...a meticulously photographed exercise in mood and imagery, the poetic evocation of a dream.
Maybe "Eyes Wide Shut" is better left unexplained. Otherwise, it isn't much more than a husband learning to better appreciate and understand his world and his wife. On second thought, maybe that's more than enough.
Video:
Warner Bros. present the film in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the original camera negative, just as Kubrick intended; meaning it is the ratio from which the widescreen theatrical version was later matted. It is not a pan-and-scan rendering; it is an honest full frame, softly defined and in some places faintly grainy. Unfortunately, it is not the unabridged version that American audiences were hoping for, either. As you undoubtedly know, Kubrick released the film in Europe with an additional few minutes of material in the orgy scene uncovered by the digitally superimposed figures he had to add in order to avoid an NC-17 rating in American theaters. Many people thought that Warner might restore the deleted scenes to the American DVD or at least offer them as extras. But no such luck; the American version is exactly as it was shown in U.S. movie houses. In fact, the disc contains very few extras. Some interviews with Cruise, Kidman, and Steven Spielberg are about it.
Audio:
Audio is provided by Dolby Digital 5.1, effectively reproducing the music of Gyorgy Ligeti, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Chris Isaak. Some awesome bass notes come through the subwoofer, and a haunting solo piano comes across quite vividly, (although emerging overdramatically by the end).
Extras:
Cast bios, interviews, scene selections, English and French subtitles, and two trailers conclude the special features.
Parting Thoughts:
Despite the film's self-imposed censorship, expect nudity. Lots of nudity. The movie's tone is established at the outset when Ms. Kidman drops her dress in the opening scene, revealing purely Ms. Kidman beneath. Still, for all its sex and nudity, it is not a sexy or erotic picture. Kubrick does not want to show how sexy life is but how much sex affects us. He keeps the viewer as detached from the film's eroticism as the good doctor is while examining one of his beautiful, naked patients.
The film is a visually stunning achievement, a meticulously photographed exercise in mood and imagery, the poetic evocation of a dream. Yes, it is overlong, and, yes, it is slow moving, too. No, it does not sustain our attention as "2001" did. But it is fascinating every inch of the way and a movie sure to be talked about, pro and con, for years to come.
The film may be purchased separately, or it can be found in the big Kubrick boxed set that also includes "Lolita," "2001," "A Clockwork Orange," "Barry Lyndon," "The Shining," "Full Metal Jacket," and the excellent documentary, "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures."
Video:
Warner Bros. present the film in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio of the original camera negative, just as Kubrick intended; meaning it is the ratio from which the widescreen theatrical version was later matted. It is not a pan-and-scan rendering; it is an honest full frame, softly defined and in some places faintly grainy. Unfortunately, it is not the unabridged version that American audiences were hoping for, either. As you undoubtedly know, Kubrick released the film in Europe with an additional few minutes of material in the orgy scene uncovered by the digitally superimposed figures he had to add in order to avoid an NC-17 rating in American theaters. Many people thought that Warner might restore the deleted scenes to the American DVD or at least offer them as extras. But no such luck; the American version is exactly as it was shown in U.S. movie houses. In fact, the disc contains very few extras. Some interviews with Cruise, Kidman, and Steven Spielberg are about it.
Audio:
Audio is provided by Dolby Digital 5.1, effectively reproducing the music of Gyorgy Ligeti, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Chris Isaak. Some awesome bass notes come through the subwoofer, and a haunting solo piano comes across quite vividly, (although emerging overdramatically by the end).
Extras:
Cast bios, interviews, scene selections, English and French subtitles, and two trailers conclude the special features.
Parting Thoughts:
Despite the film's self-imposed censorship, expect nudity. Lots of nudity. The movie's tone is established at the outset when Ms. Kidman drops her dress in the opening scene, revealing purely Ms. Kidman beneath. Still, for all its sex and nudity, it is not a sexy or erotic picture. Kubrick does not want to show how sexy life is but how much sex affects us. He keeps the viewer as detached from the film's eroticism as the good doctor is while examining one of his beautiful, naked patients.
The film is a visually stunning achievement, a meticulously photographed exercise in mood and imagery, the poetic evocation of a dream. Yes, it is overlong, and, yes, it is slow moving, too. No, it does not sustain our attention as "2001" did. But it is fascinating every inch of the way and a movie sure to be talked about, pro and con, for years to come.
The film may be purchased separately, or it can be found in the big Kubrick boxed set that also includes "Lolita," "2001," "A Clockwork Orange," "Barry Lyndon," "The Shining," "Full Metal Jacket," and the excellent documentary, "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures."
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]7654[/release]