The Other Aleph: Film as Poetry

Though the word "Aleph" is nearly synonymous with the late Argentine author, Jorge Luis Borges, and makes a few appearances in acrostic Psalms (Ps 37; Ps 119) in the Old Testament, the alphabetic character, idea, and literary source could also figure into The Shining. This parallel may be the product of synchronistic, or, magical thinking, but, The Shining being an overtly psychological horror/thriller film, this idea should not be ruled out simply because it is unusual. Much of what makes The Shining unsettling has to do with the logical inconsistencies, vexatious plot holes, and the subtle but disturbing upheaval of conventional horror tactics ("meditative scares" rather than "jump scares," prolonged, terrifying "climax," etc). Critics often say it has all of the trappings of a typical horror film without being a horror film. 

Kubrick was influenced by Jung's archetypes - universal and indestructible images which hold powerful, unified meanings for all people. The word "synchronicity" itself was coined by Jung, a fact which suggests a mode of thinking that strives to understand disparate phenomena, whether psychological or physical. Jung's influence shows most visibly in Full Metal Jacket and The Shining. The "duality of man" alluded to in the former speaks to Jung's self-explanatory thinking on moral duality: any good attribute has its opposite. This theme is also very strong in Psalms, and very much so in Psalms 37 and 119 where the acrostic references the Hebrew alphabet, each letter introducing an aphorism or prayer that alludes to a conflict and resolution in a few short lines. This in mind, with the ancient notion of good and evil, you almost can't say "man" without meaning man in his duality.   

It isn't coincidental that I mention Borges; when it comes to themes of modernity, especially as it applies to architecture, we should consider that Kubrick had read Borges and Kafka prior to the production of The Shining, and mentions both writers' clear, simplistic style in a 1980 interview with Vicente Molina Foix. This is revealing, if only for the fact that Borges is forever associated with the labyrinth, while Kafka is arguably associated with the urban, alienated individual. The common criticism that Kubrick's films are cold, distant, and even cynical reflects at some level the filmmaker's inspirations. I could go on probably for hours about the implications of Kubrick's intentional employment of coldness, irony, and isolation in his films, but I won't.

Kafka's alienated characters attempt to navigate complex, inhumane, labyrinthine built environments in most of his stories and novels. These environments, such as early-20th century New York, which Karl Rossmann is confronted by in Amerika, are timeless. Before the young man disembarks from the Hamburg America Line (a coincidental reference to HAL9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey) ship, he makes several missteps, including entrusting his only suitcase to a stranger, and, allowing himself to become embroiled in an argument between the ship's stoker, to whom Karl is sympathetic, and the ship's upper management. Karl Rossmann almost mirrors Dave Bowman, who takes issue with his spaceship's management, namely, the supercomputer HAL. Karl wanders through the dark and winding interior of the ship, which is almost entirely empty of people, just as Bowman and Poole are virtually lost within their spaceship in 2001, only able to communicate with supercomputer HAL, while the other three astronauts hibernate in their coma-pods. By the third and final part of the film, Bowman dismantles HAL and propels the ship through an infinite, dark space, entirely alone. "HAL" mirrors the shipping line in Kafka's novella - both are distant, bureaucratic entities. More could be said of this connection, surely.

But, I was here to talk about The Shining. It doesn't hurt to point out that Kubrick focused on themes of isolation, group dynamics, and individualism many times before. Even Full Metal Jacket, with all of its group dynamics, is still very much about the individual experience of those dynamics, dramatized by a war-time setting (further - in the late '60s, when "group" dynamics would have coincided with communalism, socialism, hippies, etc). Barry Lyndon, too, is about one man making his way to his idea of success in 19th century Europe. In Lolita, the story of Humbert Humbert reflects the dual-natured reality of a single, very troubled man's obsessive (taboo, and illegal) pursuit of a teenaged girl. The Killing could be read through the character of George Peatty, who has been taken advantage of by his wife, friends, and employment - the conspirators representing yet again a rogue group dynamic. A Clockwork Orange centers on the experience of Alex, and Eyes Wide Shut focuses on Bill, yet there are significant examples of group dynamics in both too. 

Back to Borges. In "The Immortal," Borges uses first-person narration to describe the journey a Roman soldier (an alienated individual) makes to a mysterious city.

I had made my way through a dark maze, but it was the bright City of the Immortals that terrified and repelled me. A maze is a house built purposely to confuse men; its architecture, prodigal in symmetries, is made to serve that purpose. In the palace that I imperfectly explored, the architecture had no purpose. There were corridors that led nowhere, unreachably high windows, grandly dramatic doors that opened onto monk like cells or empty shafts, incredible upside-down staircases with upside-down treads and balustrades. Other staircases, clinging airily to the side of a monumental wall, petered out after two or three landings, in the high gloom of the cupolas, arriving nowhere. I cannot say whether these are literal examples I have given; I do know that for many years they plagued my troubled dreams; I can no longer know whether any given feature is a faithful transcription of reality or one of the shapes unleashed by my nights.

Similarly, purposeless and immense structures figure into Amerika in the form of skyscrapers, country estates, hotels, and ships. Like many of Edward Hopper's paintings, individuals, not groups, are camouflaged within the loneliness of large natural, urban, and domestic environments. From the introductory helicopter shots in The Shining, the Overlook Hotel appears enormous, imposing, and castle-like. It is ostentatious, sitting completely isolated on a rugged mountain range. The main idea that can be distilled from the excerpt above is this single line: 

A maze is a house built purposely to confuse men; its architecture, prodigal in symmetries, is made to serve that purpose.

Mirrors, symmetries, dualities - this is what Borges suggests is the basis of confusing, deceptive architecture. Literal mirrors and symbolic "mirroring" is at the core of The Shining and much of Kubrick's work. For instance, consider that Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick have the same initials. "SK" mirrors "SK." King's extreme dislike of Kubrick's interpretation of his novel only exacerbates the idea of dualities or mirrors: King = good, Kubrick = bad. Note also that if we wanted to assign numerical values to these initials, we would arrive at something like: S = 19, K = 11. We can read "SK" like a year: "1911." In the film, the final image we see is a framed photograph showing Jack at the center of a ritzy ball at the hotel, July 4, 1921. This would be 10 years after 1911. As others have noted, 19+11 = 30, and, 1+9+1+1 = 12. Both numbers are of some significance. If, for example, "SK" is "12," then the dual "SK" of King vs. Kubrick spells "12" and "12." Night and day. "24" in total, like hours in a single day. 

As a note on the strangeness of mirrors - when Danny writes "Redrum" in red lipstick on Wendy's bedroom door, he spells the "D" and "R" backwards. When reversed, however, the first four letters "MURD" are correctly spelled, leaving the "ER" backwards-facing. "M" and "U" are symmetrical.

During Jack's first visit to the Gold Room where he imagines a bartender named Lloyd, he refers to the bills he's carrying: two $10s, and two $20s. Jack wants to get rid of these bills. If we add these numbers, we get 60. 60 can be divided in two, to get 30 and 30. But, if we add 60 to 1921, we get 1981 - one year after the film's release. If we presume the film takes place in 1980, when it was released, then we can subtract 60 from 1980 and arrive at 1920. Does Jack want to go back in time? Perhaps. Rob Ager of Collative Learning points out that President Woodrow Wilson placed all American banks under the auspices of the Federal Reserve in 1921, allowing for the banishing of the gold standard. A line of thinking is that the Federal Reserve's refusal to lend money worsened and prolonged the depression. The topic has been subject to many conspiracy theories. Ager has written a good deal about the theme of gold - as color, symbol, and subtext - in The Shining. It appears Kubrick was concerned about the reliability of banks and cash, and at some point advocated buying gold, so it isn't out of the question. If we break apart 1921 and add it's individual figures (1+9+2+1) we arrive at 13. 13 is one more than 12, which is the sum of 1911. 1911 also gives us 11, so we see a similar sequence emerging. In 10 years, we advance 1 step (1931: 1+9+3+1 = 14, etc). 

The pacing of The Shining largely reflects the novelty of steadicam which allowed for long, balanced tracking shots. For this reason, the pacing and visual language of The Shining is architectonic in nature. The rectilinear, maze-like halls of the Overlook Hotel dictate how characters (and the camera) moves. There are certainly exceptions: when Jack intimidates Wendy, forcing her to walk backwards up a large set of stairs, the movement does not follow a straight line. The excessive size of Jack's "writing room" is cartoonish: thirty-foot ceilings, gothic "wheel" chandeliers, Native American tapestries, furnished sitting areas, fireplace, enormous windows, etc. 

13 is a loaded number whose relevance and significance in the film Fell Ryan has shown in a number of instances. If we add 1981 in a similar manner (1+9+8+1) we get 19. 19 mirrors the century in which 1921, 1980, 1942, and 1981 all took place (though we would say twentieth century, not nineteenth). Still, we have 20 and 10 and 19. A lot of bad things happened in years beginning with "19," arguably, too many events to list. 

