Eyes Wide Shut Movie Review 1999

Kubrick's psychosexual drama (two years in the making), and last film, turned out to be visual interesting (if just because you know everything was done on soundstages) but less than compelling. Society doc William Harford (Cruise) and wife Alice (Kidman) seem to have it all, until a stoned Alice confesses to having lustful thoughts for others besides her hubby. Bill can't admit to the same (he's kind of a chilly guy), but this revelation sends him reeling out into the Manhattan night looking for adventure. He ends his evening observing, but not joining in, an aristocratic, anonymous orgy before heading home, presumably a wiser man. Kidman's role basically fades out after her bravura confessional and Cruise seems more like an interested bystander than a man whose known world has crumbled. Based on Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novel "Traumnovelle."

Distribution

Warner Home Video, Inc., 5775 Linder Canyon Rd., Westlake Village, CA 91362, URL: http://whv.warnerbros.com, Remarks: Does not handle retail queries from consumers; contact your local video distributor.

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 159 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Plays to Film: Arthur Schnitzler, Sex & Sexuality, Marriage, Doctors & Nurses, New York, New York

Screenplay

Stanley Kubrick

Cast

Treva Etienne, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Marie Richardson, Vinessa Shaw, Todd Field, Rade Serbedzija, Leelee Sobieski, Alan Cumming, Thomas Gibson, Sky Dumont, Fay Masterson

Cinematography

Larry Smith

Director

Stanley Kubrick

Music

Jocelyn Pook

Producer

Stanley Kubrick, Warner Bros.