Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Frederic Raphael (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 5 wins & 23 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Dr. William Harford
Nicole Kidman	...	Alice Harford
Sydney Pollack	...	Victor Ziegler
Marie Richardson	...	Marion
Rade Serbedzija	...	Milich (as Rade Sherbedgia)
Todd Field	...	Nick Nightingale
Vinessa Shaw	...	Domino
Sky du Mont	...	Sandor Szavost (as Sky Dumont)
Fay Masterson	...	Sally
Leelee Sobieski	...	Milich's Daughter
Thomas Gibson	...	Carl
Madison Eginton	...	Helena Harford
Jackie Sawiris	...	Roz
Leslie Lowe	...	Illona Ziegler
Peter Benson	...	Bandleader

Storyline

Sexual jolts disrupt Manhattan physician Bill Harford's equilibrium. At an elegant Christmas party, two "models" hit on him, he watches a Lothario try to pick up his tipsy wife, he aids a woman sprawled naked in a bathroom after an overdose. The next night, his wife reveals sexual fantasies with a stranger; a dead patient's daughter throws herself at him; as he walks, brooding, six teen boys hurl homophobic insults at him; a streetwalker takes him to her flat; he interrupts men having a sex party with a girl barely in her teens. His odyssey, which next takes him into a world of wealthy sex play at a masked ball of hedonism, threatens his life, his self-respect, and his marriage.

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Plot Keywords:

orgy | party | doctor | sexual fantasy | pianist | 

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Taglines:

Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

18A

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1999 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Les yeux grands fermés

Filming Locations:

Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,189,672 (UK) (10 September 1999)

Gross:

£5,065,520 (UK) (22 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Stanley Kubrick Productions, Hobby Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

159 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Johnny Depp was considered for the role of Dr. William Harford.

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Goofs

When Bill enters the temple, there is a laptop to the left of the pianist on a black box. From the other side we see the black box but the laptop is gone, only to return shortly after when we see him from the other side again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dr. Bill Harford: Honey, have you seen my wallet?
Alice Harford: Isn't it on the bedside table?
Dr. Bill Harford: Now listen, you know we're running a little late.
Alice Harford: I know. How do I look?
Dr. Bill Harford: Perfect.
Alice Harford: Is my hair okay?
Dr. Bill Harford: It's great
Alice Harford: You're not even looking at it.
Dr. Bill Harford: It's beautiful. You always look beautiful.

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Crazy Credits

Special thanks to the staff of Hamleys of London.

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Connections

Referenced in Psych: 100 Clues (2013)

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Soundtracks

Musica Ricercata II: Mesto, Rigido e Cerimonale
(1950)
Performed by Dominic Harlan, piano
Written by György Ligeti
Published by Schott Musik International GmbH & Co. KG

User Reviews

A Potpourri of Vestiges Review: Kubrick's swan song, and arguably his greatest

Stanley Kubrick is unarguably Anglo-American cinema's most potent reply to the 'Fellinis', the 'Bunuels', the 'Bergmans', the 'Kurosawas', the 'Rays', and the 'Tarkovskys' of the world. Ubiquitously known for his inexorable yearning for perfection and uncanny innovation, Kubrick had managed to hold millions of viewers worldwide in a transfixion through his brilliant works for well over four decades. Regarded by Kubrick as his very best, Eyes Wide Shut is incredibly brilliant and sui generis. It's an elixir for the sore eyes; a panacea for the perturbed souls; a surreally psychedelic pleasure. Like most of his avant-garde works, Eyes Wide Shut is open to speculation and can be interpreted in a number of ways.

Despite being rife with nudity, Eyes Wide Shut cannot be stigmatized or snubbed on the account of eroticism. On the contrary, it is aesthetic as well as thought-provoking. The movie incredibly manages to have a tremendous impact on the intellect as well as the viscera, asking incessant questions of the viewer while simultaneously haunting his thoughts and refining his imagination. The story revolves around a New York based doctor whose wife's confession of ephemeral infidelity perplexes him. Consequently, his chagrin and dudgeon drives him into a night of debauchery where he gets a lesson on sexual and moral enlightenment, which inexplicably saves him from an incipient turmoil. The cinematography is awe-inspiring to say the least and is well complemented by the plaintively haunting background score. The orgy scene, which is treated with contempt by many, is undoubtedly one of the most vivid scenes ever visualized or choreographed in the history of cinema. In fact, it is Kubrick's brilliant showmanship that makes it so very special.

Tom Cruise is absolutely brilliant and convincing in the challenging portrayal of Dr. Harford and succeeds in having an enormous impact on the viewers and also manages to evoke their empathy. The nocturnal odyssey being rife with debauchery and decadence, ironically serves as a lesson of moral reformation. Nicole Kidman is ravishingly scintillating in her portrayal. The couple has incredibly managed to mirror their real life chemistry and tension on screen.

The movie is a quintessence of cinematic excellence and can only be relished by discarding bigotry, conservatism and prejudice. The movie is a delectable feast and a must watch for patient viewers and lovers of avant-garde cinema. 10/10

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