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What I Learned After Watching Eyes Wide Shut 100 Times

In 1994, Stanley Kubrick sent the screenwriter Frederic Raphael a novella about a doctor who embarks on a dark odyssey of the soul after learning that his wife has fantasized about fucking another man. The story took place in Hapsburg Vienna; Kubrick wanted to know if Raphael could adapt it into a screenplay set in contemporary New York. As Raphael later recalled in an essay for The New Yorker , he was initially skeptical. “Hadn’t many things changed since 1900,” he recalled asking Kubrick, “not least the relations between men and women?” “Think so?” Kubrick replied. “I don’t think so.” Raphael thought about it. Then he said, “Neither do I.”

The film they eventually collaborated on, Eyes Wide Shut , came out twenty years ago to mixed reviews. While some critics praised it as one of the master’s greatest works, it was perceived by some as a disappointment, an underwhelming valediction from the great director, who died a few months before its release. One of the most consistent complaints about it was that its attitude toward sex seemed badly dated. “It feels creaky, ancient, hopelessly out of touch, infatuated with the hot taboos of his youth and unable to connect with that twisty thing contemporary sexuality has become,” wrote Stephen Hunter in the Washington Post . Rod Dreher of the New York Post quipped that it seemed to have been made by “someone who hadn’t left the house in 30 years.” Relations between men and women, in other words, had in fact changed a lot.

But had they really? I’ve watched the movie close to a hundred times in the last two years and I’m here to tell you that it was timely then, it’s timely now, and as sad as it is to say this about the world, it may well be timely forever.

My Eyes Wide Shut addiction first took hold in the spring of 2016. I was working on a novel and rarely left my apartment. The book that I was writing was a sort of fairytale, and so was the film. With its dreamy music and strangely mannered dialogue, its Christmas lights twinkling in scene after scene, it would fast track me into a trancelike state of creativity, detaching me from the real world and its mundane concerns.

What critics saw as dated, I saw as timeless. Though it technically takes place in 1990s New York, the film keeps one boot planted firmly in the fin de siècle world of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella. The opening credits are set to a waltz; the gentleman who hits on Nicole Kidman’s character in the following scene is an elegant Hungarian; the film’s iconic centerpiece , a masked ritual that turns into an orgy, seems like the sort of affair that might have titillated Gustav Klimt. And then there’s Tom Cruise’s character, the amazingly naïve Dr. Bill Harford. Early on, when his wife suggests that his patients are horny for him, he assures her that women “don’t think like that” — as if he would know better than her. She falls to her knees laughing, then reveals that she was once so taken with a hot sailor that she fantasized about giving up their marriage (and even their daughter) for a single night with the guy.

It’s this confession that serves as the movie’s inciting incident, sending the shocked doctor reeling out of the apartment, out into the wild New York night. And to critics, that registered as bizarrely unrealistic . It was the ’90s after all — the decade of Wild Things and Cruel Intentions , of Sharon Stone’s Catherine Trammel asking Michael Douglas’s Nick Curran, “Have you ever fucked on cocaine, Nick? It’s nice.” The President was getting head in the Oval Office. Could any man really be as innocent as Dr. Harford?

In the fall of 2017, a month or so after the world learned that an ogre in a tuxedo had been preying on Hollywood’s women for decades and getting away with it , I resumed my daily viewings. By then, #MeToo was in full swing, and a lot of men had been named. Like other women I know, I was overwhelmed, not by the fact that there were so many bad men out there — that was to be expected. It was the “him too?” of it all — the fact that so many of the men I knew were so shocked by the revelations.

I knew that Dr. Harford would be shocked, too. Here was a man so oblivious to his own wife’s sexual desires that he couldn’t abide the thought of her merely fantasizing about someone else. He’s totally clueless about what it’s like to be a woman, and when his wife tries to school him, he runs away in fear. Dr. Harford’s ignorance of his wife’s desires and the guys I knew who couldn’t seem to wrap their minds around the avalanche of stories of abuse struck me as two sides of the same coin. Both attitudes stemmed from an inability to understand the interior life of women and a refusal to acknowledge that we might be experiencing sexual thoughts and feelings so foreign to their own. And so when guys told me that they couldn’t believe the stories that were coming out about the powerful men who were being named, I heard them saying that they had chosen to be clueless, too. Was it because they were afraid of what might happen if they’d kept their eyes wide open? Afraid they’d have to be friends with different people, look up to different men, maybe even challenge those in power over them, lest they accept their complicity in a structure they knew to be abusive?