Consider the office of Stuart Ullman with the impossible window where Jack interviews for the caretaker position. But first, a note on the window: the window is considered impossible because the office is located in the interior of the Overlook Hotel; however, I would speculate that there is a similarity between the office's impossible window and the maze's possible center. Perhaps the Overlook Hotel has a hidden courtyard, like, say, the Pentagon in Arlington County, just across the river from D.C. The Pentagon is a very strange, powerful, and physically enormous example of American Federal architecture. It is, oddly, or not, a modern version of a colonial "star fort," a military fortress built in geometric pattern to maximize defense from invasion. 9/11 would "prove" the compound's weaknesses in a modern warfare environment. Ullman appears very presidential behind the mahogany desk with the small American flag and fountain pens. The White House doesn't have a courtyard, but the Pentagon does. "Caretaker," while a euphemism of "gravedigger," could also be read as "defender" or "protector." It seems Ullman wants Jack to protect and preserve the Overlook. The Pentagon, of course, houses the Department of Defense. Ullman's appearance has been compared to JFK, an idea that, in 1980 as well as now, hints at the dark, dirty story of the late president's assassination. Since his televised, public assassination in 1963, countless conspiracy theories have gained near-mainstream status. 

It would take too much time to recount the significance of the Aleph. But I'll give an overview: the maze as reality and concept is explored several times in The Shining. We are reminded of the Ancient Greek myth of the minotaur in the maze. The mini-epic poem "Catullus 64" by Roman poet, Catullus, is as labyrinthine as the labyrinth at Knossos which it depicts. Theseus, the hero, will slay the minotaur in the labyrinth, and marry Ariadne. Her love has helped him to defeat the minotaur. 

Jack follows Danny into the maze at the Overlook hotel to murder him. Danny outsmarts Jack and reunites with his mother, Wendy, after hiding, and retracing his steps. To the left of Ullman's head is an eagle carving which almost looks like the letter "X."  

Or, does it look like the Aleph?

As has been noted before, the eagle, which appears on Jack's "Stovington" t-shirt, and indirectly, in the Adler typewriter ("Adler" being the German word for "eagle") he uses to type hundreds of pages containing the same 10 words (and 42 characters), is a small but blatant reference to the literal embodiment and representation of the eagle as a symbol of total power and terror. It is less well-known that the Nazis found inspiration in American notions of Eugenics which proliferated with popularity in the early twentieth century. But the eagle does allude to Nazi Germany. The number 42 figures into The Shining in a variety of ways, pointing to the fact that the Final Solution was carried out in 1942. The freezer Hallorann shows the Torrances during the tour of the Overlook Hotel has been compared to a photograph of concentration camp barracks. The resemblance is uncanny. 

"Adler" begins with the letter "A." "A" is the Aleph, and so "aleph" is also "eagle." The eagle carving coincides aesthetically with the Hebrew Aleph. The Aleph was descended from the Phoenician alphabet. The ancient linguists based the shape of the letter on the head of an Ox, which is quite similar to a bull or Minotaur (part bull, part man), as it is a horned cattle/bovine animal. We also have the strange skier poster in the game room where Danny has a vision (of the twins) that may suggest the presence of a minotaur. 

 

The poster is also given the title "Monarch" which suggests the idea of Kings, Kingdoms, and castles. "A" is mighty, and close to God. The Overlook is itself a maze of the Escher kind: the stairs lead down and up simultaneously, depending on our perspective. Wendy ascends or descends; Jack follows or leads; Danny escapes or deceives. 

Mystical Maze

 

Dick Hallorann flies to Colorado once he senses or "shines" that bad things are beginning to happen at the Overlook Hotel. Dick calls his friend, Larry, who owns a gas station and auto-shop, asking to rent a Snow Cat. The telephone dialogue includes the following exchange. 

D: Hi Larry, this is Dick, Dick Hallorann.

L: Dick, how you doing? How's the weather down there?

D: I'm not in Florida, Larry, I'm calling from the Stapleton Airport.

L: What the hell you doing down there?

At first glance, there is little unusual going on here. But, maybe we notice that regardless of whether Dick is in Florida or at the Stapleton Airport in Denver, Larry refers to Dick's location as "down." "Down" is a vernacular term. It doesn't necessarily mean "south" or "below," but conveys familiarity. I seem to remember linguist John McWhorter speaking on a podcast about the word "down" as used in American Southern Black dialects, and how it denotes familiarity. But that's enough. We could also study the words "hell," and, "down." First, though Dick is in Denver, it's a long way to Durkin's garage. He says he is five hours away. Not to get sidetracked, but, we can note the number 5 which I took a bit of a deep dive into in the previous post. In the Book of Genesis, God creates animal life on the fifth day. Animal life is distinct from humanity, or, man, which is created on the 6th day. 5 is the letter "heh" or "e" in Hebrew: ה. And we can guess what follows: the association of Dick, a black man, with the idea of "animal." From a long view, we can see Africans as the more recent ethnic group afflicted by slavery. But even the Jews suffered centuries of slavery at the hands of Pharaoh (and, essentially all other ethnic groups on all continents at one time or another). 

We also have the suggestion that Dick is five hours from Durkin's garage, at which point he will be able to get the Snow Cat and ascend to the Overlook. 5, then, also symbolizes the Overlook, or, the Snow Cat, if the snow vehicle is thought of as an animal. The Overlook is Jack's lair, so, Jack-as-beast/bull becomes reinforced again by the number five. Dick's answer to Larry seems to be unconscious and natural; five is a number (like other odd numbers) used in design to stimulate the eye and to create interesting symmetries. It is also a number that is intuited naturally, supposedly because of human anatomy - the five fingers and five toes we have on each hand and foot. 

Dick has flown from Miami and is going to rent a car to get to Durkin's garage, from which point he will use the Snow Cat to drive up the snowbound road to the Overlook. This is a treacherous voyage - an odyssey of sorts - which could very well also insinuate the idea of wandering in a maze. It may be synchronistic or uncanny to suggest, as others have, that the car Dick drives is an AMC Matador. My primary source here is Idyllopus Press and IMDCb.org. I wouldn't have known, or suspected, this, had I not begun to read Kearns's (Idyllopus P.) review of Killer's Kiss (1955), Kubrick's first non-documentary feature film. Assuming the car pictured is in fact a Matador, then we have the association of Dick Hallorann with a matador, that is, one who fights and/or slays bulls. But, five hours isn't a mere estimate: it is fate itself, a sort of countdown for Dick. Now, it could also be argued that a sort of "metamorphosis" takes place after Dick arrives at Durkin's Garage. That is, Dick "becomes" an animal when he takes the Snow Cat. Also of interest is the fact that the Overlook is pictured as a mountain. Think of sacrifices, visions, and burnt offerings in the Bible - the Binding of Isaac by Abraham on Mount Moriah, Jesus Crucified on Golgotha (literally, Skull), Elijah on Mount Carmel, the Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt. Tabor, etc. Some of the most important events occurred on high places. Symbolically, the Overlook arguably borrows from the Judeo-Christian tradition. If Dick is transformed, then Jack also becomes a beast, or minotaur, that is, half man/half beast. 

I was compelled to read Kearns's review after observing some uncanny and unsettling symbols in the film which dovetail with nearly all of Kubrick's films. For my purposes here, I'll just note that the first title card in Killer's Kiss reads "A Minotaur Production." It almost seems too good to be true: a sort of dead giveaway to what the viewer is entering into - and I don't mean the world of Killer's Kiss, but, arguably the filmic fictional universe Kubrick spent his whole life creating. But, again, this topic is best suited for another post. Returning to the (definitely not Freudian) idea of Dick's odyssey, we can see from the shots of the runway, and from Durkin's Garage, that the weather resembles a frozen hell. 

A note on the name, "Hallorann." This nine-letter name (with the unusual double "n") is a rendition of "O'Halloran," an Irish/Gaelic surname (also with nine letters; Hallorann and O'Halloran would combine to be 9+9=18). The roots of this surname trace back to County Galway as well as County Clare in Ireland. A Wiki entry suggests the name means "stranger," or, "from across the sea," as this ancient family worked importing goods. This is an interesting choice for Dick's surname for several reasons. The prefix "Hallo-" recalls "hallow," as in the word "hallow," meaning saint, or, "hallowed," meaning something that is sacred. "Halloween" is a way of saying "All Hallows Eve," which is a Pagan-adapted Christian celebration of departed saints, martyrs, and all of the dead. From this, we have the association of Dick Hallorann with something sacred or saintly. He is, after all, murdered, or martyred (interesting that these two words are near-homophones) by Jack, or, the Overlook. And, this is a minor problem: who is the killer - Jack, or, the Overlook? Grady, I think, will shed some wisdom on this matter, which I will come back to shortly.

Another note on Dick's name as it relates to Kubrick's catalog: Redmond Barry, the grifter of "low birth," as his step-son, Lord Bullingdon, notes (again, the idea of "down"), later known as Barry Lyndon, hails from Ireland. Redmond is an outsider or "stranger" who also crosses the Irish Sea and the English Channel in his journey - O'Halloran/Hallorann would fit Redmond just as well. Philip Stone, who plays Grady, the caretaker, in The Shining, also plays Graham, who manages Barry's debts in Barry Lyndon. Graham/Grady are somewhat familiar names beginning with "G," and, Graham is something of a "caretaker" for Barry's failing estate/peerage. It may be a stretch, but it could probably be suggested that, just as Grady appears in Jack's imagination, only to become "real" once Jack looks in a mirror in the red bathroom, Graham appears in the film only when Barry seems desperate to escape from reality. The narrator tells us: 

Barry was now bound up in an inextricable toil of bills and debts, of mortgages and insurances, and all of the evils attendant upon them, and Lady Lyndon's income was hampered almost irretrievably to satisfy these claims. 

