Question: Just before Jack enters the gold room, he passes in front of several mirrors (three or four) and his reflection is not present on the last one, but seeing that the angle does not change, one would expect to see him pass. The question is therefore the following: what happens at this precise moment, between the last and the penultimate mirror? Should there be a change in reality? A moment when Jack switches to the past? Or anything else?
Question: How was Stanley Kubrick able to ensure that Danny Lloyd never found out that he was really in a horror movie? In the scene when Wendy accuses Jack of hurting Danny, she holds onto Danny and calls Jack a "son of a bitch." And what about when Danny sees the twin sisters? He looked terrified after seeing them.
Answer: Obviously, Danny Lloyd did eventually learn that "The Shining" was a horror film. During production, however, Stanley Kubrick only told Danny that the movie was a drama about a family living in a hotel. The single shot with Danny and the twin sisters in the corridor never showed anything particularly horrifying; Danny was simply looking straight into the camera and reacting to Kubrick's instructions.
Question: Wasn't Jack chopping down the doors trying to kill Wendy? Why did he stop and suddenly only go after Danny when Dick pulled in?
Answer: My assumption is that he probably wasn't thinking rationally and used poor judgment. He could have killed Wendy when he had the perfect opportunity, but he probably assumed Halloran's presence would be a threat to his goal. He would obviously chase Danny since he was trying to get away.
Answer: Danny is the one Jack wanted to kill since he possess supernatural abilities. When Jack was chopping down the door, he was preying for Danny more than Wendy. Later he realises that Danny has escaped and leaves the place.
In the movie, Danny's parents don't know about his supernatural ability but in the book they do. It is explained more in the book but since Holloran has the shining as well, they are linked. So where Holloran is, Danny is sure to be near. So when he shows up, Jack goes after him knowing this fact instead of going after his wife.
Question: Is Jack's soul the same soul as Charles Grady? I get there are two souls that keep getting reincarnated but Delbert Grady said that Jack (his soul) has always been the caretaker, even though Charles Grady was a caretaker.
Answer: The movie provides no answers to this, so we can only speculate that Kubrick left this open to interpretation. It would be safe to say that no, they are not the same souls, but rather two separate souls that served the same purpose. In the current time, the hotel's motive was to capture Danny's powerful shine. Therefore, the hotel uses Jack in its quest to get Danny's soul to permanently stay there by way of murder. We don't know the exact circumstances of Charles Grady, but it's possible that one of his daughters may have possessed a shining ability. He mentions to Jack that one of his daughters attempted to burn the Overlook down. The overlook possibly influenced Grady to kill his family because it was trying to protect itself.
Question: If it is really like what Dick said "It's just like reading a book", or that the spirits in the hotel don't have a physical existence, how did Danny get the bruises on his neck from the lady in the bathtub? I also don't understand the transformation in Danny's' character, I do understand that at that point he was taken over by his imaginary friend, but what actually happened to the real Danny?
Answer: Hallorann is just trying to reassure Danny so he won't be afraid, even though he (Hallorann) knows it's not the truth. This is why he so adamantly orders Danny not to go to Room 237. And Danny isn't so much ¨taken over¨ by Tony, so much as he suffers an extremely traumatic experience (being strangled by a naked, undead old woman) and goes into a state of extreme shock, through which he communicates as Tony (the personification of his shining power). He snaps back to reality when Jack tries to murder him and Wendy.
Question: Someone has asked about redrum and whoever responded simply explained that it was murder backwards. And if you pay attention it shows you that right after Danny writes it on the door his mom sees it in the mirror. However what I think they were looking for was what is the significance of it.? Why does Danny only know it as redrum. Who passed it on to him and what happened that they only saw it backwards. We need backstory here. Also if Hallorann was also gifted with the same talent why isn't the hotel thriving off him dying in the hotel?
