the shining may have been released over 40 years ago but viewers are still noticing new details in stanley kubricks terrifying classic one such viewer is writer and kubrick scholar filippo ulivieri who pointed out in a 50part twitter thread that lead actor jack nicholson who plays the overlook hotels caretaker jack torrance breaks the fourth wall not once not twice but several times in the movie but it happens so fast that its a blinkoryoullmissit situation ulivieri points out that when a character usually breaks the fourth wall in a movie or tv show it happens just once what nicholson does in the shining is instead completely different he explains it does not feel deliberate and it may well escape our perception in fact as i said im not aware of anybody noticing it so far he goes on to write that it is difficult to dismiss this detail as a mistake there are just too many it cannot be accidental the examples in the thread highlight that this occurs throughout the film and ulivieri points out that its only nicholson who does this you can see some examples belowimage credit nessuno2001 via twitterimage credit nessuno2001 via twitterhe continues my idea is that perhaps kubrick used this unusually constant and imperceptible breaking of the fourth wall as another way of challenging movie conventions what he has done here is formally wrong it goes against dramaturgical norms and film grammar moreover i think the shining is an extreme film in many ways its so over the top that it places itself between the scary and the ridiculous so maybe this is another overthetop idea that kubrick had like why dont we break the fourth wall but we do it all the timewhile the shining may be one of the most famous stephen king adaptations in cinema theres a new one heading to the big screen the boogeyman arrives in theaters on june 2 for more on the movie check out our interview with star chris messina and take a look at our list of king adaptations ranked