Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of "The Shining" includes one of the most iconic final scenes in cinema: a haunting photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball, featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) in the center, despite not being born at the time. This image was created by superimposing Nicholson onto an original photograph, which had faded into obscurity until recently. Now, 45 years after the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has been rediscovered.
Retired academic Alasdair Spark from the University of Winchester shared the story of finding the image on Getty's Instagram. He revealed that the photo was actually taken by the Topical Press Agency during a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms in the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington. The man in the original photograph, previously unidentified, was recognized as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, through facial recognition software. Spark's post included a new scan from the image's original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.
Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and numerous dedicated Redditors, embarked on an extensive search to locate the image. Initially, their efforts seemed futile as cross-references to Casani did not match, and other suggested locations failed to provide the image. There was a growing fear that the photograph might be lost to history.
Spark mentioned that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson used in the film, had indicated that the original photograph came from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty took over in 1991, Spark decided to search through Getty's vast collection. This 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."
Spark confirmed that the photo dated back to 1921, as Kubrick had stated, not 1923 as Joan Smith had claimed. The photograph depicted a group of ordinary Londoners at a Monday evening event, debunking theories about celebrities, financiers, or even devil worshippers being present. The only addition to the image was Jack Nicholson.
This discovery should delight fans of "The Shining." Stephen King's novel, published in 1977, has been adapted into two notable versions: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' 1997 miniseries, which stayed closer to the original book.
