No.7
No.7 is the type of scene viewers take for granted when deep in the thick of the film.
Positioned inside The Interview, it takes a deeper look into the Torrance’s dynamic and life.
We hear where Tony came from, why Danny isn’t in school, how Danny got injured when he was playing around Jack’s workspace.
We realize Wendy is stuck at home without transportation and depends on a house call from the Social Worker / Doctor, we hear Wendy justify Jack’s drinking due to his bad mood, Jack’s aggression with their son, we hear Wendy justify Danny’s dislocated shoulder in exchange for Jack’s sobriety.
On a conceptual and metaphorical level, this scene plays into the Fatalism and False Fatalism aspects, as well as the Semiotic Splice where things are both true and false depending on the attributes and contexts you follow and focus on.
On a structural level, it occurs after we learn about Grady, how he was assumed to be a perfectly normal individual, the cost and consequences of being isolated for long periods of time, and a symbolic collage about why Tony doesn’t want to go to the hotel. It is No.7 that we learn that Jack is not a perfectly normal individual.
On a thematic level, the Social Worker / Doctor's reaction to Wendy’s story is the same as Jack’s in response to hearing Ullman talk about Grady. Both Wendy and Ullman use mitigating speech when talking through their respective incidents.
Kubrick is yet again an unreliable narrator, but in this regard it deals with time, how long Danny has been out of school, and Jack’s promise of sobriety for 5 months.
American History/Culture
Danny has the typical American child’s bedroom
Wendy wears red, white, and blue
Baseball is known as "America's Past time"
Peanuts (an American Culture reference in the comic strip)
Peanuts (literal:No.69)
Wendy’s styling is reflected in the Goofy figurine on the window sill.
Domestic abuse
Wendy talks through why they kept Danny out of school. Instead solving the problem, they hold Danny back.
Wendy talks through Jack being drunk and dislocating Danny’s shoulder
Wendy justifying the incident as the impetus for Jack’s sobriety
The Doctor’s reaction to Wendy’s story is the same as Jack’s to hearing about Grady.
The Maze
We have no idea how long the Torrance’s have been in Boulder, how long Danny’s been out of school, what time of year it is, how long it's been Jack dislocated Danny’s shoulder, and how long Jack has actually been sober.
Wendy’s “hasn’t had any alcohol for 5 months” parallels No.5’s “Five months of peace is just what I want” and more pointedly: No.47’s “Here’s to five miserable months on the wagon”
Wendy calls Tony Danny’s imaginary friend, and not recognizing Danny’s delivery in No.4 as distinct in No.6 may communicate that, but seeing No.19 and the fleshed out conversation between Danny and Halloran shows who Tony really is.
Kubrick as an Unreliable Narrator
His inclusion of the rubber duck from No.6 continues the themes in No.7
It also reflects the yellow tennis ball that lures Danny into Room 237 in No.48
The Bear’s coloring and facial features mimic The Elevator.
Ghost Story
Ghosts become a conceptual construct for past wounds.
Cabin Fever
Fatalism vs. False Fatalism. The Torrance’s are bringing baggage into a loaded situation.
7524061162No.7 opens in Danny’s bedroom with the Bathroom still included in the shot.
It continues in the Living Space between Wendy and the Doctor / Social Worker and the kitchen is included in the shot.
The inclusion of settings shown previously (the Bathroom, the Kitchen), brings the information shown in those scenes here to this current one.
Wendy uses mitigating speech much like Ullman: except hers is in relation to Jack’s alcoholism, Danny’s dislocated shoulder, and the “reason” for Tony’s appearance.
We’re seeing it. The strange thing is how Danny was acting, which we didn’t get shown. What we did get shown is the aftermath of a home visit by either a Social worker or a Doctor, and hear about Tony, Danny being held out of school, and Jack’s use of alcohol in response to an angry day at work where he dislocated Danny’s shoulder.
Here, Danny talks a bit more about Tony, is shown deeply connected with bears, and is mostly talked about rather than spoken to (a subtle way to show how children are handled in Western society).
