No.3
The first view inside The Overlook, and even though it's an interior, the set up and the structure as similar to the first shot in The Credits sequence.
Right away, Kubrick uses The Lobby’s compositional reflections to extend his messaging system into a new level. The colors in the curtains and the red couches are reflected in the art deco design on the floor. The left and right side of the frame have sets of couches in contrasting patterns, and the Z-axis has Jack and a hotel employee reflected.
The Lobby is designed as a checkerboard, signifying the games that we will see play out across the film.
As Jack walks to Ullman's office, artwork is reflected on either side of the door. On the left, an indigenous painting vibrantly colored. On the right, a photorealistic representation of the mountain shown across 4 seasons.
Inside Ullman's office is an impossible window showing trees: the location of the office would be an interior room, but the location overlaps with the elevator shown in the same space.
American History/Culture
The abundance of juxtapositions between "Eurocentric" designs and representations of space and the Indigenous representations speak to American History and its colonialist mindset. This includes the art deco and the Native American banding, Morriseau's painting, The Great Mother and the photorealistic spaces.
Combining both ways to represent one's world, environment, and point of view feeds into the American History Narrative, speaking to Manifest Destiny, Colonialism, Settlers, and absorbed culture due to assimilation.
The Maze
Kubrick gets geometric using all 3 axes to correlate connections. Jack and the male employee, the sets of chairs on both the left and right side, and the colors within the Gold Room space: the red, the black, the gold, all reflected on the floor design in the art deco sun and the Native American banding.
Using the X and Y reflection as the initial shot of the film, but adding a Z axis reflection creates another layer on an already layered composition. The system and structure of how things repeat are clear, but the things repeating are a reference to a reference. This is Kubrick showing you how his messaging is going to go.
We see Jack walk towards Ullman's office. Right in front is an elevator, and behind it, a hallway (that we will see Jack walk through later in the film). Ullman's office could not possibly showcase a large sun-filled window, and yet here we are.
The beginning of a long and untrustworthy road: Kubrick manipulates the viewer's sense of place, history, and memory in order to establish uneasiness and fear.
Jack walks in wearing a grey tweed suit. The last scene of the film is Jack enmeshed within the black and white photos, an amalgamated grey.
Straightforward and to the point, Kubrick walks the viewer through the entrance of the hotel as we are introduced to The Lobby, Jack, and Ullman in one short scene.
The Lobby features a lot of mundane activities that speak to normal Torrance life. Watching television, the presence of toys but never the action of play, and most clearly, the checkerboard layout of the rugs and Native American banding as seen in the Boulder Apartment.
Ullman's Office features an impossible window and an impossible location: not only would a window showing an exterior space would not be possible (there is a hallway that wraps around the office), the location also overlaps with the elevator.
An axis of depth in space, Jack is aligned with a hotel employee wearing the same jacket Lloyd will be wearing in No.47.
The Lobby’s sofas are reflected equally in the left and right sides. While the amount and shape are the same, the patterns/colors are different.
Mirrored Reflection, Horizontal
The red and yellow in the couch and curtains are reflected in the red and yellow art deco symbol on the floor of The Lobby.
An art style associated with the 1920’s, art deco is a stylization of geometry and industry. It’s used in contrast to the Native American stylings, and in this way it becomes a visual contrast of culture and influence where the patterns represent the differing groups of people.
A clear repetition of one scene with another. More than a reflection, these are if scenes could be conversations. Scene Reflections of this scene, No.3, are any scenes within The Lobby, specifically: No.51, No.78, No.85.
In terms of Ullman’s Office, the scenes No.37 and No.55 are Scene Reflections.
Literally what is being used, how, and by who. The plaques and certificates on Ullman’s wall speak to power.
To see "Red, White, & Blue" together refers to America, the American Flag, and overall, American Culture. Ullman wears a navy blue suit jacket, a red and white striped shirt, and a deep red tie.
Positioned behind Ullman, the Eagle statue is a reference to America.
A signifier for wealth and greed.
Shown in some of the banding in the floor designs and the door designs leading to Ullman’s office- red and black signifies danger. This color combination also shows up in a rug in The Colorado Lounge, a Native American pattern leading in the Gold Room Bathroom, and in the same Native American pattern in a blanket here and here, as well as in the final scene of the film.
The columns in The Lobby and Ullman’s Office are a deep pink color, connecting to The Gold Room, The West Wing Living Quarters, and color as emotional indicator.
Shown in some banding designs on the floor, the black and white photos along the hallway wall. Black + White together will always reflect the party goers and the final shot, as well as euphemistically communicating "the truth", "in writing", "in plain speak".
There are Native American designs on the floor, paintings representing Indigenous scenes, the Native American blankets on the wall, Ullman’s curtains reflect Native American patterning.
Kubrick as Unreliable Narrator
Shown through the two spatial impossibilities: Ullman’s space is within a hallway-wrapped area and would not have a window, and the elevator would overlap within the space as well.
Ullman’s space is within a hallway-wrapped area and would not have a window, and the elevator would overlap within the space as well.
Most notably the paintings of The Great Earth Mother and the Western depiction of “living space” on either side of Ullman’s door, but the art deco and Native American stylings in The Lobby as well.
Shows up in the floor designs, the red couch behind closed doors, the male employee’s jacket, and Ulman’s tie.
