Stanley Kubrick - Mystery of the seven diamonds (film analysis by Rob Ager)

I think it is just a fancy visual signature for "Kubrick" which has 7 letters, and the first and last are "K", which he separates from the other characters.

you missed a very important confirmation that the number 7 was by design: the paintings that flank the seven diamond hanging rug in the shining are by a famous group of Canadian artists called "The group of seven"

Numbers have a striking symbolism attached to each of them, something that I've noticed fairly prevalently in Tarot cards. 7 in itself is often associated with "having many options to choose from", or early work now ready to harvest, and having an abundance. It can also refer to splitting paths; once you make a choice, you move down a path associated with that choice. The split between 5 and 2 is also interesting, for a couple of reasons. 5 is both a symbol of conflict- a peak of passion breaking out over what was previously stable- but also a number associated with humanity; 5 limbs, counting the head, 5 fingers, 5 toes, 5 senses, etc. The number 2 is (probably obviously) connected with duality, a balance between polarized extremes- emphasis on *balance*. Light and Dark, Good and Evil, Creation and Destruction, and so forth. Strung together as often as it is in Kubrick's movies, I could see this interpretation: A recurring theme in his films is the conflict between extremes, born from humanity's nature, that eventually leads to a choice that the characters make. Sometimes, this choice leads to restoring balance and ending the conflict, sometimes this choice picks an extreme that throws everything off balance. The characters are driven down the path that is chosen in the heat of conflict, at the pinnacle of their human nature pushed to extremes. Diamonds are also interesting, because depending, they can be either 8-sided, or 4-sided. 4 is a number associated with solid foundation, balanced (it IS 2 x 2, after all) and becoming something that can be built upon. 8 is similarly that, but with much more energy surging beneath the surface, a current under a placid-seeming water surface, an undertow that you underestimate how strong it is until you're pulled along with it. Diamonds themselves are symbols of wealth, of glitter, and of power- resilient as they are. Diamonds (the gemstone) are also highly compressed carbon- the element most essential for all life on Earth. With the number 5 being so prevalent, it could be a statement on humanity, under pressure, being brought to some new state of being- forged in the conflict between two opposed forces. It's all a guess, obviously. :D I'm just sharing possible options to consider when it comes to interpreting the presence of these diamonds.

I note that in each place where the diamonds can only be intentional (2001 "wormhole" sequence, FMJ battle scene, Shining pillows in Room 237), these are moments of great transition or revelation, where the characters are permanently changed or damaged by what they're experiencing.

Your analyses are some of the most engrossing content I have found on film, you have been a huge influence on elevating my appreciation of the art. Thank you!

I believe the diamonds refer to CG Jung’s description of the human soul, as covered in his AION. It describes the alchemical transformation of man from state to state, whilst the Universe describes a battle between Christ and AntiChrist. This battle is similar to the descriptions of Rudolph Steiner. Jung said the human soul was a diamond shape joined upon its base and doubled, and made of pure crystal. My guess is Kubrick understood the importance Jung placed upon this imago universalis.

I just noticed that at 8:07 with Jack in front of the diamond tapestry, that if you look at the art work on either side of the tapestry they appears to be done by The Group Of Seven. A popular Canadian artist movement. Has anyone else noticed this ?

1:54:15 in Eyes Wide Shut. Slow shot of the camera showing the doctor's office and on the walls there are Christmas cards twisted into the shape of diamonds. In the same shot, the table has a hanging Christmas decoration that looks like diamond halves. This shot is topped with a large Christmas painting, probably depicting Jerusalem, and in the very center there is a large number 7

The 7 of Diamonds in Tarot (or pentacles) means a commitment to one's life work. Which would make sense for Kubrick to include in all of his movies, given his commitment to cinematics

Thank you for bringing us joy of reviewing Kubrick's masterpieces yet again sir.

One of the greatest things about Kubrick was how multilayered his films were. He used heavy uses of symbolism and left it up to the viewer to decipher. He also left a lot of it open to interpretation, as he mentioned that 2001 in general would mean different things to different people: an allegory of evolution, a movie about rebirth(possibly spiritual), etc.

