Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 psychological drama film directed by Stanley Kubrick and starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a married couple whose relationship is tested after the husband embarks on a nightmarish journey through the underworld of sexual and moral decadence. The film is based on the 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler and was the final film directed by Kubrick before his death in 1999.
Ebert was a famous film critic who wrote many reviews and essays about various films throughout his career. His review of Eyes Wide Shut was generally positive, praising the film's visual style, acting performances, and complex exploration of themes such as marriage, fidelity, and desire. Ebert described the film as a "haunting and hypnotic journey through the dark side of desire" and called it "one of Stanley Kubrick's most visually stunning and intellectually challenging films."
One of the main themes that Ebert identified in Eyes Wide Shut was the idea of marriage and fidelity. The film follows the story of Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise), a successful New York City doctor, and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman), as they navigate their relationship in the wake of Alice's confession that she had entertained the thought of having an affair. Ebert noted that the film delves into the complex and often conflicting desires and motivations that can exist within a marriage, and how these can threaten the stability and trust of the relationship.
Another theme that Ebert identified in the film was the concept of desire and its dangerous and potentially destructive power. As Dr. Harford embarks on a nightmarish journey through the seedy underworld of New York City, he encounters a range of characters who represent different facets of desire and temptation, including a mysterious and seductive woman (Leelee Sobieski) and a group of wealthy and powerful men who engage in secretive and potentially dangerous sexual activities. Ebert described this aspect of the film as a "journey through the dark side of desire," and noted that it raises important questions about the nature of human desire and the ways in which it can lead us astray.
Overall, Ebert's review of Eyes Wide Shut was positive, praising the film's visual style, acting performances, and complex exploration of themes such as marriage, fidelity, and desire. He described it as a "haunting and hypnotic journey through the dark side of desire" and called it "one of Stanley Kubrick's most visually stunning and intellectually challenging films."
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
One of the masked women warns him he is in terrible danger. Retrieved November 17, 2012. Might, as some researchers will tell you, the Epstein case simply be the tip of the iceberg? The couple's home is a typical suburban middle-class home. The only pragmatic reason for securing an R rating is to maximize profits by making the film available in more theaters, and to younger viewers. Working with the MPAA, we devised the idea of using digital figures in the foreground to qualify for an R rating. This is a dream story derived from Arthur Schnitzler's "Traumnovelle" -- how much clearer can that be? As outlandish as the above might sound, it is a scenario that has been discussed in conspiracy circles for decades.
Casting Might-Have-Beens: A Film by Film Directory of Actors Considered for Roles Given to Others. Retrieved August 24, 2018. It's symbolic of the moral hypocrisy of the rating system that it would force a great director to compromise his vision, while by the same process making his adult film more accessible to young viewers. . Now there's an area rug on the floor. Bill he is in danger. The movie's funniest scene takes place in a hotel where Bill questions a desk clerk, played by All of these scenes have their own focus and intensity; each sequence has its own dramatic arc.
Yes, more nudity follows in the film, from Kidman and many others, but Kubrick is telling us that the nudity and sex is not really the point; he's not setting out to make the "sexiest film ever. Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas. Retrieved September 29, 2013. . I wasn't particularly impressed by the resolution, for instance. The dominant color is the warm, feminine red of the drapes that frame her -- and that are reflected in the mirrored closet doors to the left.
This time, the dominant color at the beginning of the shot is a cool, masculine blue -- but that isn't all that's different. We will come back to some of the alleged specific symbols used to convey this message a little later. And if they are, will we ever truly discover anything about them? Given Kubrick's fear of flying, the entire film was shot in England. Bill that the high-ranking members of the secret society control all of the media, and even the police. All his films after and including 2001…followed a similar vein, with Kubrick getting involved in everything that went on.
25 Things You Didn’t Know About Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’
So why would someone wish to bump off Kubrick? At the party, Bill meets an old friend from medical school, now a pianist. Retrieved December 22, 2019. He said Cruise and Kidman had their way with him — exactly the words he used. Retrieved December 15, 2011. He was still working on the film when he died.
. After shooting had been completed, Kubrick entered a prolonged post-production process and on March 1, 1999, Kubrick showed a cut to Cruise, Kidman and the Warner Bros. . To begin with, can Dr. Given the subject matter, a popular conspiracy theory soon took hold that elite members of Hollywood had arranged to have the world-famous director killed. Invitees require a costume, a mask and a password.
Writing for Vanity Fair, Kubrick collaborator. . Retrieved November 11, 2020. More significantly, in the film, Ziegler gives a commentary on the whole story to Bill, including an explanation that the party incident, where Bill is apprehended, threatened, and ultimately redeemed by the woman's sacrifice, was staged. In one painful example, for just one minute of final footage where Alice makes love to a naval officer, Kubrick demanded that Kidman shoot six days of naked sex scenes with a male model.
