Are there any hidden (or not) messages in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shuit”?
By: Alcyan
Source: VC
“Eyes Wide Shut” was promoted as a steamy, suspenseful movie starring the “It” couple of the day: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. While the actors were prominently featured in the movie, it is everything around them that told the true story of “Eyes Wide Shut”. Stanley Kubrick’s attention to detail and symbolism gave the movie an entire other dimension – one that cannot be seen by those who have their eyes wide shut.
I remember when I first watched Eyes Wide Shut, back in 1999. I remember, I was not impressed at all. I didn’t like how slow everything was, or how Nicole Kidman tried to sound drunk or high and was boring seeing Tom Cruise walk around New York
looking concerned (I did enjoy watching those lovely semi-nude or nude bodies during the ritual though!!! Reading the critics of that time, I guess I reacted the same way: “This movie is boring and there is nothing hot about it.” Almost 15 years later, equipped with a little more knowledge and patience, after haven’t seen the movie a couple more times (got to admit, seeing the naked tits of Kidman is not something you see every day!!!), it blew my mind. In fact, an entire book could be written about the movie and the concepts it addresses. Eyes Wide Shut is indeed not simply about a relationship, it is about all of the outside forces and influences that define that relationship. It is about the eternal back-and-forth between the male and female principles in a confused and decadent modern world. Also, more importantly, it is about the group that rules this modern world – a secret elite that channels this struggle between the male and female principles in a specific and esoteric matter.