Answer: In the novel, Danny's visions of "redrum", provided by Tony, were always in a mirror, though he didn't realise it and was too young to make the jump to "murder". He assumes it is literal rum, based on his father's history with alcohol. Towards the end of the novel, just before Jack snaps, Danny sees the vision reflected twice and sees "murder", finally realizing what will take place. And to your last question...Hallorann's "shining" is not nearly as powerful as Danny's, is in fact rather weak compared to his, and so while the hotel does feed off him (and he knows it), it is not nearly as powerful as when Danny is there.
Question: Did the Grady girls also possess the shining? Did they die for the same reasons the hotel tries to get Jack to kill his family?
Answer: It is possible that one of the daughters may have had a "shine" to her. If you'll remember the exchange in the bathroom between Jack and Grady, Grady says that one of his daughters stole some matches and tried to burn the Overlook down. It's possible she did this because she could sense the evil in the hotel and attempted to end it. It's possible, also, that she realised what the hotel was doing to her father and tried to end that.
In addition to the above response, the hotel is depicted in the book as a somewhat sentient being. Its influence is behind many of the murders that took place there. It's possible the hotel wanted Grady to kill his family since one of the daughters was attempting to burn it down, therefore it was trying to protect itself.
Question: Why did Jack type "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" a thousand times? In the interview, he said he was working on a new project, and I doubt that he was referring to typing the same thing over and over. Also, does Jack actually know the truth about the hotel? He implies in the breakfast scene that he's not really sure about why he feels so strongly with the hotel, but he seems to personally know the bartender and doesn't seem surprised in the gold room right before he meets Grady.
Answer: The hotel has a strong influence on Jack's mentality. Jack had every intention on writing a play, but once the Torrances arrived at the Overlook, the hotel began working its powers on him, affecting his mental state. During the interview, Jack was not yet under the hotel's influence because in order to achieve its true goal (to capture Danny's shining ability) it needed to get the Torrance family to the hotel first. It is strongly implied that Jack is a reincarnation and had been the hotel many years before, explaining the strong sense of deja vu he feels. It is widely believed that Jack knows Lloyd the barman and Grady from a past life, and that all of their souls are forever linked to the Overlook.
Question: If Jack is a reincarnation, how does he not know Danny possesses the shining? The other ghosts, such as Delbert Grady, who have always been there, can see Danny's talent. If Jack has always been there, how come he can't see what Grady sees?
Answer: Jack is the same soul as the man in the 1921 ball photo, but that does not necessarily mean he retains their full memory. Jack also has the ability to Shine, but probably does not know how to use, or is even aware that he has the ability to Shine.
Question: Who were all the skeletons that the Mother sees toward the end of the film? It's never explained. Also, what room was that?
Answer: It was The Gold Room. The skeletons are simply those of past guests: we never learn their identities.
Not the Gold Room. It's the lobby area you see earlier in the movie when they first get there and Jack is sitting in a chair reading a magazine.
Question: Whenever Jack is talking to Delbert Grady, Grady mentions his wife and two daughters; one of whom tried to burn the overlook down. My question is, are they the same twin girls Danny has visions of? Whenever Danny sees them dead in the hallway, the vision matches the story Ullman told Jack about Charles Grady. Why does Delbert Grady deny killing his wife and daughters when he was the caretaker, but then contradicts himself and go on to say he "corrected" them? Was he only denying being the caretaker since Jack has always been the caretaker? What is the connection between Delbert's story and what happened with Charles Grady?
Answer: Delbert Grady has always been at the hotel, just as Jack Torrance has...however, "Charles Grady" was one incarnation of the hotel's "caretaker", which Jack Torrance currently is. Delbert, evidenced by his appearance, occupation, and archaic racial views, has been with the hotel since its turn-of-the-century inception, just as Jack, in the photo at the end, has been. We don't know what "spirit-Jack's" function in the Overlook is...we only know that the present Jack (whom Delbert is talking to) embodies the "caretaker" who has always been there, just as Charles Grady did in his time. Delbert refers to his wife and two daughters, whom he did not murder...his "caretaker" version, Charles Grady, did that.
