Rating: 

The Info

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Written by: Stanley Kubrick & Frederic Raphael
Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson, Rade Serbedzija, Leelee Sobieski
Produced by: Stanley Kubrick

The Nutshell

After his wife tells him that she once briefly lusted after a naval officer, Dr. Harford's world spins out of control as his solid belief in his wife's loyalty is shattered.

The Review

    Eyes Wide Shut has been in the Hollywood news more often in the past two years than any other film. The film broke records for length of production, stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman gave up countless millions in possible revenue to spend over a year working on it, and director Stanley Kubrick died just after final editing was completed. This all naturally caused quite a stir. More importantly perhaps has been the film's subject matter. A sexual film, Eyes Wide Shut has had many a fan of Cruise and Kidman waiting breathlessly for months. Unfounded rumours of necrophilia began when an early review came out several months ago. Well, the film has arrived.....

    Eyes Wide Shut does for sex what A Clockwork Orange did for violence and 2001: A Space Odyssey did for space exploration. These films take their concepts to an extreme level, stretching the boundaries of "the norm" in Hollywood. Clockwork Orange was given an X rating when it was released, but by today's standards is considered only an R. Similarly, one day moviegoers will look back on Eyes Wide Shut and wonder what all the fuzz was about.

    Cruise is Dr. Bill Harford, a rich New York doc with a beautiful wife Alice (Kidman), a daughter Helena and a fairly content life. One night Bill and Alice attend a lavish party thrown by Bill's friend Victor (Pollack). Victor's profession is unknown, but his immense wealth is obvious. At the party, Bill and Alice get separated, each being cornered by guests. Bill finds himself being seduced by two gorgeous models, while Alice is wrapped up by Sandor Szavost, a Hungarian who dances with her but wants much more. After the party, Bill and Alice discuss their marriage while smoking up. After Bill clumsily professes his absolute trust in Alice, she laughs and tells him of a time in their past where a certain naval officer caught her eye and she had considered pursuing him. This revelation shakes Bill to the bone, but before he has a chance to ponder anything, he is called away, as one of his patients has died. This night, Bill will wind up all over town, at a night club to hear his old med. school buddy play jazz, at a hooker's house, at a costume shop, and at a secretive party. All the while, he cannot get the image of Alice and the naval officer out of his head, even though nothing ever actually happened.

    Kubrick takes Bill on an ever-escalating journey into the world of sex, culminating in the aforementioned party. Through his school friend, Bill learns of a secret party that promises a wild time. Upon entering, Bill finds himself in the middle of a cult meeting, with naked women and masked men everywhere. This series of scenes is where the much ballyhooed digital editing has taken place. In certain instances, couples are having sex right out in the open, or on top of tables, so the editors added extra spectators standing in front of the exposed genitalia. These digital mannequins in no way take away from the scene's eros. After the party, the film sputters to a halt with scene after scene of explanation and reaction to the orgy.

    Kubrick has crafted one of his most imaginative cinematic moments with the sex cult. With powerful keyboard notes driving a chanting leader, the group's sexual urges are lain bare (o to speak). The mansion the group uses is a massive expanse of wealth. The costumes the guests use are only black cloaks and decorative masks, yet each stranger somehow has their own character. These scenes rival Clockwork's Singin' in the Rain rape scene and Jack Nicholson's "Heeeeeere's Johnny!!" from The Shining for sheer imaginative scope. Kubrick shows an understanding the subtle nuances of a typical marriage. From the opening scene where Bill straightens his tie in the bathroom mirror while Alice uses the toilet, to the state of disarray in the family's kitchen, no part of the marriage seems fake or forced. Perhaps having real-life married couple Tom and Nicole in the roles helped? On a humourous note, Kubrick makes fun of the "Tom Cruise is gay" rumours with an extremely eager hotel clerk who eyes Bill without much subtlety.

    Cruise basically plays the same character as he always does, using the same mannerisms to emote. He needs to learn that there is more to acting than running your hands over your face a few times and making intense gazes out into space. Kidman, however, delivers on the promise of To Die For. While she is given surprisingly little screen time (the film is entirely Cruise's), her Alice is wonderful to behold. When drunk, she gets ditzy, when stoned she gets aggressive, and when sober she is a normal mom. Pollack is monotonous and half-asleep as Victor, while Leelee Sobieski and Rade Serbedzija add comic relief.

    The main problem with this film is that it climaxes too early. After the cult party is over, the remaining hour is taken up tying loose ends. Bill runs around tracking down various people whose safety he is concerned about, seldom getting any answers. Several scenes are so draggy that you want to throw your pop at the screen in frustration, especially any scene with Sydney Pollack. Many characters repeat questions asked to them which is a very annoying thing (example: Bill asks someone "What happened to the girl?" and they reply "What happened to the girl?"). It is a dialogue style which, while realistic, is annoying. Eyes Wide Shut is too long, and isn't as racy as it was rumoured to be, but it is a powerful look at the fragility of fidelity, and the power of jealousy. It is also, as a friend put it "whacked out", thus it is classic Kubrick.

Copyright - Tim Chandler

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