Eyes Wide Shut

Plot

A New York City doctor, who is married to an art curator, pushes himself on a harrowing and dangerous night-long odyssey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife admits that she once almost cheated on him.

Release Year: 1999

Rating: 7.2/10 (120,632 voted)

Critic's Score: 68/100

Director:
Stanley Kubrick

Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field

Storyline
A doctor becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter after his wife admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met and chastising him for dishonesty in not admitting to his own fantasies. This sets him off into unfulfilled encounters with a dead patient's daughter and a hooker. But when he visits a nightclub, where a pianist friend Nick Nightingale is playing, he learns about a secret sexual group and decides to attend one of their congregations. However, he quickly learns he is in well over his head and finds he and his family are threatened.

Writers: Arthur Schnitzler, Stanley Kubrick

Cast:

Tom Cruise
–

Dr. William 'Bill' Harford

Nicole Kidman
–

Alice Harford

Madison Eginton
–

Helena Harford

Jackie Sawiris
–

Roz

Sydney Pollack
–

Victor Ziegler

Leslie Lowe
–

Illona Ziegler

Peter Benson
–

Bandleader

Todd Field
–

Nick Nightingale

Michael Doven
–

Ziegler's Secretary

Sky du Mont
–

Sandor Szavost

(as Sky Dumont)

Louise J. Taylor
–

Gayle

(as Louise Taylor)

Stewart Thorndike
–

Nuala

Randall Paul
–

Harris

Julienne Davis
–

Amanda 'Mandy' Curran

Lisa Leone
–

Lisa

Taglines:
Cruise. Kidman. Kubrick.

Details

Official Website:
Warner Bros. [United States] |

Release Date: 16 July 1999

Filming Locations: Berners Street, Fitzrovia, London, England, UK

Box Office Details

Budget: $65,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $21,706,163
(USA)
(18 July 1999)
(2411 Screens)

Gross: $160,637,680
(Worldwide)
(10 October 1999)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

159 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Variety reported that Stanley Kubrick himself selected the movie's release date after analyzing scores of box-office data provided to him by Warner Bros.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible:
In the poolroom scene with Bill and Victor, you can see the boom reflected in the green light when Victor says "OK, he had a bruise on his face."

Quotes:

[first lines]

Dr. Bill Harford:
Honey, have you seen my wallet?

Alice Harford:
Isn't it on the bedside table?

Dr. Bill Harford:
Now listen, you know we're running a little late.

Alice Harford:
I know. How do I look?

Dr. Bill Harford:
Perfect.

Alice Harford:
Is my hair okay?

Dr. Bill Harford:
It's great

Alice Harford:
You're not even looking at it.

Dr. Bill Harford:
It's beautiful. You always look beautiful.

User Review

Kubrick's Gift to us all. "I have seen one or two things in my life but never, never anything like this."

Rating: 10/10


I'm sitting here trying to come up with a clever comment about this
movie to make you want to see it. When in reality it doesn't matter
what I say. As Stallone would say "I'm at least half a bum." The truth
to it is, it kind of makes me sad that I'll probably never see another
movie that affects so much. Never experience a film that 6 years after
it's release, I still can not forget.

To say the most, it's a powerful film. The directing is world class.
The camera work is haunting and the soundtrack gives me chills. It's
Cruise at his finest. He is so convincing that one might actually
believe that this guy is Doctor Bill Harford and this really did happen
to him. And that my friends is the definition of acting. The
seriousness of the situation fades away with a stern smile as the plot
thickens.

To say the least it is one of those movies you could watch over and
over again. To be honest with you, I didn't buy it the first time I saw
it. I thought it was good, but not great. Then one day I was bored, so
I decided to see it again. And that's when it happened. Kubrick came
alive. I became infected by his genius and captivated by Cruise's
portrayal. His realization and his detail.

It's hard to pick my favorite scene in the movie. I couldn't pretend if
I tried. I particularly love the opening party scene. That leads to a
"Baby did a bad bad thing". Cruise being assaulted on the street being
so eloquently called a fag. The prostitute. From the piano bar to the
costume shop. And finally, the unionized orgy party, that I find hard
to believe doesn't really exist. Maybe only guys like Kubrick or Cruise
will ever really know if they do or not.

Many people might disagree with me when I say Eyes Wide Shut is one of
the greatest films. But how come I think it is every time I watch it?
To me, it's more than a beautiful work of art. More than a visceral
painted picture or a haunting melody. It's a masterpiece that should be
treasured.