Eyes Wide Shut
In a nutshell: A married couple (portrayed by real life couple
of the time Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) take us through their lives over a 48
hour period. Starting out at a prestigious party for New York’s high society and followed
by a steamy love scene, the husband and wife start talking; revealing their deepest,
darkest dreams about sex. This triggers off a short break for the couple, and
the husband wonders the streets of Manhattan,
where his thoughts lead him into a hidden world of adultery, fantasy and
desire.
What was different/original about
it? Sadly, this
was the last film for celebrated director Stanley Kubrick. It paired Kidman and
Cruise together for the third time, but they would divorce less than two years
later. At its core, “Eyes Wide Shut” was about a husband and wife, but it
delved into the mysterious world of secret societies; taking the viewer into
seedy stores and magnificent mansions, where entire sub-cultures of people
engaged in lewd sexual acts and ritual’s. It was graphic, confronting and
appalling, but who doesn't get curious about such things at some
point in their life? The husband’s curiosity leads him into some dark places,
revisiting the idea that some secrets are better left kept that way.
How did it change movies? Eyes Wide Shut was a difficult movie to
summarise, and everyone had an opinion about it. It was released at a time when
movies were becoming more and more explicit. Controversies abound on which
ratings classification a film should be given, and few have been the victim of
this as much as Eyes Wide Shut. In reference to the infamous orgy scene that
takes place in the film, certain countries edited this or cut-out certain shots
entirely to keep the film from getting the highest rating, thus allowing it to
be accessible to younger viewers. Now there’s lot of irony there. This film was
not made for a younger audience, and being Kubrick’s last, should not have been
altered or changed in any way. Those responsible for censorship and
classification thought the film was too graphic and revealing, so they had
parts removed or changed to lower the rating, allowing young teenagers to
potentially see it anyway? Hmmm….
Next up,..."Election"
or
Next up,..."Election"
or
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