No.53
This scene might be the “big boss” of the entire film. It’s here we meet Delbert Grady— a British man— mingle with party goers from the 1920’s, and hear the justification around Jack planning to kill his wife and son.
The dialogue is where the bulk of the information for this scene is embedded—it is densely layered and shifts quickly, often referring to multiple scenes at once.
American History/Culture
Why is Grady British? Nothing is stated about Grady’s nationality. Not in the book and definitely not in No.5. Without Grady’s British accent, the above connection speaks to the Abuse narrative. Thanks to the British accent, it also relates to the American History aspect.
It is a part of both American History and American Culture to celebrate mediocre violent men because they suit greedy men’s goals.
Grady’s anecdote is protection towards the hotel, and shows what is expected of Jack now that he’s in the “same position”. It’s a metaphor for greed of men to sell out their families for the sake of their success, greed, place/role in the larger sense.
Domestic abuse:
Jack’s demeanor/mood is back to happy, after being destructive and childish in No.51 and violent and aggressive in No.50. He’s abusive and angry to his family and happy everywhere else.
Jack’s Ego:
Jack’s elevation in status: he’s gone walking into an empty space to being greeted, by name, by the Maitre D. He’s gone from ‘having good credit’ to ‘your money is no good here. Order’s from the house”.
The Maze:
This scene is built upon what’s shown the first time Jack sits at The Gold Room, which is a reaction to what happens No.45 (which was itself a reopening of the wound from No.7).
Kubrick as Unreliable Narrator:
Jack talks to Grady in front of mirrors.
The party-goers are all wearing black and white (or champagne), visually connecting them to the blocks of black and white photos and setting up No.91
The advocate spilled on the silver tray mimics Wendy’s breakfast to Jack.
We hear Ullman talk about a previous caretaker, a Charles Grady who killed his family in 1970. Yet here we are, in a 1920’s party meeting a Delbert Grady.
Grady goes from bumbling British butler in the beginning of his interaction to calm, cool and rage-filled. Similar to how we meet Jack.
Grady provides Jack not just with information, but advice on courses of action. Grady is ego protection for survival, and therefore Grady is Jack’s version of “Tony”.
Doubling:
No.47 begins with Jack’s joke, “Hey Lloyd, little slow tonight isn’t it?” and here we see the hallway filled with smoke and the space filled with party goers.
No.47 only has Lloyd, yet here there are two bartenders to satisfy everyone.
Before Jack promised he had cash but opened his wallet to nothing. Now he has that same money, but it’s rejected because Jack’s “so important”.
Obfuscated View:
Beyond an aesthetic, this is a way of crafting messages so that Kubrick is saying ‘what I don’t show you is part of the puzzle’. {create a device and link this to that}
Filming ‘through’ walls and the large palm trees as ‘hunting blinds’ both apply here.
Predator + Prey
The conversation between Grady + Jack lays out a predator + prey dynamic between father and child.
Saturation as Emotional Indicator:
Jack and Lloyd’s jackets are the same color, but the red is so vibrant in the bathroom that Jack’s dark red jacket and Grady’s black jacket are “the same color” in contrast.
Color reflection:
The velvet rope is the same color as Jack’s jacket and Lloyd’s jacket.
The red walls in The Gold Room Bathroom reflect (and foreshadow) the blood coming out of the elevator Danny sees, the red hallway & blood elevator Wendy sees.
Red, White, and Blue:
Jack’s blue jeans create “Red White Blue”within the Gold Room Bathroom. The total composition is “Red, White, Blue, Black and White” which is also repeated across the film
Pattern reflection:
Red + Black Native American Pattern:
As Jack and Grady enter the bathroom, a red and black Native American pattern is shown— this same pattern is shown as a blanket
No.66
No.81
and replacing a block of black and white photos in No.91
Seeing where the pattern shows up creates a semiotic connector across Jack’s violent and destructive attitudes and actions against his family.
Seen in the larger context of character and location styling and attributes creates the American History narrative pinned upon the Abuse narrative.
Behavioral:
The scene serves as an escape, Jack has decided to head back there instead of face his reality.
Euphemism + Idiom:
“Hair of the dog that big me.”
Relates to an alcoholic drink taken to cure a hangover.
It comes from an old belief that someone bitten by a rabid dog could be cured of rabies by taking a potion containing some of the dog's hair.
“That’ll do her”, sexual, “to get the job done”.
