Or so Jack tells Wendy, among other things, showing sings that something is obviously not right. Granted, he doesn't fly off the hook like in Cuckoo's Nest, where McMurphy wanted the TV set turned onto the ballgame, or that scene where he completely goes off the Richter scale at Ann-Margret in Carnal Knowledge, but not far from it, either.
Poor Wendy slunks off...what else can she do? Although not touched upon here as in the original novel, it's as if all his old drinking habits have re-appeared: sleeping late, cranky in the morning (and all other times of the day now, apparently), increased isolation from Wendy and Danny.
Jack sets the typewriter back in place, and just before he begins typing again...
It cuts right away to Wendy and Danny behind the Overlook, running around, laughing it up, throwing snowballs at one another. The "Thursday" title card has been snipped out.
Then we come to the enigmatic shot of Jack alone in the Lounge, with the fire roaring away behind him, while he stares out the window...unblinking...unshaved...unraveling. I like how a small slice of Gyorgy Ligeti's piece "Lontano" plays underneath it all, swelling in volume as the camera zooms in tighter in Jack's face, as he looks up slightly. What could be possibly going on in his head?
SATURDAY
Jack is alone in the Lounge again, typing away.
Wendy, meanwhile, is trying out the hotel's telephone switchboard, but is having no luck making any connection, so she walks on over to Ullman's office and tries the 2-way radio. She has a short conversation with the ranger who answers the call. No changes here.
Oh, yes...we know what's coming here...
He saw them in the vision in the Boulder apartment bathroom, and seemed to see them downstairs in the game room on closing day, but now they're here for real, it seems.
"Come and play with us, Danny", they intone.
"Forever...and ever...and ever".
Wow, what a horrific sight that particular shot is. It almost looks like something from an actual crime-scene photo (not unlike some of the shots of the DeFeo murder victims that preceded the "Amityville Horror" story).What's also a little disconcerting is that the Grady massacre occurred in 1970, but their dresses evoke a much earlier era.
The rest of the scene is left intact, where Danny talks to Tony.
MONDAY
It cuts to Danny cautiously opening the door to the Torrance's apartment.
That's right, the preceding shot where Wendy and Danny are sitting in the lobby, watching Summer Of '42 has been scissored out entirely. What a shame, as I really like that particular shot. I was initially dismayed but still astounded when finding out that not only was the Overlook Hotel not an actual hotel, but that entire scene was done on an interior soundstage. Even the winter storm raging away outside the windows was done indoors. Which is amazing, as it gives off that sort of fluorescent-looking light that winter skies and snow seem to give off when it really piles up outside.Talk about Hollywood magic, without it actually being in Hollywood!
By the way, it becomes apparent by now that a lot of scenes with Wendy have been cut out.
Anyway, "Music For Strings, Percussion and Celesta" is played again, only from the start of the third movement. The opening tinkling notes on the marimba seem to compliment the way Danny quietly opens the door and tiptoes in, hoping not to wake Jack up.
But there he is already, sitting on the bed, staring out the window for who knows how long.
This is a very unsettling scene. Much has been made in recent years about some underlying stories and theories about Jack and Danny, but none of that sounds right to me.
The way I've always seen it is: Danny has most likely been walking on eggshells around Jack ever since the arm-breaking incident, even if it had occurred a few years back, and he most likely never forgave him for that. Plus, he really hasn't seen much of Jack since they've been there, and when he finally does, Jack is really starting to look like a wino by this point. Plus, he looks like he doesn't smell too good, either.
I've always felt that Jack (Torrance, that is) is a little tipsy here, as he talks a bit slurry, like he's been secretly nipping away at a bottle of something that he's got hidden under the mattress. Maybe he's supposed to be half-awake, but he always sounded slightly drunk to me.
"Do you like this hotel?", Danny asks,
"Yes...I do...I love it", Jack says. "I wish we could stay here forever...and ever...and ever".
I'm surprised Danny didn't run the hell out of there when he heard that familiar chain of words!
No comments:
Post a Comment