Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shu

Eyes Wide Shut was considered a bit of a disappointment when it was released. Even though it is now "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, though it is only 78%, which I find a bit low for a Stanley Kubrick film. So it may not seem like this film needs a second look when you just look at the critical response. But I have read and heard people dismiss this film over and over again. Maybe it's the whole Cruise and Kidman issue that some people just couldn't ignore, I don't know. Regardless, it's never mentioned in the same breath as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, or The Shining (I know there are more examples, but I don't want to make a long list). I am one of the few who mention this as one of my favorites. Here's why.

Despite those famous orgy scenes, this movie is not all about sex. Well, the majority of the plot might be, but there are many things going on with this film. I find myself enjoying this movie for different reasons each time I watch it. The use of color, the props in the background, the performances, the haunting score, the mysterious masked participants at the orgy, the always great Kubrick tracking shots, and even the plot concerning the ups and downs of marriage.

I want to get into the whole color aspect of the film, but I want to mention how angry this film made me the first time I watched it. The first time I watched this I ended up annoyed by the fact that the plot didn't focus on the identities of all the supposedly rich and powerful masked people at the orgy. This annoyance was pushed to the limit when Sydney Pollack's character states, "if I told you their names, I'm not going to tell you their names, but if I did, I don't think you'd sleep so well." Not only does a character blatantly tell the audience that they will never know who those people were, but he also adds to the mystery with that whole no sleeping so well bit. Man oh man that made me so angry about ten years ago. Something about the movie intrigued me, though, and that something, along with a maturing taste in film, brought me back to this movie and to my senses.



I suppose the use of color had a little effect on me the first time I watched. I always thought the film look amazing and that is largely due to the glowing windows in many scenes and the richness of color throughout. It wasn't until I stumbled upon a theory in the IMDb message boards (and a intro class on film in college) that I realized what was going on with the colors. This movie features Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) getting into some pretty shady situations. You never really know when he's safe or when he's in danger until the scene is over. The color scheme of this film echoes that. The theory is that blue represents safety, red represents danger, and green represents a gray zone where even Kubrick doesn't want to give you clues about what might happen. The prime example of this is when Cruise has that discussion with Pollack (where Pollack utters that infuriating line). Pollack is shooting pool on a red table, with green lights above it, while blue light glows from the windows. You could turn the sound off and just look at the colors and you would find out just as much as you would through the dialogue. Can Bill (and we, the audience) believe anything Pollack says. The colors tell us it's all up in the air here. Pollack was once a friendly character(blue), but he had that dirty business with the OD girl at the Christmas party(green), and he's a member of that possibly dangerous orgy group(red). Use that color scheme throughout the entire film and I promise you'll see this movie in a completely new way. In fact, pay attention to the use of color in every film, as the representations of each color typically stay the same from film to film.

The color actually explains a bit of the plot of the film, or at least why the movie is set when it is. It is so much easier to use color blatantly when the movie takes place during Christmas. The holiday aspect also brings to mind the importance of family, which adds to the plot of what is at stake during Bill's wild night out. The holiday even allows the use of background decorations to become meaningful. For example, when Bill is walking away from the creepy stalker in the city and takes refuge in the coffee shop, you can see a decoration above a doorway that is exactly like a decoration in Pollack's house; possibly a sign that the coffee shop is just as safe as Pollack's (at this point Pollack is still quite friendly). While I'm on the subject of background, you should keep your eyes open (no pun intended) throughout the film for stuff around people's apartments (books, paintings, etc.) as that stuff can be quite telling as well.

Now for some straightforward reasons why Eyes Wide Shut is a classic. Tom Cruise gives a great performance, especially when he isn't speaking. Not to say that his delivery of dialogue is sub par or anything, it's just that he is much more impressive when thinking about his wife possibly cheating on him. And I think both Kidman and Cruise were award worthy for their stoned/argument scene alone. Cruise's reactions in that scene are great.

The music is amazing as well. I actually found it quite annoying at first, but I realized that that is kind of the point. It's unnerving and haunting and if the single piano key being struck slowly over and over again gets on your nerves, then the music has done it's job. This is a film about strange and dangerous situations. What better way to accent that strange scene with the Russian costume guy and his daughter/prostitute? Or that awkward encounter with the hotel clerk (Alan Cumming)? There are many questions that go unanswered in this film and the music adds to all of the uncertainty.



Now to the plot itself and what really made me look at this film again. I used to hate this movie because I was so focused on who those masked people were. I finally realized that the identity of those people does not matter and it would be a drastic mistake if this film had focused on them. They are just another element of uncertainty. For some reason, possibly it was that Pollack line, the masked people were all I cared about. Upon repeat viewings, I realized what was truly interesting: marriage and infidelity and the complications of both. All of the possibilities of a modern relationship in this film intrigued me. The movie could almost be seen as preaching about the importance of being faithful, which didn't bother me at all. Look at what Bill's attempts at infidelity got him into. He feared for his life many times. It wasn't just the orgy. Look at the encounter with the prostitute. Just as he's about to cheat on his wife, she calls him and brings him to his senses. It later turns out that the prostitute had HIV. (Look for prominent red in that scene, by the way.) While that assessment might be a simplification of the film, it doesn't make it any less interesting to me. A movie about an adventure in marriage and the underworld that secrets and lies can create in a relationship and a family. When you look at it that way, with the haunting music and interesting color scheme, the masked people no longer matter. So forget your initial response (if was anything like mine), forget the masked people, forget Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman's real life problems, and remember that there is a lot going on in this film; this final classic from the brilliant Stanley Kubrick.

