Techtite's DVD Reviews!

Eyes Wide Shut

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A Review by Techtite

The Film :What can you say about a film whose first scene is of a bare butt, and whose final line uttered is the infamous F-word? When seeing Eyes Wide Shut, one can't help but wonder what critics would have said differently, if Striptease or Showgirls were directed by Stanley Kubrick. Unlike those two films, EWS had a major sales pitch on its side; the names Cruise, Kidman, and Kubrick. However, is it a good film? The only honest answer is this: coming from Kubrick, it could have been far, far better.

The biggest flaw is the script; easily summarized in one paragraph. Doctor Harford and his wife (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) go to a posh party, where they are shamelessly flirted with. Cruise meets two dizzy models, while Kidman meets a man who --gosh!-- drinks from her own glass. The following night, this allegedly brilliant M.D. is smoking pot with his wife (...?), when she admits that a Naval officer she saw a while back was quite a turn on. She might have even had an affair if the opportunity came up. Enraged, Dr. Strangelove --er, Harford-- goes out on a medical house call, and then a walk on the town, seemingly searching for different opportunities to have a "possible" affair himself. In the end, the only sexual advances he receives are from a pre-teen girl, a prostitute with AIDS, and a masked orgy cult (a subplot involving two likely murders is abruptly abandoned). After 155 minutes of film, a post-it-note finale is reached. The end.

Kubrick fanboys will defend the bubble-gum wrapper script, by saying it's the visuals that make EWS. Agreed. The film is indeed impressive, for two of its two and a half hours. By that last half hour, however, this film's otherwise shoo-in for an Oscar nod falls to pieces. A lackluster conversation between Cruise and Sidney Pollack is bad enough, where all plot branches are suddenly tied up in a little bow. The actual ending, however, is even worse. Still, the movie until then is worth a look. Cruise and Kidman gave it their all. Even bit characters are well chosen. It's a shame that such a cinematic vision is marred by an orgy scene controversy and a rushed final reel...a big, terrible shame.

"Orgy scene" controversy? As if you didn't know! I'm referring, of course, to the scene the MPAA edited in the US to allow an R rating. Regardless of a few fatcats squawking about The First Amendment, it isn't like they edited out the balcony scene of "Romeo & Juliet" ; this was an irrelevant orgy scene. "But...it was an artistic orgy scene, man!" Oh, SHUT UP. In any other situation, this would be a routine edited-for-content deal, not unlike Basic Instinct, Showgirls, or even the violent scenes of Robocop. With Kubrick at the helm, however, critics claim that editing an orgy scene is (laughing allowed) "compromising a great director's vision," or "the deeply chilling effect the ratings system is having on creative expression in film" (these are actual quotes, from "professional" movie critics). Talk about a low point in critic history; complaining that a movie is not the same without its orgy scene intact. Somewhere, the producers of Porky's films are on the floor with laughter.

If only that was this film's only flaw. By the middle of the picture, background music can cynically be titled "Drunk Cat Dies On Piano." Sex scenes are mere soft porn; no more artistic than a "Real Sex" special on HBO. Not to be outdone, Kidman daringly (and gratuitously) bares her tush three times, for anyone who never rented Windrider, Billy Bathgate, Malice, or Dead Calm. As for that scene shown on Entertainment Tonight --ad nauseum-- of Cruise and Kidman smooching in front of the mirror; that's the only sensual clench they share in the whole film! Sure, as Kubrick fanboydom defends, the colored lighting throughout the film is symbolic and impressive...however, how sad is it when you have to defend Kubrick's last work by saying that the lighting was nice?

Minor flaws notwithstanding, this film has enough artful edge to be a good film. Calling it "great", however, is debatable. Critics were so fearful to have this film edited, that nobody dared to admit that it needed to be cut, to perhaps two hours. With such editing, the film could have won an Oscar nod...without it, we're treated to half an hour of dullsville, and a abrupt, odd finale choice. Nicole Kidman coos the R-rated word-of-words as if our only message upon leaving the theater is that we all should go **** each other. In the end, its this movie's Oscar chances which were totally screwed.

The DVD : Everyone who felt that the editing of said orgy scene was just to make a "director's cut" on tape was pretty upset at one DVD limitation; no orgy scene. Sorry, kids. I must admit, it would've been nice to have them include the scene, if only to show the scene was mere soft porn, and no big deal at all, though in truth, it's the omission that's no big deal at all.

What is included instead, however, is worth raising this DVD version's rating by half a notch...though not much more. Kidman and Cruise are both on hand, with an amusing interview from both. In addition, there's comments from...Spielburg? Yes, though why is anyone's guess. It's as if someone was so troubled about this film's worth on DVD, they wanted Spielburg on hand to say that, gosh, he thinks Kubrick is the greatest. Um, thanks, Mr. Spielburg, though...DUH, that much was never in question. The real debate is why Kubrick fanboydom puts EWS on such a high pedestal, and not as the low point of his career that it was. Not even the great mastermind of Schindler's List can give a suitable answer...