No.5
No.5 is where we get to know Jack a little better, hear about the job description, learn about the history behind The Overlook, and get lied to.
Ullman’s office contains heavy information around America, alcohol & drugs, absorption of resources, conquest, Colonialism, and Carl Jung.
The conversation centers around what Jack’s job would be, how much pride Jack has around what he'd rather be doing, the Tragedy of 1970, Charles Grady, the literal definition of cabin fever (the best set up for a classic ghost story) and how Kubrick is the most unreliable narrator.
Kubrick’s composition positions Watson as a visual equal to Jack, and casts an actor who has a similar voice to the distinctly voiced Jack Nicholson.
It is important to pay attention to Jack’s positive demeanor, as it is more affable and congenial than he is the remainder of the film. It is important that this is how we are introduced to Jack, so this demeanor is what we use as a baseline.
Jack claiming his true profession as a writer is a source of pride but an indicator of value in American Culture. The fact that he lies about his wife’s character for his own benefit shows that being a husband doesn’t even rate as a value at all. The fact that we don’t notice is another problem.
American History/Culture
Ullman is styled as Uncle Sam. Which is not how he’s described in the book.
An eagle statue sits on the shelf behind Ullman’s head.
Ullman has an American flag on his desk.
Ullman uses a beer stein as a pencil holder, showing the connection between drinking and work as an American way of life.
The photos in Ullman’s office speak to conquest (the maps, the fishing trophies), and history.
Domestic abuse
The Tragedy of 1970, as told by Ullman, is a fluke incident blamed on cabin fever. Regardless of the location, it is in fact a clear incident of domestic abuse.
The Maze
Ullman talks about Charles Grady and his little girls 8 and 10— not Delbert Grady and not twins. He also mentions the incident occurring in 1970, but we see a party set in 1920.
Jack’s head is aligned with a framed black and white photo, foreshadowing No.53 and the final scene.
Carl Jung’s Red Book sits on the lower right corner of Ullman’s desk, obviously in the foreground of the shot. What’s interesting about this is it wasn’t released for public awareness until 1990.
Jack tells Ullman, and the viewer, that Wendy is a ghost story addict— and we don’t realize it’s a lie until Wendy speaks about her true impressions of the hotel.
Ghost Story
Hearing about Charles Grady and the Tragedy of 1970 plants the seed and sets the stage for Jack to encounter these ghosts.
Cabin Fever
Ullman cavalierly blames Grady’s actions on cabin fever, but we just saw Wendy and Danny expressing feelings of isolation and have not killed anyone.
This observation, viewed additionally within a cultural lens, shows cabin fever (and more importantly, the access to freedom and mobility) as a unseen benefit of male privilege. Domesticity has been bred into women and therefore cabin fever attributes aren’t seen and experienced.
The scene is delivered in a straight forward way, but showing Jack and Watson as equal within the composition.
The camera position in No.5 is interesting: as Ullman talks to the camera, there is a coffee cup positioned as if the camera is Jack but also the viewer. This is potentially how the empathy is shared to Jack and his experiences even though he’s the abuser and not the victim.
Ullman's Office is shown with communication. It houses the radio. It's where we learn about how there's been domestic violence within the walls, where we learn about why The Overlook was created, and it's also where we witness Wendy try and get any semblance of adult male attention. It's where we witness Jack sabotage his wife, his son, and himself.
No.37
No.55
Jack Torrance:
We're being given "The BEST" Jack Torrance right now. Eager to please, happy-- affable compared to (links to A24, A30, A45).
This approach ties in with the Domestic Abuse narrative in that abusers present themselves in public as very happy, pleasant, and easy-going so that the version provided by the victim is immediately discredited.
He's styled in a medium grey suit with a heavily textured green tie. The grey matches the black and white photo above his head, foreshadowing the final photo (A90).
Watson:
Sullen, quiet, and looking like one's face is melting off his body is Watson. The mismatched patterns and clashing outfit speak clearly to discord and "clashing information" as well as America's habit of absorbing attributes of others' cultures for their own.
Having an actor who's voice is similar to Jack Nicholson's (which is distinct) coupled with his sour demeanor creates the connection that Watson is Jack's "shadow self": speaking to the undercurrent of reality that Jack is covering up with that forced grin (link to character write up).
Ullman:
Cavelier and calm, we don't get a lot of Ullman but he's the epitome of someone who wants nothing more than to forget the whole thing.
Wearing a deep navy blue jacket over a red and white striped button-up shirt and a deep red tie, it's challenging not to see this as a reflection of America's stance on atrocities it has perpetrated.
No background sound is present so that the words spoken can be clearly heard. Kubrick is asking you to focus on what is actually being said.