Loving the one you're with.

Rating: 10/10 (16 July 1999)

Hyped as the sexiest film ever made, Kubrick walks away with his most compassionate, touching film ever, if not quite what was just stated. Yes, it is a sex odyssey, yet it does not end with the next step of the hero's or mankind's sexual evolution. When Dr. Bill is insulted-turned on-driven by Alice's (his wife) story of her enormous attraction to a naval officer ("I was willing to give up everything... for the promise of just one night with him.") he departs on a fruitless journey in which he attempts to dive into carnality. Yet, in his extramarital dealings he finds only deep depravity and perversion.
Flaws are present in the RED SHOE DIARIES style Kubrick brings to his representation of Alice's fantasy or the way he decides to end his orgy centerpiece (it feels like a major cop out, certainly not worthy of what we have seen (or were allowed to see) up to that point. Still the film is an eloquent, deeply felt masterpiece, worthy of inclusion into any Kubrick Collection. Still it would have been interesting to see what changes Kubrick would have made to the film's drugged out pace or just how he would have handled the highly controversial dealings with the MPAA. At least the latter can be made good on; hopefully the uncut version will be appended on a future Warner DVD (and Warner DVD people- please letterbox the product this time.)