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Re: "Eyes Wide Shut": Comments

207.214.184.124

Posted by Justin Doring on October 18, 2000 at 13:50:57

In Reply to: "Eyes Wide Shut": Comments posted by AudioHead on October 16, 2000 at 10:41:40:

From reading the comments on this board, I don't believe any of you paid very close attention to Eyes Wide Shut and took way too much at face value, and are therefore missing about 90% of the film. You really need to view Eyes Wide Shut a number of times and pay very close attention to, literally, every single frame. And listen for motifs in the "ordinary" dialog. There is so much to this film, and oddly enough, the more you notice, discover, and decipher, the more confused you become. Definitive answers will never be provided (like Picnic at Hanging Rock), but that's the beauty of it.

My DVD review at www.jmreview.web.com

“Boring.” “Long.” “Stupid.” “Pretentious.” “Pointless.” “Horrible.” “Bad acting.” “Frankenstein music.” “Disappointing.” “Dumb ending.” “The worst film I’ve ever seen.” “Pure crap.” These are just some of the reactions I’ve heard to Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut. Almost no one, not even Kubrick devotees, likes this film. It did poorly at the box office as moviegoers passed the word to their friends. The critics had mixed reactions. The Academy did not acknowledge it with a single Oscar nomination. In other words, Eyes Wide Shut will eventually be seen as the brilliant film that it is. A masterpiece of precision, Eyes Wide Shut is certainly the best film of 1999 and one of Kubrick’s best.

Eyes Wide Shut is a movie for film lovers, not a movie for the masses, and I can understand why most people would not like it. Based on the advertising campaign (supervised by Kubrick himself), you’d think Eyes Wide Shut is the ultimate, racy sex picture from the great Stanley Kubrick. Instead, audiences weren’t shocked or aroused by the sex, and they didn’t understand the film, let alone its theme. Therefore, they labeled it a long, boring, pointless movie about a rich couple having a fight. First, William and Alice Harford (played by real life married couple Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise) are not rich. Successful and financially comfortable yes, but far from rich. This is one of the many tensions they experience in the film. While, like F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, the Harfords associate with the rich, they are not among them, as William is their discrete doctor. Second, the Harford’s “fight” is about more than mere jealousy. It’s about issues that no couple wants to think about, which might be why some people refused to open their minds, as the thoughts are just too painful. Finally, the nearly three hour running time actually goes by quickly, and the movie is far from boring and pointless, keeping you glued to the screen until the very end.

The craftsmanship of Eyes Wide Shut is unparalleled. Kubrick regarded it as his finest film, and I can see why. The entire film looks and plays like a Kafkaesque dream. In fact, the screenplay by Kubrick and Frederic Raphael was based on the 1926 Arthur Schnitzler novel Traumnovelle (Dream Novel). The sets, lighting, and cinematography of Eyes Wide Shut are all superb. (Pay attention to the use of red and blue and Christmas lights.) The acting is terrific all around, and in no way “bad,” “laughable,” or “wooden,” as it has been called. While Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman aren’t the best actors working in Hollywood, Eyes Wide Shut presents them in very challenging roles that they pull of admirably. There is a lot of subtlety in their performances. The use of Shostakovich’s Second Waltz from his Jazz Suite No. 2 for Promenade Orchestra is ingenious with its unsettling, perverted sound serving as the main theme for the Eyes Wide Shut. Jocelyn Pook’s incidental music is appropriate, and her piano jabs throughout the film are very effective. There has been much talk and thought on various mysteries in the film, mostly revolving around who characters are. No definitive answer to these is present, but perhaps it is best this way.

Unfortunately, Warner Brothers decided to present the American theatrical release of Eyes Wide Shut on home video, and so we are deprived of a minute of footage that Kubrick retained for the overseas release, and we must endure some badly executed digital alteration of the Kafkaesque orgy. While not a huge loss, it is, nevertheless, a loss, as we cannot see all of what Kubrick intended. Considering the likely audience for Eyes Wide Shut, this was a mistake. At Kubrick’s request, the film is presented on DVD in 4:3 aspect ratio. The fully saturated colors are magnificent, having a 1990’s look but with a 1940’s feel (think of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, but brighter and more distinct). There is a lot of grain in the indoor scenes, but movie was intentionally shot this way, so it’s no fault of the transfer. Sound quality is equally faithful, with dialog and foley effects sounding superb and the music sounding faithful to the recordings. Eyes Wide Shut is not a reference disc, but it is extremely faithful to Kubrick’s intentions and does an excellent job of drawing you into the dream he creates. The only extras are movie and TV trailers and three fairly personal and emotional interviews with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Steven Spielberg that are definitely worth seeing.

While not a plotdriven film and not particularly revolutionary in its subject matter, Eyes Wide Shut is fascinating for its many thematic levels, fine performances, excellent production values, and the way it will keep you analyzing it viewing after viewing. The telling of the story is in no way sentimental, a Kubrick trademark, so you must form your own opinions, and the ending is in no way a let down (how else could it end?). Like most of Kubrick’s films, Eyes Wide Shut must be seen multiple times to appreciate how great it really is, and even then you’ll never know everything. However, rent it first to see if it’s for you.

Content: *****
Audio: ****
Video: ****
Extras: ***

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