Shut Better — Film Eyes Wide

Here are a few options for a post arguing why Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut has only gotten better with age.

5. Performances: The Necessity of the Stars

Critics initially found Tom Cruise's performance stiff, but time has vindicated his casting. Eyes Wide Shut is better because of, not despite, its casting. film eyes wide shut better

The Performance of ParanoiaTom Cruise delivers one of his most vulnerable performances. He plays Bill not as a hero, but as a man whose masculine confidence is shattered by a single confession from his wife, Alice (Kidman). Kidman, though she has less screen time, is the film's emotional anchor; her monologue about a fleeting fantasy is the catalyst for the entire film, delivered with a raw intensity that lingers over every frame. Here are a few options for a post

The VerdictEyes Wide Shut isn't interested in providing easy answers or jump scares. It is a film about the "shadow world" of our thoughts—the secrets we keep and the masks we wear in polite society. It is haunting, visually stunning, and deeply uncomfortable. Decades later, it remains a masterful exploration of the distance between two people sharing the same bed. highlight examples (the party exit

In 1999, Tom Cruise was the ultimate invincible lead. In Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick systematically deconstructs that persona. Bill Harford is perhaps the most "impotent" protagonist in film history. He is a man who:

2) Follow the camera’s moral perspective

• Explain how Kubrick’s framing and camera distance encourage an observer’s detachment; highlight examples (the party exit, the orgy sequence, the final street scenes).

1. Stop Mistaking it for Erotica

The most common critique of the film is that it isn't "sexy." The famous ritual sequence at the Somerton mansion is often criticized for being stiff, bizarre, or unintentionally funny.

The Fix: Realize that Cruise’s specific brand of intensity is the perfect vessel for this character. Bill Harford is a man who floats through life on his looks and his wife’s inherited money. He is a "fantasy" man who suddenly has to deal with "real" jealousy. Cruise’s somewhat plastic, intense persona works perfectly for a man who is essentially sleepwalking through his own life. The "blankness" critics hate is the point: Bill is an empty suit. He thinks he can navigate the underworld of desire the same way he navigates a cocktail party—by smiling and nodding. The film is about that mask being ripped off. Watch the film looking for the cracks in Cruise’s facade, and his performance transforms from "wooden" to "vain and vulnerable."