Complicity is what Harford seeks: He’s desperate to be on the inside. At the height of the film, he infiltrates a secret society where powerful men in masks and robes are having ritualistic sex with subservient naked women. Who are these women, and why are they there? They have supermodel bodies, and we can infer that they’ve been hired to do a job. But that’s about all we know. At one point, Harford asks one of them to remove her mask; she refuses, and begs him to leave the party, warning him that if he stays, it could cost him his life. A moment later, he’s exposed as an intruder, and a sort of tribunal is convened to decide what to do with him. As his fate hangs in the balance, the woman he met earlier intervenes, crying out, “Take me instead!”

Later, her body turns up in the morgue. Dr. Harford suspects that she was murdered as punishment for trying to help him, but he doesn’t go to the police. Instead, he allows himself to be lulled into a state of complacency by one of the men who was at the party, a master-of-the-universe type played by Sydney Pollack. Pollack reads Dr. Harford perfectly, accusing him of “jerking himself off” to the thought of the woman sacrificing her life for his. The truth, he insists, isn’t nearly so romantic. “She was a junkie! She OD’d!” As Pollack circles the room, tapping a pool cue in a faint echo of the ritual at the masked ball, he urges the doctor to let it go. The men at the party were “not just ordinary people,” he warns. “If I told you their names […] I don’t think you’d sleep so well.” Harford doesn’t press him for those names or any other details. He doesn’t want to know. Although Harford spent the day leading up to this conversation retracing his steps, desperate for answers, Pollock easily convinces him to give up and go home. That’s how power triumphs — Pollack offers the smallest crumbs of an explanation, drawing him into the conspiracy while offering no real answers, and Harford accepts the bargain.

If all this felt dated back in 1999, maybe that’s because we weren’t quite as savvy as we thought. We’d spent the past year obsessing over the semen stain on Monica Lewinsky’s dress, but we’d somehow missed the point of the whole dark saga. We thought it was a story about sex, but it was really about power — about the abuse of it, and our complicity in that abuse. The world’s most powerful man walked away from a scandal unscathed while his intern’s life was torn apart and we shrugged at her ordeal. We were all Dr. Harford. And by that light, Eyes Wide Shut doesn’t seem quaint; it seems prescient.

At the very end of the film, Dr. Harford comes home to find the mask he’d worn at the party resting on his pillow beside his sleeping wife. He breaks down in tears and promises to tell her everything — but the confession, which we never hear, doesn’t seem to bring them happiness. In the next and last scene, Nicole Kidman’s character suggests that the moral of the story is that they should be grateful for what they have. And what do they have? A domestic partnership built on her husband’s ignorance of her desires. She, too, is choosing complacency. Her marriage depends on it. And that’s Kubrick’s point. As long as men choose ignorance, and women accept it, the relations between them will never change. Kubrick, the most controlling and precise of directors, knew exactly what he was doing. He didn’t make a naïve film — he made a film about naïvete, and the toll it takes on the world.

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Eyes Wide Shut

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Kubrick's intense study of the human psyche yields an impressive cinematic work.

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Stanley Kubrick

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Eyes Wide Shut, 20 years on: how does Stanley Kubrick’s last testament stand up?

Of all Stanley Kubrick’s films, his swansong remains the most divisive. After a production shrouded in secrecy, the Tom Cruise-Nicole Kidman erotic drama Eyes Wide Shut opened to mixed reviews. Was Kubrick ahead of the times, or behind them?

As 1999 approached, what little was known about Eyes Wide Shut was almost indecently tantalising. Here was Stanley Kubrick, for many the world’s greatest living filmmaker, returning with his first finished project in 12 years – a sexually provocative adult drama, utterly shrouded in secrecy, starring pre-eminent Hollywood power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Kubrick’s sudden death in March 1999, six days after delivering his final cut to Warner Bros, only served to intensify anticipation for what would now, alas, be the master’s final gift to cinema.

But while the pre-release marketing campaign, which Warner Bros claimed was executed in accordance with Kubrick’s wishes, teased a steamy, erotic thriller, the final film was a complex, confounding, intimate epic. Relocating the events of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 psychosexual novella, Dream Story, from early 20th-century Vienna to eve-of-the-millennium Manhattan, it depicts an extraordinary chapter in the life of Dr Bill Harford (Cruise), who embarks on a dreamlike nocturnal odyssey after his wife, Alice (Kidman), confesses, while intoxicated, to having had intense fantasies about another man. Bill’s wanderings offer him an enticing glimpse of a murky, sexual underworld, and ultimately lead him to a ritualistic masked orgy in an opulent mansion. But despite encountering a wealth of potential partners, Bill finds his opportunities to taste forbidden fruit thwarted at every turn.

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Come to the film expecting a salacious romp, then, and you may find it to be a profoundly frustrating viewing experience, all foreplay and no penetration. Indeed, some early detractors were annoyed to have been so flagrantly misled by the titillating trailer. “Eyes Wide Shut turns out to be the dirtiest movie of 1958,” quipped the Washington Post’s Stephen Hunter.

