Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Genre


Director


Country

UK | USA

Cast

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson, Todd Field, Sky du Mont, Rade Šerbedžija, Vinessa Shaw, Fay Masterson, Leelee Sobieski, Alan Cumming, Leon Vitali, Julienne Davis, Thomas Gibson

Storyline

New York City doctor William Harford (Tom Cruise), who is married to art curator Alice (Nicole Kidman), pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

Opinion

Last night I finally saw Eyes Wide Shut, film that will always be remembered for being the last work of Stanley Kubrick, one of the greatest filmmakers in film history. Just like every film he has made, this one has caused some controversy, and, I am sorry to say it, it did really disappoint me.

Overlong, tedious, and uneventful most of the way, Eyes Wide Shut is a major disappointment, and the writing is to be blamed.

Based on Arthur Schnitzler's 'Traumnovelle', the concept behind the story - a husband and wife rediscovering their passion through sexual experimentation outside the marriage - is interesting. But the slow moving story as a whole isn't particularly involving, and fails to make the viewer feel sympathy for the protagonists and care for their marriage.

The way too verbose screenplay does not tell through images, but through mostly banal dialogue most of the events.

Also, the film adds little to the stories of love, sex and betrayal used out of proportion in the film industry, and the veil of mystery and ambiguity that covers the film is not enough to save it.

Despite everything, the touch of Kubrick is there and you can feel it in the disturbing and creepy orgy scene, that shows perversion, and the negative side to lush without falling into pornography.

Fine acting from Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack and Marie Richardson, but the upsetting thing is that there is no chemistry between Cruise and Kidman, and they were even married at the time.


Quotes

Dr. Bill Harford: No dream is ever just a dream.

4 comments :

  1. I love Tom and Nicole and I loved them together (for chemistry, watch Far and Away or Days of Thunder), but I have always avoided this movie because ew.

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  2. I hate this film. In fact, it is one of the three worst films I ever seen. I found it awful and very bored. I love Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (especially in 'Far and away'), but in this case I prefer to forget this film.

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    Replies
    1. I'm in the same boat. I was expecting way more from Kubrick.

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