After these lines the camera cuts to a frontal shot of Graham which is emotionally neutral. From this introduction of Graham, the camera cuts to a shot of Barry, son Bryan, and a Labrador retriever fishing from a small rowboat in a pastoral river - a very English take on escapism. Like countless other shots in the film, the stillness of the scene mimics that of a painting. The scene looks dreamlike, as if taken from a Constable painting. The camera slowly zooms out to capture a complete landscape. The shot is about thirty seconds long. Most impressive probably is that the dog remains mostly still for the entirety of it, and, that there's a swan in the river in the background. Lastly, its possible that the river is the "mirror" in this scene, as a reflection of the boat can be seen in the water. This ties back somewhat to Jack (in red coat) looking into the mirror in the (red) bathroom after being confronted by Grady, the double of Graham.

In The Shining, the confusion of identities, reinforced by the presence of mirrors in the red bathroom, approaches its zenith when Grady states that Jack has "always been the caretaker." Grady says "I should know sir, I've always been here." Jack is clearly looking to the right of Grady, into the mirrors. The word "here" is problematic coming from Grady (or, more accurately, Jack's concept of Grady). It could refer to the mirror in which Jack is looking. I think, at first glance, we take it that he is referring to the Overlook. And this is fine, but, we arrive at some disturbing and complex ideas when we consider that Grady is confronting Jack. If Grady has always been "here" in the mirror image of Jack, then this is a final call to violence. Grady clearly addresses Hallorann and Danny, while Jack blames Wendy. In a sense, Grady is an image projected out from the mirror. At Jack's left, this could very well suggest the idea of an immoral, evil influence. What becomes disturbing is that this confrontation only arises when Jack looks into a mirror. In this way, Jack is his own worst enemy; his greatest evils are accomplished only when he first considers himself. This is disturbing: that the mirror arouses or reignites a homicidal persecution complex in the looker - at least, when it is Jack. Note that Wendy and Danny "see murder" in mirrors, but do not will it. 

We also have a delicate layering of facts and symbols that relate to the Jack/Overlook duality I mentioned earlier. If Jack has always been the Caretaker, is this role exclusive to the Overlook? This would mean that Jack, too, has always been here, like Grady says. And, again, if Grady in this scene is a projection (or reflection?) of Jack's imagination/will, then perhaps Jack wishes to believe that he has always been at the Overlook. Interesting also is that Grady is called Charles and Delbert in the film. Are there two Gradys? This confusion may point to the idea of family and offspring, or father/son. This parallels the Jack/Danny dynamic as well, except that Danny appears to want to escape the cycle of violence. Grady-as-Jack's-worst-self positions Jack as a sort of "captain" or "director" at the helm of the Overlook. And yet, we know Jack has had a violent past - his abstaining from alcohol while at the Overlook seems to induce psychosis, whereas, his abuse of alcohol led to a rash outburst of violence against Danny. So, Jack is violent regardless of his location. Whether or not the Overlook causes violence per se is unclear.  

Yet we have another connection: Clare Quilty, the shapeshifting villain played by Peter Sellers in Kubrick's Lolita, is a third link back to Ireland, County Clare, and the idea of a "stranger." Although Clare gives the impression of being an insider, he has multiple disguises, rendering his true identity a mystery. Also, "Quilty" is the name of a fishing village in County Clare. The word "Quilty" is taken from a Gaelic word "coillte" that means "forest" or "woods." "Quilty," of course, is related to "guilty" when it comes to Lolita. The next question is the relationship between "guilt" and "woods." I think if we look at Hallorann's first name, and remember the teddy bears of The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, we can make some Freudian connections. 

Hallorann and Clare Quilty are two very different characters, of course. The contextual information ties the different films together, suggesting that these works all share a common language. Begin listening to dialogue in Kubrick's films, and it becomes clear that many, many times, words are chosen for their symbolic and connotative power. It is difficult to imagine researching the connections in a time before the internet - researching the films, the cast, and various contextual clues would be a task far more difficult than it is today. The ease of access to information from times near and distant may distort our reading, maybe, but, it could be said that Barry Lyndon is a very modern, relatable story equal parts coming-of-age, and family drama/tragedy. Likewise, The Shining, in a less direct way, uses contemporary familiarity to frame history, particularly, American history, but also world history. 2001 features similar universal themes - imagining the future, imagining interplanetary travel, etc., but also imagining the past, and the very distant past. 

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At first, Larry thinks Dick is calling from Miami, indicating that he thinks Dick is somewhere hot. Again, we have the word "hell," which will tie back to Miami. I mean, their NBA team is the Heat. But, Dick is in Colorado. Simply put, we have the idea of "hell freezing over" when Larry learns Dick is at the Stapleton Airport. Larry seems somewhat shocked by this information. Is Colorado the symbolic frozen hell Dick has unknowingly escaped into? I tend to think so. And, is hell a maze? It could be - it doesn't hurt that Dante's vision of hell is highly complex, gruesome, and labyrinthine. 

The Overlook itself is a "maze" inside of which Dick becomes trapped. Unlike Danny who re-traces his steps and hides from Jack within the hedge maze outside, Dick is not so lucky. Dick, then, has found the "beast" within the real maze, while Danny has evaded the beast in a symbolic maze. The best clue I have to support the idea of the hedge maze's unreality is the cut from Jack looking at the model maze in his Great Hall/writing room to an aerial shot showing Wendy and Danny walking in the middle of the maze. The camera zooms slowly, convincing us that Jack has a sort of omniscient eye (or third eye - like some kind of... beast). Also, interestingly, is that a zoom shot from an aerial view leaves a considerable amount of directional ambiguity: are we going downward, or are we going into, or through? Like the "stargate sequence" in 2001, the camera is zooming toward a fixed center point, creating a one-point perspective. It's almost a cliche except that it isn't.  

This directional or spatial ambiguity brings me back to the words "hell" and "down" which Larry uses when talking to Dick. Is hell a place we descend into, or, that we move through? Hell as imagined by Dante is somewhat labyrinthine, not unlike the strange labyrinths in the works of Kafka and Borges, whose stories Kubrick had been reading during the production of The Shining. The genius of the Overlook is that it becomes a maze, or labyrinth, almost from the instant we see it. After the Gold Room and Room 237, do we really want to know what's lurking in all of the hotel's many other rooms? 

The first image below is a fade from Wendy and Danny in the maze to Jack walking in the "Great Room" of the Overlook. There's a lot more going on in this shot I won't get to here. If Danny's three-wheel journeys aren't convincing enough, this fade surely suggests symbolic continuity between the literal maze and the Overlook. 

Jack walks over to the model maze and begins to look at it.

The subsequent shots build tension with the last shot ending with a slow zoom inward, towards the center. There are many mazes at play. First is the actual hedge maze. Second, there is a map of the maze just outside the maze. Third, there is a model of the maze - noticeably different from the map - in Jack's writing room. Fourth, there is the maze in which Jack sees Wendy and Danny walking. Clearly, the maze Jack sees is not the model maze. It also does not resemble the map of the hedge maze. But it does look realistic. Assuming it is the real maze, then obviously, Jack's vision isn't possible. Yet, there it is. The paradox of Jack's omniscience endures. 

There are some minor or major problems I will also address now, to get them out of the way. 

1. If Jack can see the maze, does Jack know where Danny is hiding when he is searching for him? It might be suggested Jack only sees the real maze when he looks at the model. But the initial cut from Jack to the aerial shot of the maze suggests Jack has omniscient abilities. 

2. Does the aerial shot represent Jack's imagination? If so, what kind of imagination does Jack have? There is nothing "imaginative" about the vision. It's impersonal and robotic - as if it were actually HAL who was looking. Films often use flashbacks or stylistically embellished cuts to suggest a character is imagining something personal. This makes it easy for the audience. Kubrick doesn't do this. The steady zoom is sort of like a crosshair - not a good sign. Wendy's red coat, some critics and viewers have noted, might resemble a drop of blood while the center of the maze appears to be the top of a pyramid - indicating sacrifice. So much is going on here it can be difficult to order the layers of symbols. 

3. If Jack knows where Danny is hiding, is Jack intent on self-destruction? If Jack won't be loved by Danny, then Jack will be feared by Danny. As Machiavellian as it sounds, we see Jack offer very polarized behaviors, either deep suspicion or deep love towards Danny. If Jack knows where Danny is hiding, then his searching is just a show, or "charade" to make sure Danny remains afraid. We can recall too that Jack's conversation with Grady hints at the idea that Jack is receiving secret and important information or intelligence about a conspiracy against him. Jack does seem guilt-ridden after his dream he confesses to Wendy about killing her and Danny and cutting them up. Or, is this a play to win himself some more time? But, maybe the guilt of killing Dick drives Jack to purge himself. I'm not convinced by this, because Jack seems unconsciously blood-drunk - he isn't speaking or thinking, but groaning and howling like a beast. 

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In other news, I was recently reading up on the former Stapleton International Airport. One of the last times I watched The Shining, I realized that Dick says "Stapleton" and not, "Denver Airport," or "Denver International," etc. This cued me in to consider the history - were there two airports, or, was Stapleton older? Both are correct. The Stapleton International Airport operated from 1929-1995, and before 1944 was called the Denver Municipal Airport. Like the current Denver International Airport, Stapleton was near the top of the list for busiest airports in the world. Due to space constraints caused by suburbanization and the growth of the flight industry, the Denver International Airport was planned in the 1980s, though the history of DIA is spotty at best. The DIA is about 17 miles northeast of Stapleton, which is about 7 miles east from Downtown Denver. DIA is about 25 miles from Downtown, which means it can be a bit of a drive to and from the city. At 52 square miles, DIA is the biggest US airport, at almost twice the size of the Dallas Fort-Worth Airport, which is a very large compound. 