Chosen answer: The Ghosts want Jack to kill Danny because the shining is what gives the Hotel power. The only way Danny's shine would stay permanently at the Hotel would be for him to die there. The only reason Jack was chosen was because he was the weakest link to get to Danny.
Question: Has anyone ever tried zooming in on the various photographs on the walls of The Overlook, other than the final scene one? I bet Kubrick has placed crazy details in those too.
Answer: The pictures in Danny's room are pictures of bears. Going along with the motif of bears throughout the film.
Question: My media studies teacher has a theory that there are no ghosts in this film and everything that Jack sees is in his imagination. He also thinks that when Wendy sees the man in the costume, it is meant to be a realisation to her that Danny may be a victim of sexual assault, from his father, Jack. He also believes that the costume is a bear and that Jack is associated with a bear throughout the film. He says that Danny may have opened the pantry door to let Jack out because he had formulated a plan to kill Jack by getting him lost in the maze. Also, the woman in 237, he thinks that there is no woman and that Jack himself hurt Danny's neck. Leading to Wendy's realisation of Jack's abusiveness. I'm not really sure if I agree with him or not. There are a lot of holes in his theory, but you never know. Just wondering if anyone would like to share their opinion and shed some light on the situation. Do you think his theory is possible?
Answer: The sexual assault thing is completely wrong. As far as the rest, it is highly debated. However, ghosts, I think, is the accepted answer. Some of the things that Wendy and Danny see can't be explained by Jack's psychosis. Also, the costume is suppose to be a dog. There is a whole back story to that character.
Question: Who or what is actually possessing the Overlook Hotel? Also, why do the said possessors want to drive Jack Torrance insane?
Chosen answer: There is never a definitive answer, in either the book or the movie, as to what exactly possesses the Overlook. (There's a passing mention in the movie of the hotel being the site of an old Indian burial ground; Ullman says it as he's leading Jack and Wendy on the tour). The book makes mention of a lot of violent and unpleasant things that have occurred at the Overlook in the past, so the implication is that the hotel contains traces of these things. The answer to that question is left vague in both versions, though. You might get differing answers on the second part of your question, but most people who've read the book will probably tell you that the hotel's "goal" was not to drive Jack insane. Rather, its goal was to capture Danny's shining power. (The shining is a relatively rare power to begin with, and Danny's shine is extremely strong and powerful). The only way, of course, for Danny and his power to remain at the Overlook forever was for Danny to die there. Thus, the Overlook wants Jack to kill Danny, to ensure that Danny can never leave. If Jack's insanity is a side effect of that goal, there's no reason for the Overlook to care much about it.As an interesting side note, Jack believes that it is him that the hotel wants. In his conversations with Derwent and the bartender, he is led to believe that he is "managerial material" that is, that he will rise up the ranks from caretaker to the prestigious job of managing the Overlook. The Overlook does a good job of not revealing its true goal: to get Danny. Even though Jack is very flawed, he loves his son, and he repeatedly tells the manifestations of the Overlook that Jack's position in the hotel has nothing to do with Danny, and that Danny is ultimately none of the Hotel's concern. The Overlook finally begins to convince Jack of the need to "correct" Danny when it appears that Danny and Wendy's behavior might keep Jack from getting the manager job. (These last two paragraphs refer to the book, not the movie, as the movie provides virtually no answers at all to your second question).
Question: Does Danny's ability to "shine" have any connection to Jack's insanity and the events that occur in the hotel?
