Post by ck100 on Jul 16, 2024 3:15:09 GMT
I'm surprised this movie hasn't gotten more love from Stanley Kubrick fans over the years. Although there are plenty of Kubrick movies that are better than it, "Eyes Wide Shut" is still a solid Stanley Kubrick movie that is interesting and provocative. It ends up being a nice ending to his long and memorable career. It has become a film that was misunderstood when first released, but it has become more known and appreciated over the last 25 years. The film is unmistakably Kubrick with its look, camerawork, lighting, performances, editing, etc. and it feels like you’re watching a dream as you watch the film. It may be a long, deliberately paced film, but it’s a hypnotic journey all the way if you give in to it.
I’m glad to see the movie has been released in its uncut form on Blu-ray and the 2-disc DVD without the obvious CGI people blocking the sexually explicit action during the orgy since it looks ridiculous. The movie was threatened with an NC-17 rating before the digital figures were put in (some say this was Kubrick’s wishes while others say it was the wishes of Warner Bros.), but the even if the film was released in its uncut form, I don’t think it would deserve an NC-17 rating. Even film critic Roger Ebert has agreed with all this.
I’m sure we’ve all wondered if Kubrick would have made any more films if he had lived, but I don’t know if he could have done any better than this film in regard to a sendoff film.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - 3 out of 4 stars
"Affluent, happily married N.Y.C. doctor starts to come apart after his wife admits to having had a potent sexual fantasy about a man she never met. This leads the husband to foray into a world of sexual adventure for the first time. Provocative film takes place in a distinctive Kubrick environment--contained, almost claustrophobic at times. Overlong, and flawed, but still compelling, with two megawatt star performances. Nudity is plentiful, but the European version (now available on DVD and Blu-ray) is even more graphic and runs 158m. Screenplay by Kubrick and Frederic Raphael from a 1926 Arthur Schnitzler novel. Kubrick's final film."
I’m glad to see the movie has been released in its uncut form on Blu-ray and the 2-disc DVD without the obvious CGI people blocking the sexually explicit action during the orgy since it looks ridiculous. The movie was threatened with an NC-17 rating before the digital figures were put in (some say this was Kubrick’s wishes while others say it was the wishes of Warner Bros.), but the even if the film was released in its uncut form, I don’t think it would deserve an NC-17 rating. Even film critic Roger Ebert has agreed with all this.
I’m sure we’ve all wondered if Kubrick would have made any more films if he had lived, but I don’t know if he could have done any better than this film in regard to a sendoff film.
Leonard Maltin Movie Guide Review:
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - 3 out of 4 stars
"Affluent, happily married N.Y.C. doctor starts to come apart after his wife admits to having had a potent sexual fantasy about a man she never met. This leads the husband to foray into a world of sexual adventure for the first time. Provocative film takes place in a distinctive Kubrick environment--contained, almost claustrophobic at times. Overlong, and flawed, but still compelling, with two megawatt star performances. Nudity is plentiful, but the European version (now available on DVD and Blu-ray) is even more graphic and runs 158m. Screenplay by Kubrick and Frederic Raphael from a 1926 Arthur Schnitzler novel. Kubrick's final film."