This is one of Wendy’s main scenes. It’s interesting that she interjects when the Social Worker / Doctor asks who Tony is, declaring him an imaginary friend— which asserts to the viewer a false relationship on who Tony actually is. We learn Danny isn’t in school, that she talks about Jack’s alcoholism like it’s normal and asserts that his sobriety is “the good” that came out of Jack dislocating Danny’s shoulder.
There are a few scenes reflected in No.7:
Halloran lying to Wendy in knowing how he knew Danny’s nickname was Doc (needs to be an image)
Wendy’s account of The Incident vs. Jack’s version
The Social Worker / Doctor’s reaction (replace with image file) to Wendy’s account of Danny’s dislocated shoulder and Jack’s reaction to hearing about Grady killing his family (use image)
The Torrance Living Room reflects the styling of the Summer of 42 kitchen shown in No.40. This, plus the reflections from No.6 connect the themes shown in No.40 around inappropriate sexual relations with the threatening dominance displayed between Danny and Jack in No.41.
Shown as clearly as you could make it, Danny’s head is visually equal to a bear pillow. This bear pillow also reflects the Elevator (the eyes are the gold dial design that marks the floors and the mouth is bright red).
The Horse & Train painting, Wendy’s face as she says the “Hasn’t had any alcohol in 5 months”, The Incident (and especially with the connection of The Tragedy of 1970), a whole lot is wrong going INTO The Overlook.
Blue, in general, represents sadness, worry, concern, and regret. Wendy wears a blue striped pinafore.
The Social Worker / Doctor wears all neutrals, and it's in contrast to Wendy's vibrant red and blue outfit.
The color of alarm, Wendy wears vibrant red long johns.
The bear pillow, the Social Worker / Doctor’s, Brown is grounded and natural.
Boulder Kitchen + Summer of 42
Kubrick replicates many instances of the kitchen set design within Summer of 42. The curtains, the rag rack (and even the newspapers). He makes the parallel before we see No.40’s confirmation.
The living room and kitchen background are drowning in books. It speaks to what Wendy distracts herself with..or the stories she tells herself.
Whether you believe Tony is Danny’s imaginary friend or a psychic power, we can all agree he’s here for a protective reason.
Wendy acts like Jack tells her the truth and Jack presents a version of Wendy that’s stronger than she is. Neither one presents the other as if they really are.
The Horse & Train painting is an additional layer to the Fatalism puzzle.
Boulder Apartment As Overlook Hotel
Jack wanting to harm his family over work is hardly a cabin fever experience for Jack. He's already harmed his family over work.
Wendy smokes while she talks about the onset of Tony, how Danny dislocated his shoulder, and Jack’s sobriety.
Danny involving himself around Jack’s work causes problems.
Wendy’s monologue is centered around not blaming Jack for his actions: “Just the sort of thing you do a hundred times with a child”
This is a house call, Wendy doesn’t have the car to take Danny to the Doctor’s.
On the black painting by Wendy. Could be a euphemism for “the elephant in the room” (the obvious thing not spoken aloud), or “seeing elephants” a euphemism for drunkenness.
A reference to what will become “Tony the Tiger” in The Overlook pantry: the tiger reflects Tony.
The Incident is what has occurred between Jack and Danny as Wendy tells it. It’s also the same situation described by Jack in No.47.
Wendy’s idea of who Jack is and who Jack REALLY is. What the viewer can come to assume as cabin fever or ghostly influence is present from the very beginning.
The newspapers on the coffee table between Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor are important:
“Illness as Metaphor is a 1978 work of critical theory by Susan Sontag, in which she challenges the victim-blaming in the language often used to describe diseases and those who suffer from them.” It’s inclusion in the scene with Danny, Jack’s alcoholism, and Wendy’s denial right after the scene with Ullman talking about cabin fever as the cause to Grady’s actions relates to domestic abuse and how it can be rationalized away by "perfectly normal people" experiencing cabin fever.
The “Carter Collapse” article is there for a sense of time/place. It’s meant to signify this is happening in “current” 1979/1980 time.