Stapleton was named after Benjamin Stapleton, a man who held multiple government positions including two periods (five terms) as mayor of Denver (1923-1931, and, 1935-1947), as well as State Auditor. He helped establish the VFW after the Spanish-American War, in which he fought, and later had a hand in the creation of Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver Civic Center, Denver Mountain Parks, and of course, the municipal airport. Stapleton was also to become a member of the Denver Ku Klux Klan in the early 1920s. As the Klan helped raise funds for his mayoral campaign, Stapleton made overtures to the organization. But this unity wouldn't last: in the nineteen-teens until about 1925, the Klan had considerable influence in Colorado civics, only to dissolve after legal troubles involving local Klan elites. The western state of Colorado was overwhelmingly white and protestant, and the message of the Klan took root, specifically targeting Jews and Catholics, as traditional southern blacks were seldom found in that arid mountain state (though there are stories of "freedmen" who came to Colorado and the mountain West). The degree to which Stapleton was involved in the group is not so clear, but, it is clear that he "renounced" the group's influence after 1925. The Klan in Denver was already experiencing a decline, so it seems that Stapleton was merely playing politics. 

Stapleton was a Democrat, but this doesn't mean the Klan didn't hold sway for Republicans - Republican Senator Lawrence Phipps from Colorado benefitted from the long arm of the Klan during the same time period. There are plenty of other examples - political party was of little importance when it concerned the interests of the Klan. Which, I guess, brings us to today: Stapleton's grandson, Walker Stapleton, has been sort of pre-cancelled for trying to scrub from the records his grandfather's maybe dubious moral character. This was in 2018, when he ran unsuccessfully on the Republican bill for Governor of Colorado. Walker has also served as State Treasurer, and is a second cousin of George W. Bush. Ironically, Walker might be one of the least threatening figures on the political right.

Most politicians with known ties to the KKK, it must be noted, were southern Democrats. And, of course, Lincoln, a Midwesterner and a Republican, who is credited with enacting the Emancipation Proclamation, virtually ending (or phasing out) slavery, was rewarded with a mortal gunshot wound. The ironies remain fascinating: these liberal and progressive ideas were coming from the then "right," while restraint and caution was being exercised from the "left." Of course, then, the "right" would have been the true "left," and vice versa. At least, until we expand the notion of "white supremacy" to mean segregation, hierarchy, economic and cultural separation, "one drop" laws, etc. The South at that time, in this way, starts to appear like a vestigial remnant of the British Empire, clinging to its old hegemony. It is only ironic that places like Colorado, Washington, and Oregon are current strongholds for liberalism and progressive policy, given their historic and current high concentration of white caucasian people, exclusionary laws, and white nationalist groups. 

After the Stapleton Airport was demolished, the area was developed into the eponymously named neighborhood. After the George Floyd riots of 2020, the year of absolute, perfect hindsight, residents voted to change the name from "Stapleton" to "Central Park." A small victory, I suppose.

Progress of Flight mural

I remember hearing about the Denver International Airport conspiracy theories shortly before flying there several years ago. Numerous facts highlight the unusual nature of the airport. The footprint of the airport is vast (as stated above, 52 square miles, which, coincidentally, is the reverse of the number of miles to the city center of Denver - 25). Supposedly, five buildings were constructed - and subsequently buried - for reasons unknown, meaning there are several navigable stories underground. There is a rail system beneath the airport, as well as a light-rail connection to downtown. There are surreal, apocalyptic, revelatory paintings by Leo Tanguma, a Mayan painter, inside the airport. There are "white peaks" on the airport roof - a Masonic connection - not to mention a dedication stone which mentions Freemasonry. There is a sculpture of a blue horse with red eyes called "Blucifer" (that supposedly killed the sculptor, Luis Jimenez, while it was being constructed) visible from Pena Boulevard. Driving on 470 through an introduction to the arid plains of the Denver Basin, the white peaks - and strange horse - appear as if out of nothing. From an aerial view, there are clearly four runways that form a compass - north, south, east, and west. It also resembles a swastika, which, long before the Third Reich claimed it, was a traditional symbol of peace and harmony in myriad ancient cultures across all major continents. 

Still, after having researched the stories of DIA, Stapleton, and the Klan, I only feel a mistrust towards any speculation. I should probably also mention the story of Alan Berg, the Jewish atheist talk radio host who was murdered in cold blood in 1984 by members of David Lane's white supremacist group The Order. Berg was working at KOA, an AM talk radio station in Denver, at the time of his murder. Upon arriving home and exiting his black Volkswagen Beetle, the gunmen approached and shot him twelve times. The motivation is disturbingly simple: his killers and their leader believed that Jews were evil and needed to be eliminated. The gunmen and co-conspirators were convicted, but, surprisingly, not for homicide - much less, murder. I begin to wonder about the concepts of law, liberty, and justice, in theory and in practice. 

This incident was several years after The Shining played in theaters. The VW beetle in Stephen King's novel, and the two beetles (yellow and red) in the film, become unlikely and unintended portents of hate-driven violence. It has long been noted that Kubrick changed the color of the Torrance's VW beetle from red - as it is in the novel - to yellow. He then stages a red beetle smashed by a semi-truck on the side of the interstate during Dick's long ascent to the Overlook - possibly a subtle way of shrugging off King's authorial control. These details only frame the Berg assassination more ominously. Berg's beetle was neither red, nor yellow, but black - seemingly, the color of void, finality, death. 

All of this in mind, I would like to know whether Kubrick researched much into Colorado state history, Denver history, and the status of the Klan in America during his lifetime while working on films like The Shining. 

Snow and mirrors

 

Wendy and Danny both make their first appearance seated at the dining table at the Torrance apartment in Boulder, Colorado. Wendy is smoking a cigarette. Stacks of books are seen to the left of screen, and a few dozen also on the shelf in the upper background. Wendy is holding a copy of J.D. Salinger's classic coming-of-age novel The Catcher in the Rye. There are a few interesting things going on here. 

First, the particular copy of the novel Wendy is holding has almost identical front and back covers. 

This symmetry or "mirror" theme ties back to the introduction shot of the mountains and lake. Later, we will see Jack looking left into a bathroom mirror on two different occasions as the shot dissolves (shown below). Later still, the "Murder/Redrum" reversal Danny sees in a literal mirror, and, Jack being "assaulted" by his reflection in the three mirrors approaching the Gold Room reinforce the mirror theme, and speak to symmetry/asymmetry. There are countless other examples I won't mention which nonetheless render this small detail somewhat interesting. 

Next, with a quick analysis of characters or letters, we find that "The Catcher In The Rye" is spelled with 18 letters. 18, as a number, also divides (mirrors) into a set of two 9s. If we combine the two 18s we get 36, which then divides into two pairs of 9. If we take (9x9) + (9x9) we get 81+81=162. 162 can also be 1+6+2=9. Or, we can take 36 and say that 3+6=9, which is interesting, as is the fact that 3x6=18. 3x6, expressed in terms of addition, is 6+6+6, which is a portent of evil, i.e., the "number of the beast."  Supposedly, the number is a cypher for the Roman dictator Nero, and is alluded to in the Book of Revelations. To make things circular, 18 can be 1+8=9. Two 18s, then, could be two 9s, which would yield... 18, or, 9x9=81, the visual reversal of 18. 18 or 81, expressed as addition problems, could give us 9 once again. So we've arrived at a point of infinite circularity in examining these arbitrary (or not) numbers. 

Now, I will note that "J.D. Salinger" also appears on front and back covers of these vintage editions. "J.D. Salinger" is 10 letters. So, 10 on front and 10 on back - these "two tens" could tie us back to Jack's comment to Lloyd the bartender about the "two twenties and two tens" in his wallet. Jack says he's afraid they would be there until next April. During the interview Ullman says the hotel's season runs from May 15 to October 30th. That's about five months. Jack's position, taking care of the hotel during the winter, would run seven months, from November to May. Yet, Jack says "five months of peace is just what I want." It seems that Jack has misunderstood Ullman. Still, if we take Jack's misunderstood idea of a five-month job and Ullman's statement about the official five-month season, we have 5 and 5. Though the 7 is absent here, it will appear in Eyes Wide Shut. Instead, we have the notion, maybe, of a 10-month year. Written as dates, the hotel operates from 05/15 through 10/30. Written as 515 and 1030, it is clear that 515 is one half of 1030. These numbers don't imply a duodecimal (numeral 12) system. 

For some trivia, we can look to none other than Christopher Clavius. The German Jesuit astronomer sat on the Vatican commission that accepted a reformed Julian calendar that ultimately became the Gregorian calendar still used today in the US, Europe, Russia, China, and much of the world. "Clavius" is the name of a crater on the moon. In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the monolith is buried within the Clavius Crater, which has become the Clavius Base. It is fitting that the mysterious monolith is buried in a mysterious crater named after a proponent of the "monolithic" modern calendar. We have to wonder whether the monolith pummeled into the moon, and if that was how the Clavius crater was formed. There are a few shots of floating monoliths in the latter part of the film which seems to suggest that that monolith, or other similar monoliths, were floating in space, like alien, or, man-made asteroids. 

