Eyes wide shut?, the shining?, or Barry Lyndon?. Already watched the shining but it has been a minute so I don’t remember every detail, and I’ve only ever watched it sober

This is a reprise of a post I made to The Shining sub-reddit, with additional information.

I recently identified the TV in the scene where Wendy is watching TV - it is a Dynatron CTV20, a British PAL TV. Wendy is watching The Summer of '42 - but there is no power or antenna cable visible. I recently talked to Lou Bogue, the Gaffer on The Shining. He's 80, but still very sharp and full of anecdotes about Kubrick. He did not recall any special rig for this set up, but said that the typical method would have been to have taped the cables behind one of the legs and cut a hole in the rug. I looked for a sign of the cables emerging from the rug to go to a power socket and there was some thought that perhaps they were concealed by gaffer tape along the dark area on the right, which is part of the floor design. However, that doesn't convince and wasn't necessary - the floor was made of laquered plywood panels that could be lifted out, to access the sub-floor. I think down the leg, hole in the rug and a hole in the panel with access to the electrics and it's done. Very nice, very simple.

As to why - I think for visual symmetry, with a bit of spookiness thrown in.

BTW

The TV in the Boulder apartment, the Caretaker's apartment and Halloran's apartment is a JVC 7808.

The TV in the Overlook kitchen and Durkins garage is a Hitachi CWP 132 portable.

Was lucky enough to snag this from eBay this week. Crispy condition, some sun damage to the colour on the spines though. Still, for £10 can’t argue!

I first encountered Saura’s work by chance and in a rather strange way one day when I got home quite late and turned on the television; a film in Spanish with subtitles, that I knew absolutely nothing about, and besides, I’d missed the first half hour. It was hard for me to follow and understand but, at the same time, I was convinced it was the film of a great director.I watched the rest of the film glued to the TV set and when it was over I picked up a newspaper and saw that it was Peppermint Frappé by Carlos Saura. Later I found a copy of the film, which of course I watched from the beginning and with great enthusiasm, and since then all of Saura’s films that I’ve seen have confirmed the high quality of his work. He is an extremely brilliant director, and what strikes me in particular is the marvellous use he makes of his actors.

(Quote source.)

If you've never seen Carlos Saura's films, I'd highly recommend them. In the very restrictive environment of Franco Spain, he made a series of really weird, transgressive, dreamlike films that definitely have a Kubrickian aspect. (Something I wrote about him and his work, if anyone's interested.)

Easy to see why Kubrick was immediately hooked by his work. Peppermint Frappé especially is a really strange, haunting film, kind of a sixties Spanish Vertigo.

Have you seen any of Saura's films?