Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of The Shining is renowned for its haunting final scene, featuring a chilling photograph from the Overlook Hotel’s 1921 Fourth of July ball. The image prominently displays Jack Torrance, played by Jack Nicholson, in a setting that predates his birth. The original photograph used in the film had faded into obscurity—until now, 45 years after the film's release, it has been rediscovered.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, detailed the journey to unearth this iconic image on Getty's Instagram. He explained that facial recognition software identified the man in the photo as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer. The photograph was one of three captured 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. Spark's post included a new scan from the 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 dedicated Redditors. Initially, it seemed an impossible task as every lead related to Casani failed to match, and other suggested locations did not yield the image. There was a growing fear that the photo might be lost forever.
Spark mentioned that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson superimposed over Casani, had informed him that the original photograph was sourced 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 comb through Getty's extensive archives. 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 by noting that the photo was from 1921, as Kubrick had stated, not 1923 as Joan Smith had suggested. The image depicts ordinary Londoners at a social event, not the celebrities or sinister figures some had speculated about. The only addition to the photo was Jack Nicholson's image. Spark quoted the Overlook Hotel manager's line, “All the best people,” to describe the attendees.
This discovery is sure to delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King’s novel, released in 1977, has been adapted into two notable versions: Kubrick’s iconic film and Mick Garris’ faithful 1997 miniseries.