But while it’s often talked of as a critical flop, the film had its fair share of early champions. Roger Ebert called it a “mesmerizing daydream of sexual fantasy”, Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune proclaimed it a “masterpiece”, and, perhaps predictably, it was widely praised by French cinephile journalists. It was also far from a commercial disaster, ultimately grossing over $162m worldwide: underwhelming for a Tom Cruise star vehicle, but really rather respectable for a near-three-hour existential art film about sexual dysfunction.

Come to terms with the lack of thrusting and you’ll discover a film of myriad other perverse pleasures. It’s more wryly amusing than many of its detractors would have you believe – though your mileage may vary depending on how tickled you are by the notion of one of Hollywood’s most handsome movie stars roaming the streets of America’s most densely populated city with the express purpose of cheating on his wife, and still somehow failing to get laid.

Kubrick seems to take immense delight in subverting Cruise’s virile man-of-action image – Bill is almost pathologically passive, unable to acknowledge, let alone explore, his sexuality. He’s also cringe-inducingly bourgeois, introducing himself as a doctor to everyone he meets, as if this automatically grants him moral authority in any situation. And the film is punctuated by moments of unexpected absurdity: a grieving daughter confesses her undying love for Bill, despite barely knowing him; the orgy sequence, entrancingly sinister at first, collapses into florid melodrama as soon as the menacing masked figures begin to speak. Appearing on the Charlie Rose show in 2000, Steve Martin revealed that Kubrick approached him for the lead role in a Dream Story adaptation back in 1980, and it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine Eyes Wide Shut as a full-blown sex farce.

But that’s not to suggest a lack of serious intent on Kubrick’s part. The film excels as an unflinching examination of a long-term relationship unravelling at the seams as a result of mutual suppressed desire and emotional dishonesty. Pivotal scenes in which Alice confesses her contempt for Bill and her interest in other men are given an extra jolt of authenticity by the fact that the actors were a married couple. These sequences are even more compellingly uncomfortable today, now that we know that Cruise abruptly filed for divorce from Kidman in 2001. In a 2014 Vanity Fair article, Amy Nicholson explains: “Kubrick decided to find his story through psychoanalyzing his stars, prodding Cruise and Kidman to confess their fears about marriage and commitment to their director in conversations that the three vowed to keep secret.”

There’s also a sense of art mirroring reality in the way that Bill’s sexuality is repeatedly called into question – explicitly in one scene by a group of homophobic frat boys, implicitly by the character’s general reticence around women. Persistent rumours about Cruise’s orientation are an integral part of the star’s biography, and Kubrick seems keen for viewers to keep these in mind throughout Eyes Wide Shut.

But while this blurring of fiction and reality is enthralling to behold in the finished film, it would seem that the production process, and the media circus surrounding it, was personally damaging to Cruise in particular. Ahead of the film’s release, US magazine Star alleged that Kubrick hired sex therapists for the couple after they proved unable to act amorously with one another. This came hot on the heels of an Express article suggesting that their marriage was a business arrangement, perhaps conceived to cover up their homosexuality. In both cases, the pair successfully sued, but Cruise has never since managed to quash intense speculation about his private life.

Eyes Wide Shut ultimately broke the star’s uninterrupted run of major box office hits since 1992’s A Few Good Men. To add insult to injury, Cruise was singled out by some early critics as the film’s weak link, his all-too-convincing performance as a haunted, repressed individual written off as merely wooden. It’s surely no coincidence that after the controversies and perceived failure of the film, the star became considerably more risk-averse in his choice of roles. Despite the widespread acclaim that he received later, in 1999, for his explosive turn as a monstrous sex guru in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, he swiftly retreated back into his comfort zone as an actor and continues to this day to mostly play wholesome, unwaveringly heterosexual heroes in bombastic action blockbusters. This might ultimately be the most lamentable aspect of Eyes Wide Shut’s legacy, as the vulnerability he displays under Kubrick’s tutelage is often thrilling to behold.

While the initial critical response was mixed rather than hostile, the tide has continued to turn in the film’s favour, with a steady stream of reappraisals positioning it as a misunderstood masterpiece. But it remains perhaps Kubrick’s most divisive major work. For me, it’s great but with a few significant shortcomings. The strange middle ground it occupies between reality and dreamscape is unquestionably a high barrier to entry. As a psychologically probing relationship drama, it often comes across as illogical and overwrought; as a surreal psychosexual thriller, it’s less transportive and transgressive than David Lynch’s Lost Highway (1997) or Mulholland Dr. (2001). Where the film really soars is in its assured handling of dramatic tonal shifts, but that’s far more of a niche proposition than the high-minded visceral horror of The Shining (1980) or the trippy sci-fi spectacle of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

The film suffers a little by sticking so closely to the narrative of Schnitzler’s Dream Story. The central notion of a man being shaken to his core by the revelation of his wife’s inner sexual life makes perfect sense in a story written when psychoanalysis was a nascent practice. But it’s much harder to buy into the idea that a modern urban sophisticate like Bill would be so taken aback by Alice’s confessions. Kubrick’s decision to lift dialogue straight from the book also backfires; the final scene sees the protagonists ruminate on the film’s themes in a disappointingly heavy-handed manner, with Alice questioning whether “the reality of one night… can ever be the whole truth”, and Bill postulating that “no dream is ever just a dream”.

