It's no secret that Kubrick's take on The Shining deviated largely from Stephen King's novel in fact, Stephen King hates The Shining, somewhat notoriously but film scholar Rob Ager delved deep into what Kubrick may have been implying with The Shining bear man, that the novelization didn't clear up. Stephen King's Doctor Sleep follows an adult Danny Torrance after the events at The Overlook Hotel and his endeavor to find closure. Proponents of this theory also point to objects and furniture in the background moving and disappearing between takes as further evidence. One of the most memorable scenes from The Shining is the blood coming out from the elevator. Interesting. Danny writes REDRUM with a red crayon on the door of the bathroom while Wendys sleeping and starts repeating it to wake her up. But The Shining bear man does have a disturbing and specific implication. 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 . But there was always one particular scene in the movie that left me with an unsettling feeling: the bear man scene. When Jack walks from the reception to the room, the camera travels in a perpendicular fashion highlighting the angle of the room and the apparent absence of a wall behind Ullmans room. The young woman had inexplicably transformed into an old lady who walks after the frantic Jack laughing all the while. The last of our The Shiningmovie theories is the most cogent of the bunch:The Shining abuse theory. Tonally, I didnt know if the film would survive that kind of speed bump," Flanagan admitted. He also informs Danny about the hotels ability to shine owing to its tragic past from being built on an Indian burial site to the murders, discovered and undiscovered. Quite sensibly quoting Martin Scorsese Watching a Kubrick film is like gazing up at a mountaintop. Introducing aspiring bodypainterCharrar.basPennywise the Dancing Clownfrom Stephen Kings It, the hit book, television adaptation, and film adaptation. A previous caretaker Charles Grady had killed his family, including his two daughters and himself after a claustrophobic breakdown. Wendy defends herself with a knife and slashes Jacks arm, causing him to retreat. . Kubrick decided to direct a comparatively crowd appealing film, maybe as a result of the financially poor performance of Barry Lyndon, which by many revered critics and filmmakers is considered to be his best film. Yet, this isn't Jack, rather, it's Lloyd the bartender, albeit not the same Lloyd Jack himself encountered. Without Kubrick around to spell out his intentions, the answer is probably not. The supposed connection is that Monarch is believed to be the codename for one of the CIAs mind control experiments, though this is mere conjecture. The Bear in The Shining has a lasting legacy though an especially unsettling moment in an already unsettling film. In Barry Lyndon a commoner, who marries his way into high society, systematically beats his stepson, Lord Bullingdon. The truth is, Stanley Kubricks The Shining could in no way be called a faithful adaptation of the source material. Stanley Kubrick. We see Halloran contacting the rangers to get in touch with the hotel. Many people have asked me about the significance of the number 42 on Dannys T-shirt in the tooth brushing / shining scene. He also informs Jack about Danny involving an outside party (Halloran) in the situation and stresses on words like will, to upset Jack. The video was called The Shining Who is the man in the bear costume. Parallely, Halloran borrows a snowcat to get to the Overlook in time. Prior to Screen Rant, she wrote for Pop Wrapped, 4 Your Excitement (4YE), and D20Crit, where she was also a regular guest at Netfreaks podcast. But also the sexual abuse is shown in a scene between Jack and his father in the bizarre scene with the man in the bear costume and older gentleman. Last update on 2023-02-28 / Source: Amazon Affiliates. Lover of foreign films; hater of American remakes. Triggered by Dannys psychic abilities, the hotel releases some dangerous supernatural forces that mess with Jacks sanity and the safety of Wendy and Danny. Every time she manages to commit to a TV show without getting bored, an angel gets its wings. What makes The Shining so special? For example, during the scene where Danny is speaking to his psychiatrist, he is laying on stuffed bears. 