Iconic 'The Shining' Final Shot Photo Found After 45 Years

Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining features one of the most iconic final shots in genre cinema: a haunting photograph from the 1921 Fourth of July ball at the Overlook Hotel, prominently featuring Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson), who, in reality, had not yet been born. The image used in the film was a real photograph altered to include Nicholson. The original photograph had remained elusive for decades until its recent rediscovery, 45 years after the film's release.

Retired University of Winchester academic Alasdair Spark shared insights into the journey of locating the original image on Getty's Instagram. He explained, "Following the earlier identification by facial recognition software of the unknown man in the photograph at the end of The Shining as Santos Casani, a London ballroom dancer, I can reveal that the photo was one of three taken by the Topical Press Agency at a St. Valentine's Day Ball on February 14, 1921, at the Empress Rooms, the Royal Palace Hotel, Kensington." The post included a new scan from the original glass-plate negative and supporting handwritten documents.

Spark, along with New York Times staffer Arick Toller and dedicated Redditors, embarked on a challenging search for the image. "It was starting to seem impossible, every cross-reference to Casani failed to match. Other likely places that were suggested didn’t match," he noted. "There were some places we could not find images for and we started to fear that meant the photo might be lost to history, and never be found."

Spark learned from on-set photographer Murray Close, who captured the image of Nicholson that was superimposed over Casani, that the original photo came from the BBC Hulton Library. Knowing that Hulton had acquired Topical Press in 1958 and that Getty took over in 1991, Spark decided to search through Getty's extensive archives. Their efforts led to the discovery that the image was licensed to Hawk Films, Kubrick’s production company, on October 10, 1978, for use in The Shining.

Spark concluded, "Joan Smith had said the photo dated from 1923. Stanley Kubrick had said 1921 and he was correct. The photo doesn’t show any of the celebrities I had speculated on — the Trix Sisters for instance — nor the bankers, financiers, or presidents others like Rob Ager have imagined there. No devil worshippers either. Nobody was composited into it except Jack Nicholson. It shows a group of ordinary London people on a Monday evening. 'All the best people,' as the manager of the Overlook Hotel said."

This discovery is sure to delight fans of The Shining. Stephen King's novel, released in 1977, has been adapted twice: Kubrick’s iconic film and a book-accurate 1997 miniseries directed by horror maestro Mick Garris.