Re-watched “Eyes Wide Shut” this past weekend. It’s infamous for several reasons. First: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman together on screen as a married couple complete with (gasp!) sex scenes and major nakedness for Ms. Kidman. Second: Warner “dumbed” down the orgy scene by digitally adding in people to “cover” certain sexual acts. Third: Kubrick died while editing the movie which leads many to believe that the finished movie is a combo Kubrick/Warner Bros. cut instead of being a totally Kubrick’s cut.

The thing that struck me when I saw “Eyes Wide Shut” in the theater was the very uneven tone of the film. If you have watched enough Kubrick films, you can really tell when he’s in charge or when the Warner editor’s are just trying to get the rest of the film finished. I liked the movie but it didn’t knock my socks off.

What struck me this time around was some of the actual story content. I am now of the opinion that “Eyes Wide Shut” (the story) is really just a glorified marriage counseling film.

But on the revese side, I suspect that the “story” is totally secondary to the visuals of the film. I don’t know why I missed it the first time but “Eyes Wide Shut” is visually a beautiful film. Just look at that photo above. Kidman is bathed in a warm light, framed in deep red curtains and backlit with that intense blue. And every scene is like this. Lots of warm colors in the foreground with vivid blues and whites in the background. For that alone, you should check this film out if you haven’t seen it already. Oh yeah … and there’s that kickin’ Chris Issak song in the movie too!

Chris Issak – Baby Did a Bad Thing [2.7 MB]