'Eyes Wide Shut' another powerful Kubrick movie

"Eyes Wide Shut"

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Starring: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman

Rated: R

More than any other director, Stanley Kubrick had a knack for making films that became defining moments in American culture. "Dr. Strangelove" defined Cold War America. "A Clockwork Orange" was one, too, in its time.

But probably the best example is the 1968 masterpiece, "2001: A Space Odyssey." I recently re-watched "2001" and was struck by the fact that nothing about it including the special effects, which were done in an era predating the digital processing that we've come to take for granted seemed dated. It's an amazing piece of work, as are the great majority of Kubrick's films, including his latest, and sadly his last, "Eyes Wide Shut."

The hype surrounding this movie is extreme, but when considering someone like Kubrick, it's always best to give the benefit of the doubt. Husband-and-wife stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman worked on the movie for three solid years, everyone on the set was sworn to secrecy and word had it that the movie would push the boundaries for eroticism in film.

Thanks to the Motion Picture Association of America, the latter never happened. And as for swearing the actors and crew to secrecy, it was probably a great idea because anyone movie critics included who might try to explain what goes on here would only be woefully inadequate to the task.

I'm no stranger to weirdness: I've seen most of Ed Wood's movies as well as the Salvador Dali/Luis Bunuel collaboration "Un Chien Andalou." I own, and enjoy, more than one Captain Beefheart album.

But "Eyes Wide Shut," particularly the middle act, is about the strangest thing I've ever seen. It's to Kubrick's credit as a filmmaker that something so bizarre and ambiguous can still be so powerfully effective. The images, whether one pretends to understand the point or not, are haunting. Two days after seeing the movie I can't shake the feeling (not an altogether pleasant one) that "Eyes Wide Shut" evoked.

Kubrick based his screenplay on the 1926 novella "Traumnovelle" (translated "Dream Story") by the Austrian author Arthur Schnitzler. Wasn't Freud Austrian? Maybe things are making a little more sense now.

Anyone who labors under the misguided belief that he is going to get to see two of Hollywood's best-looking movie stars romping around as if in a porno movie is bound to be disappointed. There is nudity, a lot of it in fact, and Kidman is shown in a full frontal shot, but it is entirely matter-of-fact, not the least bit gratuitous. The shot is reminiscent of Robert Altman's "Short Cuts," which featured Julianne Moore walking around the house bottomless, and Kidman's nude scenes are simply a very natural part of Kubrick's cinematic landscape.

The film opens with Dr. William Harford (Cruise) and his wife Alice (Kidman) getting ready for an upscale Christmas party.

"How do I look?" she asks.

He tells her she looks perfect, not really even noticing her. He's studying his own appearance in the mirror. The audience, however, sees that she's in an evening gown reading a magazine on the toilet. Eyes wide shut, indeed.

The party is the setup for the drama to come, as William and Alice both do a great deal of flirting. When they get home, a marijuana-fueled Alice lets out just a few too many of her hidden feelings, which leads her husband on the journey that becomes the central part of the film.

As I've already said, I don't even pretend to understand what I saw, but it was powerful. I feel a lot like the monkeys sitting in front of the monolith in "2001."

Kubrick's well established perfectionism is in full force here. Every scene is a sumptuous sight that lovers of film will find fascinating. His use of color and light is unmatched, and even something as simple as Cruise getting a late-night snack out of the refrigerator carries a menacing undertone.

Kubrick died just a few days after completing "Eyes Wide Shut." Had he lived, he might still be tweaking it and the film could have gone into its fourth year of production. One thing is for certain: Kubrick was one of the greatest directors in the history of movie making. And his last film, while probably his most challenging to watch, ranks with his finest.

For an experience that will equate to film school, get any of the movies mentioned above, as well as "The Killing," "Spartacus," "Paths of Glory," "Full Metal Jacket," "Barry Lyndon," "The Shining" or "Lolita."

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)