Eric Harris - www.canneltoncritic.com

EYES WIDE SHUT (1999)

BACK COVER SYNOPSIS: Stanley Kubrick's daring last film is many things. It is a compelling psychosexual journey. A haunting dreamscape. A riveting tale of suspense. A major milestone in the careers of stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. And "a worthy final chapter to a great director's career" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). Cruise plays Dr William Harford, who plunges into an erotic foray that treatens his marriage - and may even ensare him in a lurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots, controlled pacing, rich colors, startling images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide open.

FILM REVIEW: Stanley Kubrick has made some of the most unique films in history. Although I don’t dispute his originality and unique vision, I have found a number of films very trying to sit through from an enjoyment perspective despite their great ideas and visuals. His last masterpiece, “Eyes Wide Shut”, is without a doubt my favourite, probably because it taps in to a more accessible theme; that being the exploration of the various complexities to do with marriage. For me, the essential theme of the film is just because you sign a piece of paper saying your married doesn’t mean that you become totally immune to outside attractions and temptations. Of course, there’s a lot more going on, especially with star Tom Cruise going on a wild, psycho-sexual journey through the course of the film where he explores his darker desires away from his wife, but ultimately, he finds himself back with his wife without ever really having crossed the line. It’s a strong film with accessible themes and in this reviewer’s humble opinion is the most engrossing of all of Kubrick’s films.
A masterstroke was of course casting then real-life married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Given what this film is about, in retrospect, considering what ended up happening to their marriage in real life, it makes the film all the more fascinating. They star as a high-society couple Dr Bill Harford and Alice Harford. In a great opening sequence where we are introduced to them in their luxurious New York penthouse, we see them seemingly amicable but there seems something a little off, perhaps under the surface of all their interactions. They eventually go to a party where both split up through circumstance; Alice eventually gets hit on by a rich bachelor and although she rejects him she definitely entertains his advances, while Bill is sequestered by two very sexually aggressive models who want to play ‘doctor’ with him. Nothing ultimately happens and they end up back at their apartment where they smoke pot. In their induced state, Alice reveals her concerns about seeing Bill with the two models to which he protests his innocence. She then questions him about whether he trusts her not to run away with anyone to which he innocently replies, “women, just aren’t like that.” Alice proceeds to confess of a time when she would have done anything to run off with a sailor she met one time but in the end they didn’t meet again so nothing happened. This sets off a number of jealous emotions in Bill and he proceeds to disappear in to the night, moving from one journey to another, exploring the possibilities of infidelity from various sources.
Eyes Wide Shut is by and large very dream-like, especially when Bill begins his journey. He goes from potentially soliciting a prostitute, to ending up at a mysterious cult-like mansion where elite members of society where masks are proceeding to have sex with each other in one big orgy. When Bill is revealed to the cult, he is brought before them all and in a very scary, chilling moment, surrounded by people wearing eerie masks, he is forced to reveal himself and is threatened with death. He is eventually let go but this entire episode is a brilliant, arty, and very chilling and dark side of the desires Bill is exploring. As he goes further he discovers that if he had sex with the prostitute earlier in the film he would have most definitely contracted HIV as the prostitute was just diagnosed, leading him to freak out even further. Ultimately he ends up back with Alice where they confess to each other in the end, “no desire is just a desire and no dream is just a dream.” A perfect piece of advice for a marital relationship; all of these external factors have to be taken in to account if there’s any chance of a successful relationship within the marriage.
Kubrick shot Eyes Wide Shut in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio which is approximately a square picture. Despite not utilising a widescreen format, the images are gloriously rich in colour and very detailed, still exhibiting a very big screen aura despite not utilising the more often used widescreen formats. The opening sequence at a party is wonderful to watch, with the images bathed in rich golden colours. But there’s more to be seen; Kubrick doesn’t always give us rich pictures. In scenes where Cruise is treating his patients, there’s a very cold, clinical white feel to the images. And then, when Cruise appears at a bizarre, cultish party with everyone screwing each other while wearing masks, we get an almost fantasy-like tone to the images, with vibrant colours and masterful steadicam shots. No matter what, Kubrick has always been known as a technical master and Eyes Wide Shut proves to be no exception to the rule.
Eyes Wide Shut will probably not be for everyone, but it is a highly intelligent, thrilling film with a original vision making for a very esoteric and unique film experience.

TECHNICAL REVIEW: The video transfer is nothing short of astounding; the pictures are faithfully represented on this disc with vibrant colours, and rich and sharp pictures. The transfer is presented in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, as intended by Stanley Kubrick so those with widescreen televisions will see the black bars on either side of the picture. The audio soundtrack is also great, particularly with the haunting and classical soundtrack. The use of the piano is particularly chilling and is well represented in the surround soundtrack. A spectacular transfer.

EXTRAS REVIEW: There isn’t much in the way of extras on this disc; there are three extensive interviews with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg who offer their insights not only in to Eyes Wide Shut but in to Stanley Kubrick as well. Spielberg probably gives the best, objective view point of the man, particularly on their long friendship spanning two decades. Cruise gives a great anecdote of how he first met with Kubrick face to face on his property – Kubrick gave him GPS coordinates to land at a very specific spot and “there he was, just standing there, alone”. These sorts of things are quite informative and insightful. The only other extras are a number of subtitles and trailers/tv spots. The absence of a making-of documentary is quite poor, making this an adequate if not good extras package.

BOTTOM LINE: Worth having in the collection.

FILM RATING: 8/10 -- EXTRAS RATING: 6.5/10 -- OVERALL DVD RATING: 7.5/10 

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net