He was also known as being a very challenging director to work with. Conspiracy theorists have also dove upon the fact that on the official movie poster, Alice (played by Nicole Kidman) shows one eye, representing the illuminated eye, which we must take to mean that she is aware, enlightened. So it makes sense that many scenes with blue would also relate to themes of illusion. You make some very interesting points throughout your analysis. Sure as I am that the reality of one night, let alone that of a whole lifetime can ever be the whole truth. Breaking down the contenders in the seasons most unpredictable Oscar race. The film's dreamy nature may be confusing, but what is important to remember is that ultimately "Eyes Wide Shut"is about the reconciliation of a couple who intentionally blinded themselves from the hard truths of their insecure relationship. 100 Times. Lines, roads, walking, processions towards a threshold or towards an altar. ! Wow, yes, thank you Kubrick. And the next day, the car returned to pick me up, and I went to see him in Pinewood studio. I think we actually agree on this point. It used a vocal sampled from another earlier recording. Some in the Hindu community happened to notice those few words, and it became a bit of a media frenzy. It actually got used in Gangs of New York. And as with Kubricks earlier The Shining (another initially dismissed film that is now a classic), there have been plenty of conspiracy theories around it, mainly from overzealous viewers connecting the films secret society of possibly murderous, mega-wealthy hedonists to all sorts of shadowy organizations allegedly operating in the real world. Just as things are heating up, Alice interrupts the encounter with a phone call, again seeming to have a sixth sense about things. We did that shot so many times. There were two parties. This again could be considered symbolic of Kubrick using the film as his own mask through which he is able to say much more than would be otherwise possible. All this seems to suggest that she is all seeing, her eyes are wide open. Executing the scene was far more complicated than the research phase. Wealth is Ziegler's most important quality; he's not necessarily more illusory or deceitful than others in the film. Like there was a bit of an homage to Clockwork Orange. This, after all, was supposed to be a feature film with two of the world's biggest stars (tom and Nicole Kidman) and hopefully be seen by the masses. It was actually Tom and Nicole who came up with the idea of Cate. Much of the movie is a Playboy-inspired, demonic circus of smut that exploits the bodies of women, while hypocritically keeping male modesty intact. Tom Cruise in the Masked Ball ritual scene from Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece Eyes Wide Shut with Jocelyn Pook's haunting score filling the temple. He was throwing all these compliments at me about this little film. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/StanleyKubrick/comments/994q4h/what_eyes_wide_shut_is_really_about/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf. And when we were shooting Eyes Wide Shut, it took Tom as long as it would have taken him to make three movies. The results were strange, disturbing, creepy, erotic, ridiculous, and unforgettable. He also sent over a lot of illustrations of secret-society rituals and the Black Mass, mainly from the 19th century. And I always wondered before the film came out whether they were going to dub me, because I didnt have an American accent. Luckily, Yolande was there to help. When we were shooting, somebody said I think it was Tom Do you think these places really exist? And Stanley said, Well, if they dont, they will soon.. The length of the shoot caused a lot of press. They were erotic, but there was no humping going on. There was a very extensive museum in his basement. What do you think? I was a model and Id done a lot of catwalks, so I knew how to walk in heels. But when Eyes Wide Shut (his final film) was released, it tanked. Im especially mad because I just watched Barry Lyndon also, another lazy movie. Essentially, shrouded digital figures were placed in front of couples engaged in sex, partly blocking the audience's view." Sex and illusion, on the other hand, isn't an important contrast that would need to be symbolized. The actress was coming off a breakout performance in 1997's "Oscar and Lucinda" and then a star-making . "Eyes Wide Shut" is an incredible drama that, as /Film's Bryan Young writes in his 20th anniversary retrospective on the film: "speaks to the complicated nature of relationships and how fragile they can be and how communication and honesty can work to heal those things. There's no doubt that his movies will continue to be seen as masterpieces for decades to come. For those still in doubt that Kubrick set out with every film to create a many layered cake, it seems appropriate to leave the final word to the man himself talking about 2001: A Space Odyssey, a technically flawless production that took three years and $10,500,000 (in 1968) to create. The rich are too busy screwing the world over to screw each other with any imagination. One of Stanley's assistants even started to show the models images from the Kama Sutra, according to the interview with Vulture. Well, maybe socks and a shirt, but certainly no pants. There were some people saying, Oh, if you make direct eye contact with Tom Cruise on the set, youre gone. That was crap. Here, Helena Harford walks by a toy called Magic Circle - showing that the occult elite's ways seep through popular culture, but are not noticed by those who have their eyes wide shut. But the agreement between Kubrick and Warner Bros. was that he was contracted to deliver an R-rated film. Hasan Minhaj Brings His Powerpoints and Power Suits to Independent Spirit Awards, Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. Bill is used to having all of the power in their relationship, so her admission leaves him bewildered and emasculated as he aimlessly wanders the city streets. And he was a very hands-on editor. My perspective is that the ritual is not its own independent event, but rather a reflection of the earlier party at Ziegler's house. A worthy read.My one disagreement with you is about Bill's reaction to Alice's confession. They actually have women there in masks and guys in evening suits who patronize them. It was all very surreal because we were doing these weird ceremonial movements for months. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=27056817 Merry Christmas!This video was a long time coming and although I wish I could've gotten it out on Christmas day external factors prevented it. Its somewhere up in the Hollywood Hills, or around that area. Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth. As Tim Kreider points out in his essay Introducing Sociology A Review of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick and his collaborator, Frederic Raphael, discussed exactly how much money a New York doctor like Bill Harford must earn per year. Kubrick was notorious for his grueling shooting schedule and the psychological games he played on actors in order to get out their best performances. Leon Vitali (assistant to Kubrick): We looked for the barriers we just would not be able to cross. Somewhere in that scene, he said, there was a light out. The theory hangs together briefly as everything which happens on the second night can obviously be a dream until it completely falls apart when Bill returns to Ziegler's home and they discuss two different parties, the password, Nick being recommended to the Somerton party by Ziegler, the tuxedo hire, Mandy being at both parties and serious consequences for Bill. Solves the mysteries of Mandy's redemption, the masked man on the balcony, and whether Alice was at the ritual: https://wp.me/p6pteV-1U 23 15 Related Topics Stanley Kubrick Movie 15 comments Add a Comment andrew_stirling 3 mo. Id love to hear more stuff. I remember a car came within a few hours to collect the little cassette I made. Then when he had a little break, he came straight over to me and put his hand out and said, Hello, Im Tom. Terms of Service apply. The last scene of the movie takes place at a toy store - a place full of highly symbolic items (more on it in the next article). What you're talking about isn't "Masked Ball" (the song brought up in the OP), but rather "Migrations", the subsequent track. I didnt think the orgy really needed a lot of choreography in the end, from what it became. YS: By the time we got to working on the orgy scene, I had a commitment to a project that I was doing with my company. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google We were playing around with different ritualistic formations. What was fascinating for me was how, depending on the particular angles and the particular shots, the circle of women would be reorganized every time. Kubrick's erotic odyssey is ultimately about the nature of seeing: what is hidden in plain sight and what we choose not to see. God, I sound like a bit of a bimbo! The placement of the eight pointed Star of Venus is again undoubtedly purposeful. 2020 was a tough year and although I don't see things getting better anytime soon this channel and the community it's gradually developing is more than enough to keep me going spiritually, I guess. For every movie he made, he was getting $20 million, $25 million up front. Legman also recommended Flicien Rops, a very famous artist who specialized in all sorts of weird erotica.". After this encounter, Bill finally realizes the dark side of this world of sex and anonymity, returning to his wife Alice's side. Paddy Eason (supervising digital compositor): Fairly soon after [Kubricks death], my producer Rachel Penfold and I were called up to the Kubrick place to have a meeting about something to do with Eyes Wide Shut, with the inner circle charged with finishing the film. Everything Everywhere All at Once leads with eight nominations tonight. He died only six days after. But really, [the orgy scene] kept getting pushed back and back and back in the shoot. I was on the set with Tom and Stanley, finding things on our own. However, the 1999 film also contained a famously controversial scene with multiple naked women taking part in a ritual with a bunch of masked rich men. Throughout the night, Bill meets various strangers who attempt to engage him in sex. A sub for fans to discuss the work of Stanley Kubrick, Press J to jump to the feed. Prostitution is literally the oldest profession but none of us realized the interplay of money/sex/power until you tripped into the room with your heavy-handed, intentionally confusing story meant to add mystery to something thats not mysterious. Eyes Wide Shut was accused of being out of touch at the time, but Kubrick was clearly after something stranger and more captivating. Instead of knowing what he wanted on the set, he waited for the actors to seize upon it themselves, his intent being to film scenes so many times that it would wear down his actors and theyd forget the cameras existed. A member of the Blast Beat Network. Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. I stood, looked around, and saw Stanley standing alone on the other side of the room, holding up a blindfold. Oh my God, the two biggest stars in Hollywood are going to be walking around naked. And it was Stanley and the fact that then he died. YS: Tom Cruise was very charming. Oral History: The 'Eyes Wide Shut' Orgy Scene remember that time June 27, 2019 An Oral History of an Orgy Staging that scene from Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick's divisive. It's purely a matter of what I want to work on when I get the time. Finances are a separate issue. But the scene was more about the secret society of supremely rich hedonists who, under the shadows, orchestrate horrendous acts of violence and sexual manipulation. She hadnt trained as a dancer, but she was a natural mover. He said his surgery was a success, but he needs time to heal before he can tour again. Your email address will not be published. "Eyes Wide Shut" is Kubrick's final film before his death. Grateful that we've managed to survive through all of our adventures, whether they were real, or only a dream. Meanwhile, Alice wears her own mask in the role of perfect wife and mother. He initially enlisted one of Britains top choreographers to help conceive a far more surreal and suggestive series of vignettes and tableaux for the orgy. Its not an actual dream, since Bill clearly does attend the event in reality, as evidenced by his costume rental and his later discussion with Ziegler, who references it and claims to have been a guest. Simply the Worlds Most Interesting Travel Site, The Truth About Stanley Kubrick's Most Controversial Scene, purchase the rights of Singin' In The Rain, The Truth About Tom Cruise's Character In 'Tropic Thunder', Heres Why It Was So Hard For Stanley Kubrick To Direct 'The Shining', Amy Poehler Compares Hosting The Golden Globes To A Stanley Kubrick Movie. Next: Amy Poehler Compares Hosting The Golden Globes To A Stanley Kubrick Movie. We had a lot of illustrations, contemporary and even much older, of some ceremonies. Youve got some Janning to do! It seemed Kubrick was merely torturing two of the worlds biggest stars. The Harfords standard of living raises questions about their money, and where it comes fromfrom Bills sparsely scheduled private practice, or the sorts of under-the-table services we see rendered upstairs at the party? We put some CGI characters, both male characters in black cloaks and female characters, to hide certain areas of frame. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. Brunette Indian Dancing The Ritual Dance On Their Place. Photo: Warner Bros. *A version of this article appears in the June 24, 2019, issue ofNew YorkMagazine. In the final scene of "Eyes Wide Shut," Bill and Alice take their daughter shopping for Christmas toys, and Alice delivers the serious monologue: "I think we should be grateful. But there were a couple of times when we [agreed to use] somebody and their agents actually made them go out and get breast enhancements. A lot of the timing of that whole scene was queued by Russell because he had his stick. AG: They would just say, Right, okay, you bend over, and you do that one like that, and you lie there, and you do it like that. I know we were wearing masks and we had our anonymity and we could have just never told anybody wed done it, but its not an easy thing to do. Kubrick has no clothes. Great analysis. Of it, Kubrick told Playboy: Its not a message that I ever intend to convey in words. The ritual is all that remains, but it too is inverted. Great analysis OP, a good read, well done! I had three lasers on the Steadicam, pointed to the ground, and when they all lined up, a grip would drop a plumb line from a string from the lens; then Id line my lasers up, and then the grip would talk me into the mark, saying I was two inches, one inch on the mark. Lines, roads, walking, processions towards a threshold or towards an altar. I've known a few couples over the years that retaliated against each other when one of them strayed, And, yes, I've also know spouses to become more controlling and watchful- i.e., insecure. In Barry Lyndon the narrator's dialogue and the filmed action often contradict each other. I remember one of our animators, Sally Goldberg, talking about animating what people do when theyre standing still. PE: The cut was sacred; they werent going to change one frame of it. Written by Timothy Sexton The Star of Ishtar I was asked later to do the rest of the original music. Julienne Davis (Mandy): Stanley said, Its not gonna be any of this, and he made a thrusting gesture. I made it very clear to everybody who came and their agents. Todd Field (Nick Nightingale): The ball began at Elveden Hall. Alice is not suggesting they engage in the kind of unfeeling coitus Bill observed at the orgy, but a raw physical intimacy that can only come from a deep, emotional bond forged over many years of commitment. But who left it there? There was one woman, Abigail, who ended up having this larger role. The hidden meanings of Eyes Wide Shut explained. LV: It was Cate Blanchett! The vocalist had been improvising and had used some words from the Bhagavad Gita. They had guts. In Full Metal Jacket, Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon and Lolita he chooses not to include the most shocking violence - especially sexual violence - from the texts he is adapting. I went through every modeling agency, every dance academy. Britains royal family cheats in the most boring ways. Thanks for posting! According to the documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures," Kubrick was in the middle of post-production when he showed what Warner Bros. executives claim was a relatively final cut