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. What happens to Wendy and Danny after that is unknown (in the film, at least), although a deleted scene featured them in a hospital, recovering both physically and mentally from everything they went through. Hasnt she ever challenged him on this? ", Doctor: "If you were to open your mouth could I see Tony? This theory goes all the way back to classic Greek myths. Even the Gold Room is spatially impossible due to its enormous size, a beautiful irony of the vastness of the effect of claustrophobia. Related:Are Charles & Delbert Grady The Same Person? Danny escapes the maze and reunites with Wendy, and they escape in Hallorans snowcat. Here's the end of The Shining explained. Note how Jack wears dull colored clothes in the beginning but wears a burgundy jacket throughout the second half and the opposite for Wendy who wears a bright red and blue costume, similar to that of the Goofy poster in Dannys bedroom but towards the end opts for dull ones. Those who believe this theory also suggest that it indicates the events that happen to Danny inside of Room 237, which are not shown to the audience. Although only 13 seconds, this scene was an eerie moment that is enough to disturb viewers and keep them questioning even 40 years after the film has been released. Set in the towering, fictional Overlook Hotel, located in the Colorado Rockies, the haunting tale follows Jack Torrance (Nicholson), his wife, Wendy (Duvall) and son Danny (Danny Lloyd) who opt to look after the hotel over the winter. In the book, there's parts where it flashes back to the Overlook's crazy (and unusual) parties in the 1940s, and the owner of the hotel participated in these parties and had a sex slave, Roger I believe, who he'd dress up like a dog and make him do "tricks" as entertainment for the partygoers. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. ", Danny: "I dont wanna talk about Tony any more.". Theres an evil side to it. In one of the most beautiful 5 minutes on the big screen (the heavenly use of colors and symmetry and such calm destruction of the imaginary axis), we see Grady convince Jack to correct his family and reminds him that he has always been the caretaker, which was then shown in the B/W picture at the end. In the psychiatrist scene Danny lays on the bed with his jeans removed and his hands curiously covering his groin area, just as Jack did in the fatherly love scene. The elevator blood scene first appears as a vision to Danny, and materializes near the end of the film when Wendy is looking for him. The bear man appears to be giving felatio to the man on the bed, just as the dog man in the book was carrying out a sexual submission role with his partner. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. 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. But one of the films most unforgettable elements has to be the haunting visuals of the film. The ball itself is featured in another scene with Jack throwing it against a wall in the hotel lobby. Few films inspire as many diverse fan theories and interpretations as Stanley Kubricks The Shining. , including our own theory that its actually a Christmas movie! Also to be noted, this is the first time we see Jack in the burgundy jacket, the color similar to that of the liquid gushing out of the elevator in Dannys vision. The film Stanley Kubrick called "the best film I think I have ever seen" Shrouded in strange mystery, puzzling cinephiles for decades, one of the film's darkest secrets is the curious meaning behind the bear who appears to Shelley Duvall's Wendy as she is desperately escaping Jack's grasp. It was great. Danny's experience in Room 237 occurs when a ball rolls into the room, and Wendy then comes to his rescue after she hears him screaming punctuated with the claim that a "crazy woman" strangled him. 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. The horrific happenings, the fact that the Torrance family is trapped, and the suggestion that Jack has been in the hotel for decades support The Shining analysis that the Overlook represents hell. I've watched the movie somewhere between 5-10 times over the years and still haven't been able to figure out the meaning of this scene. This broader theory became directly connected to The Shining as Kubricks subtle way of validating the claims. At one point in the movie, there is an unexplained scene of a man in a bear suit performing a sexual act on another man. In the games room, Danny encounters the two girls who are supposed to be the Grady twins. He also extended the closing date of the hotel to October 30, to welcome the series of Halloween events. Kubrick was responsible for such awkward structuring, mainly because he wanted to instill horror through ambience. Surprisingly, Jack expresses nothing but anticipation towards the role of the caretaker. Yes! Shrouded in strange mystery, puzzling cinephiles for decades, one of the films darkest secrets is the curious meaning behind the bear who appears to Shelley Duvalls Wendy as she is desperately escaping Jacks grasp. Both Jack and Humbert are writers. Kubrick replaced the hedge animals in the book with a hedge maze, which like the movie offers endless possibilities but barely any solution. But that hasnt stopped people all over the world from trying. Here's the meaning of The Shining Bear Man explained. 