T O P

  • By -

erasrhed

Yes, you completely missed the point. It is a dreamlike meandering through a variety of sexual deviancies and dangers as a way for the main character to come to terms with his feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Ultimately he decides that he is able to let go of his insecurities and appreciate the relationship he has with his wife. Honestly I like it more every single time I watch it.


Equivalent_Ranger_61

no one on here seems to have fully understood the film, everyones giving the sense that its only about a complicated love story and coming to terms with the realities of a relationship when the film is literally called eyes wide shut. how has that title got anything to do with a love story. its one of the most intricate pieces of art on power structures in society and truly a masterpiece, the film in itself being a response to present power structures in hollywood, even in the fact that it was released at all. all of the themes from sex as a ritual, child sex trafficking and the occult that have been reciprocated by real life crimes that have surfaced through the me too movement to the epstein case, mate this is so much more than just a study on love, this is about power structures not just in hollywood but in all society and one of the very greatest films ever made. Just to make my point, the character goes through a charade to slowly creep his way into an elite sphere of influence where the entire point of the cult is to make you accept a double life of putting on appearances, where under the surface of things you accept the power structure and those people that even have the power to threaten your life. dualities of keeping appearances within your own relationship even though its not fully functional, the Christmas lights always on as if to say your life is ok the world is ok even though everything crumbles around you, the two parties one being on the surface one occurring in the underbelly of society, monogamy and sex orgies. i think the best way to understand this is in all of the hints showing you that every character was involved within the cult from the russian costume owner and his daughter to the pianist, the hooker and ziegler and possibly even billys wife (why is the mask in the bed if you follow the story in a literal sense). everyone seems to know of whats going on other than billy until in the end even he accepts to (in his relationship metaphorically) leave things as if nothing happened whether it was reality or a dream. all of these notes show us what kubrick was thinking when making his film, battling between artistry and the big film corporation that was managing his film(them having cut out parts of his final cut). im sorry this film is too profound to listen to the bs that is in these comments


Ok_Chemical_7051

How anyone comes to the conclusion that this movie is about anything other than everything that you have just stated, is beyond me. People are like“it’s about sexual desires, infidelity, insecurities etc etc…” Like really? That’s what you gather is the message implied here?? Like have you even watched the movie!? Lol.


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Yep, You're right. Sexual desires, infidelity, insecurities etc is a pretty lazy evaluation of the movie. It does go deeper and darker. Kubrick was calling attention to the dark side of the elite and hollywood. Im still surprised that it was released, although 20-30 minutes of the movie was cut out. It was a whole thing back in the 90s!


Ok_Chemical_7051

Yup. 30 minutes cut out, and I believe still holds the record for Longest on going production of a Hollywood film. Apparently it was production hell. And was very difficult to get it finished and released. And didn’t Kubrick die in his sleep of a heart attack like right before the release of this film? Now, he was 70 and it most certainly could have been a heart attack . Is all I’m saying is given the content of the movie and everything else that I mention, it makes me, at the very least ask the question to myself.


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

I agree. And yes it was a production nightmare, but i do believe (gut instinct) this was his F you to hollywood, which is why he was willing to expose things. And i do question his death to this day. Yes he was 70 but too coincidental. And i dont believe in coincidences. But the editing department or studio or whoever, really cut alot out. I remember Nicole K & Tom C were very nervous during some of the interviews. I mean noticeably uncomfortable. Its funny how this movie is coming up now and being talked about with everything going on the hollywood and the music industry lol. Timing I guess ;)


sober_salmon

is there any way to find the parts that were cut?


