Opening Eyes Wide Shut

A lengthy study of Stanley Kubrick’s final film that sheds some light on just what the hell is going on during the movie. Extra attention is paid to the symbolism present in the film (don’t miss the Final Note on Symbolism, Theme, and the Legacy of Kubrick) and as such, many small details and references are discussed. Personally, though I don’t believe it to be the best of Kubrick’s work, I loved EWS. What isn’t discussed in the articles is the sheer mastery of Kubrick’s direction (or maybe I’m thinking of cinematography here), as in the conversation after the party. The article points out the symbolism of red and blue in the scene (which I understoon to be Hot and Cool colors representing turmoil and calmness respectively), but the framing of that scene is just brilliant. At the beginning of the scene Alice and Bill are both on screen (smoking up). Then, as tensions between them mount, the become farther apart until only one at a time is on screen. As the discussion becomes more and more heated, the camera zooms in closer and closer, almost suffocating Bill and Alice and furthering their isolation. Brilliant work dammit.