Going back to the Salinger novel, we have 18/10 and 18/10. This could be written 9/5 and 9/5. 9/5 is also 9-5, as in the typical American Job, 9am-5pm, five days per week. Jack used to be a teacher, but that was more a way of "making ends meet." We also have the obvious insanity of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." We discover that Danny began talking to Tony some time after Jack injured him. In the story, Jack is out drinking one night and comes home three hours late. Angered by a mess of Danny's school papers, Jack grabs Danny and ends up dislocating his shoulder. Then we learn Jack has been sober for five months. In other words, we have a "___ months later" scenario; that is, five months after Jack's sobriety and Danny's injury, the Torrances will inhabit the Overlook Hotel. This, again, is a reference to 5 months, not to mention Jack's first monologue with Lloyd when he makes a toast: "here's to five miserable months on the wagon, and all the irreparable harm that its caused me." 

Five months is an unusual unit of time. Since 6 months is one half of a year, any 5 month period will always be an irregular period of time measured against the 12-month year. At best, these periods reduce back to 5/6. But, take a period of three 5-month spans, and we have 15 months. We measure this against the closest familiar unit - 18 months, or, 1 1/2 years. 15/18 does not reduce neatly. Measured against a two-year period, we have 15/24, which similarly, is ugly and irregular. Yet the "10-month year" possibly implied in Ullman and Jack's conversation, in fact, has roots in Ancient Rome. Those extra two months tie us back to "two tens." 

It is of some interest that the number 18 also ties back to 2001: A Space Odyssey. The second part of the film is indicated by a title card that reads "Jupiter Mission: Eighteen Months Later." This comes just after we see Heywood Floyd and the other astronauts taking a look at the buried monolith. Just before the third sequence, "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite," Dave Bowman dismantles HAL's memory, only to "trigger" a pre-recorded video. It almost seems intended for Bowman's viewing alone. The speaker says that eighteen months ago the first evidence of intelligent life beyond earth was discovered. Put simply, we have another reference to a pair of 18s. 

Interestingly too, though this is better suited for a discussion of 2001, is that this pair of 18s form the beginning and end of a sequence. So, this pair of 18s is also symmetrical. Also symmetrical is the introductory "Dawn of Man" sequence. The monolith is discovered first by the hominids, then later discovered or rediscovered by Homo sapiens, or people, ostensibly tens of millions of years later, in what appears to be our near future (or recent past). The irony and tragedy is that this dual discovery occurs in the same "Dawn of Man" sequence, and forms a mirror: the monolith appears near the beginning, and again at the end. While this sequence or chapter spans maybe a hundred million years, the middle chapter runs about 63 minutes (1 hour), much of the action happening in "real time." 

There are at least two more examples of 18 in 2001, just to reiterate the strange appearance of the number. The space-ship the five astronauts occupy has a rear structure with three hexagonal booster-type pads. Also, in the space station, the lobby desk features a check-in area with 18 clearly-numbered computer-based "documentation" booths. 

Columbus lives; deal with it

Every reader - every Kubrick obsessive, buff, nerd, theorist, critic, etc. - would benefit from reading about some new findings straight from a true Kubrick dilettante. What are we waiting for? 

As a Lynch-obsessive might quip, "this is it." Yep - this really is it. Or is it? The viewer will notice two numbers on the sign left of the image. The number on top is 14, and the number below is 92. The establishing shot shows the hospital Bill enters in order to visit the morgue where Mandy is being held. 

The detail comes from this main frame. Notice that the three arches of the modern, oversize hospital arcade mimic the three ornate arches at the balcony of the great hall at Somerton where Mandy appears to "save" Bill. Also, notice the taxi. Notice the "do not enter / wrong way" sign above the taxi, as if suggesting "do not enter" the hospital. Notice the "one way" signs that direct traffic left, towards "1492." We think of chronology as happening from left to right - the traffic flow tells us otherwise: as the film progresses, forward action goes from right to left, backwards in time. The roar of traffic also insinuates a sort of hunger to return to "1492." This may just be a microscopic nod to Vico's circularity of civilization - decadence leads to barbarism before civilization can flourish again.  

There are arches everywhere at Somerton (and other interiors) and I think this fact makes the choice of hospital exterior obvious. Anyways, I'll just say it's coincidence that my next point also involves the number 3. 

Christopher Columbus. Kubrick was, perhaps, merely including the marginalia of incontrovertible facts to his pictures when he selected signs like "14/92," "STOP (CMB)," "Happy Holiday," and countless others. 

The Nina, The Pinta, The Santa Maria - but not the Rage Against the Machine song, "Sleep Now in the Fire." Or, maybe, that song, too, sure. Fourteen ninety-two. 14 is two 7s, which we see in the dual rainbows, and in "ZIEGLER" vs "HARFORD." 92 is seven less 99, like 1999. One four nine two. 1+4+9+2 = 16. Sixteen is four fours, or, two eights. 8+8, or, 4+4+4+4. Numerology kaputt. 

"88" is double infinity. Conquest x infinity? 1492. Christopher Columbus. The New World. America, and/or, the Americas. Amerigo Vespucci. Remember the model ship in Ziegler's billiards room he passes before several times. 

This is speculative, but some research shows that a model of the HMS Victory bears some resemblance to the model ship in Ziegler's room. The HMS Victory was built in the late 1700s and entered into the Battle of Trafalgar. Maybe this is wishful thinking; the ship in the shot may just be a ship. Victory would obviously echo "Victor" quite well. If anything, the ship ties us back to "1492," now, not to mention the man with Columbus-esque mask at Somerton.

This has been noted before, in connection with Ziegler's ship. The "1492" sign might just be the smoking gun. Black slaves, white slaves - the slaveries of the New World are manifold, and, we might speculate, have never truly "ended." Probably one of the only black characters in the film is a hospital orderly who allows Bill into the morgue. He has no lines. 

The many female characters walk a narrow path between identification as a person or as an object. Even in death, Mandy is arguably being objectified by Bill: her eyes open, the lifeless body appears as it may have when still animate. Her being is nothing in the absence of selfish, lustful men. She doesn't exist beyond the confines of her physical body. This is a "dire" consequence of a money-and-sex-fueled commodified neoliberal West. Maybe it's an extreme view, but we never know the full story of her death, not to mention, of her life. In fact it's summed up in one word: "hooker." Victor might just be an empty symbol of manifest destiny, colonialism, and continental grand larceny. 

Cursed by the Bell

When Bill makes his return trip to the Long Island estate, Somerton, we see him pass over Manhattan Bridge, the same bridge he crossed the previous night. This time, however, by day, we see some of the hi-rises of the Lower East Side in the distance. One building of particular interest is a former New York Telephone Company building, now the Verizon Building. It isn't the Verizon Building at 140 West St., but the other Verizon Building at 375 Pearl St. Both buildings were constructed for the New York Telephone Company, the former being completed in 1927, and the latter in 1976. 

It's the latter building we see in the background to the far left of the shot. 

 

375 Pearl St. is considered one of the ugliest and most dreaded buildings in New York City. It's utterly banal concrete construction has tormented inhabitants within and without the structure for years. It wasn't until the mid-2000s that construction began on the installment of new glass windows. Note that its completion in 1976 has some symbolic power - this was the year of the American Bicentennial, a year dedicated to the celebration of two-hundred years of American Independence. 

Another thing: the Bell logo frames the entirety of the brief (five seconds) shot. The cables of the bridge fall and rise delicately in this short passage of time, hinting at uneasiness. There's an insinuation maybe of seasickness. Bill is driving a car on a bridge over the sea (or, more accurately, the East River, a tidal estuary). To a lesser extent, it reminds us of the Sopranos episode, "Remember When," when (remember?) Tony takes Paulie for a suspense-filled boat ride. The shot is mimicking a rough tide - the camera is presumably planted on the deck of the boat, capturing its response to the sea's turbulence. Likely this scene is created using camera tricks. 

There are certainly camera tricks here, too, but far subtler. This brief fall and rise of the cable also continues (rising) when the shot cuts to Bill's face in the SUV. "Rising tensions?" Sure. We also see two separate transitions (taking the exit, and, arriving at Somerton) in which the SUV is shown from opposing directions. I take this as a hint at the ambiguity of leaving vs. arriving: leaving one place is the same thing as going to another place. When Bill arrives at the Nathanson's, for example, he leaves Alice. The same goes for his entire night - his journey is shaped by negation: not at home, not with Alice. The camera helps illustrate this: arriving at Somerton is leaving Manhattan. 

On the Wiki entry of 375 Pearl St., we find that the Bell logo was removed and the Verizon logo was added in May, 2002, a year after 9/11. What is the bell, again? Well, it's one letter off from "Bill," not to mention it sounds like "Bill." So we already have some wordplay going on. As Bill drives his Range Rover, we see the building with the blue (or black) "bell" logo receding into the background. 

Bell Telephone Company, American Bell, Bell Systems, Bell Labs, etc. - all of these companies are in some way associated with Alexander Graham Bell whom history remembers as the guy who invented the telephone. They operated under AT&T which was broken up in 1984 for anti-trust violations. Basically, AT&T/Bell dominated the telephone industry for decades. This split resulted in seven "baby bell" companies. Note the number seven (or don't). The "break-up" would have been fairly recent at the time of Eyes Wide Shut. Maybe, maybe this logo points to the break-up of AT&T, and maybe foreshadows the change to the Verizon logo. And maybe this "break-up" alludes to the future of Bill and Alice's marriage. Or not.

