The book in and of itself was a rather remarkable publication, especially in terms of late 1960's filmgoing, one which by its very existence proves the somewhat obtuse reactions Kubrick's films provoke in their audiences. Clarke's original short story, as well as hundreds of pages of explication as to what exactly Kubrick and Clarke were getting at in the famous film. This was the wonderful Making of Kubrick's '2001' which contained Arthur C. A perfect example comes from a rather unusual paperback tome that appeared shortly after 2001 came out and was greeted by such universal (no pun intended) consternation. If there is anything that might have foreshadowed the public and reviewing reactions to Eyes Wide Shut, it is the long tradition of audiences of all types never quite getting Kubrick's ideas and techniques on the first, or even the fifth, go-round.
It's almost comical to go back and look at critical assessment of Kubrick's post- Strangelove oeuvre as it appeared contemporaneously with each film. For Eyes Wide Shut, despite its supposed lasciviousness, is actually an almost Puritan reflection on the rigors of monogamy and the wages of sin, which in this case are an almost interminable trip through the vagaries of guilt and torment. Have there ever been two more asexual major stars in recent film history? These are actors of sometimes prodigious accomplishment, but they are curiously nonerotic in their own peculiar way, almost like living Ken and Barbie dolls: physically perfect, but absolutely devoid of any "naughty bits." And yet my hunch is this was actually part of director Stanley Kubrick's genius in casting the famous pair. In fact, for all their surface beauty and charisma, the supposed "sexual" chemistry between stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman was virtually nonexistent. Eyes Wide Shut was a resolutely non-sexy film, despite rather graphic orgiastic scenes (more graphic in the unrated version presented on this Blu-ray). And yet when the film finally opened, you could hear the collective "thud" of millions of jaws dropping, either in disbelief, or yawning boredom, or indeed both.
Add in the fact that the film was touted as being an "erotic thriller," and to say that audiences were titillated by immense expectations is probably an understatement.
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Is there any way Eyes Wide Shut could have ever lived up to its hype? Here was a film directed by one of the most esteemed, if not the most esteemed, directors of the past half century, returning after well over a decade's absence, helming a project starring the most famous star couple in contemporary movie history. Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, January 12, 2010 Kubrick's final film may not be a masterpiece, but it's certainly more intriguing than it was initially given credit for being.
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