Exploring the Depths of Desire: A Review of "Eyes Wide Shut"
The film Eyes Wide Shut is an odd tale of a man, Dr. Bill Harford , painted by Stanley Kubrick where the man spends a sleepless night in New York. This quest is initiated after his wife Alice reveals having fantasies of another man. Sinister intrigues surrounding their marriage defined Bill’s narrative, extending through the various narrow-casted hilarious and grotesque random interactions with the undeterminable stranger and the ambiguous masked lavish high-profile orgy in the palatial mansion. His participation in this event triggers a number of disturbing consequences that destabilise the very foundation of his marital relationship.
These major ideas of the movie involve the instability of the relationship, the dilemma of the human passions, and the shades of liberty and oppression. Kubrick seize this opportunity in creating a mysterious tone combined with psychological thriller that navigates through the maze of sexual mindset and betrayal. The constant mystical dark mood conveys character internal conflicts, and constant suspense emphasizes this feeling.
Tom and Nicole have astonishing appearances and good acting as the main characters Bill and Alice Harford. Cruise becomes the disillusioned spirit of a man tormented by his shadow while Kidman’s Alice fairly insecure yet mysterious brings weight to the protracted marriage breakdown in the center of the narrative. Likely, the title role is played by Edward Norton while Aubrey Plaza and Sydney Pollack in the framework of cinematographic ensemble add color to the fantastic plot and acting artistry to the motion picture.
In addition, the film’s creative director is Stanley Kubrick, who has once again surrounded himself with creative professionals, with whom he has developed a significant landscape of the film and created a detailed shooting plan. Kubrick masters every frame with great care and builds a puzzle of suspense that hardly lets the viewers go. His power to inspire rather profound contemplation of the existential issues puts Eyes Wide Shut firmly into his best works, thus turning it into more than the drama, it is the true extraordinary study of the psychological aspects.
The music part by Jocelyn Pook is also consistent with the given movie’s mood. The music is very focal here as it underlines important moments with eerie vibes that enrich the shots choice created by Kubrick.
The cinematography by Larry Smith is also remarkable providing the movie with visual range that is smooth-transiting between the dream and the surreal. Every single frame that is shot is very aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and effectively provides the grandness as well as also, the gloom that was present in this story.
The visuals themselves are a testament to how Kubrick just doesn’t settle for anything until he gets what he wants. The phantasmagoric scenes – notably the noirish, hedonistic mansion of the impulse-rich – are highly stylized, convincing the viewer to enter a seductivefatal world.
It may be said that the surreal feel of Eyes Wide Shut has no reliance on main special effects, and this, in fact contributes to its dreamlike narrative. Addition to that, the employment of lights and shades in shooting also enhance the psychological mood and pulls the audience deeper into its mystery.
The editing done by Nigel Galt, acts and reacts effectively with the film’s theme; timely and rhythmic as to maximize tension of suspense. Taking the focus on the plot from the action’s frequency, each cut enhances the suspense thus enabling the story to develop in a pace that engulfs the audience’s attention in the psychology of the characters. I would like to stress that such pacing however may be stressing for some, is necessary to create this multi-layered psychological thriller that is Eyes Wide Shut.
The word choice and delivery in Eyes Wide Shut is slow, deep and mind engaging, as conversations often include long pauses, full of tension and intrigue. This kind of writing contributes to the creation of the puzzling and somewhat ominous mood of the film.
Certain audiences may consider ‘Eyes Wide Shut as overly slow, never realizing that such tempo could have been a planned strategy. But this pacing is important to the movie’s development of psychological and existential topics. The storyline and symbols used in the film also may pose as disadvantage for anyone who is a newcomer to Stanley Kubrick’s works. It forces one to ponder over issues of lust and faithfulness amidst the complexities of wedded life. It makes audiences carry an eerie feeling and its excellent performances offers more food for thought after watching the movie.