Finally, probably the most interesting thing about this obscure detail is that it ties back to some interpretations of "CMB," namely, Cosmic Microwave Background. It was at a "horn" antenna in Holmdel, NJ, the site of a massive Bell Labs compound, that Wilson and Penzias found evidence for Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. It was also through Bell Labs that solar battery cells, fax machines, and improvements in radar and sonar were made possible. The bell is a symbol of innovation. Is it a cause for alarm? Is it Pavlovian? Is it a cryptic symbol of corporate tyranny? 

We're reminded that Wilson and Penzias relied heavily on the work of others before they were awarded their fame. Perhaps Meucci is the true creator of the telephone; what does that make A.G. Bell - a thief? 

CMB, Baby, Hueco, and beyond

Some critics, like Welcome to Somerton (WS), have noted that “CMB,” the letters on the “STOP” sign the stalker passes behind when following Bill, could very well stand for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, otherwise known as The Magi (or Three Kings) in the Bible who travel great distances to present gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. Already there is a connection between their journey, Bill’s “odyssey,” and the stalker’s mysterious and possibly lengthy journey secretly following Bill around New York. 

“CMB," then, could be a Christmas reference. I won’t say it’s the best interpretation, but one simple reading suggests we read the "STOP" sign literally as “STOP CMB." This would suggest something like stop (celebrating) Christmas. I take the two words just as they are: one preceding the other, as if part of a fragmented sentence. WS and possibly others have also pointed out a curious product placement on the shelf in the background in Domino and Sally’s apartment kitchen: a Combat pesticide box to the left of a Comet chemical cleaner can, and a "random" letter “Y.” Together, the words seem to read “Combat comet-y,” as in, “combat comedy.” 

“Combat comedy,” when “combat” is a noun or adjective, reminds me of Full Metal Jacket, as in, this would describe the genre. There are plenty of jokes and weird humor in the film which depicts the not-so-humorous Vietnam War. At the same time, “combat comedy,” when “combat” is a verb, sounds more like a command: stop comedy, or, fight comedy. Like other popular advertising slogans “Not even once,” “Just say no,” or “Only you can prevent forest fires,” “combat comedy” and “stop CMB” act like propaganda pieces issued from the top (or bottom) of a societal moral hierarchy. This in itself can be read as pure farce: Kubrick is exploiting his role as creator to the ends of humor. But, who knows?

There would be an interesting story behind the Magi interpretation of "CMB." The justification might be that the Western concept of Christmas has been corrupted and commodified - it would be better not to celebrate a holiday untrue to its origins. The Magi would represent Christmas. This message could be intended for Bill, who is “masquerading” as white/WASP, if not ethnically, then at least culturally. By extension, the message is intended for us, as we have a myopic view of Bill. 

I’ll offer a few more interpretations, but first, I’d also point out that, if we the audience identify with Bill, then the sign very well speaks to a bigger theme, which is somewhat redundant: the significance of “CMB” isn’t important, but our asking is. Bill is likely questioning the significance of the masked woman’s act, the true identity of the members of Somerton, Nick Nightingale’s true life and occupation, etc. In almost every scene, Bill is confronted by something that weakens his cocksure composure. In this way, Eyes Wide Shut becomes something of a coming of age film, like a creepier version of Catcher in the Rye (an unusually interesting parallel I've been wanting to finish). Bill may be “growing up,” and this will tie into a point I’ll make later.

“CMB,” in addition to the Magi, is an acronym for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which is Latin for “May Christ bless this house.” Strange also is the fact that traditionally, “CMB,” the initials of the Magi, are chalked on houses as a blessing on the twelfth day or night of Christmas (January 5 or 6). So, we could use the same logic above here: “stop (saying) May Christ bless this house.” “CMB” is now implicated twice in a reference to Christmas. 

Reading "STOP" literally, it may also mean stop the Magi, as in, prevent the Magi from completing their journey. This again works as an interpretation of anti-Christmas and anti-Christian sentiment: if the Magi never arrive and present gifts, maybe this symbolizes doubt as to Christ's status as Son of God, and King of the Jews. At the same time, in the Book of Matthew, King Herod asked the Magi to report back to him once they had visited Jesus. The Magi, having been warned in their dreams not to return to Herod, fled to their own countries. Joseph is also warned by an angel to flee; Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee to Egypt. Soon after, Herod begins his notorious Bethlehem infanticide against all children under the age of two. 

If we see "STOP CMB" as a command, or decree, it would be Herod who issued it. That Bill is being followed echoes the order issued from on high: stop Bill. A tyrant, Herod is perhaps a historical shadow of Ziegler, who all but flat out confesses his responsibility for Mandy's murder, and has Bill followed. Perhaps Bill's visiting Sally with the box of baked goods symbolizes his dual role as a King. This implies Bill's goodness and Victor's evil. Ziegler's phone call to Bill when he is at the morgue almost symbolizes Herod's request for the Magi to return to him. Bill, however, does return to Ziegler, unlike the Magi who flee from Herod. Perhaps this truly is Ziegler's final warning. A theoretical question: is Bill fated to flee New York in order to escape Ziegler's scrutiny? With Alice and Helena, the family of three would also symbolize the flight of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt. A fact which is subtly ironic given that the Israelites fled Egypt more than a thousand years earlier after several centuries of captivity. As an aside, it's interesting that Jefferson and Franklin envisioned the Great Seal of the United States depicting Moses parting the Red Sea - a direct allusion to the Exodus, the Israelites' escape to freedom. 

In yet another reading, we could perhaps read the "CMB" sign as a Jewish or secular rejection of Christ and Christianity. It is hardly news that early Christians used stereotypes to persecute Jews, setting the groundwork for several centuries of exclusion throughout Europe. There’s a term out there, “synagogue of Satan,” which makes a few appearances in Revelations. This idea directly links Jews with Evil, though it was originally used to call out a particular group of secular Jews who rejected Jesus. There is another point I’ll make about this later. 

I’ll also note that the clearly spelled “CMB” on the “STOP” sign appears in black spray paint. Maybe this subverts the chalk ritual, or is merely a tangential detail. It could be a sort of inversion, like Nick’s white tux and Bill’s black tux - one of the few visual clues differentiating the very similar young men. However, on the USPS dropbox which appears in several scenes, the possible “CMB” is written in white spray paint. If it is a message, this is ironic, because mail, or letters, conceivably, convey a “message.” And as I’ll explain later, I read the USPS box’s text as “Baby,” and therefore do not find the color of too much significance.

Going back to “CMB,” another reading could point specifically to the tradition of gift-giving. Meaning, the “stop” would be directed at consumerism and commodification. “Stop buying.” It’s also possible the “STOP” sign suggests we should “stop,” and remember “CMB.” As in, we should take the time to consider what we’re celebrating during the Christmas season. This would be a way of commemorating the original story of Christmas, which, as the sign might imply, has become little more than a “tag” on the enormous urban jungle that is the modern world. In this interpretation, the stalker, who appears behind the “stop” sign ties back to an authoritarian moral hierarchy, like a sort of guardian angel (or demon) watching over Bill. He would of course have been sent not from the heavens, but from the underworld.

Kubrick wasn’t a practicing Jew, so I’m not confident this was meant to be a form of religious propaganda. But the very idea that it could be religious propaganda is what’s interesting and unusual, even for a movie set during Christmas. I suppose the irony here would be the hollow notion of Christmas movies: so much of the time, the Christmas theme is exploited in film as a product and celebration in itself - again, the magnitude of irony and hollowness Kubrick was likely portraying. Similarly, Eyes Wide Shut clearly subverts the “Christmas” movie genre entirely, and did so to the disappointment of many, though it seems they were expecting a sexy, erotic movie, not a Christmas movie. The film hit theaters in July - Christmas in July. Which, come to think of it, is like “Christmas in Hell.”

Another note that might be of interest here: consider the “El Hueco” restaurant sign (far left of image above). It appears briefly in the shot showing Bill arriving at the Rainbow after the Sonata Jazz. WS writes of "Hueco" as a play on "hue," as in, color, in connection with the Rainbow. Possibly it is a play on the words "Hue Company," like "Color company." We may also think of the "Muralo Paints" sign we see in the background as Bill returns to the Rainbow at daytime. “Hueco” is related to the hueco/huaco/Waco, the Indians from northeast Texas. The word also happens to mean “empty,” “hollow,” or “gap.” We may think of David Koresh and the Branch Dividian complex in Waco, TX - the site of the infamous 1993 Waco Siege in which nearly eighty people died. This may be a roundabout way of alluding to religion and/or cults, though the Siege would have been fairly recent at the time Eyes was being filmed. 

Though I couldn't find any concrete evidence of Hueco Indian Wars or massacres, the history suggests hostilities with Westerners preceded their removal from Texas to Anadarko, Oklahoma. From the 19th century forward, the Hueco Indians were at the mercy of the US Government, signing several peace treaties and moving onto reservation land in an apparent compromise. “Hueco” points to at least one “Waco” which ended badly, and to another “Waco” which also ended pretty badly, both resulting in a sort of “hollow” or “empty” place. File this under "Dissertations on Kubrick's Indians." Much of Texas, and the Midwest, for that matter, of course, is large, wide open, and sparsely populated. The sign itself points to its own emptiness: it’s just a constructed sign on a constructed film set; the buildings, of course, are two-dimensional. 

