In the book, the man dressed in a suit is actually Horace Derwent, the mysterious owner of the Overlook Hotel, and the man in the costume (which is a dog in the book) is Roger, a one-time lover of his. In the close up of Danny we see that his pillow has a teddy bear face on it. Add to that the fact that he reads Playgirl magazine. Here's the meaning of The Shining Bear Man explained. 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: Jacks manifestation as a rotten, naked old woman in the room 237 dream sequence parallels the horrific physical disgust Danny would have felt during his nightmarish ordeal. He also extended the closing date of the hotel to October 30, to welcome the series of Halloween events. The dialogue of the scene is full of innuendos about abuse. We see Halloran contacting the rangers to get in touch with the hotel. A previous caretaker Charles Grady had killed his family, including his two daughters and himself after a claustrophobic breakdown. 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? Adrienne Tyler is a features writer for Screen Rant. Strangelove, at once scary and comical; the brutal pop future of A Clockwork Orange; the raw intimacy of the exchanges between Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut. This is the kind of influence he had on other directors in the industry including legends like Spielberg and Scorsese, who aimed to shoot as precisely as him. The following video is based upon chapters 16 & 17 of this analysis, though both the video and article equivalents The famously paused bear suit scene in The Shining, a horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick and released in 1980, has become one of the most iconic and memorable moments in cinematic history in . In this post, well break down the six biggest theories on. The point of Horace's request was cruelty. Danny who witnesses this screams from the cupboard he was hiding in, runs towards the maze when Jack starts getting closer. Theres no doubt that amongst Stanley Kubricks influential body of work, his 1980 horror The Shining remains his most disturbing film, with eerie atmospheric film suggesting something deeper to be running through the haunted floorboards of the Overlook hotel. Meta Quest 2 - Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset - 128 GB (Renewed Premium). 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. 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. Here's The Shining bear scene explained. Cookie Notice ", Related: What Jack Nicholson Was Really Like Filming The Shining. Unable to pass through that same window, Wendy is trapped when Jack arrives and breaks through the door with the axe the famous Heres Johnny! scene. Perhaps explaining The Shining in this manner falls more in line with the book rather than the film despite the conjecture to the contrary. The novel and subsequent film differ in significant ways. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. Also notice his two hands placed on his crotch, almost like protecting it from something. The Shining novel and film work best as separate pieces, and each ending has a different meaning. While it may not work for Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick's ending perfectly fits the film he created. 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. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Its Tuesday, and frankly speaking shits about to go down. 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. And Kubrick all but disregarded the novel when making the film. The Shining is Stephen King's third published novel and the one that established his name in the horror genre. Observe the thick scrapbook with newspaper cutouts beside the typewriter which is only shown for a scene unlike the novel where Jack continuously uses the scrapbook describing the tragedies that took place at The Overlook, a catalyst for his descent into madness. Proponents of this theory also point to objects and furniture in the background moving and disappearing between takes as further evidence. This is right before the fatherly love scene. 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. 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. Danny and Wendy explore the maze and tired of throwing the ball around, Jack proceeds to gaze over the model of the maze, which is very complexly built compared to the actual maze and symbolizes a sense of psychological entrapment. ew films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks, a film that can be definitively explained? Danny (manifested as his own father in room 237) embraces the naked woman and sees the horror of his predicament in a mirror. Talking about The Overlook, the epicenter, Ullmans room is very strange. 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. In the games room, Danny encounters the two girls who are supposed to be the Grady twins. 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. 13 minutes into the movie when Danny wakes up in his bedroom, his head rests on a bear pillow and very surprisingly 13 minutes from the end we encounter the bear man. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. Others believe its the blood of all the lives claimed by the forces of the hotel, which might be the most convincing explanation. 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. One final detail hinting at Jack's guilt as an abuser of his family is his rotten glance to Danny's bedroom (and the camera) after argueing with Wendy about Danny's injuries. Danny goes back to his room to get his firetruck and sees a grim looking Jack, his face shown through the mirror again. 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. In attempting to answer "what is The Shining about?" It's certainly an impactful moment that brings the movie full circle, seeing Jack become a part of the famous Overlook hotel ghosts once and for all. The movie doesn't expressly explain the identity of the man, but in the book, Stephen King provides the answer. 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. On the subject of wedding rings, a consistent detail is that none of the males in the film wear one. 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. Here, Im going by the theory that the Jack in the second half was typed into existence by the real Jack Torrance. ", Doctor: "Does Tony ever ask you to do things? This makes sense when going back to his conversation with Grady in the bathroom, where the butler tells Jack that he has always been the caretaker. It also fits with the role of both Grady characters mentioned in the film: the past caretaker and the ghost. Triggered by Dannys psychic abilities, the hotel releases some dangerous supernatural forces that mess with Jacks sanity and the safety of Wendy and Danny. Well explain each theory, why people believe it, and look at the corroborating evidence. One strong and memorable element of The Shining that didnt directly factor into any of these theories was the soundtrack. Wendy seems to be thoroughly disturbed by this and runs away. He even sought to create an alternate adaptation of his novel in the form of a television mini-series in the '90s. The Shining is a film about cyclical violence, and about how we can't escape the dark specter of history. This is the same mirror in which Wendy hugs Danny before seeing the REDRUM graffiti on the bathroom door. Move forward, we see Wendy talking to the radio operator about the failed telephone connectivity because of the snow storm. Funnily enough, director Stanley Kubrick had a couple different endings in mind for The Shining, each of them very different. 