Genre: Thriller / Drama
Length: 2h 39m 0s
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Tagline: Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick.
Plot outline: A doctor (Tom Cruise) becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter after his wife (Nicole Kidman) admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met and chastising him for dishonesty in not admitting to his own fantasies. This sets him off into unfulfilled encounters with a dead patient's daughter and a hooker. But when he visits a nightclub, where a pianist friend Nick Nightingale (Todd Field) is playing, he learns about a secret sexual group and decides to attend one of their congregations. However, he quickly learns he is in well over his head and finds he and his family are threatened. Summary written by John Sacksteder {jsack@ka.net} Sexual jolts disrupt Manhattan physician Bill Harford's equilibrium. At an elegant Christmas party, two "models" hit on him, he watches a Lothario try to pick up his tipsy wife, he aids a woman sprawled naked in a bathroom after an overdose. The next night, his wife reveals sexual fantasies with a stranger; a dead patient's daughter throws herself at him; as he walks, brooding, six teen boys hurl homophobic insults at him; a streetwalker takes him to her flat; he interrupts men having a sex party with a girl barely in her teens. His odyssey, which next takes him into a world of wealthy sex play at a masked ball of hedonism, threatens his life, his self-respect, and his marriage. Summary written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}
Comment: Stanley Kubrick's final film, 1999's "Eyes Wide Shut," is a curious film for many. Despite starring Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman, "Eyes" is certainly not a "mainstream" picture. The movie is arty with a capital A, and it's deliberately slow pace, graphic sexuality & hazy storyline left many people perplexed. What exactly was Kubrick trying to SAY with this picture?, they asked. What is this movie actually ABOUT? Many people didn't know. Despite major hype, it's star director & it's star leading actors, "Eyes Wide Shut" was a box-office disappointment, and, with Oscar nominations recently announced, "Eyes" failed to get even a single nod. But for the open-minded film buff, there is MUCH to admire about Kubrick's swan song. For me, "Eyes Wide Shut" is a beautiful film. It's exploration into a married couple's relationship, and how sex plays a major role in their union, is quite fascinating. Yes, the movie does take it's dear sweet time in telling it's story, but if you simply sit back and open yourself to it, chances are you'll find this sexual odyssey to be a quite captivating journey, indeed. In my opinion, Kubrick's final statement as a film director is a gorgeous work of art. Tom Cruise plays a doctor named William who's happily married to a beautiful art curator named Alice (Nicole Kidman), and they live happily with their young daughter in a sumptuous New York apartment. However, Alice happens to be an alcoholic, and one evening, while under the influence, she tearfully reveals to William that she fantasised about another man--a sailor--that she had recently met, and that she almost cheated on William with the sailor. Although Alice didn't actually go through with the cheating in the end, William is filled with jealousy nonetheless, and immediately leaves the apartment. He spends the night roaming the streets of New York, looking out for a sexual opportunity to get back at his wife with. Before the night is through, William will meet some VERY bizarre characters and go to some VERY bizarre places. While many people were left bewildered by Kubrick's swan song, I found myself quite absorbed in it. "Eyes Wide Shut" took me on an incredible journey right along with Tom Cruise's character. Despite the film's long length, at no point was I ever bored. The sexual world that Kubrick paints in the movie is a very fascinating one, and I was always wondering what was going to happen next. The way the story unfolds, the way Kubrick meticulously pieces the film together, the way the film is so exquisitely photographed (LOVE the use of Christmas lights throughout), the featuring of some of the most drop-dead gorgeous women ever put on film (not just the breathtaking Kidman), and the way it's so wonderfully acted, especially by Cruise & Kidman as the troubled couple (I'm sure being married in real-life helped their on-screen chemistry in a huge way), all adds up to a film that simply spellbinds. But, truth be told, "Eyes Wide Shut" IS an acquired taste, and I can't argue with anyone who doesn't like it. Also, it's not a perfect film. While the journey that Tom Cruise takes in the film is a very fascinating one, it could be argued that Cruise's character is REALLY overreacting to his wife's revelation about her fantasy with the sailor. She merely *thought* momentarily about cheating on her husband, but she didn't actually DO it. She remained faithful to her husband, so why is he so upset? It's a little puzzling. Also, while there's PLENTY of female nudity for the guys, women in the audience may justifiably balk at the lack of male nudity in the film---the closest it gets to male nudity is Tom Cruise taking his shirt off, which, for THIS movie, is nothing. And finally, while I realise that Stanley Kubrick was a supreme perfectionist, I still can't quite fathom why this particular film took such a ridiculously long time to shoot (a year and a half!). It's not like Kubrick was making a globe trotting 10-part TV-mini-series or a "Star Wars" movie with a massive abundance of visual effects. In any other director's hands, this picture could've been wrapped up in about five or six months, tops. And, logically, it *should've* been wrapped up within five or six months. But then again, in any other director's hands, perhaps "Eyes Wide Shut" wouldn't have been the exquisite film that it is. When all is said and done, the important thing is that Kubrick finally finished the picture, and it's a great one. His final big-screen opus, while not to everyone's liking, is an amazing work for those who are open to it. "Eyes Wide Shut" is a fascinating film, presented to us with loving care by the late, great Stanley Kubrick. Don't leave YOUR eyes wide shut---just drink it all in, and enjoy this lovely final chapter in the career of one of the world's greatest filmmakers.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
Country: USA
Language:
Subtitels: No ()
CDs: 0
| Quality: | Video (?x? @ ?.?? [[unknown] ?kb/s]) | Audio (?Hz ?bit ? chan. [[unknown] ?kb/s]) |
| Actors: | ||
| Tom Cruise | as | Dr. William 'Bill' Harford |
| Nicole Kidman | as | Alice Harford |
| Madison Eginton | as | Helena Harford |
| Jackie Sawiris | as | Roz |