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. Jack as warned by Grady kills Halloran with a strike to the chest in the lobby. The hotel was built upon a Native American burial ground and is decorated with various works of Native American art. Despite all the changes Stanley Kubrick made to the ending, one of the director's visions remained in place throughout all of it: The Shining picture at the end. ), or wondering what life would have been like had Pushing Daisies, Firefly, and Limitless not been cancelled. Because of that, The Shining book and movie are very different entities, and details that are explained or at least easier to interpret in the novel are either not included or left very ambiguous in the film. She clutches a knife and slowly ascends up stairs. Three minutes into the movie and we come face to face with the words, The Interview in block letters resembling the beginning of a chapter. Notice how we are shown a freaked out Jack through the mirror (reality) calling Danny to come to him. He is unable to put his undivided attention towards detailing while writing the story or thinking about it, since his consciousness pertains to a limit of recollection. Theres something inherently wrong with the human personality. He came as the caretaker, but this hotel had its own guardians - who'd been there a long time. We meet Delbert Grady (not the Grady who killed his family) as he spills a drink on Jacks jacket and then takes him to the washroom to get cleaned up (more like clean him off his conscience). These observations could easily be interpreted as evidence that Wendy has also had an incestuous relationship with Danny, but my guess is the older woman relationship refers to the woman in room 237, who we know is simply a dream manifestation of Jack. and our Since the movie is so extensive, lets discuss about three independently primary talking points : Jack, Overlook Hotel and the Bear Man. However, there are two different levels to this theory, and one is far more apparent than the other. Her gullible belief of Dannys room 237 story is plain silly. The video, which was credited to a writer named Jeff Saporito and which had since racked up over half a million views, offered a theory that the appearance of the bear suited guy in the mysterious bear scene of The Shining was a metaphor that lead character Jack Torrance had sexually abused his own son. Coming to Room 237 again, it was Jack who physically assaulted Danny and not the old lady, who serves as a metaphor for the disgusting act carried out by Jack on Danny, and this is exactly why it is shown through a mirror. You look up and wonder, how could anyone have climbed that high? This is the same mirror in which Wendy hugs Danny before seeing the REDRUM graffiti on the bathroom door. The Shining Caretaker Explained. Danny (manifested as his own father in room 237) embraces the naked woman and sees the horror of his predicament in a mirror. 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 bear also appears when a doctor visits Danny and his mother at. Wendy calls a doctor who checks Danny and asks about some sort of trauma Danny may have suffered that may have caused him to make up his imaginary friend. The Shining bear is no different, and, if Rob Ager's theory is correct, could explain a much darker nature to the relationship between Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) and his father, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). For all of the supernatural twists and turns in The Shining's story, knowing that it's based on a real location makes the film (and its ending) all the creepier, even though King reportedly hated many of the changes. The Shining - (Clip) Man in Bear Suit SwordfromtheStone 101 subscribers Subscribe 2.7K Share Save 557K views 14 years ago This is a not often seen clip from Stanley Kubricks'The Shining. We are tracking a yellow car driving through the mountains and at the same time observing the vastness and seclusion of the landscape. This is one of the more compelling The Shining theories and there is a lot of ancillary evidence to support it. This makes the scene even more baffling and the unknown even more frightening. In addition to beating him, Jack sexually abuses Danny. Jack admits to having underestimated the task and promises to go to any length to finish it, and his door unseemingly gets unlocked. 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. Danny driving a different tricycle, the disappearance of the wooden mantelpiece, the typewriters changing or a shot of Jack waking up right after a tracking shot (which is shown through a mirror, a reflection of reality in the movie). 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