The first scene of this sequence is
Wendy’s face, a frightened look towering over Jack’s writings. It then cuts to
his writing in the typewriter and then back to Wendy’s face. The music that
starts suggests that she is realizing something is wrong with Jack. It then
goes to his stack of papers and zooms in so one can read what has been typed.
Jack typed the same sentence over and over and over again, and we know this
because the camera stays on his writings for a while. The camera work allows
the viewer to read what is on the paper and grasp the insanity that would cause
such behavior. Her then flipping through all the pages one by one allows the
viewer to see just how intense this behavior is. It allows you to see Wendy’s
hand shaking as she flips through the pages and the music provokes fear. Her
reaction shows that she is getting upset and scared of what this means.
The
next section of this sequence is when Jack enters. It starts with, what seems
like a Point of View shot from him looking around the wall. We see Wendy’s back
and that she has found Jack’s papers. The music continues to play heightening
the suspense. We then learn that it wasn’t a point of view shot because the
dark outline of Jack’s head and shoulder appear in the right side of the frame.
He speaks and it startles Wendy, causing her to scream.
Jack
then walks into the scene. It is bright, well lit with a glare, and white
walls. This cold, colorless atmosphere creates an uncomfortable feeling and no
warmth or comfort for Wendy. Jack has clearly stepped out of civility and this
is seen in his writings, his reaction to finding his wife in that area of the
hotel. He starts going on a rampage and rattling off information that does not
relate to what they’re talking about at all. His appearance is another
implication that he has stepped out of civility. He has disheveled hair, a
scruffy beard, and several layers of clothing. He does not look put together
and that is reflecting his mental state.
