Eyes
Wide Shut (1999)
This,
the final Stanley Kubrick film, is an essay on normal
male heterosexual sexual frustration, a subject I could
care less about, so it's nearly 3 hour running time
makes it, for me, an essay on "somewhat normal" homosexual
male cinematic frustration.
The
plot involves Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as married
New York urbanites. He's a pathetically normal and mildly
interesting doctor, while she is an amusing, slightly
light-headed housewife. The film begins well with Kidman
and Cruise separated from each other and flirting with
other guests at a party. Kidman breathes life into the
script at every opportunity making us wish the film
focused on her character rather than Cruise. She flirts
with a foreign man and the sexual tension between them
is exquisite. Her husband, the good doctor, meanwhile,
learns a lot about the true nature of female sexuality
through discussions with Kidman after the party and,
later, when he finds himself with a woman he barely
knows as she professes her undying love for him. These
revelations from women, based on their sexuality and
longing, are eye-opening experiences for him.
But
soon Cruise is the sole focus of the film and at midpoint
in the proceedings, he goes to what is supposed to be
a wild, cult-like, orgy. Instead it seems like some
sort of ritualistic Friar's Club convention sponsored
by "Playboy." God, is it dull. Like Fellini's excursions
into fantasy in "8 1/2," the proceedings here would
only stimulate the most normal and uninteresting straight
males you can imagine. Anyone with any sense of adventure
or deviant sexual interests will be bored stiff (no
pun intended - this film couldn't get a boner up on
a 13 year old boy who just sprung his first pube).
Cruise
should have petitioned the film to be called "Diary
of a Sexually Frustrated Average Joe" because he is
forced to emote in every frame his absolute sorrow at
having a penis. This film castrates all males by saying
that we are either pathetic or prurient and it seems
to wish to shame us and scold us for wanting sex. It
is worse for females which are portrayed as either housewives
or whores.
Still,
there are some worthy things in the film. Kidman gives
the performance of her career. It's too bad that she
and Cruise did not switch roles; The film would be new
and interesting rather than flaccid and tepid if it
focused more on female sexual frustration than male.
The scene here, which touches on her sexual longings
and curiosity is riveting. Meanwhile, Cruise seems like
his continuous character (The "Risky Business" kid who
grew up and went to work for "The Firm") in the depths
of sexual frustration. (But, you know, it's not that
bad to look at him for 3 hours). Cruise does have a
wonderful scene where he learns a female is HIV positive.
in this moment, his character acts as the entire population
of the world, defeated by the appearance of the terrible
news. The sexual playfulness of the scene suddenly becomes
a vacuum of sexual defeat when HIV is mentioned. Finally,
Kubrick's vision, of a world slightly blurred out of
focus and tinted in a yellow hue is wonderful to look
at.
The final line in the film is one of the most clever
punch lines ever delivered but it's too little too late.
Kubrick's script is dull and has plot contrivances that
we see coming a mile off. Worse yet, like sexual frustration,
the film is delivered to us at a snail's pace but with
none of the panache of Todd Solondz's "Happiness," a
much better film about American sexuality. This, instead,
is a rather lame and pathetically limp final film from
Kubrick, a man who gave us so many cinematic hard-ons
in his career.
Note:
Also with Sydney Pollack and Leelee Sobieski. Pollack
replaced Harvey Kietel mid-shoot when the latter was
not available for re-shoots. Cruise and Kidman spent
15 months making the film with Kubrick. Music by Jocelyn
Pook with a tune by Chris Issacs and lots of classical
music.
For
years, it was rumored that Kubrick wanted to do a feature
film with real actors that was also pornographic. One
must assume that this is the film. It is Rated R although
to achieve this some digitally created characters were
used to block sexual coupling in the orgy scenes. (American
version only - all other countries got the undoctored
version)
The
film was shot in London, as Kubrick would not travel,
with American icons of New York (phone booths and mailboxes)
shipped in to recreate the Big Apple. The effect is
perfect and no out of place British image is ever noticeable.
Slated
for release Christmas 1998, the film was pushed back
to July, 1999. Kubrick died a few months before it opened,
just after he had delivered the final cut to the studio.
Based
on the 1926 Arthur Schnitzler work "Traumnovelle" ("Dream
Novel") which I have seen described as "Freudian" and
"autodidactic" among other adjectives.
Personal
Note: First film I saw as an official resident of Austin!
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