review by Arto
Eyes Wide Shut 1999
Rewatched Jun 22, 2012
Arto’s review:
I'll never understand why this movie gets so much hate. It ranks right next to Lost Highway as one of the all-time greatest mindfucks of the 90's.
Rewatched Jun 22, 2012
I'll never understand why this movie gets so much hate. It ranks right next to Lost Highway as one of the all-time greatest mindfucks of the 90's.
It's cool to see that one of the films you felt was worth leaving a comment on was this, my favorite of the Kubrick films. I like how his name is on the front as if he was one of the actors.
It always great when someone tells me they have love for this film. I always hear people bashing it and I love it so much that it almost angers me that even people who appreciate most Kubrick films can have so much hate for it, especially when the same people love films with surreal atmospheres.
Kubrick was allowed to have such a staggering ego because he was such a master at filmmaking. I remember watching a trailer for Dr. Strangelove that continually showed his face. I don't think any director has done that before or since. I think that part of why Stephen King disliked The Shining upon release was because it was called Stanley Kubrick's The Shining. But it was also such a departure that it made sense that he declared it his own.
Actually, all of Kubrick's films, including Eyes Wide Shut, were based on a book. I believe Anthony Burgess was another who disliked his adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. The irony is that most of Kubrick's films were much better than the source material.
Most authors have surprisingly immense egos when compared to most auteur driven filmmakers. It is almost commonplace for most authors to badmouth adaptations of their work. There are exceptions, but rarely.
It is a little surprising to hear that Eyes Wide Shut was based on a book, though I hadn't done a lot of research to see either way. Interesting!
And I'm glad to have brought you joy with my mutual appreciation for the film. I'm also a big Tom Cruise fan, regardless of Scientology and anything else.
You should read the novella it's based on as not only is it excellent on its own terms it also opens up Eyes Wide Shut to angles a lot of people don't see otherwise. Like you two I adore this film and I think it's a better end to his career than FMJ
Arto, 2001 wasn't based on a book. Clarke and Kubrick developed the story together. Clarke's short story, The Sentinel, was a starting point.
@Matthew - I agree about Cruise. I don't like to judge an actor negatively by their off-screen persona and I think he is a terrific performer. He should have won the Oscar for his performance in Magnolia. It's one of the best from any actor ever and one of the many highlights of that film.
@Fabian - I have yet to read it as well. I was only made aware of it through Kubrick's documentary.
@Jonathan - Oh, well, excuse me all to hell. I suppose I should have said stories instead of books, but I guess that still wouldn't have been good enough ;-)
And also, Arthur C Clarke LOVED Kubrick. I recall in the doc him saying that he regarded Kubrick as one of the most intelligent people he ever met. Considering that Clarke is one of the most intelligent people ever (IMO), that's one hell of a complement.
Speaking from the perspective of one who is on the Autism spectrum (I have Aspergers... or had it when they still classified high-functioning autism that way, the new DSM changed that I think), is it possible that Stanley Kubrick was Autistic if you consider his high intelligence and perfectionist streak and the way he'd disregard his actors for the sake of his movie?
I love this movie so ill jump on the bandwagon. I was absolutely mesmerized by it the first time I saw it (I've seen it many times over the years). I don't think I've ever seen a film that captures a dreamlike feeling as this one. I think David Lynch comes closest, but his stuff is still more like a nightmare. The entire orgy sequence is one of the best sequences I've ever seen put in a film, along with the Cruise-Kidman scene when she confesses to him about the naval officer. There are so many amazing scenes in here you lose count.
This is my 2nd favorite Kubrick movie after 2001 but I like to hear analysis and interpretations for this one as much as I do for 2001. There's just so many ways you can dissect this movie. It really is an amazing representation of how difficult it is to maintain a marriage and trust and to control jealousy and how a husband or wife might react to those things. And that's just on the surface! This movie goes so much deeper than that. I just love it!
@Arto, it wasn't dig. Many think it was based on Clarke's book, and your observation is correct that all of his other movies are adaptation. I was just pointing out that this was his one stab at an original story.