A Classic

Rating: 10/10 (2 March 2020)

One of the most underrated films of all time, "Eyes Wide Shut" is the result of an intense collaboration between Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Stanley Kubrick. Its title suggests an elusive meaning, a conundrum. And that is what the film delivers as presented from the viewpoint of its protagonist, Dr. William Harford (Tom Cruise).
Kubrick delivers a visually stunning piece of cinema---with its striking emphasis on color and light---wrapped around an odyssey that is laid over a tale of domestic disquiet. Just as some films include numerous memorable quotes, EWS includes numerous images that stick with you forever.
The theme of the film is about the structures of society and its conventions, like marriage, which overlay the raw realities of the human psyche. It is a film of manners that lies like a thin veneer over the uncertainties and brutalities of uncivilized man that always lurk where we dare not look. But EWS dares and provokes us to follow its exploration of the seams of civility, the indulgences that few can afford. It seems to say, like Eliot'sPrufrock, "Let us go then, you and I..." I refer you to the rest of that stanza which seems so relevant here.
The film also has a cadence that draws you in. Moments of calm and enchanting certainty are punctuated by scenes of confusing happenstance and a nagging insistence that some upheaval impends. Dream-like beauty always seems to be on the verge of interruption. This is a meditation on the investments and sacrifices we make to achieve happiness, success, or the tranquility of perceived certainty.
EWS includes some wonderful supporting performances in addition to its captivating starring roles. Particularly noteworthy is the performance of Leelee Sobieski, who plays a girl of mysterious circumstances and intentions.
Perhaps one day this film will sit atop the popular lists that enshrine the best of cinema where it deserves to be.