{"id":4321,"date":"2018-08-11T13:26:20","date_gmt":"2018-08-11T17:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=4321"},"modified":"2022-10-24T20:34:17","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T00:34:17","slug":"a-clique-of-cranks-room-237","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/a-clique-of-cranks-room-237\/","title":{"rendered":"A Clique of Cranks: Room 237"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Room 237<\/em> is not about The Shining<\/em>. It is about those lost in its labyrinth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For better or for worse, Stanley Kubrick<\/a> is one of the most potent gateway drugs for young cinephiles, and for many the early obsession proves lifelong. The addictive nature of his films is partly due to their own air of grandeur and carefully-crafted perfection, but the the popular perception of Kubrick as a total mastermind sweating every single detail of his films is belied by some accounts, such the surprisingly seat-of-his-pants making of 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/a><\/em>. And the weight of reputation and self-seriousness often disguises the satire and sometimes even silly wit. Personally, I was exposed to 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em> as a child, and it wasn’t until years later that I realized how much of it was intentionally funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps even moreso than 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, The Shining<\/em> is treated as a kind of holy book by a clique of cranks. And like all holy books, The Shining<\/em> is big, deep, and rich enough to support almost any interpretation one might bring to it. If one looks hard and long enough for something, one will find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These Shining<\/em> superfans evince little distinction between conscious authorial intent vs. after-the-fact critical deconstruction by outside observers. What is for most movie buffs a fun parlor game of spotting continuity errors is for them a deadly serious matter of asking what it all meeeeaannnns, man. In particular, the symbolism of the Overlook Hotel’s garden labyrinth tempts an examination of its indoor floorplan, which is indeed full of evident inconsistencies. But rather than consider the challenges of building a movie set, it’s more fun to read it as an exploration into the psychogeography of madness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the obsessives make interesting observations, but often undercut themselves. For instance: one egomaniac believes he has “solved” the film as Kubrick’s coded confession that he was involved in faking the Apollo moon landing footage. He interprets the hotel key lettering “ROOM No.” to be an anagram for “MOON”. He forgets “MORON”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Room 237 is not about The Shining. It is about those lost in its labyrinth. For better or for worse, Stanley Kubrick is one of the most potent gateway drugs for young cinephiles, and for many the early obsession proves lifelong. The addictive nature of his films is partly due to their own air of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,2],"tags":[1719,27,1720,1718,163],"class_list":["post-4321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-3-stars","category-movies","tag-1719","tag-documentary","tag-rodney-ascher","tag-shining","tag-stephen-king"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-17H","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":185,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/2001-a-space-odyssey\/","url_meta":{"origin":4321,"position":0},"title":"2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen at New York’s Ziegfeld theater","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 22, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best movies ever made, on one of the biggest screens in New York. What could be better? It's taken me many years and many viewings to realize that the movie is actually very, very funny. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising for a movie that directly followed\u00a0Dr. Strangelove,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "5 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"5 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/5-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2001: A Space Odyssey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4535,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/foolproof-and-incapable-of-error-christopher-nolans-70mm-unrestoration-of-2001-a-space-odyssey\/","url_meta":{"origin":4321,"position":1},"title":"Foolproof and Incapable of Error: Christopher Nolan’s 70mm Unrestoration of 2001: A Space Odyssey","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"If any excuse were necessary to rewatch Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, a new print projected in a proper theater would certainly be it. To mark the film's 50th anniversary, Warner Bros. commissioned filmmaker and Kubrick aficionado Christopher Nolan to create a set of new 70mm prints. Nolan's team\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "5 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"5 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/5-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Keir Dullea in 2001: A Space Odyssey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1458,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/solyaris\/","url_meta":{"origin":4321,"position":2},"title":"Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solyaris (Solaris) is Vertigo in Space","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The opening credits of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film Solyaris state it is \"based on the science fiction by Stanislaw Lem.\" It's perhaps telling that the term \"science fiction\" is used in place of simply \"novel.\" This faint hint of apology may hint at a lack of respect for the original\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1464,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/solaris\/","url_meta":{"origin":4321,"position":3},"title":"Death Has No Dominion in Steven Soderbergh’s Solaris","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"February 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"As a huge title card reads immediately at the end of the film, Solaris was \"written for the screen and directed by Steven Soderbergh.\" I am a big admirer, but that seemed a bit egotistical even to me. Perhaps an overenthusiastic end-credits designer is to blame? Or maybe the studio\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Solaris","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/02\/solaris-2002-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":293,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-june-21-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":4321,"position":4},"title":"The Dork Report for June 21, 2006","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 21, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Vintage 2001: A Space Odyssey goodness: Kubrick at the premiere and an interview with actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. (spotted on Daring Fireball) FontLover.com (no longer online: fontlover.com), a new blog about, well, guess. (spotted on Blue Vinyl) Finally, the perfect plectrum to play LED Zeppelin. 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Interestingly, English subtitles indicate the films were apparently not silent in their original form, with narration and perhaps scores of their own. 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