Film history.

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 1999)

This is the last great film of the millennium. I waited patiently for twelve years for this film. So many people are critical of the length, the performances, and the "epic-lessness" of this film. First off, Kubrick always deliberately paced his films. This is a very intimate story, therefore it is aesthetically paced to build a simple understanding of the characters which are in a complex situation. The performances are so on target. Cruise's pent up emotion is brilliantly showcased through a grand subtlety. Kidman is so saturated with wit and displays emotions so openly it's mesmerizing. Her confession of her fantasy reminds me of Bibi Anderson's story of fulfilling a similar fantasy in "Persona." As always, Kubrick's choice of supporting characters nicely outlines the heart of the film.Larry Smith's photography is beautiful. He obviously learned a lot of what he knows from Kubrick and Kubrick's former lighting cameraman, the late, great John Alcott. Not to mention the excellent musical selections Kubrick had an intense visual ear for. I loved this movie so much I hate to mention that there are some technical goofs here and there, but that's the price you pay for doing hundreds of takes only to find out that the one that has the best performance also has a reflection of a crewman(as in this film) or has a shadow of a helicopter(as in "The Shining.") I feel Kubrick is too much of a perfectionist to actually miss such errors, I feel he knew they were there, but sacrificed technical perfection for performance perfection. There you have it, the most I could ever possibly criticize Kubrick for. So for those of you that didn't care for "Eyes Wide Shut," I recommend seeing it again because it is pure filmmaking, in concentrated form. It is film history. If the last thing you want to do is see it again, I at least have the comfort in knowing you'll never forget it.