Eyes Wide Shut

(Eyes Wide Shut)

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Film N° 400       de : Stanley Kubrick  (réalisé en: 1999)

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Tom Cruise (as Dr. William Harford), Nicole Kidman (as Alice Harford), Madison Eginton (as Helena Harford),

Origine: USA     -    Genre: Thriller  

Description: William Harford, médecin, mène une paisible existence familiale. Jusqu'au jour où sa femme, Alice, lui avoue avoir eut le désir de le tromper quelques mois auparavant...
Remarques: 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.
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