Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Arthur Schnitzler (novel)
Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

16 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick.

Plot:

A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, 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.

Plot Keywords:

Female Removes Her Clothes | Lesbianism | Female Removes Her Dress | Enigmatic | Dysfunctional Marriage

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Dr. William 'Bill' Harford
Nicole Kidman	...	Alice Harford
Madison Eginton	...	Helena Harford
Jackie Sawiris	...	Roz
Sydney Pollack	...	Victor Ziegler
Leslie Lowe	...	Illona Ziegler
Peter Benson	...	Bandleader
Todd Field	...	Nick Nightingale
Michael Doven	...	Ziegler's Secretary
Sky Dumont	...	Sandor Szavost
Louise J. Taylor	...	Gayle (as Louise Taylor)
Stewart Thorndike	...	Nuala
Randall Paul	...	Harris
Julienne Davis	...	Amanda 'Mandy' Curran
Lisa Leone	...	Lisa

Also Known As:

EWS (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
Rhapsody (UK) (working title)
Traumnovelle (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, language and some drug-related material.

Runtime:

159 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Brazil:18 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Singapore:R21 (re-rating) (cut) | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Belgium:KNT | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:18 | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-18 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating) (edited version) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Taiwan:R-18 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #36766) | USA:NC-17 (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London, England, UK

Company:

Hobby Films

Trivia:

One of the patients who Tom Cruise cancels is called Kaminsky, the name of one of the hibernating crew that HAL kills in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Reflected in the bedpost during the love making scene.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Bill Harford: Honey, have you seen my wallet?
Alice Harford: Isn't it on the bedside table?
Dr. Bill Harford: Now listen, you know we're running a little late.
Alice Harford: I know. How do I look?
Dr. Bill Harford: Perfect.
Alice Harford: Is my hair okay?
Dr. Bill Harford: It's great
Alice Harford: You're not even looking at it.
Dr. Bill Harford: It's beautiful. You always look beautiful.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Good Bye Lenin! (2003)

Soundtrack:

I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)

Compelling, complex observation of fidelities and fantasies

With the exception of a late-occurring scene of deadening over-explanation wholly unnecessary to the film on every level (and rather unusual for Kubrick), Eyes Wide Shut is utterly sensational, and represents another gleaming jewel in the master filmmaker's already studded crown. Cruise and Kidman surpass all of their previous work, turning in spectacular performances infused with nuances only hinted at prior to this outing. Their real-life union appears to bring every bit of unique tension Kubrick intended, as the movie wholly depends on the verisimilitude of the central couple's relationship. Kubrick's tone fulfills all the promise of the title, consistently delivering an elevated texture of almost uncanny imagination perpetually hovering between fantasy and reality. The director additionally mines many of his familiar thematic concerns, including deceit, paranoia, and blinding frustration. Eyes Wide Shut is certain to be as closely scrutinized as many of Kubrick's other films (particularly because it is his final work), and its thoughtful and challenging treatment of such lightning-rod topics as marital honesty, sexual jealousy, and the perceived risks of disclosing one's fantasies (even to the single person you trust more than any other) is sure to draw some people in while pushing others away.