Stanley Kubrick’sfilms were the antithesis of conventional Hollywood storytelling. From2001: A Space OdysseytoThe ShiningandA Clockwork Orange, Kubrick’s attention to detail and obsessive need for perfectionism left behind a collection of cinematic achievements that many consider far ahead of anything that’s been made before or since and is synonymous with depth and complexity. It’s been 25 years since the release of his final film,Eyes Wide Shut, and discussion regarding the film’s content still exists among scholars, critics, and cinephiles, all of whom have their own unique interpretations.
Eyes Wide Shut, starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise and featuring a supporting role from acclaimed director Sydney Pollack, thrives on the most basic task assigned to the viewing audience of any film: perception. It combines the tumultuous relationship of a wealthy doctor and his wife, who project outward appearances to cloak what occurs behind closed doors, with the aspect of a world lurking in the shadows in the form of a secret society that engages in the psychodrama of ritual. Like many of Kubrick’s films, there exists a dichotomy between what we see and what exists beneath the surface.Eyes Wide Shutis a fitting conclusion to a filmography that continues to spark conversation and interpretation, even more than a quarter of a century following the passing of its enigmatic director.
Eyes Wide Shut
Presentation and Outward Perception
Kubrick’s ability to delve into crumbling relationships was central to many of his films. InThe Shining, his characterization of Jack Torrance’s failing relationship with his wife, Wendy, and the subsequent descent into madness provided an atmosphere of terror and dread. In2001: A Space Odyssey, humankind’s relationship with technology ultimately becomes dependent, which leads to a cataclysmic downfall.InEyes Wide Shut, Kubrick provides an examination of social status and what, for all intents and purposes, might be a happy marriage on the surface.
Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) appear to have the perfect life that just about anyone would be jealous of: a fancy apartment, a beautiful child, and the ability to move about the upper echelons of high society. Attending a gala hosted by Victor Ziegler (Sydney Pollack),the cracks of this perfect world begin to form, both in the marriage of Bill and Alice and in the refined society in which they exist.
Alice and Bill both find themselves in prospective situations where temptation and the chance for philandering and infidelity are prominent, not to mention the activities of those who hold certain levels of influence.This dissolution of the facade is intertwined withKubrick’s stylistic use of presentation and pacing, which engulfs the audience in situations that unravel. Kubrick’s use of many completely unbroken takes and continuous tracking shots further the illusion of the characters taking on multiple journeys within the narrative. Conversations are presented almost in their entirety, allowing viewers to engage and process the dialogue and form a mental image within their minds.
Alice’s confession of a fantasy to Bill about having relations with another man acts as a catalyst, leading Bill to seek out his own journeyinto a world that breaks completely from the normalcy of his profession and the ideal marriage that’s only present on the surface. This concept of breaking away from complacency is prevalent in many texts attributed to the Marquis de Sade, where those in power seek excitement and adventure that exists completely outside the confines of societal expectations, particularly those who wield wealth and influence.Kubrick devotes considerable attention to Bill’s journey into an underground world that almost becomes a separate reality.
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Beneath the Surface and Behind Closed Doors
The tension and tumultuous natureof Bill and Alice’s marriageis one aspect of things not being what they seem on the surface and the reality that exists behind closed doors. While this isEyes Wide Shut’s catalyst, it ultimately leads to a web of intrigue brought on by desperation.Furious at the prospect of Alice being unfaithful and driven by curiosity to explore the more lurid and tumultuous world that exists in the shadows, Bill undergoes an odyssey, one that’s comparable to the journey of going down the rabbit hole, as it were.
A confession of lust from the daughter of a recently deceased colleague and a near encounter with a sex worker are merely thestepping stones to what’s certainly remembered most aboutEyes Wide Shut, a secret society made up of the social elite and closely guarded in secret from prying eyes. A natural human curiosity pertains to the hidden activities of those in power. The sequence of a group of individuals, their faces obscured by masks and cloaks and partaking in an orgy is reminiscent of what’s commonly known as a “black mass.”
The black mass, a ritual found in many forms of satanism, both theistic and modern, is a parody of a religious ceremony, sexually charged and meant to incite the emotions of those who participate. Some of the earliest reports of such a ceremony taking place are found in France and were typically undertaken by the nobility. Depictions of the black mass can be found inJuliette, or Vice Amply Rewardedby the Marquis de Sade, one of many books that chronicledthe actions of a libertine, an individual, usually in a position of power, who seeks out pleasure at the expense of others as a means of escaping normalcy and complacency.
While the ritual that Bill attends proves intrigue and suspense — something it also provides for those in attendance — it also goes much further in its meaning.The masks and cloaks which hide the identity of the attendees, and the outward presentation that Bill and Alice attempt to maintain for the outside world desperately, are one and the same.Perhaps this makesEyes Wide Shutsuch an engaging film, especially in the way it plays with audience perception. The entire dichotomy of outward appearances and what lies beneath the surface is on full display; nothing is obscured, and both worlds, seen and hidden, are presented with transparency.
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A Final Chapter and an Enduring Mystery
It’s been remarked several times before that the journey is sometimes more important than the destination. We can’t say for certain if that’s true in real life, but it certainly is in Stanley Kubrick’s films. No matter what images Kubrick committed to celluloid, there was much more to gain in his characters' journeys than the final conclusion. From Alex DeLarge’sjourney from street thug to reprogrammed vesselto the mission to Jupiter undertaken by Discover One.Eyes Wide Shut, the final entry in a filmography, is a voyage into the unknown and the facade that so many individuals project to the outside world.
A film such asEyes Wide Shutinvites considerable discussion and debate, especially about how the audience engages with it and comprehends the story and images.Open to interpretation and existing in a world far beyond our own,Eyes Wide Shutwas a near-perfect finale for the career of one of the greatest directors the world has ever known.Stream on Paramount+.
