Directed by:
Stanley KubrickCinematography:
Larry SmithComposer:
Jocelyn PookCast:
Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jackie Sawiris, Sydney Pollack, Todd Field, Sky du Mont, Marie Richardson, Thomas Gibson, Vinessa Shaw, Rade Serbedzija, Togo Igawa (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Tom Cruise stars as Bill Harford, a doctor who becomes obsessed with a sexual fantasy that his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), confesses to him. Although the fantasy (involving a naval officer) occurred only in Alice's mind, Bill can't get it out of his own head; his obsession leads him through a series of potential sexual encounters, each one surrounded by the specter of death. His whole world threatens to unravel as he falls deeper and deeper into a web of mystery, lies, and deceit. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (13)
The story of an extraordinary marriage set in the night. The Kubrick-Kidman-Cruise trio searched until they found each other. It was last-minute, but they did it. :) I'm inspired to wear a bra the way Nicole does - there are so many ways to wear a bra, and Kubrick was probably the last one to tell her how to do it. In terms of more serious reflection, I’d point out the house full of masks, but that would be overdoing it.
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These shut eyes truly burn the viewer, and most importantly, mature within them. It may have been a long time since I saw the film, but the provocative feeling of being present at the ritual or the paranoid thoughts of Bill still remain. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman are brilliant, and Stanley Kubrick's construction of atmosphere with the help of minimalist musical accompaniment is also exceptional.
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Unlike the rest of his filmography, Kubrick's latest film was controversially received. Remarkably often, five-star enthusiastic reviews full of superlatives are alternated with two-star reviews, where displeasure with the film's sexual openness and disgust with the vulgarization of the subject of romantic relationships prevail. I won't take either side in the dispute. The truth is that Eyes Wide Shut impressed me noticeably less than Kubrick's other dramas. It's not that his venture into the world of desire didn't evoke any feelings or questions in me, but they were sins committed in different places and of a different kind than the director intended. The bored, fresh widow (already a much worn-out topic these days) Nicole Kidman doesn't evoke sinful desires in me. Her beauty is the detached beauty of a runway model, not that of a sensual woman inciting sinful thoughts. Beauty and erotic allure are less related than commonly believed. Alice's flirtation with the aging beau at the party doesn't come off as erotic, but rather awkwardly lascivious. Alice and Bill's relationship is not driven by sexual fantasies and is instead a study of marital alienation. Kubrick should learn about desire, passion, and pleasure from Polanski. Animality belongs to desire, playfulness to eroticism. However, the game that Bill unknowingly enters into feels strange, overstrained, and overconstructed after three sexual revolutions. I don't even understand how Bill identified the masked beauty from the party with the dead woman in the morgue, and I don't understand many other things either. If anything, the film sparked an interest in the source material by Arthur Schnitzler in me. I will be wiser after reading it. My overall impression is 65%, with the understanding that my review is aided by Kubrick's traditional ability to work with images and master the technical aspect of the work.
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I once saw a bit of A Clockwork Orange in a summer camp movie theater, but otherwise I had been virtually uninitiated in Kubrick up until that point, save for a few documentaries and trailers. It was the master's last (and ironically my first) film that I saw in its entirety :)) and it must be said that it is a well thought out and functioning film combining elements of a psychological thriller and drama with an erotic touch and featuring a strong above-average performance by Tom Cruise (although I don't like Tommy otherwise, here he proves again that he is capable of acting really well under capable direction – just like in the case of Magnolia) and incredibly seductive Nicole Kidman. The slightly lighter soundtrack from the opening half hour is then replaced by a four-note (or five-note, I'm not sure now :))) piano motif, which at times gives you chills and gets under your skin quite unpleasantly.)) Otherwise, I can't remember a film in a long time that has so many memorable scenes (Alice's haunting monologue, the billiards scene, the opening dance with the "Hungarian", where the sexual tension between the two actors is masterfully captured). Before I got my first and Kubrick's last film home :)), I read somewhere that Kubrick's films resemble chess games – at the beginning they play with you, then they attack you quite sharply and thoughtfully, and at the end they might show you their method, and while you still feel only total defeat, you are totally fascinated (as in my case :)). So I have to say in conclusion that there is something to the chess comparison :)) 100%
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Kubrick embarked on several space odysseys because of existential questions, only to finally realise on the last one that the only thing that makes sense in life is a proper fuck. The question is whether he’s right. His brilliance and advanced age, and the not insignificant weight of the message – his last – confirm that he is. Eyes Wide Shut is three hours of psychological and stylistic ecstasy.
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