Released in 1999, “Eyes Wide Shut” was Stanley Kubrick’s final film; and according to the man himself, his finest work. A lot of mystery surrounded the movie, which was intentionally generated by Kubrick beforehand. Here, the legendary director made sure that details of the movie were left out so the public would be in a constant state of intrigue. Such marketing strategies are unheard of these days, which hint at Kubrick’s unusual methods…these same methods made many regard him as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.
However, upon its release, “Eyes Wide Shut” somewhat flopped and was panned by many critics. The reason for this is they expected some kind of love story which wasn’t delivered. Of course, “Eyes Wide Shut” is not a love story and shouldn’t be viewed this way. Because of this, you could argue it was wrongly viewed from the start. These days, however, it has gained something of a cult following and is now seen as one of Kubrick’s best pieces of work. So, what was it all about?
Set in New York, it follows the life of a married couple and their young daughter. This couple are played by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who have an unusual and strained marriage. One night, Alice (Kidman) tells husband William (Cruise) about her sexual desires. This leads William on a bizarre night around New York City who uses the conversation to explore his own sexual desires. Whilst on this venture, he meets prostitutes, seedy shop-owners, and is in a constant state of wonder. At one point he meets an old friend at a bar who plays the piano. This friend promises William he can sneak him into a private club for the elites. Upon arriving at the club, William sees a number of masked members of high society who indulge in orgies with young prostitutes. William is quickly recognized as an outsider and threatened with death. Upon receiving this wake up call, he returns to his family home and seemingly returns to normality alongside his wife and daughter.
It’s understandable upon reading the plot as to why critics would be bemused. They were promised a modern love story and it wasn’t exactly that. Instead, they got a psychological drama that was inspired by the 1926 novella, “Traumnovelle.” In fact, it’s so very close in paying homage to “Traumnovelle” that has the same plot. Interestingly, “Traumnovelle” is also known as ‘dream story,’ which many people have labeled “Eyes Wide Shut”—as a kind of fever dream movie. You can imagine the look on some cinemagoers facers when they thought they’d be watching romance, but instead got a cynical view of social class, society’s elites, and underage hookers. As ever in the world of Kubrick, “Eyes Wide Shut” wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries, and over 20 years later its themes still evoke discussion and controversy.
Tom Cruise in “Eyes Wide Shut,” Warner Bros., 1999
Not only was “Eyes Wide Shut” so different, it also ran for 2 hours 45 minutes. Understandably, some modern audience members would not take kindly to this as it was deemed too long in parts. Having said this, upon re-watching it, the pacing of the movie is never really an issue. In the same way that other long films can still be captivating, “Eyes Wide Shut” fully justifies its length throughout and never feels pretentious or forced.
Elsewhere, the acting is spot on by both Cruise and Kidman. Arguably, both of these were in their acting prime and were actually married at the time, which may have added to their on-screen chemistry and tension. Say what you will about Tom Cruise, but when he’s good, he’s good. It’s a far cry away from his typical action movies, but shows his versatility and success in crossing over into something different.
Whilst looking at the acting, the dialogue also holds up well. Often with Kubrick, the dialogue is intended to be vague and open to interpretation. This suits “Eyes Wide Shut” perfectly as its entire meaning is open to your own personal view.
‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is constantly discussed with intrigue and differing opinions. The death of Kubrick only added fuel to its fire in that sense.”
Visually the set is stunning and on-point as well. As previously mentioned, “Eyes Wide Shut” has something of a fever dream feel running throughout it. This only adds to the uneasy feeling that follows William as his life starts to unravel. Kubrick accomplished this by focusing on dark red and purple colors used in many of the scenes. Apparently, this was a nod towards “Traumnovelle,” which was set in Vienna. As Kubrick was arguably a master of creating atmosphere by mise en scène, “Eyes Wide Shut” is no different in delivering a fantastically visual setting.
Having said this, “Eyes Wide Shut” isn’t perfect, at least according to some. Moving away from the initial misplaced criticisms due to expecting something entirely different, “Eyes Wide Shut” is still disliked by some. Of course, movies are always divisive— especially with Kubrick involved. One constant critique of this film is that it was too obscure and ambiguous, at least for a mainstream audience. This criticism is a little off due to most mainstream cinema lacking creativity for the most part. However, in an age where viewers demanded obvious explanations and neatly sewn-up plots, “Eyes Wide Shut” is sometimes referred to as a confused misunderstanding of a film.
Stanley Kubrick’s Swan Song offers muted tones and ambiguity that leaves more questions than answers (Photo: Warner Bros., 1999)
While these aren’t my own opinions, this is one of the standout issues that most people have with the movie. Fast forward over 20 years, and you could make a case that cinema is even more dumbed down than ever. Nonetheless, it seems that more people flock to “Eyes Wide Shut” with every passing year, which hints towards its success. Because of this, even comparing “Eyes Wide Shut” to other Kubrick classics such as “A Clockwork Orange” or “The Shining” would have been laughable upon its release. However, those laughs are less quiet now.
Moving back to the release of his last film, Kubrick sadly passed away before it was released. According to his close family, the studio cut out large chunks of the movie and drastically changed the final piece. Not only this, but obviously the promotion of the movie also changed massively. Where Kubrick tried to tease the audience and keep a level of anticipation, the studio did the opposite. The result was that it was shown as a romance film, which it simply was not. Because of his early death, fans have often speculated what the original cut may have shown. Some even go as far to say that it would have been an entirely different movie…however we will never know.
In many ways, this sums up the feelings tha surround “Eyes Wide Shut.” It is constantly discussed with intrigue and differing opinions. The death of Kubrick only added fuel to its fire in that sense. Interestingly, the film has aged very well and as mentioned, its reputation seems to grow by the year. With this in mind, the legacy of “Eyes Wide Shut” is undoubtedly one of Kubrick’s finest films. Overall, it is a captivating movie from start to finish and should be celebrated for being different. If you haven’t seen this movie, you definitely should as it will get you thinking…and that is the point of cinema, right?