BaBY

The USPS dropbox that appears in several scenes is tagged with a white text that seems to spell “BABY.” The dropbox with “BABY” tag first appears outside Hotel Jaso(n). In the next scene, outside the Rainbow costume shop, we see the dropbox again. Finally, when Bill is being followed, we see the stalker pass by the dropbox staged outside Cafe de Emilio and “Same Day Cleaning” dry cleaner shop. In the chilling stare-down scene, the stalker will cross the street, passing three additional USPS dropboxes as well as two (or more) newspaper boxes. This detail has of course been chewed over by the vultures of criticism: it is strange to see so many mail dropboxes on one intersection. Strange also is that the 1:43:00 timestamp coincides with the hotel clerk suggesting there was “something a little strange” about the way Nick Nightingale left the hotel (Jaso[n]) whose building number is, oddly, also 143. The scene starts around 1:41:00 but the words “a little strange” are just at 1:43:00.

I’ve always read this dropbox tag as “BABY.” Why? Simple - it looks like “baby.” What else about “baby?” Of course, we have the Chris Isaak track “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” which appeared in the trailer and momentarily as Bill and Alice kiss before their bedroom mirror(s). “Baby” here seems to point to Alice: “baby” is feminine - Alice is Bill’s baby, not the other way around. The “bad thing” of course being that Alice confesses past desire for another man to Bill. If Bill is “baby,” the bad thing becomes, well, arguably worse than the simple confession of a past desire. No, Bill spends large (by 1990s standards) sums of money pursuing his desires, not in the name of desire, but more as retaliation against Alice’s initial confession. Plus, when Alice dances with Sandor, Bill promenades with two models - Bill is ever so slightly worse. Here, again, is a suggestion that Bill, not Alice, is the “baby.”

My quick edit shows how the text may spell "BABY." The dropbox appears in the second half of the film, after the masked ball (which coincides with the film's halfway point). The second half is marked by Bill's return to previous destinations (Domino’s, Sonata Cafe, Rainbow, Somerton, etc). I’ve taken this to be a suggestion of recognizing defeat, or, impotence. This ties in well with “baby,” as Bill will experience more rejection than invitation in the second half of the film. 

Furthermore, as I suggested earlier, Eyes Wide Shut can be read as a coming-of-age story. Cruise would have been 34 when principal photography began in November 1996. The shoot “ending” in June, 1998, Cruise would have been 36 then, turning 37 just days before the film hit theaters in July, 1999. This puts Bill’s age at roughly 34-35 - early middle age. Thirty-five sounds old to twenty-somethings, and it sounds young to fifty-somethings. I’ve often read Bill’s age as being symbolic of ambivalence - it likely pointing to midlife crisis. The idea of the midlife crisis probably has something to say to the theme of innocence and youth: expensive sports cars, the temptation of infidelity, adventure - all of the trappings of the midlife crisis can be interpreted as ways of destroying innocence, or, rather, as ways of embracing a destroyed innocence. Bill does drive a Range Rover, he does explore extramarital affairs, he does go on an adventure. 

Additionally, I would suggest that the mail boxes are pointing to a play on the word “mail” as “male" (there could even be a point about the box itself as square and "straight," which contrast with an effeminate Bill). The stalker is just one real “male” surrounding Bill, but there are plenty of symbolic others, not to mention that they are “eagle-eyed.” Eagles can see eight times farther than humans, a fact that contextualizes the surveillance cameras, dropboxes, and the stalker: Ziegler is watching Bill’s every move - with ease. Also, in terms of aesthetics, the real-life dropboxes (if I remember correctly, they were sourced from the New York area) are painted blue with white eagles, a visual reversal of the Aryan ideal: pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. 

If Bill is a, or the, baby, maybe he is experiencing growing pains. If his “crisis” worsens, he will have to embrace a life devoid of innocence - he must become cynical. Ziegler’s age once again points to the idea of a post-crisis life: materially rich and morally void. Not that we’re supposed to see Ziegler as a bad guy - he appears most earnest arguably when he is lying. In the interview with Ciment on Clockwork, I think Kubrick says that Alex is not supposed to be likable. I'm not sure I believe this: the first half of Clockwork is especially appealing to the adolescent male, if only at a surface level - Alex does what he wants when he wants, and is free (or so he believes). I wouldn't say my middle school friends regarded A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket with cultish importance, but I don't really know. These are movies teenagers milk for their sex appeal, violence, and shock value, but switched off when the plot becomes difficult and challenging. They were also the movies talked about and quoted by older kids, and watching them was a sort of "rite of passage" into high school. Jacket is obviously one of the greatest cult movies of all time. Clockwork, too, and maybe to a lesser extent, is enjoyed by jocks, stoners, artists, and theater kids alike. There's a universal appeal. Still, that the second half of both movies is often neglected speaks volumes about Kubrick's craft and intent. Watching only the first half is doing the film an injustice. 

Maybe we don't admire Alex's actions, but we, like his droogs, sympathize with him, or, "identify with the aggressor." He holds us captive on screen, just as he holds his droogs captive to his orders (for a time). Yet we don't identify with the droogs who coldly turn on him - Alex is a fallen hero, but a hero nonetheless, while the droogs symbolize a ruthless mob. Even if Alex knows he is deceiving society by pretending to be cured, we still identify with him - surely, he has been the scapegoat of society, and cannot take full responsibility for his actions. 

Anyways, Ziegler is a totally different character. Unlike Alex, we don't see his evil, we can mostly only imagine it. Ziegler's evil must outweigh Alex's in some ways, or, maybe, we are supposed to be attuned to a different sort of evil which Ziegler embodies. Whatever the case, it seems implausible that Kubrick didn't realize he was making Alex's evil behavior likable, fashionable. Of course, the film was banned and he removed it from circulation after some teens committed copycat crimes inspired by it. But that's the big difference - the evils (or crimes) of Eyes Wide Shut are far more sophisticated, organized, and structured. It would be difficult to emulate those crimes, but, there's no shortage of sins shown on screen: flattery, lust, sloth, envy, anger, pride, and gluttony - if spending money is considered a form of consumption, which I think it is. 

Ziegler doesn’t seem to have a family, or kids. He only has his wife, who appears more like a youthful “girlfriend.” He is living proof of Sandor’s quip about marriage - if we reverse the roles.

SS: You know why women used to get married, don’t you?

AH: Why don’t you tell me.

SS: It was the only way they could lose their virginity…and be free to do what they wanted with other men, the ones they really wanted. 

AH: Fascinating.

As far as we can tell, Victor and Ilona would be an inversion of this. Victor marries Ilona, but we only see Victor having an affair. Furthermore, Sandor’s motivations are obvious: his talk is aimed directly at Alice. He is simply cajoling her to sleep with him, offering an anecdote purportedly true to the “original” motivations for marriage. Once again, we can see that Ilona could very well be truly disappointed and depressed by Victor’s actions. Maybe she is the true victim. Sandor tries to exploit the idea of liberation and empowerment, setting the groundwork for Alice’s victimization. It doesn’t look like Alice buys it, but, who knows, maybe she is fascinated by this creepy old man’s anecdotes. 

Bill’s innocence is somewhere between salvageable and destroyed, hence the crisis. The first two shots of the “baby” dropbox include Bill, while the final shot includes the stalker. This could suggest that the stalker is following Bill’s tracks. Perhaps the dropbox is a clue left behind by Bill - Bill is taking “baby steps?” Ziegler admits that he knows Bill visited Nick’s hotel. The degree of surveillance is somewhat shocking: in a matter of hours (or minutes) Ziegler can learn of Bill’s whereabouts. This tells us at once that Bill is playing a losing game - he cannot outsmart Ziegler.

Recall Ziegler’s paternalistic act at the near-end of the film: he offers easy answers for difficult (incriminating) questions, and ultimately threatens Bill if he doesn’t quickly change his tune and show obedience. Bill’s idealism echoes a youthfulness long dead to Ziegler, who, judging by his (Pollock’s) age, could easily be Bill’s father, again adding to the paternalistic, or, Bill-as-baby theme. 

Alpha

And as one last note, I tend to read the text above the "baby" tag as "alpha." It looks more like "alpa," but mentally I fill in the letters. Bill as an "alpha baby?" The funny thing is that "Alpha" appears on the back of a van in the establishing shot just after Bill returns his costume at the Rainbow. This is the shot of the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue. Is Bill trying to be "alpha?" I would argue yes, and, I would argue that maybe he is still a baby (child). 

Intertext

Concerning the “baby” theme in Kubrick’s other films, the Star-child is possibly an elderly Dave Bowman reborn as a cosmic baby. Lets recall Alice’s mocking words directed at Sandor Szavost regarding Ovid: “Didn’t he end up all alone, crying his eyes out, in a place with a very bad climate?” Bowman ends up all alone in frigid outer space. And, though we don’t see any tears, we can infer that if in fact Bowman survives the Jupiter mission, maybe he is a little sad. Surely at some level the mysterious bedroom at the end of 2001 is allegorical and not supposed to be real. Maybe the bedroom is a view inside Bowman’s mind: maybe this is Bowman imagining his own death as he actually dies in some strange, dark abyss. We’ll return to 2001 in a bit.  

Bill’s idealism also echoes Lord Bullingdon’s puerile, stubborn attitude in Barry Lyndon. Bullingdon rejects Barry every chance he gets, even in social settings before crowds. He challenges Barry to a duel and shoots his step-father’s leg, leading to an amputation. Bill has more in common with Barry, with the exception of the billiards room scene when Bill wants to level with Ziegler - in this scene, Bill begins to resemble Bullingdon (who also resembles a rebellious Lolita trapped in her own Electra Complex). The “Bill” in billiards is similar to the “bull” in “Bullingdon,” possibly an allusion to the mythical bull in the maze - though we think of the bull as virile, not impotent. 