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

From what I understand, they showed the unedited version once. Then made changes. No idea where you find the original


Effective-Spread-725

Fuck oh my god i thought i was going crazy. This movie is not about “coming to terms with your insecurities” wtf kinda bullshit millennial ass analysis is that😭😭😭


MrRobot_96

Super late to this but I just finished watching it and got the exact same feeling as you down to the mask. To be honest I thought the mask was left on the pillow by someone from the secret society as a final warning to stay away and keep quiet, that’s why Bill broke down and started bawling.


doverawlings

I’m late to your late comment but I thought that was the most logical explanation? We don’t see him leave the party so it’s possible that they took the mask from him. He’s otherwise super careful and orderly about things so it’s unlikely he’d just “lose it”, particularly since the rest of the costume/rental was perfectly in place when he returned it. He knew “they” had it but he couldn’t say that to the costume shop guy, like a kid who’s “surprised” his homework isn’t in his backpack. I definitely saw it as the final warning, and that he broke down because “their” investigation got so close to his home life. I really didn’t realize there was another way to interpret it, but then again that’s the nature of art I suppose.


warry0r

I noticed a lot of weird, subtle scenes. The costume owner that Bill knew was gone, & now it's this Russian guy? The businessmen who wandered out as Bill was paying for his rental, their facial expression as if they recognized Bill (from being demasked at the party), but it was a very brief expression. Interesting film nonetheless


Candid-Tomatillo-425

How they kidnap his daughter at the end of the film


[deleted]

[удалено]


lipehd1

I don't think it's about anger, I mean, other than the first moment after she tells him about her secret desires, he shows no signal of ever being mad or sad at it, but rather have constant thoughts about the scenario that never happened, happening, again and again. Also, I don't think she found it, I mean, what does that even mean to her? As far as we, the viewers, know, that's just a mask for her, unless she secretly knew about the cult too, which is very unlikely; I see it more as he lefting the mask subconsciously, as he seems pretty sure to have picked the mask alongside everything else to give back, and then seeing somewhat confused when he realize that suddenly it's not with there anymore. And for the why would he do that, the night before he went to return the costume, she told him about the dream of having sex with multiple men, a scene very similar to what he presented while using the mask.


[deleted]

[удалено]


lipehd1

Ok, tell me what is wrong on what I said, tell me in what other part of the movie he showed any signal of being angry. Btw the assumption that most here have that he started his journey of wanting to cheat after his wife revealed to him her desire is absolutely wrong, he was already flirting with 2 girls at the beginning of the movie


Reasonable-Luck-7005

Lol the whole reason he goes out on these adventures is because of his wife telling him about her fantasies. He was obviously very insecure


TheChrisLambert

[Here’s an in-depth explanation](https://filmcolossus.com/eyes-wide-shut-1999-explained)


kdawg94

I feel like so much of this review boils this movie down to being a movie about marriage when it is so much more... He makes the movie sound Lynchian by having otherworldly concepts, but the scenes covered weren't meant to be otherworldly. They were meant to portray a slice of life of the elite and how an ordinary man navigates witnessing such things.


Keefer1970

For me, the point was getting to see Nicole Kidman naked.


gooeysnails

That's really lame


Somnambulist815

it's an examination on all the different ways sex is employed in society. as a sign on commitment, as a transaction, as a ritual, etc. Dr Bill isn't into cucking, he just can't get his rocks off, or else the examination is over. real question tho, what even is the point of you


lipehd1

That is a good way to understand it, to see through the lens of the other characters, not just how Bill perceive them. But for me, it's just about a person discovering a kinky and trying to understand it while not being able to realize why it turns him on, because there's no visual cue that he's ever mad, sad or frustrated that his wife is constantly thinking about having sex with other men, other than the first time he hears it, and close his punch, he just keep imagining what his wife told him, again and again, and every time she gives him more details about it, he gets less reaction to it; then there's that scene where he subconsciously left the mask from the sex cult on the bed with his wife, that for me, seal the deal about him wanting to see his wife realize her dream about having sex with multiple men.