of the film on March 1, 1999. According to Vanity Fair, Kubrick's "theory was that once his actors bottomed out in exhaustion and forgot about the cameras, they could rebuild and discover something that neither he nor they expected." It all was choreographed as we went. Given Kubricks fear of flying, the entire thing was shot in England with sound-stage works at Londons Pinewood Studios, which included a detailed recreation of New Yorks Greenwich Village. Charged as his last film is with symbolic references to death, we should not overlook the fact that in all of Kubricks films fear of dying is a constant presence and an apparent mirror image of his obsession with control. Although many people are familiar with his abuse of Shelley Duvall on the set of "The Shining," some might not know just how crazy it was to make "Eyes Wide Shut," the director's last film. At the beginning, he just asked me to try some ideas for the masked-ball scene and the orgy scene. A frequent collaborator of Kubrick, writer Michael Herr, revealed in a Vanity Fair piece that Kubrick called him shortly before he had to show the Warner Bros. executives a cut the film, saying that "there was looping to be done and the music wasn't finished, lots of small technical fixes on color and sound; would I show work that wasn't finished?" Its true meaning is tied in with the genocide of Native Americans, because of the imagery throughout associated with the American West for instance, cans of Calumet Baking Powder noticeable in the background of two central scenes because a calumet is a ceremonial pipe, and the cans featured the image of a Native American, therefore American imperialism is the subtext of the film, duh. She was trying to get a more kind of sensual approach to it. But Bill's actions don't feel that way to me.Initially, Bill is called away by to see a dying patient before the full weight of Alice's words have had time to sink in- plus he's a bit stoned. "He supplied us with a lot of information about secret societies and sexual mores in Vienna at the time of Schnitzler. Setting records for the longest shoot in movie history, it was an excruciating labor of love for lead stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman -- one that would often be traced back to the alleged start of their marriage's decline. For me, the blue seems connected to illusion. It felt like a sort of research period, with me playing around with ideas and presenting them to him, and him looking at them and feeding back. So nice to meet you. And he started talking about a film that Id made for TV called Swinger. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. For Kubrick's film, he transferred the story from early 20th century Vienna to New York City, Greenwich Village specifically, in the 1990s. And one of them, Russell, had been dancing in my company. At the time I found it somewhat frustrating, cause I, as a woman, have a very different view of women. If the man represents Ziegler (and I think the evidence is extensive that this is the case), the men in blue must correspond to the power of his money. Bill and Alice both acknowledge that they have awakened from their dreams of infidelity just before turning their reality into a nightmare. The film is also heavily entangled with the cult of Scientology, not least because both stars tied the knot in a Scientology ceremony in 1990 (they famously divorced not long after EWS finished shooting, gossip columnists at the time actually pinning it on Kubrick psychoanalysing the couples marriage for so long; Kubricks on-set wall of secrecy even divided Cruise and Kidman. "Instead, he said it would be more a kind of modern dance with the inference of sex.". All his films after and including 2001followed a similar vein, with Kubrick getting involved in everything that went on. Shelley Duvall on the set of "The Shining,". By now any conspiracy weirdo worth his salt Im looking at you has seen Room 237 the Rodney Ascher documentary about interpretations of Stanley Kubricks 1980 stone cold classic The Shining. Stanley wasnt keen on doing it in many ways. Stanley had talked about finding this voice and this quality that we needed. The documentary, filmed at the Kubrick household in St Albans, England one half of the house taken up by these boxes, relics explores among other things the photographic research for 1999sEyes Wide Shut, everything from doorways to mortuaries and every costume shop in the South East of England. Page updates daily! But when I look at the scene, I think what we did in the studio [during rehearsal] definitely influenced the whole feel of that scene. Wheres the power? You were making a film about the Illuminati, wasnt it? Required fields are marked *. After hed died, I was looking for someone. The master directors swan song and unconscious spiritual testament, which meditates on such ontological questions as life and death, as well as on cinema viewed as a visual art at the crossroads between concreteness and abstraction. "Think of the orgy sequence as a dream. The pressure and resistance of bodies against bodies, bodies against tables or walls or other kinds of props. When Stanley was looking at the tapes of rehearsal, he asked, What is that music?. I can tell. But he was conscious that we were treading in pretty dangerous territory. The name of the costume shop is Rainbow, meanwhile when Bill asks the two girls at the party where they are taking him they reply where the rainbow ends.. Kubrick also never let his actors see any daily footage, and this inability to track his own performance across the film gave Cruise an ulcer, which he hid from Kubrick.