Oedipal associations are less overt in Eyes Wide Shut. There is no reference to Bill’s father - instead, Bill plays father to the many “orphan” women, though never “committing” to the role. Marion looks to Bill who arrives at her father’s opulent condo only minutes after his death. She impulsively declares her love for Bill and makes advances, much like Alice admits she imagined doing with the naval officer. Bill is on a “sexual odyssey:” the word “odyssey” reminds us of the sea. Bill is also a naval officer, of sorts - a doctor “adrift” in the (urban) sea. It doesn’t hurt that Manhattan is an Island, like Long Island, where the mansion is located. 

We could presume that Marion was very attached to her father, Lou. This would validate the argument that her Electra Complex was broken by Lou’s death. Lou’s wife, or Marion’s mother, is not in the picture, and Rosa, the maid, does not play a substantial role. Mostly, she plays a “gatekeeper.” Bill, therefore, stands in for Lou, as well as Carl, who is a near-double of Bill. Bill and Carl’s similar physique and features maybe suggests Bill has disguised himself as Marion’s lover, confusing her. 

Ziegler isn’t a step-father, but a fatherly, older patient. Ilona is not Bill’s mother, or step-mother. However, their role in the story is somewhat central. Ilona must be either willfully blind to, or complicit in, Ziegler’s (double) life. In Barry Lyndon, Lady Lyndon catches Barry courting another woman, and we see cold disappointment (or indifference) on her face. There are complex family and social roles that persist throughout the film, arguably more so than in Eyes Wide Shut, which is primarily concerned with Bill. 

There is another possibility: blonde-haired Ilona is pictured only once, wearing a red dress and pearl-like diamond necklace. Like Red Cloak at Somerton, red is linked to power and sex. Blonde hair echoes the countless young blondes Bill flirts with - Marion, Domino, Sally, even Ilona (in a split-second shot where Bill plays peek-a-boo behind Alice). If Bill does want to kill/overcome Ziegler, it may be significant at a symbolic level. Bill would be reunited with the “taboo” colors “red and blonde,” which point to power and sex, and youthfulness, respectively. If we interpret blonde as “gold,” then we can also add money to the list. Red and gold isn’t far off from “pink and gold,” Wendy’s favorite colors, and two colors used in the “Gold Room” in The Shining. 

Power, sex, youthfulness, and money - the pursuit of these things certainly defines humanity in a large way, though we’re missing one thing: love (fidelity). Unlike in 2001, we see Bill and Alice at the end of Eyes Wide Shut, although their daughter, Helena has disappeared (is Helena “sacrificed” for the sake of their marriage?) This could suggest a loss of innocence, and ties back to Herod's infanticide (although Helena is seven). We can note that Helena is dressed in a black wool coat with black cap, while Alice wears a camel fur coat, and Bill wears a black coat with a red sweater underneath. With a critical eye, Helena’s outfit mirrors the women at Somerton with black hooded cloaks and masks. Alice bears some resemblance to the stalker - she is watching and following Bill. Bill looks like…Bill; that is, like almost everyone else in the store wearing a black coat - he is anonymous. The “sacrifice” of Helena is reinforced by something several critics consider to be a suggestion of prostitution: there are two men in black coats Helena runs toward in the toy shop. The two older men are the same two men seated at a table (with their wives?) at the base of the staircase in Ziegler’s mansion. 

I don’t want to go into the darkest implications of this suggestion, since the toy store itself is probably one of the most disturbing scenes in the film (this is another topic). But, in a general way, we can say the two men are a symbol of moral decay. We can say they are generally a symbol of evil, like Ziegler, and that evil is generally synonymous with sexuality, although, conceptually, evil, like the men, is “old,” while sexuality is “young.” In many ways, all of these points combine to suggest that Eyes is an "unmasking" of the banal evils of, say, the film industry, the fashion industry, and modern life in general. But this is yet another topic.

Another CMB

Like some other critics, I have also interpreted “CMB” as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, which was theorized in the late 1940s (if not earlier) and "discovered" in 1965. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation appears in searches for “CMB.” Without the accidental discovery of CMB, the Big Bang theory would have much less support. Eyes Wide Shut might not be a “space” film, in the traditional sense of the word, but, I think there are connections worth mentioning. 

In a rudimentary sense, Dave Bowman's "trip" in the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence of 2001 is a masterful imagining of the experience of radiation in outer space. It's a trope often referred to as "space madness" which is actually far from a joke or sci-fi MacGuffin for agencies like NASA, who conducted thorough psychological tests on astronauts (like Buzz Aldrin) before and after missions to outer space. 

I also think of "STOP CMB" here, as "stop radiation." What kind of radiation? I would have said neon lights, which frequently accompany Bill's anxious wanderings around New York. Actually, fluorescent lights, not neon lights, have been known to cause UV radiation, though at a minimal amount. So this doesn't make sense, though I think maybe the neon signs and allure of "night life" work on Bill like a gaseous, atmospheric sort of radiation. Maybe our modern, urban notion of "night life" is, like CMB radiation, a sort of vestigial, unconscious remnant of our distant reptilian-brain past: food, drink/drugs, and sex are all core urges Bill seems to have often repressed prior to his "odyssey." Again, to find a reference to our possible hominid or neanderthal past, we can look back to 2001, particularly, obviously, the "Dawn of Man" sequence. 

Space in Eyes Wide Shut? Consider the idea of doorways and spaces through which Bill passes. The billiard balls on Ziegler's table also seem to allude to planets, and Ziegler to a mythical Zeus (not to mention that oak wood and eagles are symbols of Zeus - the billiards room finished with wood panelling and the eagle-eyed mail-boxes alluding to Ziegler who sends the stalker after Bill). 

To get back to the history of the theory itself, scientists Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978 for their work on Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. Soviet physicist Pyotr Kapitza is also unofficially recognized in the US as a recipient of the award. We'll dive deeper: Penzias is Jewish, as is Kapitza. Wilson’s middle name is “Woodrow,” confusing his identity with that of the 28th president who served two terms from 1913-1921. In a small aside, “1921” is “13” when added as 1+9+2+1. The photograph at the end of The Shining is also dated July 4, 1921, picturing Jack in the center as the “caretaker.” Robert Woodrow Wilson, from CMB radiation, may be an oblique reference to themes in The Shining (history is written by the ...victors). 

As early as the 1940s, the Big Bang theory was discussed by physicists Robert Herman, George Gamow, and Ralph Asher. Herman, Gamow, and Asher also, all happen to be Jewish. It has been suggested that the accidental discovery by Wilson and Penzias in the 1970s wouldn’t have a strong foundation without the work of Herman, Gamow, and Asher. Maybe it's a surface reading, but perhaps “CMB” is a roundabout way of alluding to Jewish Genius - Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, after all, impacted the world in more ways than one, and set a strong foundation for cosmological theories like the Big Bang. “CMB” points to a lesser known, or forgotten, tradition of academic and experimental theoreticians. Gamow was a top-selling science author (born in Russia), who inspired literally thousands of young people to study the sciences. Herman and Asher ultimately predicted that a type of residual radiation would exist following a “big bang” explosion. All three were distinguished professors who played significant roles in other disciplines (traffic science, DNA, etc). 

CMB is a type of radiation not visible to humans which is thought to have been “leftover” from the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. It is present as a low-level hum which is technically audible when a television set is tuned to static. Subsequent discoveries built upon the initial evidence of the radiation’s existence. Another point is that the “Big Bang” is basically a scientific “creation” myth. It’s a theory that has gained traction with evidence that supports its basic claims. But even the best scientist or team of scientists will not discover what preceded the “Big Bang,” or what preceded the thing preceding the Big Bang. We’ll have more theories, maybe. We’re left with myth. “CMB” is a testament to this. Similarly, the “star-child” in 2001 is in some ways an allusion to the “Big Bang.” Man and universe are inseparable. 

In Eyes Wide Shut, Christmas, or the decorations of Christmas, symbolize the historical or mythical “birth” which shapes the atmosphere - Jesus Christ. So, “CMB” at once points to the Biblical Magi, who celebrate the birth of Jesus, while also pointing to the scientific (secular) “birth” of a theory about the birth of the universe. Note that Gamow, Herman, and Asher make a group of three physicists, and Wilson, Penzias, and Kapitza also make a group of three. Pitting the latter group against the Magi, we have a grouping of six. There's a shot during Bill and Victor's mano-a-mano in which Bill hands Victor the news-story he has cut out. The six green lamps hovering over the billiards table reflect on the glassy surface of the coffee table. The fire-place is the center-point of the one-point perspective. Are the Magi in competition with the Scientists? As far as "creation" myths go, they sure are, but not necessarily so. 

One More CMB

Some cursory research reveals that "CMB" is also the acronym for 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd. The group has an album from 1991 simply titled C.M.B. Some of the tracks include "I Wanna Sex You Up," "Heartbreaker," and "Thinkin' Back." I tried to end with humor, but the lyrics of the first mentioned track begin as follows: "Come inside take off your coat / I'll make you feel at home." This sounds and looks like Domino's plans for Bill as she preys on him just outside her apartment. "Stop Color Me Badd?" Is their music that "badd?"