20 Things You Didn't Know About Eyes Wide Shut
8. The Venetian Masks
The ubiquitous Venetian mask makes for a great party piece yet its origins have darker connotations within the film. Often associated with sexual promiscuity amongst Venetian nobility, its use was both practical and aesthetic, concealing identity and presenting an impression of tantalising mystery.
Duality and deception are the central themes of the film so, unsurprisingly, Kubrick hand picked every one, who would wear them and which would feature most prominently in the ritualistic orgy, a mirror of the glitzy Christmas shindig that opens the film.
The mask theme continues throughout the movie; there are masks upon the wall of the prostitute Domino's bedroom, Domino is also a name for a specific type of Venetian mask.