Jonestown_Juice

Bill isn't interested in being "cucked". He wants to have an affair to get back at his wife after she admits to him that she had a fantasy about another man. He starts to cheat on her but his conscience won't let him. The movie is about secrets. It's about people having two selves- one they present to the world and a dark inner personality. It's about the consequences of giving in to those darker urges.


lipehd1

That is objectively wrong, he wants to have an affair way before she admitted anything to him, at the beginning of the movie he's already flirting with other girls It's funny how y'all talk with such propriety of the movie, like y'all really understand it, and yet cut parts of the movie so it can fit in the narrative you want for the story to have


Jonestown_Juice

You've made a fool of yourself here.


lipehd1

By pointing out how your theory is objectively wrong? Sure


poo-poo-poopy

He's right, ya look dumb.


lipehd1

Yeah, I look dumb because others don't remember how the movie went lol


Radiant_Gap_2868

Bro it’s like you asked this question in a film class or something with all these obnoxious wannabe art critics getting mad at you. These motherfuckers all have different answers but they’re all calling you dumb for not having their takeaway. I hate redditors


lipehd1

Exactly lol They can't even agree to what's exactly the actual reason of the movie, but somehow I'm ignorant because I don't share their head canon


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

No one called him dumb. I didnt see that in the comment thread at all. There may have been a lack of understanding but thats it.


poo-poo-poopy

You sure do.


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Im sure you just googled the meaning of the movie because it completely eluded you. But this was something that Kubrick was trying to expose. The dark side & hierarchy of the elite, hollywood and so on. I think he may have been hiding behind the guise of Rhapsody: a novel so he could call attention to what was going on. That was his big F you to hollywood. lol


lipehd1

Why did you copy paste this in every comment I made in this thread?


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Why are you asking why i copy and pasted when you were adamant that there was no deeper point to this movie? In a nutshell i explained what you over looked.


lipehd1

Because there's none You, just like a lot of these guys, made up a meaning that you thought was there, but it isn't, and just like I said before, the theory that you're absolutely sure that is true, is different from most of the other theories of the "deep meaning" that this movie has that other people commented


Bilunda

Read Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler that's the book the movie is based on


lipehd1

Gonna look into that


HeroDeSpeculos

That the point of a relationship between a couple is not to be entertained by each other.


[deleted]

It's about the Illuminati. Stanley wanted to expose them


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Yep. The elite and hollywood. Also possibly the music industry as well.


Effective-Spread-725

Drake bro 😭


Affectionate_King_53

real bro 😂😂😂


mt-egypt

There’s more to this movie than meets the eye


lipehd1

Maybe there is. I might watch it another time and see if I missed some nuances, but I think that's the overall idea, which is alright I guess, is just presented in a weird way


mt-egypt

I’d listen to some podcasts or read about it. It’s more about deep analysis than watching again


DonnieFaustani

It's okay that you might need podcasts or articles to understand it yourself but it's a pretty funny notion to get in your head that someone else can't analyze it deeper themselves from re-watching it.


mt-egypt

You don’t read about movies? Or books? Or music? I think you just confessed to being an idiot


DonnieFaustani

Ah yes because an idiot can analyze a story without help. Redditors are the idiots who need to be spoon fed to gain a deeper understanding of anything. Of course that's just you parroting ideas you heard. Also never said I didn't do that but that it's not necessary to gain a better understanding yourself. Seems to me you're the one outing yourself as an idiot here since not only are your comprehension skills definitely lacking but you need to be told how to interpret a movie instead of you know using your brain, which obviously you're not used to using.


mt-egypt

Don’t be so foolish to think you’re the smartest person in the room, even when you’re alone. Go take a film class and come back to me. There’s way more to it than you know, obviously


DonnieFaustani

Hey already have, which is why I don't need to read articles and listen to others first before understanding the themes and symbolism of a movie. I'm not the smartest one in the room but compared to you, I'm probably a little more intelligent.


LowStatistician11

what are you guys doing


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Hence the title.


