"Shining's Iconic Final Shot Photo Found After 45 Years"

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. In this image, Jack Torrance (played by Jack Nicholson) appears front and center, despite not being born at the time the photo was taken. The original photo, which had faded into obscurity post-film, has now been rediscovered after 45 years.

Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark shared the journey of locating the original 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. Valentines Day Ball, 14 February 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post included a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.

Spark, alongside New York Times staffer Arick Toller and dedicated Redditors, embarked on a challenging quest to find the image. He noted, “It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match. There were some places we could not find images for and we started to fear that meant the photo might be lost to history, and never be found.”

The historian further shared that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson superimposed over Casani, had mentioned the photo was sourced from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton acquired Topical Press in 1958 and Getty took over in 1991, Spark decided to delve into Getty’s extensive archives. This search 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, “Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct. The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on — the Trix Sisters for instance — nor the bankers, financiers or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined there. 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 rediscovery should delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King’s original novel was published in 1977 and has been adapted twice: Kubrick’s iconic film and Mick Garris’ faithful 1997 miniseries.