Synopsis
Stanley Kubrick’s last film, Eyes Wide Shut, a psychological erotic drama, was inspired by a 1926 novella by Arthur Schnitzler called Traumnovelle (Dream Story). It features Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were in a real-life marriage during filming, making the film their joint collaboration. The movie deep dives into sexual themes of jealousy, infidelity, fantasy, and examines the line between reality and illusion.
The action begins in contemporary Manhattan, though the film was privately shot in London. It follows Dr. Bill Harford, played by Tom Cruise, and his wife Alice, portrayed by Nicole Kidman, who attend an opulent Christmas party thrown by one of Bill’s wealthy patients, Victor Ziegler (played by Sydney Pollack). During the gathering, Alice zangled with a Hungarian gentleman while Bill tried flirting with two models. Even though nothing tangible transpires, the interaction plants the seeds of discomfort.
The subsequent evening, during a close moment together at home, Alice admits that on one of their vacations, she had entertained the thought of abandoning Bill for a quick, nameless liaison with a naval officer—something that never transpired but deeply troubles him. This revelation destabilizes him. With the assumption that he had been the more “calm’’ of the two partners, Bill’s sense of self gets shattered, resulting in a crisis of masculinity, sexuality, and control.
Emotionally stranded after his round-the-clock shift of attending to dying patients, Bill goes somewhat adrift. While in this trance-like state, he decides to take a stroll through the window, and thus begins a surreal, dream-like journey through the city’s underworld. To begin, he tries to have sex with a prostitute named Domino, but he ultimately refuses to go through with it. Later, he meets up with an old acquaintance, Nick Nightingale, who is a pianist and tells him about an enigmatic and secretive performance that he does blindfolded and requires extreme secrecy.
Driven by curiosity and a desire to escape his emotional anguish, Bill secures a costume consisting of a cloak, mask, and tuxedo, acquiring a password for the event. Following directions, he arrives at a remote mansion where a clandestine society partakes in an surreal, highly ritualized orgy. As bizarre as this scene is, Bill initially behaves as he is expected to, though it is not long before he is revealed as a trespasser. A woman in a mask whom he noticed and briefly spoke to earlier intervenes and offers to assume the punishment meant for Bill. Thus, he is expelled, but unscathed.
Attempting to make sense of that evening’s events, Bill becomes obsessed with uncovering the mystery of the masked woman. This pursuit leads him encountering dead ends and unclear meetings, including altercations with Ziegler, who advises Bill to stop exploring the case. Ziegler asserts it was all a setup, claiming the woman who “sacrificed” herself was simply a call girl who later died from an overdose. What Ziegler offers is either a mere coincidence or, more likely, something far more disturbing.
Bill’s psychological unraveling culminates in the haunting image of his wife sleeping and crying next to the Venetian mask he wore to the secret orgy. This suggests that she knows more than she has claimed. Or, perhaps that is a manifestation of his own guilt. The next day, Alice is met with a confession of everything from Bill. In the film’s closing scene, the family is seen together, taking their daughter out for Christmas shopping. Although emotionally drained, the couple is still together. When Bill asks what they should do next, Alice’s response is: “We should be grateful. Grateful that we’ve managed to survive through all of our adventures, whether they were real or only a dream.” She continues, “There is something very important that we need to do as soon as possible… f***.”
Cast & Crew
Tom Cruise as Dr. Bill Harford
Cruise delivers one of the most subdued and introspective performances of his career. As Bill, he embodies a man whose confidence and status are methodically stripped away as he deals with his own vulnerabilities, desires, and fears. His journey is less about movement and more about internal disintegration.
Nicole Kidman as Alice Harford
Kidman’s performance is refined, puzzling, and deeply emotional. One of the film’s most unforgettable moments is her lengthy monologue about sexual fantasy and desire. Throughout the film, she provides the emotional balance, gently quipping to Bill about marriage, fidelity, love, and modern gender expectations.