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. A rotating shot followed by a hawk-eye shot of pine forests that point out of the screen like needles with the nerve-wracking high pitched background score. The last of our The Shiningmovie theories is the most cogent of the bunch:The Shining abuse theory. What she sees when she gets there is a disturbing image of a man in a bear costume performing fellatio on a man in a tuxedo. Its now even more clear why Kubrick chose such a sombre piece of music for the fatherly love scene. The aforementioned Room 237 doc covers this theory and the following video digs even deeper into this Native American genocide interpretation. The Shining Explained . He chose each clip for thematic reasons. In the same interview, the screenwriter says, "The photograph was always in the ending. The Shining bear suit scene is one of the most confusing and mysterious in the movie. Watch the scene below and let us know what you think the scariest scene in The Shining is. It seems that commitment to family is a problem for all of these males. 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 particular, we see Jack Nicholson and James Mason having a personal chat, while the rest of Masons family meet Kubrick himself. 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. Contents 1 Biography 2 Notes & Trivia 3 See also 4 External Links 5 Appearances 6 References and our The easiest one to notice is in the scene of Danny talking to the psychiatrist. Learn More{{/message}}, {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}It appears your submission was successful. Wendy distraught over Dannys deteriorating state goes looking for Jack and finds hundreds of pages by his typewriter, all of them clustered with the sentence All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. This theory not only gives The Shining a darker turn but also gives meaning to the over-analyzed s cene of the man in the tuxedo and the one in a bear costume. He might have had his anger under control for a while before taking the job, but he went back to it there. Danny on the other hand after the physical trauma goes into a semi-conscious state, Tony taking hold of the reigns and keeps on repeating the word redrum in a very mechanical trance. This idea even served as the basis for a mockumentary film from director Matt Johnson calledOperation Avalanche. Related:Are Charles & Delbert Grady The Same Person? Master the art of visual storytelling with our FREE video series on directing and filmmaking techniques. ", Doctor: "If you were to open your mouth could I see Tony? In this interview, Stephen King supports the notion that the Overlook Hotel could represent hell. He was creating a parallel between Jack Torrance and the main character of Kubricks earlier film Lolita. This is one of the more compelling The Shining theories and there is a lot of ancillary evidence to support it. First few seconds and we are already given a taste of the mise en scne. The Bear Man. He thought there might be something else that would be metaphorically and visually more interesting. The dialogue of the scene is full of innuendos about abuse. Jack has clearly gone haywire and absent-mindedly proceeds to the Gold Room. So how can you break put from the pack and get your idea onto the small screen? Both of them keep their personal writings hidden from their wives. Another tracking shot, where Danny finds Room 237 and is about to open it before changing his mind and quickly wheeling away. In the HD version, several book and newspaper titles are visible in the psychiatrist scene. Theres something inherently wrong with the human personality. In 2019, famed horror director Mike Flanagan brought the story to the big screen, starring Ewan McGregor in the titular role. He also echoes back the same words the Grady twins say, forever and ever and ever. He also made a brief appearance in one of the bizarre " WTF ?" scenes in the 1980 adaptation of The Shining by director Stanley Kubrick. She knocks him unconscious in an act of self defense and locks him in the pantry. This broader theory became directly connected to The Shining as Kubricks subtle way of validating the claims. We identified in previous chapters that Jack strangled Danny in the fatherly love scene and with these new details it would seem that he also sexually abused his son during this event. Some readers will probably disapprove or take offence at what Im about to say regardless of how I explain it, so Ill just say it outright. The Overlooks construction in the early 1900s and the photograph of Jack in the 1920s both pose interesting clues. Dick tells Danny that many people shine but arent aware of it and demands him to not explore Room 237. She was also a contributor for FanSided's BamSmackPow and 1428 Elm. From across the hall, they casually look up at her. The hotel was built upon a Native American burial ground and is decorated with various works of Native American art. Inside, a man in a bear suit is performing fellatio on one of the Overlook's guests. Supporting this theory are the way Danny/Theseus overcomes Jack/the minotaur which parallel each other to a certain degree but not explicitly. This imagery in itself is enough to unsettle some people. This was a controversial essay claiming that the medical professions have a tendency to mistakenly label physical health conditions as manifestations of psychological problems. In addition to the sexual innuendos of the doctors conversation, theres one further scene in the film that adds to the mystery in question, occurring when Hotel managers Stuart Ullman and Bill Watson approach Jack on the closing day of the Overlook. Our partial view of the felatio bear, before he leans back from the bed, matches our partial view of Danny brushing his teeth before his first Shining vision. 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. What's more, while staying at the Stanley Hotel, King reports having caught glimpses of a young boy roaming the halls even though he and his wife were the only registered guests at the time. Here is a piece of evidence which on its own acts as virtual confirmation of this theme. At the time, the film made modest profits and was met with lukewarm reviews ("Even the film's most startling images seem overbearing and perhaps even irrelevant," shrugged . 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. As is explained here, there are . 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. His crotch, almost like protecting it from something thought there might be something else would! 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