Daily Archives: January 24, 2014

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Gray (S)adler 04

There are a number of other very interesting towns around Red Cross besides nearby Level Cross already discussed in “Gray (S)adler 03.” Note first that Red Cross is near Climax, just over the northern Randolph County line in Guilford, and also lies within the Climax topographic map. Julian also seems meaningful, but I’ll have to get back to that if so. And then we have both a Grays Chapel and a Whites Chapel not far south of Red Cross (!). Lineberry (Linberry?) may reinforce, for us, the 2 needed lines to form a cross. Then there’s Melanchton a couple of miles to Red Cross’ southwest, the only US population place that begins with the letters “melanch”, like “melancholia”. I pretty strongly believe, however impossible it seems once more, that this is referring to Durer’s very famous 16th Century print “Melencholia I”, the first of a series planned on the subject of melancholia in general according to some sources. For now, I’ll say it has to do with the 4×4 Magic Square of the picture — I’ll study more about the print this weekend.

The topographic maps covering Randolph County could be a reinterpretation of the 4×4 square given the presence of MELACHton within (Grays Chapel topo map).

A 4×4 square appears above the CH O KING poster. In the movie, I believe Kubrick wants an association to be made between it and the 4 washers in the neighboring room, as already discussed as well in “Gray (S)adler 03”. I now think it can also be associated with Randolph County, NC, even though this is something that Kubrick in all likelihood *didn’t* plan. We have wandered off his map, if so.

The position of Red Cross is marked with a red cross. If The Shining’s 4×4 paper and Randolph County’s topo maps are aligned this way, the 2 “red crosses” are basically directly north and south of each other. The folded back corner of one the pieces of the “map” indicates the position of Red Cross, and also Level Cross directly above it, in turn (again if we turn the map sideways).

Some more on Randolph County:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_County,_North_Carolina

Randolph County is located in the center of North Carolina & the city of Asheboro (located in Randolph County) is the center point of North Carolina.

In 1911, a new county called Piedmont County was proposed, with High Point as its county seat, to be created from Guilford, Davidson and Randolph Counties. Many people appeared at the Guilford County courthouse to oppose the plan, vowing to go to the state legislature to protest. The state legislature voted down the plan in February 1911.[7][8]

Durer’s “Melancolia I” and its well known 4×4 square, also called the Magic Square of Jupiter:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melencolia_I

Even if he didn’t plan it, don’t you think Kubrick would like the alignment of 2 maps called Climax and Erect on either side of Randolph County?!

X marks the spot again.

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Gray (S)adler 03

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At 58:42, Wendy acquires “Rudolf nose” as her head begins to eclipse the red cross on the bulletin board.

The crown of her head passes directly beneath the turned up corner of the paper above the bulletin board precisely above the red cross. Simultaneously she starts to look up at the approaching boiler — her head *bends* with the line of the curve.

Another red nose effect quickly takes place — Wendy has encountered the eastern edge of the all important CH O KING poster. She now looks directly at KING.

She seems to balance the “O” on her nose at one position. Like a seal and its ball?

Her mouth aligns with red, middle region at the western edge of the poster, as if she is eating it in reverse (?)

After pushing some boiler buttons and hearing Jack grunt in seeming reaction, Wendy looks directly at the camera as her head realigns with the “O” of CH O KING, with the KING clearly visible again. And just to remind, we have that mysterious red sparkle appearing right when she then sets her clipboard down on the table, as she starts to move toward Jack in the Colorado Lounge to see what’s going on.

The 2nd CH O KING poster again in the adjacent utility room, which Wendy trots past on her way to Jack. We see that the paper with the red cross is once more beside it, but to its left instead of the former right. In the screen capture, Wendy’s head is centered in the “X”, maybe a direct counterpart to the poster’s median “O”? It’s also a possibility that it relates to the much smaller red cross just beside it here.

The red cross represents a *level* or horizontal cross, while the “X” represents a cross on a diagonal, in effect. Level Cross, North Carolina is the birthplace of NASCAR legend Richard *Petty*, who was known as “The KING” because he was at the top of his game when driving. Level Cross, NC happens to be directly west of a village named Red Cross. I’ll get back to that line of thought in a moment.*

Short theory here: I believe Kubrick wanted to parallel the 4 green washers *below* this second CH O KING poster to 4×4 paper *above* the first seen one. Starting at the left, both identical posters appear carefully aligned between the 1st and 2nd “columns” of paper and bank of washers respectively. The switching of the red cross from right to left indicates that we are dealing with an inversion, and that also top should be seen as bottom now. The washer furthest from Wendy here is slightly out of line with the others, just as one of the 4 columns in the 4×4 paper has a slightly bent corner, the one where Wendy begins to *bend* her head at to face the poster right as she passes beneath it. It’s not a calendar, however, since this would be 4×3 (for the 12 months). I believes it’s the washers or the washers are it. Each of the 4 washers turned on their primary axis would present 4 rectangles to the viewer — a top, a bottom and 2 sides, front and back. Likewise each of the 4 columns of the paper contains 4 rectangles.

