Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film adaptation of The Shining features one of the most iconic final shots in cinematic history: a chilling photograph from the 1921 Fourth of July ball at the Overlook Hotel, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who, in reality, had not yet been born. The image used in the film was a manipulated version of a real photograph, which had remained elusive for decades. However, after 45 years since the film's release, the original 1921 Fourth of July ball photograph has finally been uncovered.
Alasdair Spark, a retired academic from the University of Winchester, shared the journey of discovering the image on Getty's Instagram. He disclosed that the photo was identified through facial recognition software as featuring Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer. The photograph, taken by the Topical Press Agency, was actually captured during a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms of the Royal Palace Hotel in Kensington. Spark's post included a new scan from the image's original glass-plate negative and other supporting documents.
The search for the original photo involved Spark, New York Times staffer Arick Toller, and numerous dedicated Redditors. Initially, the effort seemed futile as every lead related to Casani failed to match, and other suggested sources did not yield the image. The team feared the photograph might be lost to history.
Spark noted that on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani, had mentioned the photo's origin as the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty later took over in 1991, Spark decided to search through Getty's vast collection of images. 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 clarified that the photo dated from 1921, as Kubrick had stated, and not 1923, as previously suggested by Joan Smith. The image did not feature any celebrities, bankers, financiers, or presidents, nor did it include any devil worshippers. Instead, it depicted a group of ordinary Londoners enjoying a Monday evening, in line with the Overlook Hotel manager's comment about "all the best people."This revelation is sure to delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel, released in 1977, has been adapted twice: Kubrick's iconic film and Mick Garris' 1997 miniseries, which stayed closer to the book's narrative.
