Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of The Shining is renowned for its haunting final shot: a photograph from the Overlook Hotel's 1921 Fourth of July ball, featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) prominently, despite the character not yet being born. This iconic image was created by superimposing Nicholson onto an existing photograph, which had remained elusive until recently. After 45 years, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has finally been discovered.
Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark detailed the journey to uncover the image on Getty's Instagram. He explained, "Following the earlier identification by facial recognition software of the unknown man in the photograph at the end of The Shining as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, I can reveal that the photo 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, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post also showcased a new scan from the original glass-plate negative, along with supporting handwritten documents.
Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and dedicated Redditors, embarked on a challenging quest to locate the image. "It was starting to seem impossible; every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other suggested places didn’t match either," he shared via Getty. "We feared the photo might be lost to history and never found."
Spark further noted that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson used in the film, had mentioned that the original photo came from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark decided to search through Getty's extensive archives. This search revealed that the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick’s production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in The Shining.
"Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921, and he was correct," Spark concluded. "The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on—like the Trix Sisters—nor the bankers, financiers, or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined. No devil worshippers either. Nobody was composited into it except Jack Nicholson. It shows a group of ordinary London people on a Monday evening. 'All the best people,' as the manager of the Overlook Hotel said."This discovery is sure to delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel was released in 1977 and has been adapted twice: Kubrick’s iconic film and Mick Garris’ book-accurate 1997 miniseries.
