Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Review by Bret Walker

Those of us who follow the work of Stanley Kubrick and waited so patiently for twelve years for this, what turned out to be his final film, were rewarded with a story so intense, so rich in visual splendor, so stark and so bleak, that it could only have come from the master himself. No one else could have made this film what it is. The film, based on the book Traumnovelle (Dream Novel) by Arthur Schnitzler, deals with subject matter best left to the likes of Kubrick, and best presented to the audience by the same.

It is the story of love and loathing, of trust and betrayal, of blind loyalty and an emotional kick in the groin. It is the story of Dr. Bill Harford, and his wife Alice, who discover that things are not all that they seem. At a Christmas party thrown by one of Bill's patients, both are approached and nearly seduced by guests at the party - Bill by two models, and Alice by an undaunting and unrelenting Hungarian man. When the two are recalling the incidents to each other the next night, Bill discovers that, although he has placed all of his trust in his wife, there was a time when she was ready to give everything up - her family, her life with Bill - if only to spend one night with a stranger to whom she was attracted.

This affected Bill in a profound way, and as he is called away to a patient, all he can think about is the image of his wife having sex with this stranger. A series of events happen to Bill whereupon his manhood and fidelity to his wife are called into question, and soon he finds himself in a destructive search for promiscuity and adultery - a search that turns up fruitless and serves to frustrate him further. During his quest, however, his path crosses that of what appears to be a sex cult, and his life is suddenly the object of vengeance and subterfuge.

Those who are interested in Eyes Wide Shut as a Tom Cruise film or a Nichole Kidman film will be sorely disappointed. This is neither of those. This is an unabashed twist-your-brain-until-it-hurts Stanley Kubrick masterpiece. The pace is slow and deliberate, as in all Kubrick films, and the concept is hidden behind a dozen turns of a corner. Those who appreciate Kubrick's art will certainly find a tremendous amount of it wrapped in this film. For Kubrick's swan song, Eyes Wide Shut is sure to please the Kubrick faithful, and even those who just appreciate a good film with a heavy thematic flow and a story that makes you want to view it again.

As good as this film is, something must be said for Tom Cruise's acting ability and how he wraps his character in a blanket of emotion and depth. The first time I saw this film was on opening weekend, and there was a group of women sitting in front of us who complained incessantly that there was a lot of nudity but that Tom Cruise didn't show his butt. Well, he doesn't. But what he does show is that the depth of his acting has been more-or-less untapped until now. He shows dimensions to the character of Bill Harford that he has never explored with previous characters. Even the aloof and vile Lestat in Interview with the Vampire pales with the performance he puts forth here. Tom Cruise, with this character, has completely cut the umbillical cord that leads to the shallow characters he has played in the past. Within three strides - Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, and Magnolia - Cruise has indeed emerged as one of the finest American actors today.

Eyes Wide Shut is destined to become one of the classic films in American cinema, and for lovers of the art, is a tasty morsel waiting to be devoured.

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Trivia:

Stanley Kubrick originally considered casting Steve Martin as Dr. Bill Harford, because he couldn't decide whether Traumnovelle was a comedy or a drama.

Traumnovelle was first published in 1925. Arthur Schnitzler, Austrian born playwrite, began his professional life as a doctor, but was immensely interested in psychological fields. His work suffered under the Nazi regime until his death in 1931, but his work found a revival in the sixties.

Links:

An interesting article and summary about Traumnovelle and Eyes Wide Shut

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