A fitting finale to a classic career

Rating: 7/10 (17 July 1999)

The final film of director, Stanley Kubrick, has finally been released to theaters. It is a fine finale to a career of classic filmmaking. Although Kubrick has been accused of creating films that were cold and hard with characters to match, "Eyes Wide Shut", adapted from a novel by Arthur Schnitzler, introduces us to his two major characters as they are preparing for a gala Christmas party given by their friend. Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise) and Alice Hartford (Nicole Kidman) live a privileged existence in the posh circles of Manhattan. Their lush apartment is filled with all the accouterments of such a life. As they dress for the party, their demeanor and oral responses to one another subtly reveal the relationship they have in their nine-year-old marriage. At the party itself we meet their host (Sidney Pollack). Here the couple each get involved in a flirtation, she with a Hungarian Lothario, and he with two lovely young models. This is just the beginning of their descent into the world of sexual obsession and fantasy.
Kubrick uses his camera as the voyeuristic eye of the audience, never really being clear as to whether certain scenes are real or fantasy. Bunuel did this in his classic French film, "Belle DuJour". Except for a series of expository scenes relating the everyday routines of the husband at work and his wife at home, the rest of the film is sort of a fever dream drifting along deeper and deeper into the vortex of sex and violence that is a combination of their own obsessions and outside events beyond their control.
The rumors that have followed the three-year gestation of this movie are generally untrue. Although the film is about sex, curiously, it is not particularly erotic. The famous orgy, which occurs about two-thirds through the film (2 hours 40 minutes long), is slightly muted by the digital insertion of figures that obscure certain body parts and motions deemed unacceptable to the ratings board. Professional critics were shown both versions, but generally agreed that the effect was the same in both versions. Critic Roger Ebert suggested that both versions be exhibited in different theaters. The un-cut version will be shown in Europe. Hopefully, the American audience will see the original cut in its video incarnation next year.
Kubrick once said when asked what the ending of the classic, "2001: A Space Odyssey", meant, that he wanted the audience to bring something of themselves to his films. Therefore, he would not reveal any concrete answer. He said that the reason for the Mona Lisa's smile is part of her mystery. She would lose some of her appeal if DaVinci said that she was smiling because she is thinking of her lover. One error he makes in this film is toward the end he has the Sidney Pollack character give some sort of objective explanation of what has occurred. One could assume he was trying to give in to those who complained about the ambiguity of some of his other films. Hitchcock made a similar mistake in the psychiatrist's explanation of Norman Bates' condition at the end of "Psycho". Even this compromise does not materially flaw an otherwise distinct vision.
Cruise and Kidman both give performances of which they can be proud. Kubrick's perfectionism is there on the screen. Kidman, in particular has a moving monologue in which she emotionally reveals to her husband, a fantasy she had years ago, which precipitates the rest of action in the film. Unfortunately, her character disappears for much of the remaining film, relegating her role to one basically supporting in nature.
The film was completely filmed in England on sets, except for a couple of establishing shots of New York and several long shots of taxis on the streets of Manhattan. New Yorkers will recognize these street scenes as unreal. However, possibly, Kubrick wanted these sets to have a certain surreal ambiance. The musical score also adds effectively to sweep the audience along in what is a series of long scenes of extended dialogue. One hopes that adult audiences will appreciate Kubrick's vision, and it will encourage viewers to discuss their views and reactions to the last of a series of a unique creative works.