The Shining, who pays Jacks Drinks?

[rutger5000]

DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN OR READ THE SHINING, THIS MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS

Yesterday I watched the Shining, and it made me very confused. The movie is full of unexplained scenes, text and references. The internet provided answers for most of them. But one question remained unanswered for me: Namely who is paying for Jack's Drinks?

When Jack enters the Ballroom (for the first time) the room and the bar are empty and he is alone. He sits down to the bar rubs his hands in his face and says: "I would sell my soul for a drink." When he opens his eyes there is a barman and a fully stocked bar in front of him. He recognizes the Barman (strangly enough) and is offered drinks without having to pay for them. (He can buy them on his credit). "Your Credit is excellent here"
The next time he enters the ballroom there is a party g. oing on, and his drinks are for free. The Barman claims: "Your money is no good here", Jack eventually responds with "I'm the type of guy who likes to know who's buying their drinks, Loyd." The Barman responds with "It is not a matter that concerns you, Mister Tolrance, at least not at this point"

And the movie leaves it at that. Still I want to known who is buying Jack's Drinks.

 

[V TheSystem V]

Maybe when he said he'd sell his soul, his soul is being used as payment? And it isn't a matter that concerned him because he'd have to kill his family and kill himself to lose his soul (death). Or something like that?

The thing I didn't understand was - how the hell was he in 1921 in the picture?

 

[Psykoma]

Because he lost his mind and there's no-one actually charging him for drinks?
Maybe he's not even getting any drinks?

 

[DoPo]

The hotel, I'd assume. Either that or Jack is just being crazy and delusional.

 

[ginty2]

You'll have to read the book for more details about the story. I'm assuming you're watching the kubric movie. The book is a quite different story than that movie. Personally I think that version of the shining is the worst.

 

[Kinguendo]

Because he is insane and the bar he is drinking in doesnt even exist... no one is paying for his drinks?

 

[Verzin]

The hotel bought him the drinks. They weren't real 'exactly' but they were real enough to crazy oldJack. And the payment was the last tattered remnants of his sanity and inhibitions.

Also: read the book. 1000% better than the movie.
The movie flat out changed the plot, left out vital scenes, and ruined a fair portion of the scenes they did include.

 

[rutger5000]

The hotel. In stories of "haunting", the place becomes a character.

The more you know...

 

[rutger5000]

Because he is insane and the bar he is drinking in doesnt even exist... no one is paying for his drinks?

Because he lost his mind and there's no-one actually charging him for drinks?
Maybe he's not even getting any drinks?

No there are definetly people charging him for the drinks and those people and drinks are definitely real to some extent. Proof of this is that the butler frees him from the food storages his wife locks him into.

 

[rutger5000]

The hotel bought him the drinks. They weren't real 'exactly' but they were real enough to crazy oldJack. And the payment was the last tattered remnants of his sanity and inhibitions.

Also: read the book. 1000% better than the movie.
The movie flat out changed the plot, left out vital scenes, and ruined a fair portion of the scenes they did include.

I can't read the book, I don't have a fridge.

 

[Verzin]

The hotel bought him the drinks. They weren't real 'exactly' but they were real enough to crazy oldJack. And the payment was the last tattered remnants of his sanity and inhibitions.

Also: read the book. 1000% better than the movie.
The movie flat out changed the plot, left out vital scenes, and ruined a fair portion of the scenes they did include.

I can't read the book, I don't have a fridge.

Fridge? I'm confused.

 

[viranimus]

Its always been my understanding at least as the film goes that the drinks are paid for when he sells his soul which allows him to essentially be consumed and go all apey.

Book provides more context, but with the disparity between them you essentially have to view them as separate entities

 

[crusha_aa]

I can't read the book, I don't have a fridge.

Fridge? I'm confused.

Friends reference is the likely answer:

 

[Torrasque]

Because he lost his mind and there's no-one actually charging him for drinks?
Maybe he's not even getting any drinks?

This and what others have said.
You have to remember that Jack goes nucking futs pretty early on, I mean, the entire movie is about how incredibly nucking futs he is, and how crazy the hotel is.

 

[Sion_Barzahd]

Yeah if you want answers to almost everything in the movie you'll have to go read the book. The film actually skips a lot of the details and just shows the scenes that seemed to stick out most in the book.

Even then they actually didn't show a lot of my personal favourites from the book.

 

[Kinokohatake]

You'll have to read the book for more details about the story. I'm assuming you're watching the kubric movie. The book is a quite different story than that movie. Personally I think that version of the shining is the worst.

Agreed. The story is one of King's best. Never have I read a more tense scary scene than the one with the hose in the hall with Danny.

 

[Limecake]

Leave Kubrick ALONE!

he totally brought the shining to the masses and has kept the legacy of a great book alive into a new generation.

plus this isn't anything new with Stanley, for example the book "A Clockwork Orange" ends drastically different than the Kubrick movie did. But it's still a damn good movie.

OT: The Hotel pays for his drinks, essentially it's a 'ghost'. Since it's also a Stephen King book there might be a chance the hotel serves as some sort of 'doorway' to an alternate dimension where Ghosts exist (see: Dark Tower series)