The framing of Danny’s bedroom to include the bathroom is a way of including the information we saw from within that space. The visual proportion of the bear (and the Elevator it reflects) to Danny’s face. The time lapse of Danny’s removal from school, the creation (or introduction) of Tony, the dislocated shoulder, and Jack’s attempt at sobriety. Wendy’s faded black eye. The Social Worker / Doctor— all of these things are Kubrick Devices to push the messaging along in a way that is subtext—but loud subtext.
“I’m sure there’s nothing physically wrong with Danny” is a loaded sentence. Additionally, Who Tony is could also be filed under “Semiotic Splice”, where he could be viewed as either: Danny’s imaginary friend, Danny’s emotional protector, and/or Danny’s psychic self.
Immediately connected to Danny thanks to its placement and proportion, the bear pillow sets the “Danny and Bears” symbolic connection in motion.
Shown in the bathtub in No.6 but now brought up to the windowsill in Danny’s room. It’s a semiotic connection linking the two scenes and the two spaces. It also reflects the bath tub sequence in No.48 and the yellow tennis ball rolling to Danny in No.44.
The Overlook As The Torrance's Normal Home
This scene is early in the film so we don’t have much to compare it to— but after just one rewatch it’s easy to see how Wendy’s disclosure of Jack and Danny’s relationship around work, Jack’s drinking, and the harm it can cause his family, links with the eventuality of Jack’s behavior and demeanor as the film plays on.
The elephants on the wooden board on Danny’s room (as described within Elephants), but equally an option: the Q-Tips over Wendy’s shoulder as she’s talking with the Social Worker / Doctor: “Clean out your ears” (and really listen).
Referenced on the window sill is a Goofy figurine. Styled exactly the same as this Goofy figurine, stands Wendy. How she runs in No.80… it’s a hard argument to ignore. It could be another signifier of “Wendy as a dog”, as Goofy is technically a dog.
The portrait of “Woman and terrier” behind the television, Goofy, and her demeanor, Kubrick is attaching Wendy with the loyal-to-a-fault nature of a dog. Her blind loyalty to Jack and optimistic nature about his behavior and intentions put her and Danny in danger.
Strewn about within the shelves of Danny’s bedroom are games. They look like board games and puzzles
Both Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor wear gold chains. Wendy’s is closer to the neck and the Social Worker / Doctor’s is longer. This is continued within the portraits in Halloran’s space where the chains are sexualized.
One of Kubrick’s main ways of shooting. The framing of Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor are in One Point Perspective (image). This particular shot reflects Halloran and Wendy as she calls him out for lying (image).
Bathrooms hold a lot of vulnerability, and often— bad things. Including it in the shot includes the information held within that space.
No.7 starts from within Danny’s bedroom and we see a lot of toys, books, games on the shelves.
The things on the shelves are most obviously green, and they look to be board games, boxes, puzzles— reflecting the green in The Games Room and the Green Hallway (which will showcase emotional/mental games).
The furnishings: the shower curtain and a sunflower pillow- both of which will be referenced in The Overlook. The shower curtain in Room 237 and the pillow within The Living Quarters.
Peanuts, as in the Charlie Brown comic strip, but also euphemistically “not very much”, or “not very important”.
Peanuts characters— both in the curtains and the bed spread as well as stickers on the door.
Danny’s sneakers are white with black stripes.
Danny’s shoes in his storage shelves show shoes that are white with black stripes, but the shoes we saw him wear in No.6 were black with white stripes.
Kubrick as Unreliable Narrator
As Wendy talks about how Jack dislocated Danny’s shoulder, one of her eyes looks like it’s healing (it is significantly bigger and redder than the other). There is also the discrepancy of time of how long Danny’s been out of school, when the incident actually happened, and Jack’s attempt at sobriety for 5 months.
It is unclear about the connection of Danny’s injury, Jack’s sobriety date, and the time in which The Interview takes place. “Hasn’t had any alcohol in 5 months”, would signify Danny’s injury as 5 months ago, but when Jack vents about the same issue, he says “It was 3 goddamn years ago” (and he’s saying it at a bar, clearly showing his sobriety is a facade).. months into the stay at The Overlook.
