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Michael joins us on the After Dark to talk more Kubrick, the greatness of the Shining, hidden secrets in Eyes Wide Shut and more. For Patreon subscribers.

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Tom Kidston

Really interesting conversation. I'm glad you mentioned Room 237, which is one of my favourite documentaries. One guy insists that The Shining is about the genocide of the Native Americans, another believes it's about the Holocaust, a third is convinced it's about the moon landings. Prior to watching Room 237 I was of the opinion that The Shining wasn't about anything in particular, but now I'm convinced it is partly a meditation on the colonial urge and its origins. Kubrik doesn't just ask the question, he answers it too. The desire to colonise the Americas / the world / the moon - these are all motivated by the masculine sex drive, as referenced by the phallic imagery in Room 237 itself and the alluring naked woman in the bathtub. "Who is the caretaker?" asks Michael Nathanson. Well, as Grady himself says, the caretaker is that which "has always been here." Human nature itself, or more specifically, the masculine sex drive.