| | | Stanley Kubrick Collection.
Features: DVD, Widescreen, English, French, Spanish, Subtitled
Stanley Kubrick's daring last film is many things. It is a compelling psychosexual journey. A haunting dreamscape. A riveting tale of suspense. A major milestone in the careers of stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. And "a worthy final chapter to a great director's career" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times).Cruise plays Dr. William Hartford, who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage - and may even ensnare him in a lurid murder mystery - after his wife's (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. Graceful tracking shots, controlled pacing, rich colors, startling images: bravura traits that make Kubrick a filmmaker for the ages are here to keep everyone's eyes wide open.
"Kubrick left one more brilliantly provocative tour de force as his epitaph." Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
"...towers above most of the movies out there, immersing the viewer in a web of emotional complexity..." Liam Lacey, The Globe and Mail
"A spellbinder: provocatively conceived, gorgeously shot and masterfully executed." Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"...a masterpiece of sustained tone, a tightrope act that pays off in rich and unexpected ways." Nathan Rabin, The Onion A.V. Club
"As the late Stanley Kubrick's swansong, it fills the bill magnificently." Peter Brunette, Film.com
Editor's Note
Stanley Kubrick's final film is a mature, highly intelligent, thrilling masterpiece of sexual obsession and marital (in)fidelity. Tom Cruise stars as Bill Harford, a doctor who becomes obsessed with a sexual fantasy that his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), confesses to him. Although the fantasy (involving a naval officer) occurred only in Alice's mind, Bill can't get it out of his own head; his obsession leads him through a series of potential sexual encounters, each one surrounded by the specter of death. His whole world threatens to unravel as he falls deeper and deeper into a web of mystery, lies, and deceit. Kubrick's film breathes with vivid blues, reds, and blacks, the threat of illicit sex and death lurking around every corner. Cruise and Kidman, who are married in real life, are utterly convincing as a happy couple suddenly forced to reexamine their faith in each other. Sidney Pollack, Todd Field, Julienne Davis, Marie Richardson, and Vinessa Shaw sparkle in minor roles. Based on the novella TRAUMNOVELLE by Arthur Schnitzler, EYES WIDE SHUT is a brilliant examination of the psychological nature of sex and marriage, of faith and faithlessness, of obsession and desire. Kubrick said that his last film (he died shortly before the film opened) was "my best film ever;" while that is debatable, there is no doubting that the film is a splendid finale to a glorious career.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Dubbed: French | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 10/23/2007 |
| Running Time: 159 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 80673 | | UPC: 00012569806733 | | Number of Discs: 2 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Leelee Sobieski | | Nicole Kidman | | Sydney Pollack | | Tom Cruise | | Arthur Schnitzler - Based On Novel By | | Frederic Raphael - Screenplay | | Jan Harlan - Executive Producer | | Jocelyn Pook - Original Music By | | John Fenner - Art Director | | Larry Smith - Cinematographer | | Leslie Tomkins - Production Designer | | Nigel Galt - Editor | | Roy Walker - Production Designer | | Stanley Kubrick - Producer | | Stanley Kubrick - Director | | Stanley Kubrick - Screenplay |
| Awards |
Nominee (2000) | | | Golden Globe, Jocelyn Pook, Best Original Score - Motion Picture | |
Winner (1999) | | | Venice Film Festival, Stanley Kubrick, Filmcritica "Bastone Bianco" Award |
| Memorable Quotes| "Don't you think one of the charms of marriage is that it makes deception a necessity for both parties?"----Sandor Szavost (Sky Dumont) to Alice Harford (Nicole Kidman) |
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...Riveting, thematically probing, richly atmospheric....A deeply inquisitive consideration of the extent of trust and mutual knowledge between a man and a woman..." 7/12-18/1999 p.37-41Sight and Sound
"...Endlessly fascinating....[Kidman gives] a raw and powerful performance..." 09/??/1999 p.38-44 Total Film
"...EYES WIDE SHUT is unquestionably the uncompromised artistic statement Kubrick intended to release, with every frame meticulously and elegantly crafted..." 10/01/1999 p.54-5 New York Times
"...This astonishing last film is a spellbinding addition to the Kubrick canon....[A] brilliantly provocative tour de force..." 06/16/1999 p.E1 Premiere
"...A movie that deals honestly and disquietingly with genuine adult themes....For anyone with the eyes to see it, EYES will reveal itself as an uncanny masterpiece..." 09/01/1999 p.32 USA Today
"...EYES WIDE SHUT is a dreamy movie....Kidman is so powerful baring her soul in an extended monologue that next year's best-actress Oscar could be hers..." 07/16/1999 p.2E Los Angeles Times
"...[When Kubrick] cuts words to a minimum and uses pure cinematic technique to go to the core of his emotions, what results has the powerful, lacerating impact of inescapable nightmare..." 07/16/1999 p.C1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...EYES WIDE SHUT is like an erotic daydream....Kubrick pays special attention to each individual scene..." 07/16/1999 p.29 ReelViews 9 of 10
If Eyes Wide Shut was to be placed into a genre, the label would be "psychological thriller" (although such pigeonholing does a great disservice to the movie). The second half is characterized by building tension, and the suspense isn't completely dissipated when "the truth" is revealed...As usual, there are a series of unforgettable sequences. In addition to the orgy, there's Bill's strange and comical late-night trip to a costume store run by a suspicious fellow...Another memorable moment occurs when Bill and Alice begin making love in front of a mirror...For those who view cinema as something more substantive than an evening's diversion, the release of Eyes Wide Shut is an event...Stanley Kubrick's final directorial effort will reward a majority of his loyalists with a sense of satisfaction. In terms of power and effect, Eyes Wide Shut approaches (but does not surpass) Kubrick's vintage work - it is thought-provoking and unsettling. Impressions and images linger long after the projector has finished weaving its peculiar magic... - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
Stanley Kubrick's ``Eyes Wide Shut'' is like an erotic daydream about chances missed and opportunities avoided. For its hero, who spends two nights wandering in the sexual underworld, it's all foreplay. He never actually has sex, but he dances close, and holds his hand in the flame. Why does he do this? The easy answer is that his wife has made him jealous. Another possibility is that the story she tells inflames his rather torpid imagination...The film pays extraordinary attention to the supporting actors, even cheating camera angles to give them the emphasis on two-shots; in several scenes, Cruise is like the straight man...It is hard to believe [Kubrick] would have accepted the digital hocus-pocus. ``Eyes Wide Shut'' should have been released as he made it, either ``unrated'' or NC-17. For adult audiences, it creates a mesmerizing daydream of sexual fantasy. The final scene, in the toy store, strikes me as conventional moralizing--an obligatory happy resolution of all problems--but the deep mystery of the film remains. - Roger Ebert
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