this very rich film. The introduction to Lloyd, though, brings the film to some crucial turning points. Here Jack “sells his soul” and Lloyd immediately answers, a direct reference to satanic evils at work. The Gold Room comes to life for the first time, and the Overlook Hotel truly expresses its power and force to Jack. When this happens Jack finally fully embraces madness and everything that follows from this point on will reflect that embrace."
I think is is pretty good for a 20 year old, though I fail to acknowledge that there is in fact a scene with both Torrence and Lloyd. Not bad, younger Kim, not bad.