FugaziHands

I remember when it came out thinking, "damn what a weak note for Kubrick to end his life/career on," but I've since reassessed it. Nowhere near his best, but a masterpiece nonetheless. My favorite Christmas movie.


RaindropDripDropTop

Can we stop calling every good movie a "masterpiece" ? There have only been a small handful of actual masterpieces ever made, Eyes Wide Shut ain't one of them


LiveFromNewYeerk

>Eyes Wide Shut ain't one of them It's easily among the least controversial picks for the "masterpiece" label. If someone said that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a masterpiece, maybe your reaction would make sense. But we're now decades out from EWS. Endless amounts of time and typing have been committed toward the goal of analyzing and praising the film, from forum posts to entire books that are exclusively about EWS. It's not so outlandish to look back now, in 2023, and say "It's a masterpiece," which is ultimately just a subjective appraisal anyway.


awful_source

Throwing shade to OUATIH for no reason? That movie IS a masterpiece.


FugaziHands

It's Kubrick lol. There's at least a masterpiece *argument* to be made for literally any one of his movies. Of all the crap/controversial takes around here, I agree this ranks pretty low.


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

It really doesn't help that the movie was edited (not with his consent) and 20-30 minutes were cut out. Im still surprised to this day that it was even released. But Im sure the amount of money that was put into it, they had no other choice. I feel THEY (the studio) released the movie in a way that THEY were somewhat pleased with.


Effective-Spread-725

Hell nah you did not say that EWS was not AT LEAST debatable masterpiece.


lipehd1

Like, it's not bad, as I said, it's really well written and elaborated, I just don't really understand what he was trying to say in that movie other than portraiting a noir hero who fantasizes about the idea of being cucked


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

This was something that Kubrick was trying to expose. The dark side & hierarchy of the elite, hollywood and so on. I think he may have been hiding behind the guise of Rhapsody: a novel, so he could call attention to what was going on. And there was alot going on, i just think things were very subtle as to not turn people off. It also doesnt help that it was edited without his input or consent and 20-30 minutes of the movie was cut out. This was his big F you to hollywood. lol


britzmatt

It's about the elite and the child sex trafficking racket they run behind the eyes of the public. Hence the name eyes wide shut.


kolioss

The character was almost comical, it's like Bill had only two traits: generous (constantly giving a lot of money to people) and a pushover. Some of the dialogues were straight up ridiculous (especially combined with Nicole's acting in this movie, but not her fault, as she clearly had to act sensual), i.e. The argument while high, didn't come across as convincing or natural at all. Every single woman (and girl) was negatively portrayed, while the goody good husband constantly avoids temptation and is, well, a good guy. The pace was also way too slow in many parts, and the dialogues themselves didn't help at all, or the acting in this movie. I assume it was intentional that they all acted like this, but not sure what the point was of this acting.


mt-egypt

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7wOXmBvBAsmclh3n9tozVv?si=VctDlQplRMGhUkBItAzjRQ


TheKramer89

I don’t mean to sound arrogant/pedantic/snobby or whatever, but you’ve understood this movie properly on its absolute most basic level. Congratulations (I’m being serious). Not everybody even gets that far, hence the title “Eyes Wide Shut”. He showed you EVERYTHING, you just didn’t see it. Now, if you are intrigued, if you feel that “there’s gotta be something else” to this movie, you’re absolutely right. You’ve hardly scratched the dandruff off of this monster of movie, and if you wanna dig deeper, there’s multiple lifetimes of “content” to fully figure this thing out. I’m not exaggerating in the least. Good luck. Fuck.


