Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 drama Eyes Wide Shut starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman may be an odd choice for a Christmas Movie Advent calendar but it’s a lot more Christmas-y then you think. Not only is it set during a Christmas in New York but every scene contains some form of festive item: from an eerie evergreen in the far corner of a room to fairy lights along the side of the road. This film is all about what lies in the background, what secrets are hidden and who is looking in (it’s probably not Santa Claus).
The film follows the erotic adventures of Bill Harford a successful doctor who, after two short-term unsatisfactory affairs, stumbles into a secret cult. Bill’s adultery is likely triggered by the fact that his beautiful wife Alice admits to fantasizing about other men. As Bill ventures further and further within the cult he finds himself in too deep (no pun intended) and his odyssey into the strange world of sexual rituals threatens to destroy his life and most importantly his family.
Venture below for a collection of images and facts about Kubrick’s final film that will most likely surprise and delight you.
10. Orgy Scene
Naturally, due to its content, this film wrestled with ratings for quite awhile. The Kube-meister was ordered to deliver an R rating which means there is a digitally altered orgy scene. To cover some of the lumps and bumps of the masked love makers additional figures have been added to the scene to obscure the view. You can find the naughtier version in some deep dark corner of the Internet, or less adventurously on Region 1 DVD release. Thanks to moviecensorship.com we can see exactly how the censors have gone to work on this film. The left side is the R rated US version the right side is the unrated version released in Europe. Note how the hooded figures spoil the fun:
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4 Comments
I really liked watching all the films about the meaning of Kubrick’s films that have come into prominence lately, particularly Room 237.
Chuck Klosterman wrote a great piece on several Kubrick films in what he’s called New Criticism (or digging extremely deep into a nuanced, interpretive analysis of what the director was suggesting, rather than filmed).
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8508523/documentary-year
Check it out, pretty good reading and the Youtube clips on there are a bit addictive. As a film buff, I think you’d like it.
Cheers Robert!
You make some good points. I guess it depends on your standpoint. I dont believe in the after life, although I am bringing a change of underwear. Woody Allen Born 1935
The alternative movie posters are just great, i especially like the design of Criterion Collection approach, the venetian mask collage in b/w.