Answer: Effectively, Danny's shining is what brings the hotel to life. Because he has such an incredibly powerful shine about him, all these weird ghost things in the hotel are able to materialize and reveal themselves. These weird ghost things are always present to some degree, and those people with a small degree of shine get glimpses of them - like Dick Hallorann. (It's not quite made clear in the movie, but Dick saw the woman in room 237 in the book). However, Danny's shine is so great that he gives these forces enough life to appear to those without any shine, people like his father and mother. As it's the hotel that's slowly driving Jack crazy, and the hotel gets its power from Danny's shining, then I'd say there's definitely a connection between Jack's insanity and Danny's abilities. In the movie, it's not as clear as it is in the book, but Jack is effectively possessed by the hotel. He's not a flawed drunk with an anger problem who loses his mind because of isolation. He's a flawed drunk with an anger problem who's doing the best he can, until the forces of the hotel get inside his head and make him lose it.
If Danny's shining is what brings the hotel back to life, does this mean that all the previous "Jacks" had a son or daughter with the shining too?
Answer: The movie is really 2 parallel story-lines with history repeating itself. In 1920s Jack visited the same hotel with his wife and son, they got stuck there due to snow storm along with rest of hotel crew (which leaves early in a hurry in 1980s). The director has carefully changed background score on things which were not present in 1920s when Dick is showing the facilities to Danny and his mother (like food cold storage). In the 80's version, Danny, Jack and Dick are the ones who have the power to shine or see scenes from the past in the same place. But as Dick says, its like reading a book and has no physical presence in current world. Whenever Dick is talking to Danny, it happened exactly the same way in 1920s, except replace the secret of shining with the secret of cannibalism around the hotel. Jack's insanity is just a repeat of his past, in the 20's the job of being the butcher (of human flesh) got to his mind and he started behaving weird. In the hotel lobby, replace the sound of heavy typing on the long table with sharp knife falling on human flesh. Red carpet depicts the blood and body parts all around the floor in 20s.
Question: What is the significance of the play that Jack is writing, in both the book and movie?
Answer: Jack, who lost his teaching job due to his alcoholism and violent temper, is attempting to rebuild his life as a writer and working at the hotel gives him the financial means to do that. As the ghosts begin taking over Jack's mind, he is increasingly unable to work on the play. As he mentally deteriorates, the play's progress (or lack of) gauges his mental decline.
Question: After saying that he would sell his soul for just one beer, Jack looks up and greets the barman Lloyd. Since this was Jack's first time at the hotel, how could he have known the barman's name?
Answer: In The Shining, both Jack and Danny experience psychic episodes and visions. Lloyd could be a product of Jack's (crazy) imagination, or he psychically knew Lloyd's name and that he's the best bartender from Timbuktu to Portland (Maine or Oregon). Or, as referenced in another question here, "Jack's soul is forever linked to the hotel, and every once in a while, he is reborn into the world, only to return to it and instigate more killings." So Lloyd's soul may be linked to the hotel in the same way that Jack's is, and they have always known each other just as Jack has "always been the caretaker."
Question: What is the significance of the man in the Chipmunk costume with the man in tuxedo seen by Wendy in the bedroom ? What are they supposed to be doing?
Chosen answer: In actuality, the significance behind this scene is explained in much greater detail in the novel. It is a dog costume, not a chipmunk costume, and the character in the book is referred to as the "Dogman." In the novel he chases Danny through the hotel, scaring him with absurd sexual threats. The man in the tuxedo is Derwent, a corrupt playboy and former owner of the hotel. The pair were former lovers, but Roger, the man in the costume, is desperate to continue the relationship. Derwent agrees at only one cost - Roger must dress in a humiliating dog costume, walk on all fours and bark. This all happened in the past and is being relived in this scene. The Dogman is perfoming fellatio on Derwent.
Answer: I'm not sure which scene you're referring to: when he first enters the Gold Room and finds Lloyd alone, or when he enters and finds the ball in progress. In the latter, we do indeed see his reflection...due to the angles of the shot and the mirror itself, it happens as Jack is still behind the Gold Room sign. In the former, we do not see his reflection, but it's because the shot is much tighter on Jack Nicholson, and so, the mirror in question is not visible in the shot until after the point where we would see him in it.