The final film directed by Stanley Kubrick, ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ was published in 1999, weeks after his death. It draws from Arthur’s Schnitzler’s 1926 novella ‘Traumnovelle’ (Dream Story) but shifts the setting from Vienna in the early 20th century to modern day New York City preserving its psychological and philosophical elements.
The film features Hollywood power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Set over a marriage intertwined by sexuality, jealousy, secrecy, and the delicate borders of trust, the film serves as a haunting exploration of identity. Like in many of Kubrick’s other work, the deliberate pacing, consistent feeling of dread, and a dream-like atmosphere makes this film one of the most controversial, yet thematically rich in his repertoire.
Synopsis
Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) and Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) are affluent Manhattans, with their eyes set on becoming one of the most sought-after couples in the city. Bill’s patient, Ziegler, throws a Christmas party, and as a socialite at heart, Bill is invited. During the lavish party, Alice has her eyes on a Hungarian stranger and Bill is nothing short of enamored by a set of models. Although tempted, neither takes the leap, marking the beginning of the cracks in their relationship.
Alice, during a private chat on a subsequent evening, reveals that a year ago, she had a fleeting crush on a naval officer and fantasized about leaving Bill and her daughter for him. This confession reveals the hidden fractures within their marriage which sparks Bill’s descent into his personal as well as societal dark realms.
The fantasies fueling his overwhelming jealousy of Alice, Bill drives to a patient’s house, but makes a detour. He ends up meeting a string of increasingly absurd characters: a call girl named Domino, a jazz musician friend who gives him a passcode to some promiscuous jazz party, and most famously, an enigmatic masked sex party in a grand mansion outside the city. Bill, disguised in a tuxedo and Venetian mask, gains entry to this clandestine gathering, but much to his utter shock, he is recognized and promptly told to leave for his own good.
As the night devolves into a journey of self-reflection, Bill becomes overwhelmed by a looming sense of dread. It appears as if people linked to the secret society are following him. Other people, like Ziegler, attempt to provide half-understood explanations. Is it all a cover-up? Because a part of his guilty conscience suggests that they’re warnings.
Regardless, Bill goes back home and recounts every single detail of what he felt and experienced to Alice. Her reaction is calm, but devoid of warmth, allowing her to diagnostically conclude that “the next step is to be glad for having survived their separate journeys” and “try to be grateful and just… f***.”
Cast and Performances
Cruise portrays Dr. Bill Harford
In one of Aguilera’s most reflective roles enduring a virtually incomparable onslaught of bizarre beats while trying to navigate his life in the nuanced social milieu of New York, Tom Cruise delivers his calm and understated hand of performative genius depicting a man whose facade of confidence is merely an overt layer that conceals profound insecurity and repressed desire. This transformation is both physical and emotional, framed by confusion and desperation. One of the less dominating portrayals Ford has reserved in his formative years comes through an uncharacteristically subtle delivery. This aligns with the vision controlled by Stanley Kubrick’s directorial nuance.
Nicole Kidman as Alice Harford
Her performance, alongside Cruise’s, is less prominent in terms of screen time but is crucial to the film’s psychological arc. It is actually Alice’s monologue regarding her sexual fantasy that ultimately shifts the balance for Bill and moves the narrative forward. She maintains a blend of warmth and clarity with emotional honesty, acting both as a mirror and foil to Bill.
Sydney Pollack as Victor Ziegler
Ziegler is cast as the wealthy and enigmatic patron straddling the intersection of Bill’s professional world and the elite society. His final conversation with Bill is perplexing, emotionally drained, and rich with subtext concerning power, privilege, and complicity.
The supporting performances of Todd Field, Vinessa Shaw, and Rade Šerbedžija further add to the dreamlike and kafkaesque feel of Bill’s journey, contributing to the underlying sense of foreboding.
Direction, Cinematography, and Editing
Eyes Wide Shut is visually lavish, frequently drenched in shadows, warm light, and symbolic color schemes—especially red and blue. Directed by Stanley Kubrick, known throughout for his obsessive attention to detail and visual narrative, the film is crafted and refined down to every single frame. Shot predominantly at Pinewood Studios in England, complete with replicas of New York City street’s lovingly bedewed with Christmas lights and decor, which are symbolically present in nearly every scene, striking a paradox between festivity and alienation.
The style of cinematography performed by Larry Smith appears to be very dreamlike in approach through the use of long takes and steady tracking shots. The entire picture feels otherworldly throughout with settings ranging from lavishing mansions to cold city sidewalks.
Without a goal to achieve, one could argue the editing is done to facilitate a feeling of discomfort or wonder within the viewer. Silence, repetition of visual motifs, and space is what helps build tension. In this case, mirrors, reflections, and masks help highlight duality and illusion.
Themes and Symbolism
The movie “Eyes Wide Shut” contains extreme depth thematically as well as symbolically.
Fidelity versus Sexual Fantasy
The film revolves around the idea of monogamy and desire. Alice’s confession greatly highlighted Bill’s male sense of entitlement and deep insecurity a marriage brings. Bill’s hypocrisy and Kubrick’s critique of illusion of male sexual dominance is shown when concept of Alice’s fantasy challenges the idea of his fidelity.
Reality and Dreams
Bill’s journey, or at least his depiction of it, serves as the backbone of the narrative without the film having a structure. The surreal events, lighting, pacing, and repetition lend themselves into feeling very dream-like. The boundaries of reality vs imagination are blurred through the use of Kubrick’s signature style which enables the audience to remain suspended in interpretation.
Power and Secrecy
The mask party is by far the most notable experience in the movie, it indicates concealed violence, abuse towards power, and control by the elite class. Kubrick hints that there is a world ridden with unchecked power within the silky surface of today’s society.
Masks and Identity
People tend to put on masks, both literally and metaphorically. For example, Bill’s mask at the orgy is an attempt to hide his true identity, but a contradiction suggests that he is showing himself for who he really is. The film suggests the difficulties of knowing a partner or even oneself.
Reception and Legacy
Critically speaking, Eyes Wide Shut did not receive the reception they expected having divided opinions on it. It completely baffled viewers because the pacing of the movie was slow with no upfront intercourse scenes along with a confusing storyline.
Because of the lack of eroticism, they considered it pretentious while some praised it arguing it is a masterpiece in cinema history.
Years later, the view of the film has changed. Many now argue that it is one of Kubrick’s greatest intellectually challenging films. According to scholars and critics, it dives deeply into modern relationships, the subconscious, and societal performance. It is his psychologically chilling and breathtaking beauty that distinguishes him among other filmmakers.
The legacy of the film greatly changes due to it being filmed by Kubrick’ s last film, as well as the public interest surrounding the marriage between Cruise and Kidman.
Conclusion
Eyes Wide Shut is not a film that offers easy interpretations. It is a cryptic odyssey assessing the dark sides of human longing, betrayal, and sentiments of reality. Stanley Kubrick, during his final years of cinematography, crafted a film that could be mulled over endlessly, profiting from multiple viewings due to the layered plot and themes. Eyes Wide Shut is highlighted with haunting undertones that elevate the plot to agrandeur visual splendor to mesmerize the viewer, and can be described as chilling, intricate and sculpted in meticulous detail, serving as an appropriate peroration to the career of one of America’s cinematic masterminds.
Regardless of how one chooses to interpret the film, it guarantees a hauntingly unforgettable experience, be it surreal, erotic, or human. As Alice states, in the end all that can be done is just to float through and survive the dream… and hope to wake up.
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