thoughts on Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut

dark, brooding, magnificent. the character anguish is so deep. you can see the anguish and torment, the jealousy and break heartedness on Tom Cruise's face. And Nicole Kidman to. She puts on such an innocent veneer that those salacious shots of her with the sailor are so tawdry. It's too bad this film wasn't so well received when it was released. I remember renting it from Blockbuster video. They were still around then. And, of course, being a 19 year old, I was so taken with the sex scenes. I had never seen anything like it. This was the days before internet porn when you can google anything and get a video in return. I read somewhere that Republicans are trying to resurrect the debate about porn. That's another topic. But the question does raise itself about what Kubrick really wanted to say with this film? Is it nothing more the voyeuristic pleasure? Seeing Nicole Kidman nude many times? Or Tom Cruise in his underwear? Or the occult orgy? What was the point? Just to take pleasure in watching nudity or sexual intercourse? I didn't see much of a theme to the film. Certainly not as deep as some other Kubrick films like Barry Lyndon.

Yet, perhaps, there is some similarity to Lolita. The film Kubrick made based on a Nabokov novel. It to delves into forbidden sexual desire.

I can't say enough about the acting. I was totally taken in by Cruise and Kidman. They were both such high profile actors and husband and wife to take on such a project like Eyes Wide Such. At the time of release they were criticized for doing such a film. In hindsight I think they need to be commended for putting aside projects that might be more enriching commercially, but, perhaps, not as rewarding artistically. The film is a triumph. And I do believe it was Kubrick's last film that he worked on from start to finish.

I suppose some of the context could lend itself to the harsh criticism when the film was released. This was around the same time when the Lewinsky scandal was dominating headlines. So, perhaps, films that were provocative attracted more attention than if the media wasn't so focused on sex scandals, particularly in the Clinton White House. I guess they fed on each other. Would the film have garnered much attention if it had just been AI? Or a military film like Full Metal? Perhaps, perhaps not.

Anyway it was a great effort by all those involved. I'll have to catch it again sometime.