No.26
No.26 is a simple enough scene with a complex delivery. Wendy and Danny play in The Maze, foreshadowing the final Maze sequences. Meanwhile, Jack is inside The Lobby, throwing a tennis ball over symbols of the other characters. Having Jack gaze over Maze model as it transitions to Wendy and Danny within the actual Hedge Maze, you’re seeing the threads of American Culture and Domestic Abuse start to fuse.
American History/Culture
The scene opens with Wendy saying “The loser has to keep America clean, how’s that?”
She says this while wearing vibrant red, white, and blue.
This is a direct reference to an ad campaign launched in 1971 showing a crying Indian at the sight of pollution. It was called “Keep America Beautiful”.
As the scene plays out, Wendy is shown to be wearing a 1950’s/children style cowboy outfit with a buttoned up check shirt, a bandana around her neck, and booties.
American flags are shown on the trash cans.
Woman’s Work
“Losers” having to clean up after the winners is easily applicable to Wendy’s role/women’s role
Jack’s Control:
Jack’s attitude and behavior reflects a man who needs to be in control of his family.
The shot of Jack over The Hedge Maze and the transition to Wendy and Danny within it visually communicate these before No.50, No.53, No.72.
Domestic abuse
Not overt but Danny is wearing the same color palette he’ll be wearing during No.71 and The Maze sequences.
Jack’s Control:
Jack’s attitude and behavior reflects a man who needs to be in control of his family.
The shot of Jack over The Hedge Maze and the transition to Wendy and Danny within it visually communicate these before No.50, No.53, No.72.
The Maze
Kubrick as Unreliable Narrator:
The Maze Entrance & Map
We’re shown this space in No.14 and while the entrance is where it is here too, The Hedge Maze’s map is moved to eclipse the entrance.
Danny runs towards a different entrance (and runs out of the same space) during the Maze sequences.
A loon call is heard
Tied to Wendy’s “Loser has to keep America clean”, tied to “Looney Tunes” or even “nonsense”.
Cultural Relativism around “Loser has to keep America clean”
Equating Native Americans with losers is some sharp cultural relativism.
Play vs. Harm
Wendy is obviously playing with Danny as she chases him into the Maze, but Jack will be hunting Danny during the Maze sequences.
The Hotel as Maze
Showing the transition of Wendy and Danny walking in the Hedge Maze and Jack walking inside The Overlook, and how Kubrick uses the shot transitions cement the visual connection that the “Hotel = Maze”.
Ghost Story
The music is eerie and is linked to the maze, signifying confusion. It’s at least a horror movie trope.
Cabin Fever
A bored and distracted man can be a dangerous one, and conversely: Wendy and Danny are enjoying the outside while they can.
The scene opens with Wendy and Danny running outside towards The Hedge Maze. The camera pauses on the Maze map, showing clearly how it’s eclipsed the exit (which is weird because the map is shown to be a different place when we first see this space No.14).
We spend some time inside the maze and then Kubrick cuts to Jack within The Lobby, throwing his tennis ball over symbols of the characters he’ll be upsetting over the course of the film.
The transition from Jack looking over The Hedge Maze model and Wendy and Danny inside the actual Hedge Maze conflates the themes of Jack’s control, the hotel as Maze, and this thing being a constructed environment.
The Hotel Exterior
The Hedge Maze
The Lobby
Wendy
Danny
Jack
Bela Bartok, Music for Strings Percussion and Celesta
Creating a feeling of suspense and discomfort.