Kubrick used a lot of arcane symbolic concepts in his images. My thought of 5 plus 2 is the old astrological concept of the seven wanderers. The seven wanderers are the original five visible planets (that could be seen with the naked eye), and the sun and moon. Also a pyramid reflected was traditionally used to represent the material world (above and solid) and the underworld (in the reflection). Also in the occult, the rainbow is often called the seven rays. These are just my thoughts, not conclusions.

I think you missed or forgot to include 2 things I noticed. 1. that note paper written and drawn by Jack D Ripper has the number twenty-five next to the 5 diamonds. Twenty-five or Two and Five. The other is at the end you bring back the diamond cushions. These are wonderful because you can't see them and the 2001 diamonds and claim there's nothing deeper or no intention in Kubrick's work. Anyway you point out that they are bookended by lamps. What you didn't see is what the lamps are sitting on. Two end tables. Now notice if you look close you can tell these tables are not squares they have a rectangular shape so that throws them out of the game right? Wrong because although you can't get diamonds from rectangles by rotating them alone like you can with squares you can get them by rotating AND tilting them at an angle. And wouldn't you know it in this shot the tables are rotated at the perfect degree and because of the relative heights of their tops and the camera they become diamonds. Now is there something further to take from this? I think there might be. You pointed out the lamps. What is the purpose of lamps? To illuminate, to help us see in the dark. What are the cushions sitting on? A bed, bed means to rest, to lay, to cease movement. If you combine illumination and rest you get discovery by inner reflection. Maybe this shot is Kubrick saying yes there is something out there (or just inside his movies) that we don't know, but we'll never discover it if we are actively out there looking. He's suggesting much of what we want to understand about existence can only be found through meditation. Meditation divided by two equals illumination and rest. Sucks for me because I hate meditation.

I read somewhere that the 7 diamonds was a part of the 4th wall theme. They were representative of the 7 Dolby sound speakers in the cinema. Part of Dave Bowman’s journey into the symbolic film camera a la the stargate and realising he’s in a movie.

For the Doctor Strangelove pattern, in the scene where the British Officer is hovering over Ripper's scribblings, there are two diamonds in the form of pictures on the wall turned on their sides to make 2 diamond patterns prominent in the shot. I think those are the 2 missing diamonds. You can see them at 1:54 in the video.

A lot of Kubrick's focus on geometric shapes and/or patterns is based on thematic symmetry. The seven diamonds in 2001 create a distinct focal point, suggesting order and balance. The diamond shapes we see in Full Metal Jacket are presented from angles, presenting disorder. The Shining mixes the two perspectives, mirroring Jack's - as well as our - fractured perspective of events. In the card playing/courtship scene in Barry Lyndon showing the seven of hearts, we notice Barry's also holding the two of hearts. As the arrangement on the seven 'points' towards Barry, this indicates the power dynamic between the two characters.

At 22:05, you interpret the astronauts and lights as being diamonds, but didn't seem to notice the row of seven lights going up the staircase, oriented to look the diamonds later in the film.

If you look up the "Palace of Peace and Reconciliation", it's a big pyramid building in Astana, Kazakhstan and there are seven diamond symbols above the entrance. Might mean nothing but I just thought I'd mention that if anyone's interested. Apparently there are other Freemason inspired structures in the city too (the city was renamed Nur-Sultan a few years ago).

Hey love your work man. I think Kubrick uses the seven diamonds as a symbolism aspect of emphasizing crossing the line as “ a point of no return “ element given that in all of his films every character crosses a path or boundary of some form of fashion. Again I’m just theorizing it by the fact it’s only connection I can think of correlating his films.

In Quabbalah symbology and playing card Cartomancy, the seven of diamonds if picked first in a deck shuffle or the only card played means profit, money attainment and success. Kubrick was weaving a good luck charm for his movies to be financially as well as artistically successful.