Sydney Pollack as Victor Ziegler
Pollack, a director himself, brings a pragmatic coldness to the role of Ziegler — a man who lives above the rules and sees others as pawns in his privileged world. The interactions with Bill earlier on in the film are most evocative of the still, stern violence that lurks just beneath the surface of Ziegler’s genial demeanor, and what he tells Bill later on raises chilling possibilities about the real secret society of which he is a part.
Director: Stanley Kubrick
As for the director, Stanley Kubrick spent a decade piecing together his visions and had absolute control over the direction of his films. Kubrick, a perfectionist, died just days after completing the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut, which marked it as his last work. The film took over 400 days of shooting, a record for a continuous production. Even in death, he remains obsessed with the details. Eyes Wide Shut is deeply atmospheric, blending eroticism with dread, and wrapping psychological insight in an almost dreamlike narrative.
Screenplay: The modern adaptation of Schnitzler’s story was done by both Kubrick and Frederic Raphael. While updating portions of the script, they made sure to retain the primary essence of the original text. The dialogue reflects a psychological gap between characters and is intentionally verbose and lazy.
Music: Notably, Jocelyn Pook’s film score, “Masked Ball,” has been singled out for its contribution to the film’s unsettling nature. Moreover, the secret society segments are laced with unease due to Ligeti’s piano music being played in reverse.
Cinematography: The specific elements that give this film its unparalleled visual identity were added by Larry Smith, who has worked with Kubrick for many years. The suspension of disbelief is further propelled by the use of Christmas lights as well as rich reds and blues, creating a surreal otherworldly atmosphere.
Eas Wide Shut has an IMDb score of 7.5/10, indicating a mixed response to the film. Following its release in 1999, the film received a mix of positive and negative reviews. The critical reception was split; some found the film slow with a cold feel, while others praised it’s ambition. ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ has undergone re-evaluation and many now consider this one of Kubrick’s most enigmatic and deeply layered films.
Critics such as Roger Ebert appreciated the film for its capturing the balance between eroticism and alienation, its evocative structure, and its dreamlike elements. Others took objection to the lack of progression or emotional clarity. Kidman and Cruise’s performances were interpreted as muted, a portrayal of deep emotional conflict and internal struggle which was intentionally crafted by Kubrick.
The film stirred controversy because of its explicit graphic content. In the United States, puritanical censorship practices caused digital figures to be added in front of certain scenes during the orgy to circumvent an NC-17 rating. This practice is criticized by purists and cinephiles, but is sadly all too common in the industry.
Regardless of initial doubts, Eyes Wide Shut has attained greater appreciation over time. Many film scholars now analyze it alongside Kubrick’s other masterpieces like 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, and A Clockwork Orange. Its exploration of themes such as sexual repression, illusion of control, and the performative aspects of human relationships are taken up and discussed in academic circles.
Final Remarks
Beyond the themes of infidelity or erotic curiosity, Eyes Wide Shut is unequivocally a film of great philosophy, tackling issues such as identity, illusion, and the human psyche. The character of Bill Harford is used as a vehicle to unravel the delicate illusions held around social standing, marital fidelity, and sexual confidence. Every facet of the world that Kubrick creates is at once familiar yet foreign, erotic yet estranging, and waking yet dreamlike.
The film evokes a series of unsettling inquiries: To what extent do we understand our life partners? Do we ever fully articulate or comprehend our true desires? Is fantasy more potent than fact in shaping our reality? These answers are not provided in the film but instead are bequeathed long after the credits roll.
To many, the lack of immediate insight provided by a conventional storyline may be interpreted as a flaw, yet in the eyes of others and within the context of this film, it stands as a testament to Eyes Wide Shut’s boldness and intellectual rigor, which is quite rare for films produced in the late 20th century. It can, and should, be indulged again and again and again, inviting reinterpretation and re-experiencing. A fitting farewell from a master director whose work sought to disturb, provoke, and illuminate.
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