Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Eyes Wide Shut - Move Review

Another one based on a novella. This one was written in 1926 by Arthur Schnitzler and was titled Traumnovelle (Dream Story). The movie 'Eyes Wide Shut' was produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick who died four days after he presented the final cut of the film. (Not connected.)

Eyes Wide Shut is also about how to keep one's mouth shut. Alice (Nicole Kidman), high on pot, confesses to her loyal and handsome husband Dr. Bill Hargrove (Tom Cruise) of a fantasy she had on a vacation about a naval officer. The images of her descriptions do not leave Dr. Bill who has a wild imagination one must say, and for some reason tries to take revenge, by getting laid. One way is to go to the prostitutes with whom he does not succeed at all. He finds another exotic route - a high class sex game set up with orgies, masks, cloaks etc. Dr. Bill despite all his close encounters with nude women and women who seem to be bent on seducing him, returns home, chastity intact and sobs on his wife's breast. Surprisingly, despite all that goes on in the movie, we realise both hero and heroine are still chaste and undefiled (if we keep their filthy thoughts out that is). They resolve to do what they had both set out to seek. All's well and that ends well. Or something like that, because a mask appears in his bedroom which makes no sense.

It is an unbelievably slow grind. So slow I wanted to get up and walk and come back. And long at 2 hours 39 min. But good enough to keep you hooked till the end. Watch another time. No thanks.

1 comment:

Rajendra said...

I have seen another film of Kubrick- A Clockwork Orange- about meaningless violence. It was good, though the film-making technique was weird in some ways.