We run smack into the same question again and again: why would *Kubrick go to so much trouble to do this*?!

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* Level Cross has recently been in the news.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131105/nascar01/131109924

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Filed under MAPS, North Carolina, Qbrick, Stanley, Shining, The

January 24, 2014 · 4:25 am

Gray (S)adler 02

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http://idyllopuspress.com/idyllopus/film/shining_wednesday_1.htm

There is above the lamp in the entry to the inner apartment of 237 a picture and at its bottom one of the shadowy forms occasionally seen in the photographs of the lodge instead of the usual chronicle of faces arranged about a table. One has here a sense of something like the abyss, and a great question mark concerning the figure staring across that great desert–though the picture appears to be of a lake. The image blends with other background paintings in the hotel that are instead wastes of snow. Knowing that later Jack will come up to Room 237 to inspect it, the silhouette presence in the image imparts the impression of it being Jack.

Kearns points out a very interesting, apparent transformation of this silhouette figure into a boiler switch in the subsequent crossfade. I’ve captured some screen shots to show the effect. When I first read about this, I thought that maybe Juli was looking too deep at this particular aspect, and seeing too much.

I believe I’ve changed my mind, given that the switch is red, and the very next scene transition, a cut this time, has almost directly overlapping red rectangles. Toggle back and forth between successive frames around this cut pictured below to see the effect. How much did Kubrick plan?? I haven’t even begun to reach the depth.

Red rectangle at bottom of safety poster…

… transforms into rectangular red bottom of pack of Marlboro cigarettes.

So let’s back up and see what Juli has to say about that boiler switch/painting silhouette match. I’ll focus on the provided pictures:

Fig. 17 – The silhouette in the painting at the entry of Room 237.

Fig. 18 – The silhouette in the painting at the entry of Room 237 begins to overlay the boiler in the basement.

Fig. 19 – The silhouette in the painting at the entry of Room 237 seems to reverse orientation, when it is instead a switch on the boiler becoming more prominent.

Fig. 20 – The switch on the boiler in the basement.

As the silhouette from the painting fully merges into the hardware on the boiler, and the crossfade ends, Wendy leans to the right so that the lean of her posture mimics the silhouette/hardware. We will see this kind of side-leaning mimicry again when Jack knocks a number of objects to the ground on his way to the Gold Room, in the scene where he comes upon all the balloons. In that scene, the side-lean will be observed also in a poster beyond Jack.

Here’s the leaning Wendy, seeming to mimic the angle of the red and black boiler switch in question to her left.

Again, I now think Ms. Kearns is definitely on to something here. So let’s look again at the chOking poster also displayed not once but twice in this particular Shining shot… this is shot 263 of the film according to Kearns’ counting. Quoting her again…

The unique CH O KING poster has the 0 slightly truncating the red form of the pyramid or plane below, which reminds of Wendy’s action of operating the can opener over a crossfade of the mountain in the Tuesday section which results in a sort of truncation of the mountain so it is concealed from view for the remainder of the movie.

We will learn in a little while that a “crazy woman” has attempted to strangle Danny in the bathroom of room 237. The crossfade from room 237 to Wendy in the boiler room when Danny asks if she’s in there, and the presence of the CH O KING poster and the pinups of the nudes could place Wendy in Room 237 symbolically if not literally, or are simply revealing to us the story of what is happening to Danny at this very moment.

She then provides this close up of the poster, which I’ve already displayed in the 1st post of this little series just below. Here it is again.

Continuing…

No two ways about it, we’ve no ordinary safety poster here giving instruction on what to do in the case of choking. The lettering is hand done and has the feel of 1950s/1960s horror film movie poster lettering. We see above the truncated pyramid, in the O, what appears to be a human face, mouth open in a large O. A depiction of a choking individual? The Blu-Ray’s colors are more intense and one wonders what is that red field down below the mouth? It doesn’t appear red in the DVD, and there are some scenes in the Blu-Ray where the colors are so completely wrong it’s a travesty. Can we take this as an image of Danny being choked? We also can glean here the image of Danny screaming in horror of Dick’s being killed.

Keep in mind we see *2* CH O KING posters in shot 263, one in the boiler room, and another in the utility room just outside, with the washers and dryers. We’ve also already seen this in a photo above, (far left center) representing the very last frame of the shot. The 2 posters appear identical; twinned.

Green and gold Wendy runs between green washers and golden dryers to end shot 263.

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Filed under Qbrick, Stanley, Shining, The