What can you say about Kubrick that hasn’t already been stated by the enormous plethora of film critics, admirers, and scholars of recent cinema history? His films have endured the longstanding test of time, whilst crafting a continuous legacy for the director, even when he was still alive. That legacy has only grown richer now with his passing at the end of the last century, and most likely will continue to do so for decades to come. Although the relevance of certain entries of the Kubrick oeuvre may be more questionable than others, the skill and perfectionist dedication he meticulously cultivated for each of his features have gleefully paid off for audiences worldwide. “Eyes Wide Shut” would be Kubrick’s last film before his untimely passing and would ironically become one of the more controversial notches on his belt; not for excessive violence or sexual deviancy, however, but instead due to the surmounting hype the film’s celebrity couple generated by merely starring in it.
I first saw Eyes Wide Shut in 2008, just before I was to begin a film and media course at my local college. It played on a backwater Freeview channel at 11:00 pm and wouldn’t finish until well into the early hours of the morning. Despite enjoying the film and finding the detective-like story that Tom Cruise’s character undertakes intriguing, nothing could have prepared me for the notorious mansion sequence at the halfway point. Tom Cruise plays Dr Bill Hartford who, after purchasing a cloak and mask, manages to successfully infiltrate what is revealed to be a pseudo-religious cult bent on large scale orgies. That at least is what we derive from what is revealed to us on screen. Hartford observes what appears to be a ceremonial ritual taking place where naked masked women each choose another masked suitor before proceeding into the belly of the mansion. One of these women decides to single Hartford out and proceeds to warn him of the danger he is in. As they talk the activities of the mansion’s guests are revealed, in all their splendour, with Hartford more intrigued to stay than leave despite the mystery woman’s warnings. Not long after several masked men escort Hartford back into the ritual chamber a taut dialogue sequence is shared between the cult’s leader and Hartford, forcing him to take off his mask and reveal his identity.
Although Eyes Wide Shut continues to be a haunting look into the psyche of human relationships it is this sequence alone that made me fall in love with Kubrick’s final venture. Not only is the dream-like quality of the film played to extremes when Hartford enters the mansion, but the musical choices made by the director, as well as the bizarre and uniquely disturbing collection of masked costumes, helps to make this one of the most engaging moments in the film. Whether or not Kubrick intended for what surmounts as the climax of the second act to become the absolute centrepiece of his feature I’m not quite certain, as one could argue there are far more interesting ‘character’ moments’ in many different parts of the narrative. As a piece of pure spectacle, it works wonders. To experience such a tour de force of filmmaking in only 20 minutes opened my eyes to Kubrick’s cynical ingenuity. This is only made better when the film as a whole leaves many questions you still yearn answers for, but not the kind that subtracts any of the skill and talent that went into creating the overall story. Its final line is humorous and truthful, its cinematography is meditative and haunting, and its cast, although greatly over-exposed, play their characters so strongly that Eyes Wide Shut is certainly no flounder in the Kubrick filmography. Although we’ll never know what another Kubrick film could have been like, I feel I’m not giving in to complacency too much by saying Kubrick’s last offering is more than enough to deserve being his last.
Kubrick’s dreamlike pacing is utilised wonderfully in the nightmarish mansion sequence, where the protagonist, as well as the audience, are equally intrigued and perhaps only slightly mortified by what Hartford witnesses.
the Modern!Movie!Meltdown! 