Open your eyes to a great film
"Eyes Wide Shut"
Overall Rating: ****½
Last March, Stanley Kubrick--one of the world's foremost filmmakers--passed away. If you don't immediately recognize Kubrick's name, you've probably seen some of his work: the films he directed include "Lolita," "Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Shining," and "Full Metal Jacket." His career reads like a film class syllabus--an analogy, I'm glad to say, that wasn't lost on my college film professor. Just before Kubrick's death, he completed one last film. "Eyes Wide Shut" is a final classic to end to an illustrious career.
The Harfords are typical members of the New York elite. In an early scene a few days before Christmas, while at a party, Dr. Harford (Tom Cruise) runs into Nick Nightingale, (Todd Field), an old friend from medical school who is now a pianist. Dr. Harford is subsequently called upon by the host (Sydney Pollack) to treat Mandy (Julienne Davis)--a guest suffering from a drug overdose. While Dr. Harford is distracted, his wife (Nicole Kidman)--who is intoxicated--flirts with a mysterious foreign guest. Nothing happens at the party--but later discussion of the events spark a highly emotional argument when Dr. Harford says he wasn't jealous--and his wife tells him why he should be. Dr. Harford is then called by the family of one of his patients. After seeing the patient, Harford, still seething from the argument, tries to walk off his anger--and in the process, walks into the most traumatic events of his life.
Kubrick pays attention to the details in "Eyes Wide Shut;" these subtle touches add dimension to the film, and surface in almost every aspect of the film. Props: one character, after escaping a life-threatening situation, buys a newspaper (which plays an important role in another way)--the paper's headline reads, "Lucky to be Alive." Music: the decidedly appropriate choice "Strangers in the Night" in the background at an orgy. Light: in one scene, when Dr. Harford is in a cab, he is engulfed in darkness--appropriate since he's just had an argument with his wife (perhaps the most serious of his marriage) and is going to pronounce a patient dead. Nothing is neglected.
Nor are there any bad performances in "Eyes Wide Shut." Tom Cruise delivers the performance of his career. His character goes through an emotional roller coaster--not surprising, since he's in the majority of the two and a half hour film's scenes. Cruise is brilliant throughout--understanding his character completely and delivering a convincing portrayal.
"Eyes Wide Shut" has some imperfections. The most frustrating one is a mystery left unsolved at the end--a character who remains anonymous. There are a few scenes that don't seem to fit in completely with the rest of the film--at least not after two viewings. These flaws tend to weaken the story line; not disastrously, but considering how tightly woven other aspects of the film are--including other aspects of the story that at first seem mere coincidence/character revelation--it does hurt the film as a whole.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is for adults only. In terms of violence, there is only threatened violence on screen. Strong language and drug use are prominent without being prevalent. There is, however, a great deal of strong sexual content, including more nudity than any R-rated film I can recall. All told, it's probably best to leave the kids home on this one.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is a magnificent thriller; you never know what's going to happen next. It's also classic Kubrick. Kubrick kept his fans waiting 12 years for this one, and it was worth the wait. If you have any doubts, I'll simply add I've already seen it twice, plan to see it again on the big screen, and will probably buy the video.
Title: "Eyes Wide Shut"
Release date :July 16, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****½
Aprox. run time: 159 min.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael, Arthur Schnitzler (novel Traumnovelle)
Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack
Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/EyesWide.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09
Overall Rating: ****½
Last March, Stanley Kubrick--one of the world's foremost filmmakers--passed away. If you don't immediately recognize Kubrick's name, you've probably seen some of his work: the films he directed include "Lolita," "Dr. Strangelove," "2001: A Space Odyssey," "A Clockwork Orange," "The Shining," and "Full Metal Jacket." His career reads like a film class syllabus--an analogy, I'm glad to say, that wasn't lost on my college film professor. Just before Kubrick's death, he completed one last film. "Eyes Wide Shut" is a final classic to end to an illustrious career.
The Harfords are typical members of the New York elite. In an early scene a few days before Christmas, while at a party, Dr. Harford (Tom Cruise) runs into Nick Nightingale, (Todd Field), an old friend from medical school who is now a pianist. Dr. Harford is subsequently called upon by the host (Sydney Pollack) to treat Mandy (Julienne Davis)--a guest suffering from a drug overdose. While Dr. Harford is distracted, his wife (Nicole Kidman)--who is intoxicated--flirts with a mysterious foreign guest. Nothing happens at the party--but later discussion of the events spark a highly emotional argument when Dr. Harford says he wasn't jealous--and his wife tells him why he should be. Dr. Harford is then called by the family of one of his patients. After seeing the patient, Harford, still seething from the argument, tries to walk off his anger--and in the process, walks into the most traumatic events of his life.
Kubrick pays attention to the details in "Eyes Wide Shut;" these subtle touches add dimension to the film, and surface in almost every aspect of the film. Props: one character, after escaping a life-threatening situation, buys a newspaper (which plays an important role in another way)--the paper's headline reads, "Lucky to be Alive." Music: the decidedly appropriate choice "Strangers in the Night" in the background at an orgy. Light: in one scene, when Dr. Harford is in a cab, he is engulfed in darkness--appropriate since he's just had an argument with his wife (perhaps the most serious of his marriage) and is going to pronounce a patient dead. Nothing is neglected.
Nor are there any bad performances in "Eyes Wide Shut." Tom Cruise delivers the performance of his career. His character goes through an emotional roller coaster--not surprising, since he's in the majority of the two and a half hour film's scenes. Cruise is brilliant throughout--understanding his character completely and delivering a convincing portrayal.
"Eyes Wide Shut" has some imperfections. The most frustrating one is a mystery left unsolved at the end--a character who remains anonymous. There are a few scenes that don't seem to fit in completely with the rest of the film--at least not after two viewings. These flaws tend to weaken the story line; not disastrously, but considering how tightly woven other aspects of the film are--including other aspects of the story that at first seem mere coincidence/character revelation--it does hurt the film as a whole.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is for adults only. In terms of violence, there is only threatened violence on screen. Strong language and drug use are prominent without being prevalent. There is, however, a great deal of strong sexual content, including more nudity than any R-rated film I can recall. All told, it's probably best to leave the kids home on this one.
"Eyes Wide Shut" is a magnificent thriller; you never know what's going to happen next. It's also classic Kubrick. Kubrick kept his fans waiting 12 years for this one, and it was worth the wait. If you have any doubts, I'll simply add I've already seen it twice, plan to see it again on the big screen, and will probably buy the video.
Title: "Eyes Wide Shut"
Release date :July 16, 1999
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****½
Aprox. run time: 159 min.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael, Arthur Schnitzler (novel Traumnovelle)
Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack
Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/EyesWide.htm
Added to blog site: 7/27/09
Labels: Movie review, ReviewsbyJohn
posted by John at 7/20/1999 04:24:00 AM
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