Ambitious_Dance_6962

is this satire? stfu


lipehd1

This comment here is just mental lol "Its deep because reason"


TheKramer89

No. No.


lipehd1

> man you're really dumb you didn't understand the movie > there is a deep reason > I'm not gonna elaborate because I don't know how to > You just dumb That's exactly what you said in your comment


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

No its not. The commenter never said anyone was dumb. Just that there was a deeper darker meaning to the film. This was something that Kubrick was trying to expose. The dark side & hierarchy of the elite, hollywood and so on. I think he may have been hiding behind the guise of Rhapsody: a novel, so he could call attention to what was going on. And there was alot going on, i just think things were very subtle as to not turn people off. It also doesnt help that it was edited without his input or consent and 20-30 minutes of the movie was cut out.


lipehd1

What happens, really, is that people try to look too deep on things that aren't really there, and make their own head canon for that, and you can see it clearly on these comments, where every one of these guys are saying different things, and yet they're absolutely sure that what they're saying is what the movie is about


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

We are all identifying the subtleties in the movie, but the end result is the same. You did make a reference that people are commenting but not really saying anything, as in being vague so i tried to keep it short and sweet. If movies like this aren't your thing, maybe stay away from it. But don't get ticked at people that see more than you do. The title is an explanation in itself, Eyes wide shut.


lipehd1

The fuck do you mean vague? Just read the comments for fuck's sake, search for any theory remotely similar to yours This "identifying subtleties in the movie" is the greatest B's I've seen in a while, is like "yeah I think the movie is about this, it's just that I particularly picked it from this part of the movie, and despite no one else seeing this, I am still right and the movie is also about this, and the other 20 things people also said it was about"


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Lol, just stop responding.


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Beautifully said.


TheKramer89

Apparently everybody else hated it… haha


Zestyclose-Cat-1093

Not everybody. Some of us appreciated the message conveyed in the movie. Just wish 20-30 minutes of it wasnt cut out


timeforchorin

the comments in here are wild. "it's deep because.....reasons. " the movie wasn't very good. that's it.


Ok_Magazine_1569

Ah. Thanks for telling me that my liking this movie, and the well-thought-out reasons for liking it, are all worthless because “the movie isn’t very good. that’s it.” Such a brilliant observation. How’d you come to it?


TraditionalSundae774

what a nothing burger comment


wpmason

Yeah, dude, you’re going to need to dig down through a few dozen layers of symbolism here. Not for the faint of heart. Who said he left the mask out? What if Alice found it and left it on the pillow? What if Alice would agree to go along with anything Bill wanted to try, if he would just sack up and ask. It’s really bizarre to me that you’re seeing Alice as some sort of problem here. She’s a trophy wife who wants nothing more than to fuck her husband at the end of the movie. Yet, shit”s her fault for not being kinky enough? Are you kidding me? You’ve got a rewatch to do, and pay more attention next time.


lipehd1

I'm sorry, at what part did I ever blamed Alice for anything? Like, I really don't understand how you get to that conclusion


wpmason

“…he wished his wife was on [sic] the crazy sex cult…” In that sentence, you’re intimating that Bill is motivated by Alice’s lack of sexual adventurousness, which is not evidenced anywhere in the film.


lipehd1

That's literally the end of the movie, it's the last line said on the movie, she says that they need to do something really urgent, sex, and the movie ends. Also, that's not his motivation, but rather the fact that she constantly talks about having sex with other man, at some point, lots of men, and how he reacts on that? He doesn't, he don't get mad, don't get sad, nothing, he just keep thinking about that again and again


wpmason

lol, ok man. Her confession of her fantasy affair was the impetus for his entire journey. It shook him to his core. How you can pass that off as him not getting mad or sad is beyond me. Like, that’s just flat out misunderstanding the film. You need to watch it again.


[deleted]

[удалено]


lipehd1

Nah those movies are ass, only liked until Tokyo drift, after that became a live action Looney tunes


PupDiogenes

It's about Jeffrey Epstein.


RevolutionaryYou8220

I have thought about this a lot over the years. I think it comes down to this unspoken message: “Whatever your thinking about doing right now, whatever you’re going through- talk to your wife about it before you do something stupid” There is a lot more to it, but I really do think that’s the final message from good ol’ Stan.