Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of "The Shining" includes one of the most iconic final shots in horror cinema: a haunting photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson), who was digitally added to the image. This original photograph, which had faded into obscurity post its use in the film, has now been rediscovered, 45 years after the movie's release.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared insights into the rediscovery process on Getty's Instagram. He revealed that facial recognition software identified the unknown man in the photo as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer. Spark explained 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 in the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington. Alongside his post, Spark included a new scan from the image's original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.
The search for the photograph was a collaborative effort involving Spark, New York Times staffer Arick Toller, and numerous dedicated Redditors. Initially, the task seemed daunting as every lead related to Casani failed to match, and several suggested locations did not yield the desired image. There was a growing fear that the photo might be lost forever.
Spark shared that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson superimposed over Casani, had mentioned that the original photo 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 delve into 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 concluded that the photo, dating back to 1921 as Kubrick had stated, depicted a group of ordinary Londoners at a Monday evening event, debunking earlier speculations about celebrities, bankers, or even devil worshippers being part of the image. The only addition to the original photograph was Jack Nicholson.
This revelation is a heartwarming moment for fans of "The Shining," originally a 1977 novel by Stephen King, which was adapted into Kubrick's iconic film and later into a more book-faithful 1997 miniseries directed by Mick Garris.