Jack’s justification for dislocating his son’s shoulder is that Danny threw his work papers all around. When we first see Danny triking around The Overlook, it is within The Colorado Lounge– the space where Jack will be shown working.
The bathroom shower curtain in view while No.7 starts shows that this scene is a continuation (at least conceptually) from No.6. The bear pillow’s face mimicking that of The Elevator, is a bear and is also equally proportionally to Danny’s head is 3 layers of compositional reflections. The hooded dryer in the background as Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor exit Danny’s bedroom reflects the vanity in The Overlook Living Quarters. The Horse & Train Colville painting reflects every Colville in The Overlook, the Fatalism theme, the horseshoe, Danny riding into The Grady Girls. The pink floral pillow reflects the floral patterns shown in The Living Quarters (in wall paper and in furnishings). The conversation between the Social Worker / Doctor & Wendy reflects Ullman & Jack in harm towards family and the casual attitude we can have towards it. It also cements the reality that the problems involving Danny and Jack (and the physical violence involved) were present way before the family ever entered The Overlook.
We do not get a true account of who Tony is for the Social Worker / Doctor, but since we’ve seen No.6, we can see that Danny’s cagey about Tony. Wendy interjects that Tony is Danny’s imaginary friend, which gives a rationale for what we’ve experienced in No.6, but it’s No.19 that tells us who Tony is.
There are two sets of Lying in No.7: the ones Danny tells and the one Wendy tells: Danny’s relate to Tony and he cuts the conversation off with the Social Worker / Doctor about whether or not Tony tells him things (which we know he does). Wendy’s lies are a little harder to untangle, but like Jack’s lie- we know it because we see the other character tell their version.
Wendy and Danny are both in red, white and blue.
Wendy’s shoes are a leather bootie/moccasin style. Different than Jack’s work boots, but similar in color. Her beaded belt isn’t shown clearly, but that is another instance of Native American styling for this character.
Reflected in the face of Danny’s bear pillow: The Elevator. The floor dials are reflected in its eyes, and the mouth is a red half-circle. These choices connect both the blood and Danny’s silent scream included in the visual sequence of No.6, and the instances that The Elevator represents; both the actual moment where Wendy witnesses The Elevator and all of the fights that cause Danny to see it mentally, but also the silent scream and Jack’s murder of Halloran.
On the window sill of Danny’s bedroom is the rubber duck from No.6. Why it’s moved we don’t know, but it’s here. Its yellow-ness is reflected in the VW bug, the yellow tennis ball rolled to Danny, and its bathtub connection brings this scene (and No.6) to the bathtub aspect of Room 237.
Not only do the Peanuts characters’ on the curtains have a baseball bat, but there’s a baseball mitt on Danny’s shelves. Peanuts is also something you eat at baseball games. All of this continues the baseball theme as “America’s Pastime” but conceptually links the baseball behind Danny’s head as we hear about why he doesn’t want to go to the hotel, the mitt on the shelf as we now have a Doctor / Social Worker, and the baseball bat shown in No.62 as things have escalated. “America’s Pastime” is conflated with domestic violence.
The lunch box on Danny’s shelf is cowboys and Indians themed. Its inclusion continues the American History aspect, and how how deeply embedded the mythology is within American Culture.
Wendy’s blue paid pinafore.
Wendy’s blue paid pinafore and the red gingham table cloth.
This piece of artwork is shown just before Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor enter the living room. It’s another Colville piece with a horse running on the train tracks towards a moving train. Obviously this is not a hopeful piece. It’s reflected in No.37 & the horseshoe, Danny and The Grady Girls— both in that he traveling and runs into them, but also they represent the aftermath of no one changing their course. It also reflects how the Boulder Apartment and The Overlook are conceptually the same space, as well as the entire Fatalism theme.
“Shining a light on” what the Torrance family, Tony, and the family dynamic are really like.
During the conversation with the Social Worker / Doctor, light blares in from the window—much like Ullman’s office window. While we can’t say with any certainty it relates to a spacial inconsistency, it does relate to the need for awareness of what’s being said in the scene.