Receiving something on a “silver platter” is to receive something without having to put much effort or work into it.
“Paint the town red”,meaning to engage in a wild spree, to get wildly drunk.
No agreement as to the phrase’s origin or the “red” allusion: it is sometimes said to refer to setting something on fire; to violence and (red) bloodshed; to the red flush of a drunk’s face; or to the literal painting of a town in red paint.
Black and White:
1“black and white” - A subject or situation that is easy to understand what is right and what is wrong; clear discernment, clear as day.
2 “In black and white” Written down or in print, and therefore official.
Cabin Fever:
Jack’s mental state is nonexistent and he’s hallucinating all of this.
Ghost Story:
Jack’s mental state has been manipulated— either the hotel is a ghost in and of itself or the ghosts that have died in the hotel are swirling around to seduce Jack to their side.
Who Lloyd is:
Both Lloyd’s comment that Jack’s money is no good there, and “orders from the house” give the impression that the hotel as ghost/overarching control mechanism over the internal pieces and Jack.
Who Grady is:
We hear Ullman talk about a previous caretaker, a Charles Grady who killed his family in 1970. Yet here we are, in a 1920’s party meeting a Delbert Grady.
The camera is fixed at the far end of the hallway, at the entrance of The Gold Room. We know the space is punctuated with mirrors, but this one across the door is the only one we see.
The scene is divided up into tight sections, especially once Grady and Jack speak privately within the bathroom. I’ve broken this out within the Dialogue portion.
Having the scene end on Grady’s face does a few things, but it primarily centers this scene around pride and justification, and especially, pride IN the justification.
In the American History aspect:
The justification of choices, like how Jack defends the Donner Party’s actions: A9:i232 ‘they had to. in order to survive’
This shows that it’s quasi acceptable to eat other people once they’ve died- but in A14, it’s not acceptable to kill others for your own survival (or luxury): A14, “the site is built on an Indian Burial Ground and I believe we even had to repel some attacks” Which is wholly subjective perspective/relativism.
The fact that Grady is British and not once is this mentioned. Yes Philip Stone is British, but Grady didn’t have to be played by him. Yes, the film is shot in England, but it’s supposed to be America. It’s clearly America with the rest of the cast American. Having Grady and his daughters be British is a conscious choice that influences his role AS influence itself.
In the Abuse aspect:
Jack throwing Wendy and Danny under the bus for his own success
Jack abusing Wendy because she’s interrupted his work
Jack abusing Danny because he’s playing around his work
Jack taking his anger and frustration out on Wendy and Danny and he justifies it in relation to his work.
The Gold Room
No.15
No.46
No.47
No.53
Honorable Mention: The Bathroom
No.6
No.48
No.53
No.72
Jack
Lloyd
Grady
All of the big band music heard is from the 1930’s, a full decade past the 1921 reference made No.91:i2139
This supports the false nostalgia/time reference of not always remembering things as they occurred, but amalgamating them from a comfortable place.
It is also interesting to note that all of the bandleaders shown here are British, which could support the imperial overtone of the messaging.
1. Midnight, The Stars & You
The theme of the song is a magical night spent dancing under the stars, in which the singer promises to remember for the rest of his life.
This creates a message of history repeating itself, and when it is replayed in A91, that is the message that is clearly conveyed.
This is also another example of how your memory of a situation or time was not how it really was.
2. It’s All Forgotten Now
This is primarily important because of the name, and as it’s playing, Jack is trying to prove that who he is talking to is Delbert Grady- who he read about in the papers.
In reality, he heard about Charles Grady from his interview for the job.
The facts are wrong, Grady doesn’t even remember being the caretaker, and it goes to show the slippery nature of time and facts in the face of delusion.
3. Home
This music is important on 3 levels.
As it plays, Grady is informing Jack of his ‘home situation’: Danny is willful, bringing in outside influence, Wendy interferes, and Grady’s previous actions leading to his advice with how Jack should handle it.
On a deeper level, it shows who within Jack’s “home” is playing which role. Grady is serving as a violent hate-filled side, with Jack serving as Grady’s #2 man.
On an overarching American History level- Grady’s British accent (which speaks to British Imperialism guiding the way to American imperialism/manifest destiny, the reference to Halloran’s stature as “Ni**er cook” to appease the rage of the mediocre blue collar white man, men sacrificing their children’s generation for their own gain and notoriety, and the justification of all of it is 100% American.