Comments on: Heroes of Contentiousness #5 – Eyes Wide Shut http://www.criticker.com/blog/index.php/2008/07/19/heroes-of-contentiousness-5-eyes-wide-shut/ Movie News, Fun Links and Site Updates Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:14:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Alex http://www.criticker.com/blog/index.php/2008/07/19/heroes-of-contentiousness-5-eyes-wide-shut/comment-page-1/#comment-722 Alex Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:13:27 +0000 http://www.criticker.com/blog/?p=182#comment-722 <i>...but there should be no debate about the fact that Kubrick is without doubt the greatest American director of the twentieth century.</i> Oh, I'll debate this quite strongly. I'll take the bodies of work of Scorsese, Welles, Allen, and Wilder before Kubrick without thinking twice, and others would provide strong competition, like Cassavetes or, yes, Spielberg. But that's not the point of this post, so back on topic: Eyes Wide Shut is my second favorite Kubrick film (after The Shining). It's one of Kubrick's few films I've seen that uses its slow pacing and rhythm to create a style that I enjoy - 2001 is great but it's never been a personal favorite of mine. The use of color is really incredible, the mystery of its plot and the use of sexuality as a means of human exploration is fascinating to me. …but there should be no debate about the fact that Kubrick is without doubt the greatest American director of the twentieth century.

Oh, I’ll debate this quite strongly. I’ll take the bodies of work of Scorsese, Welles, Allen, and Wilder before Kubrick without thinking twice, and others would provide strong competition, like Cassavetes or, yes, Spielberg. But that’s not the point of this post, so back on topic:

Eyes Wide Shut is my second favorite Kubrick film (after The Shining). It’s one of Kubrick’s few films I’ve seen that uses its slow pacing and rhythm to create a style that I enjoy – 2001 is great but it’s never been a personal favorite of mine. The use of color is really incredible, the mystery of its plot and the use of sexuality as a means of human exploration is fascinating to me.

]]> By: KGB http://www.criticker.com/blog/index.php/2008/07/19/heroes-of-contentiousness-5-eyes-wide-shut/comment-page-1/#comment-707 KGB Sat, 19 Jul 2008 16:27:53 +0000 http://www.criticker.com/blog/?p=182#comment-707 Damn you, Criticker, how can you say such things? Kubrick is my favorite director of all times. Maybe some foreign directors seem better to other people's taste and I can't argue that, but there should be no debate about the fact that Kubrick is without doubt the greatest american director of the twentieth century. That said, Kubrick never failed. I didn't get the chance to see his shorts, which he himself dislike (an urban myth says that he hated so much his first short [being the short praised by critics, to which he responded the short was 'like a child's drawing on the fridge'], that he tracked down every single copy and destroyed it), but not one of the films I saw by him fell under the 10th tier, top of the 9th tier minimum - and 'Eyes Wide Shut' is no exception. I have no idea why people dislike this film. Having said that, I have also no idea why people who do like it call 'dreamlike'. There's nothing dreamlike about 'Eyes Wide Shut'. In fact, it is a very down to earth, slow thriller about a man in a moment of crisis. It is slow, of course, but for me it was hypnotic - once I fell for it I couldn't look away. I have also no idea on what's so 'wooding' about the performances in 'Eyes Wide Shut'. Yes, the acting is a bit numb, but none of us were expecting Tom Cruise to jump over the rooftops screaming "YEAH!!! ORGY!!". I'm actually not a big fan of Tom Cruise, but as I keep insisting, his performance in 'Eyes Wide Shut' is one of the greatest I have ever seen. If the haters of the film would ever try to comprehend the complex personality of Tom Cruise's character, they would have found much more to the film than they ever cared to observe. In conclusion, I fail to fathom how Kubrick 'tranished his legacy' in a film so characteristic for him - slow paced, distant to the viewer and yet emotionally evoking, a film that investigates so closely the human pattern. Seeing so many people hating the film, all I can think of is - did you even bother? Damn you, Criticker, how can you say such things?
Kubrick is my favorite director of all times. Maybe some foreign directors seem better to other people’s taste and I can’t argue that, but there should be no debate about the fact that Kubrick is without doubt the greatest american director of the twentieth century.
That said, Kubrick never failed. I didn’t get the chance to see his shorts, which he himself dislike (an urban myth says that he hated so much his first short [being the short praised by critics, to which he responded the short was 'like a child's drawing on the fridge'], that he tracked down every single copy and destroyed it), but not one of the films I saw by him fell under the 10th tier, top of the 9th tier minimum – and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is no exception.

I have no idea why people dislike this film. Having said that, I have also no idea why people who do like it call ‘dreamlike’. There’s nothing dreamlike about ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. In fact, it is a very down to earth, slow thriller about a man in a moment of crisis. It is slow, of course, but for me it was hypnotic – once I fell for it I couldn’t look away.
I have also no idea on what’s so ‘wooding’ about the performances in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. Yes, the acting is a bit numb, but none of us were expecting Tom Cruise to jump over the rooftops screaming “YEAH!!! ORGY!!”. I’m actually not a big fan of Tom Cruise, but as I keep insisting, his performance in ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ is one of the greatest I have ever seen. If the haters of the film would ever try to comprehend the complex personality of Tom Cruise’s character, they would have found much more to the film than they ever cared to observe.

In conclusion, I fail to fathom how Kubrick ‘tranished his legacy’ in a film so characteristic for him – slow paced, distant to the viewer and yet emotionally evoking, a film that investigates so closely the human pattern. Seeing so many people hating the film, all I can think of is – did you even bother?

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