Color Saturation & Vibrancy as an Indicator
The Social Worker / Doctor is in neutrals, and while Wendy, Danny, the kitchen, the newspapers, Danny’s curtains and blankets- are all in saturated red and blue— showing the intensity of their situation visually.
Having your father dislocate your shoulder because he’s drunk and you’re a child who made a mess would be deeply emotional. This phrase mimics “The winter’s can be fantastically cruel” and how cruelty conceptually plays out across the rest of the film. No.41? Emotional factor. No.50? How about No.72, No.78, No.79?
This refers to child rearing, the laundry, and the fact that while Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor are seated in the living room, the camera primarily situates Wendy within the kitchen.
In the center of the shot but in the background are a sewing basket, a laundry basket, and it’s all on an ironing board. A signifier of women’s work, but framed within this shot— a euphemism for “dirty laundry”: secrets that are being aired out.
"He's the little boy that lives in my mouth"
This is how Danny refers to Tony when spoken to the Social Worker / Doctor. It’s ambiguous enough to be how a child might relate to an imaginary friend, but it’s also how a child could innocently understand “the inner voice” of self.
As Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor leave Danny’s bedroom, the bathroom is included in the view. The tile is pink, which will come to be reflected in the Boulder Apartment living space, and a light green, which will come to be reflected within the Room 237 bathroom.
The camera angle as Wendy talks about Danny and Jack has her back within the kitchen. The camera could have been facing from another side where she’d be seated with the Social Worker/ Doctor, but it doesn’t. Wendy is often shown in The Kitchen or connected to food.
Their inclusion continues the transitory aspect of their lives. They’ve barely settled within Boulder and are again moving for the next 5 months.
From No.5 we hear about how the isolation of The Overlook can cause a man to harm his family, but here we are hearing that a man can harm his family while being fully within society.
The fact that we ignore how blatantly Jack’s alcoholism is talked about within this scene and make memes about Wendy’s cigarette ash is part of the issue.
Idiomatically, saying that someone is “part of the furniture” is to say that someone or something has been a part of something for so long it’s become permanent, unquestioned, or an invisible aspect. Wendy wears a blue plaid pinafore and it matches the blue plaid pillow on the chair. It will happen again with a green plaid (that’s Jack’s interview shirt). Jack’s suit mimics the couches we see in the Torrance living space. Kubrick is saying these issues are "part of the furniture".
There’s a lot: Danny and the Bear pillow. Wendy’s insertion about who Tony is, Danny controlling a conversation with a grown adult (who’s a professional healthcare provider), Wendy’s justification of Danny’s injury for Jack’s (questionable) sobriety. On the visual side, Wendy matching her furnishings is a little strange, and the furnishings matching Summer of 42 is also intentional.
The Social Worker / Doctor’s reaction to Wendy’s retelling of Jack’s actions reflects Jack’s reaction to Ullman’s story of Grady. Except Jack is more bored than horrified and the Social Worker / Doctor’s is stunned silence.
Jack’s work is treated as an excuse: an excuse for him to drink and an excuse for him to alienate himself from his other responsibilities.
Wendy’s telling of The Incident centers around the excuse that because Danny had scattered Jack’s papers, it was “par for the course” that Jack would be physical in response.
Wendy’s retelling, “Wendy I’m never going to have another drop, and if I do, you can leave me” is another layer of reflection as Jack tells Ullman “You can rest assured that won’t happen to me”. Jack does drink (or imagines he does), and.. it does happen to him. Jack’s word is meaningless.
Wendy’s main place of residence. Her denial is what situates her (and Danny) right in harm’s way.
“My husband had been drinking, so he wasn’t in the greatest of moods that night”.
Some people drink to celebrate and have fun, and maybe that’s true for Jack— but what’s been established here is that he definitely drinks to stop (or heal) a bad mood.
The inclusion of part of the bathroom from the shot within Danny’s bedroom includes the information we learned there and we need to bring it here, to this scene. We can’t see all of it, signifying we won’t be sharing all of the information we learned.
It continues in the Living Space between Wendy and the Social Worker / Doctor.
There is no additional sound to this scene.