Curiouser and Curiouser, Part 7: Inverting Fashions


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CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER – SKIP TO A SECTION
LESSONSMIRROR MOVEMENTSMIRROR PHRASESTWINS
OTHERLOBBYFASHION42 & 237


Jack starts out in greys, browns, and light and dark greens, moves into blacks and dark blues, and finally ends up in his dark red, white, blue and black ensemble, which he wears for the majority of the film.

Wendy starts out in reds and blues (with a quick stop in brown/beige land on CLOSING DAY), then shifts into yellow after Jack’s first explosion (first we see yellow details on her toque during the snowstorm, then we see the yellow jacket), then moves into greens, browns and off-whites, and finally ends on mainly blue and green.

Danny is fairly consistently red and blue the whole way through, shifting more into blue during scary times (going to the Overlook, going to face zombie Jack, going into 237), and shifting almost completely into red as Tony. Another interesting detail: the Danny that Wendy carries from the lounge with the bruises on his neck was actually a dummy (made to protect the child actor from hearing Wendy scream at Jack), and you can see that they put yellow socks on the dummy, which expose once Wendy’s lifted it into the air. This is the only time we see Danny wearing the colour of fear.

ADDENDUM: It occurs to me that the symbols of Danny’s shirt designs have foreboding connections to Jack’s fate. His 42 shirt speaks to Jack being stuck in 1921 in a clutch of 21 photos. His Mickey shirt reminds that Mickey Mouse appeared in the Escape Key collage (a pattern that will thwart Jack, as we’ve covered). And his Apollo 11 shirt has the same number as the number of photo that Jack will become stuck in forever and ever. His “FLYERS” jacket could be a subtle reference to how Jack will look up as he hollers for Danny at the maze centre. And his final outfit looks a lot like Jack’s final outfit, which is dusted with snow as Danny runs for his hiding place. So that’s like a light foreshadow of Jack freezing to death. Why this happens is not wholly clear to me. I don’t think it’s one thing, like, “Danny’s clothes reflect Jack’s future because Danny sees the future”. I think each case could be its own thing, and the connecting thread is just that father and son share this (one-way?) link. But, like, the Bugs Bunny shirt seems equally like a reference to Hallorann, and to Danny, and to Watson, and all the shiners in the film. So Danny’s clothes are not just a Jack’s future, or Jack’s anything, translation system.


Click here to continue on to Curiouser and Curiouser, Part 8: 42 and 237


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THE MIRRORFORMTHE BEATLESTHE RUM AND THE RED
BACKGROUND ARTOVERLOOK PHOTOGRAPHSGOLDEN SPIRALS
PHI GRIDSPATTERNSVIOLENCE AND INDIGENAABSURDITIES
THE STORY ROOMANIMAL SYMBOLSTHE ANNOTATED SHINING

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