Orange plaid combine the messaging behind “plaid” and the messaging behind “orange”, which is the conflicting behaviors create a warning.
They’re shown in The Games Room + The Lobby.
Both the landscape pieces of artwork and the map of Colorado speak to conquest (the control of a place or people by force). It is not specifically American, but it speaks specifically to the patriarchy, control, and manipulation and how the beliefs and practice of a country/society trickle down into individuals.
Stuart Ullman is described as a short professional man wearing a grey suit. Here he is wearing a red, white, and blue outfit. His pose and styling reflect the American propaganda character, Uncle Sam.
A block of Black and White photos are shown behind closed doors with the red couch, visually foreshadowing No.53 and No.91, a diagonal trail of photos leads up the staircase, foreshadowing Jack walking up stairs to stalk and kill Halloran, as well as within the Colorado Lounge, showing how that space connects to the 2nd floor and Room 237.
The Lobby will become the “living space” for the Torrance’s (No.26, No.40), but it will also be where Jack stalks and kills Halloran. Here it serves as an overview for scenes to come.
Referenced in coloring and an inaccessible hallway, the closed doors reflect how Room 237 is shown closed and locked, and then shown open for the remainder of the scenes. The Gold Room doors will be open for the remainder of the film.
The banding along the ceiling, the bands and symbols on the floor, the Native American blankets, the symbols in the wood— all point to wealthy people using Native American artwork and symbols for superficial purposes.
While culture is used as decoration, so is violence (one could argue that the blankets serve both purposes). The chandeliers are bear traps.
A signifier of Western civilization, plaid is a western and colonial pattern compared to the organic and indigenous patterns.
A color of warning.
Here stripes are used in visual contrast to plaids. They speak to conflict.
The Lobby’s floor is designed in a checkerboard pattern, shown clearly in No.77 in the Bird’s Eye View. It speaks for the games that will take place (No.77, No.78). Ullman’s door has a checkerboard segment on it and wears the same pattern on his shirt in his scenes during the Closing Day sequences.
Lights tell the eye where to go. Lights can also speak to awareness.
Working alongside the multiple “reflections” across every axis, Doubling here reflects how Jack and the employee are mirrored. Happening in front of the Black and White photo block, the Doubling here becomes shorthand for Jack turning into the final image.
The notice boards show up when characters are updated on the situation, to see the rise in danger surrounding them
Wendy & Jack as Hotel Employees
With Jack's styling eventually mimicking the male employees and Wendy styled like the female employees, Wendy and Jack are visually cemented as Overlook employees.
The Great Earth Mother is painted vibrantly compared to the rest of the scene (let alone the artwork that’s across the door frame). It matches the “color as emotional indicator” theme, where colors increase in vibrancy to reflect the level of intensity in the scene.
A painting by Canadian indigenous artist, Norval Morrisseau.
Indigenous artists, representations of Native American life, Western (literal instead of interpretative) of the landscape all communicate the point of view we’re going to see.
Kubrick’s preference or his aesthetic.
A mini flag on Ullman’s desk as he’s wearing the same colors and patterns communicate America heavily.
Drinking as a big part of American Culture: Ullman has a beer stein as a pencil case and a bottle opener among his pens and pencils.
Additionally, I would say “visible nationalism as patriotism” as a normal part of life is another indicator of American Culture.
A cultural and time indicator. Smoking as a normal practice in a professional setting shows how some usage of drugs and alcohol are okay.
A method of connection, communication and safety. It’s used in No.37 and destroyed in No.55.
Halloran having nicer things than the Torrances but not as nice as The Overlook
The radio and barometer shown here is reflected in Halloran’s space in No.52, No.56.
The blankets, the banding, the symbols on the floor, The Great Earth Mother painting— all of it signifies a culture artificially applied for decoration.
Jack wears a grey suit, a combination of black and white. In No.5 he’ll be seated under a black and white photo. I believe that connection is the point.
Jack’s tie is green-- connecting it to the literal hedge maze-- but along with other instances of Green which can represent jealousy, green, and being inexperienced. The shades get significantly darker as the film goes on.
Neutrals are used on “background” characters within the foreground.
Related to the Torrance’s as employees. Wendy is directly treated “as the help” by both Ullman and Jack, but Jack also mentally operates on the understanding that he is above it.
JACK
Hi, I've got an appointment with Mr.
Ullman. My name is Jack Torrance.
RECEPTIONIST
His office is the first door on the
left.
JACK
Thank you.
JACK
Mr. Ullman?
ULLMAN
Yes?
JACK
I'm Jack Torrance.
ULLMAN
Oh, well - come on in Jack.
ULLMAN
Very nice to meet you.
JACK
Nice to meet you, Mr. Ullman.
ULLMAN
This is my secretary, Susie.
SECRETARY
Hallo.
JACK
Susie, how do you do?
ULLMAN
Have any trouble finding us?
JACK
Oh, no problem at all. I made the
trip in three and a half hours.
ULLMAN
Well, that's very good time, very
good. Please sit down a minute.
ULLMAN
Jack, just make yourself at home.
Would you like some coffee?
JACK
Well, if you are going to have
some, I wouldn't mind. Thanks.
ULLMAN
Susie.
SECRETARY
Sure.
ULLMAN
Oh, and would you ask Bill Watson
to join us?
SECRETARY
Yes, I will.There's no additional sound.