by Ralph Thompson
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
ART OF ROOM 237
BABY LEOPARD ON A ROCK ⎔ DOG, BOY & ST. JOHN RIVER ⎔ FOUR JOHN GOULD BIRDS ⎔ FOX RESTING ⎔ MANDARIN DUCKS ⎔ MYSTERIES ⎔ MYSTERY VESUVIUS ⎔ PORTRAIT OF A FOX: ALERT ⎔ STILL LIFE OF FLOWERS IN A JUG
APPEARANCE
Since I’ve already described Thompson, here’s the moments that mirror over the appearances of this piece:
(Oh, but you should note that the Nadia Benois flower painting is also over Jack’s shoulder in every shot except when he’s recoiling in horror.)
75:33-75:35
Jack: “Best goddamn bartender” and he’ll go on to say “from Timbuktu to Portland, Maine.” That “Timbuktu” reference bears the air of safari.
74:02-74:09
There’s no dialogue during this time code, but Jack finishes his second drink and swishes it around in his mouth before embarking on his campaign of denial. The forward shot is of 237 Jack beginning to advance upon his naked conquest.
73:43-73:50
“Touch one hair on his goddamn little head. I love the little son of a bitch!” Jack calls Wendy a bitch twice. A bitch is a word for a female dog, and a fox is a canine. The alert fox is probably reflective of the 237 ghost.
73:29-73:33
“But that…bitch!”
73:09-73:18
“I did hurt him once, okay? It was an accident!”
72:49-72:54
“All I tried to do was pull him up.” This is the second last of Jack’s statements on the confused matter of whether or not he abused his child.
I don’t know about you, but when I think of the alert fox, like, when I think of a literal fox that is alert, I think of something that is ready to make a snap dash for safety, or a snap dash for its prey. I don’t think of something as languid as either the cheating Jack is about to do, or the scene he’s describing of dislocating a two-year-old’s shoulder. In both these instances, Jack should have been in control of himself, and wasn’t. If we think of the 237 ghost, and by association (to the Overlook’s dark heart) Lloyd, as being the alert fox, neither is making any quick moves on Jack. So perhaps Jack is the superior opponent in some way he can’t tell, and the alertness of these foxes is about waiting for just the right moment.
Also, the piece is onscreen for around 34 seconds, but with all these shots, it’s hard to know how all the seconds I’m rounding up and down actually add up. It’s possible it’s closer to 37, or 32.
Next art reference: Baby Leopard on a Rock
MAIN PAGE ⎔ SECTION PAGE ⎔ SITE MAP ⎔ GLOSSARY
OTHER MAIN PAGES FOR SHINING ANALYSIS
THE MIRRORFORM ⎔ THE BEATLES ⎔ THE RUM AND THE RED
BACKGROUND ART ⎔ OVERLOOK PHOTOGRAPHS ⎔ GOLDEN SPIRALS
PHI GRIDS ⎔ PATTERNS ⎔ VIOLENCE AND INDIGENA ⎔ ABSURDITIES
THE STORY ROOM ⎔ ANIMAL SYMBOLS ⎔ THE ANNOTATED SHINING
EYE SCREAM 