Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining is renowned for its haunting conclusion, which features a chilling photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball. In the film, Jack Torrance, portrayed by Jack Nicholson, appears prominently in the image, despite not being born at the time the photo was supposedly taken. This iconic shot was created by superimposing Nicholson onto a real photograph, which had remained elusive until recently. After 45 years since the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has finally been unearthed.
Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark detailed the journey to find the image on Getty's Instagram. He revealed that facial recognition software had 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 shared a new scan from the image's original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.
The search for the photograph was a challenging endeavor for Spark, New York Times staffer Arick Toller, and numerous dedicated Redditors. Initially, it seemed impossible as cross-references to Casani did not match, and suggested locations did not yield the image. There was a fear that the photo might be lost to history. However, Spark's conversation with on-set photographer Murray Close, who took the image of Nicholson that was later superimposed, pointed him towards the BBC Hulton Library, which had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and was subsequently taken over by Getty in 1991. This led to a thorough search through Getty's vast collection, resulting in 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, contrary to some claims, dated from 1921, as Kubrick had stated, and not 1923. The image did not feature any celebrities, bankers, financiers, presidents, or devil worshippers as speculated by some. Instead, it depicted a group of ordinary Londoners enjoying a Monday evening, aligning with the Overlook Hotel manager's comment about "all the best people."
This discovery is sure to excite fans of The Shining. Stephen King's original novel, released in 1977, has been adapted into two notable versions: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' more faithful 1997 miniseries.
