Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

I was surprised at how quickly disappointment set in for me with this film. Interestingly, its been almost nine years since release, so I can't chalk it up to the film falling short of the huge buzz that it generated during the record breaking two years that it took to shoot it. Normally it takes much more effort and consideration for me to tear down a movie, especially one directed by someone with the reputation of Kubrick. With the exception of the cult scenes, Eyes Wide Shut looked like a made-for-tv movie, more specifically a soft-core pornographic Cinemax movie. There were too many parts of this film that weren't quite right that soured the experience for me. So strap in for a disjointed nitpicking response to this film!

I'm not as anti-Tom Cruise as many of my friends, but he really seemed miscast in this movie. He simply just does not have the look or sound of an uptown Manhattan doctor. Though he only wields limited authority in comparison to the cult that he crosses paths with, he looks out of place in his apartment, especially when he comes home and takes a nice cold Budweiser out of the fridge. Knowing Kubrick, there are probably reasons for this, but I just don't get them.

Nicole Kidman's delivery was no better. Why is she talking so frustratingly slow? She seemed borderline psychotic, yet if that were true it would simply distract too much from the story. Her inquiries and small doses of honesty with her husband were supposed to kickstart a whirlwind of unforeseen trouble, yet with her psychotic looking delivery it starts to look like she herself will be the whirlwind of trouble. I honestly thought she might murder her husband.

What about the simplistic and transparent way in which Todd Field's character, Nick Nightingale, presents Dr. Harford with his great secret about his blindfolded concerts. I began to wonder if there were some sort of sinister conspiracy involving Nick. Something was too forthcoming and neat about his explanation. Considering that he really was giving away the secret of the cult, this doesn't say much for the cult members' ability to drive the point home about secrecy. On a side note, I thought it was interesting that two other acclaimed directors, Sydney Pollack and Todd Field, were cast as actors in this film.

Now on to the mise en scene. This movie created a New York City that I cannot relate to. Since when is a cab ride from Manhattan to presumably Westchester only 75 bucks? Something seemed totally silly about the way the gang of kids were taunting Dr. Harford. It seemed a little more like suburban tomfoolery than the more hostile New York style confrontations. Only moments later, Dr. Harford meets an unlikely call-girl: she looks like a supermodel, only costs 150 dollars, can afford to live in Manhattan, what universe is this? The fictional NYC locations such as the Sonata Lounge also did not feel like New York. Something was too clean and camera-friendly about these sets.

Another qualm I have as far as plot details, how on earth did Dr. Harford get a costume that seemed to fit so well with the cult's costumes? This is a finer point, but it doesn't look as if he gets more of a description of the party other than "There are beautiful women and people wear cloaks and masks." Somehow he gets the right type of mask and the right color cloak, this doesn't say much for the supposedly exotic rituals of the cult. What if Dr. Harford accidentally showed up in a red cloak and suit? Boy, that would have been embarrassing!

Nitpicking all of these details seems beside the point, but they add up to make an unconvincing story that doesn't have me feeling the gravity of the situation. I wasn't expecting this from a director that has been known to obsess over these types of details. If we use 2001, A Space Odyssey as the benchmark, this movie fails in comparison.

Now for the redeeming qualities, the cult scenes are haunting and magnificent. Kubrick is amazing at creating surreal scenes on film. The steadicam shots and the sound are two technical aspects that stand out in these scenes that make a very eerily smooth environment. The lighting is also reminiscent of Barry Lyndon, which to say it is very low amber lighting. Given that it's a Kubrick film, I was not surprised to see 3:4 aspect ratio. Kubrick used a film stock that Kodak no longer manufacturers, presumably in order to capture low-light situations, and facilitate the unique processing they did to the film in order to get a higher color contrast. The film is also quite grainy in comparison to modern films. Considering this, it's hard to imagine that this is a 1999 film that opened number one at the box office. It also makes for yet another Kubrick movie that doesn't look clear on DVD!

Sydney Pollack was an excellent casting choice for Victor Ziegler, and plays a very important role in interpreting the film. Everything about Ziegler's character is perfectly balanced between having a down to earth realism mixed with larger than life status. This is apparent in the billiard room scene, where Ziegler gives a human face to the literally faceless cult. Pollack's delivery entices the idea that the cult's threats could have been idle. Maybe the cult is all smoke and mirrors. Perhaps Mandy overdosed on drugs and wasn't killed. He also serves as a great contrast from the cult's illusive image, that really under the masks these are normal people. Zeigler is comically at odds with the type of women that he meets through the cult. When Mandy is strung out drugs, he tries to explain to Dr. Harford what she took: "Speedball or snowball or whatever the hell they call it." I half expected him to go on a rant about "kids these days..." Interestingly Woody Allen was considered for this part, could you imagine?

An odd slice of reality in the otherwise surreal scene. Does that synth have an auto-chant effect too?

Similarly, there is a single shot of Nick Nightingale playing the organ during the cult rituals. This is subtly comical because it abruptly grounds the music into reality. At first the nebulous soundtrack seems non-diegetic, but then it briefly cuts to Nick with a large effects rack, mixer, and synth keyboard. Suddenly this mysterious music has a source, and it looks like a Casio.

More than one person has told me that Kubrick films are the type to continually offer more with each viewing. On this relatively featureless DVD, Steven Speilberg recounts in an interview how he hated The Shining at first viewing, but eventually grew to love it. I am hoping that such is the case for Eyes Wide Shut, and I will certainly watch this movie again sometime in the future.