Eyes Wide Shut remains one of those films that when I mention it to people, I inevitably get eye rolls and OMGs. It's weirdness seems to overpower it, causing what I like to call "The Art-house Effect". Many expect a mainstream film; this if far from one. Many viewers no doubt expected a film that would titillate and shock. It does do both of these things but they take a far backseat. For all it's convolution and confusion, the story is very simple. A man travels by night across Manhattan and Long Island at Christmas. During this all-nighter he has many strange adventures and is subjected to temptations. In the light of the next day, he is shown how wrong he was about his perceptions. If this reminds you of A Christmas Carol, then congratulations because you would be right. This film could be rightly called a very adult Carol. It also suggests legends and myths where the "hero" is tested by his encounters and found to be worthy.
Kubrick was a film genius. He doesn't care if we "don't get it", he never has. Most of his films have been received as being difficult to understand, yet later they somehow achieve clarity. It's as though we catch up to him after a few years. His lighting in this is especially sublime, "pushing" the exposure a few extra stops so that ambient light, (candles, table lamps, Christmas lights) is plenty of light. This makes the goings on dark and dreamlike. Further enhancing this unreal atmosphere are supposedly outdoor street scenes, which look artificial to the extreme. Look at the streets the next time you watch this, they look pristine, impossibly perfect. My only severe criticism of this film is the casting of Cruise and Kidman. A Superceleb couple at the time of filming, IMHO they are horribly miscast. Cruise projects very little presence, I wondered why anyone bothered to interact with him to the degree they do. Kidman pretty much started her Ice Queen period here, despite a playful character, she is distant. Their looks only go so far in this. There's the feeling of rebelliousness by both of them, as though they are fighting against the rest of the film. It's a testament to Kubrick's masterful hand that the film transcends this miscasting, under another director it might have ruined it.
This film is magic. A fairy tale for grown ups. It's message is clear and echoed throughout the film by the password for entry to the party. Without trust and honesty in relationships, we are lost.
Kubrick was a film genius. He doesn't care if we "don't get it", he never has. Most of his films have been received as being difficult to understand, yet later they somehow achieve clarity. It's as though we catch up to him after a few years. His lighting in this is especially sublime, "pushing" the exposure a few extra stops so that ambient light, (candles, table lamps, Christmas lights) is plenty of light. This makes the goings on dark and dreamlike. Further enhancing this unreal atmosphere are supposedly outdoor street scenes, which look artificial to the extreme. Look at the streets the next time you watch this, they look pristine, impossibly perfect. My only severe criticism of this film is the casting of Cruise and Kidman. A Superceleb couple at the time of filming, IMHO they are horribly miscast. Cruise projects very little presence, I wondered why anyone bothered to interact with him to the degree they do. Kidman pretty much started her Ice Queen period here, despite a playful character, she is distant. Their looks only go so far in this. There's the feeling of rebelliousness by both of them, as though they are fighting against the rest of the film. It's a testament to Kubrick's masterful hand that the film transcends this miscasting, under another director it might have ruined it.
This film is magic. A fairy tale for grown ups. It's message is clear and echoed throughout the film by the password for entry to the party. Without trust and honesty in relationships, we are lost.