Kubrick goes out on a high with EWS

Rating: 8/10 (17 October 2001)

Inspired by Arthur Schnitzler's "Traumnovelle", Eyes Wide Shut is a film which divides the critics (as it was often the case with all of Kubrick's films): On the one hand you have to admit that the film takes quite a bit of time to get really started. Referring to the first part of the film as boring is unjustified, but it's certainly not breathtaking in terms of action. You wonder whether this sly storytelling is necessary for the action ahead-and I think it is: When Dr. "Billy" is walking down the city streets, wondering if this wife really cheated him, the action slowly gets into flowing. When he gets to the mysterious masquerade-party the excitement created by the strange atmosphere and the unfamiliar piano-playing suggests a feeling of thrill. At the same time we undoubtedly know that we are in a Stanley Kubrick film. You can argue about certain elements in all his films but no director I know is able to create these stunnig pictures which are in an absolute harmony with light and sound. In EWS we have these fantastic masks in various forms and designs and we see how Kubrick displays the perfection of the female beauty. There isn't a lot more to tell even if you might wonder what this film is actually trying to say: Is it philosophically? Is it all about what dreams can do to us or make us believe? Is it simply about Sexuality in a relationship or about sex in general? You have to find out yourself. Kubrick's films have and will always stand out-the one way or the other!