Movies
Jack Nicholson had a trick while filming ‘The Shining’ to make the audience share in his madness
‘The Shining’ became a complete horror classic thanks to its source material, but also because of Jack Nicholson’s performance. And he had a trick up his sleeve for it.
At this point in life, no one can doubt the talent of Jack Nicholson. The 87-year-old actor stood out for his roles in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, ‘Batman’ and ‘As Good As It Gets’, but practically everyone agrees that his best performance was seen in ‘The Shining’. Stanley Kubrick knew how to get the best out of him and managed to create one of the best horror films in all of history, neither more nor less.
Many film critics have analyzed Nicholson’s performance in this film in-depth, however none of them had realized a really curious detail. More than forty years after its release, the writer and Kubrick expert Filippo Ulivieri, realized something while enjoying ‘The Shining’ once again. It turns out that Nicholson not only looks directly at the viewer in the door and axe scene, but he does it dozens of times throughout the movie.
“I don’t think anyone noticed before, because I can’t find anything about it. No article, no video, nothing. [...] Although I don’t believe that everything in a Stanley Kubrick film happens for a reason, that everything is intentional, It is difficult for me to dismiss this detail as a simple error. There are too many, it can’t be accidental.” commented a fascinated Ulivieri via X.
A technique to make the viewer participate in the madness of Jack Torrance
Unfortunately, we do not have an official explanation for this very peculiar issue. Stanley Kubrick passed away a long time ago, so the only way to confirm Ulivieri’s suspicions would be to ask Jack Nicholson directly about it. Meanwhile, the theory most accepted by the public is that the actor used this ingenious trick to make the audience participate in Jack Torrance’s madness.
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