It’s perhaps inevitable that some of the film’s musings on sex and sexuality would have aged poorly, but the way in which a prostitute’s HIV diagnosis is used as a cheap plot twist is inexcusably crass. The inference here seems to be that Bill has dodged a metaphorical bullet by not sleeping with the girl in question. As such, the film ends up propagating the harmful and offensive notion of HIV as a grave punishment for aberrant or immoral behaviour.

And there are occasional moments that seem uncharacteristically clumsy for a perfectionist of Kubrick’s calibre. The use of voiceover to draw an explicit connection between an orgy attendee and a girl lying dead in a morgue feels particularly hokey. It’s tempting to imagine that, had the director lived longer, he would have continued to tinker with the film after delivering his final cut, as was his habit, and that such rough edges would have been smoothed out. But this question of authorship holds some admirers back from fully embracing the film as it stands. In an MSN chat with fans in 2001, David Lynch declared: “I really love Eyes Wide Shut. I just wonder if Stanley Kubrick really did finish it the way he wanted to before he died.” And in a 2017 interview on MTV ’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Christopher Nolan explained: “I started looking at the reality of how the film was finished – he died before the scoring sessions were complete. So, even though I think the studio appropriately put out the film as his version, knowing where that happens in my own process… it’s a little bit early… (the film) is an extraordinary achievement, but it is a little bit hampered by very, very small and superficial, almost technical flaws that I’m pretty sure he would have ironed out.”

And yet, as with Kubrick’s more widely adored films, Eyes Wide Shut has proven powerfully prescient, often in enjoyably unexpected ways. In its depiction of sex as a ritualistic power game presided over by the ultra wealthy, the film foreshadowed the most unlikely literary phenomenon of recent years, E.L. James’s Fifty Shades trilogy. Though the softcore screen adaptations, which chart the romantic adventures of Jamie Dornan’s BDSM -fixated billionaire and Dakota Johnson’s demure girl next door, are about as far from Kubrickian as you can imagine, director James Foley tips his hat to Eyes Wide Shut in Fifty Shades Darker’s most memorable set piece, a masked ball in a sprawling mansion that treads a fine line between sexy and sinister.

The film has also exerted an influence on high-society hedonism beyond the realm of fiction. In 2010, Vogue celebrated its 90th anniversary with an Eyes Wide Shut-inspired party, while, thanks to sex-positive enterprises like Killing Kittens, upscale orgies are today a relatively mainstream nightlife option in cities like London and New York.

In its ominous references to decadent elites pulling society’s strings, the film also anticipates an obsession with secret societies and conspiracy theories that has become a defining trait of 21st-century popular culture – from the shadowy religious sects at the centre of Dan Brown’s unfathomably popular Robert Langdon novels, to the grotesque farce of the Pizzagate scandal in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election. Indeed, the internet is today rife with outlandish tales asserting that Eyes Wide Shut was inspired by the clandestine activity of a real-world Illuminati, and that Kubrick was murdered for attempting to expose their scandalous practices. This may not quite be how Kubrick aficionados would ideally want their idol to be remembered, but it’s testament to Eyes Wide Shut’s idiosyncratic, enigmatic brilliance that the film continues to inspire such unpredictable responses.

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, black writers week, cruise opens up about working with kubrick.

LOS ANGELES-- Tom Cruise had just flown in from Australia and he was tired and a sad. Sad because he was talking about the new Stanley Kubrick movie, and Stanley wasn't there to pitch in.

"I haven't really talked about the movie, you know," he said. "The pressure of going through this without Stanley being there also. Stanley who was gonna do everything, you know, suddenly..."

Dying, last March, just four days after a completed version of " Eyes Wide Shut " was screened for Cruise and his wife Nicole Kidman , who were the co-stars, and for Robert Daly and Terry Semel, the top executives at Warner Brothers.

"Nic had laryngitis from her play," Cruise said, remembering his feelings after seeing the first cut of the movie they'd spent three years on. "She couldn't talk, so she was writing notes to me as I was talking to Stanley over the phone from New York. We were so excited and proud. Then I had to fly off to Australia. I was meeting with John Woo , and we had a month of pre-production on the new movie. Nic was gonna follow with the kids. I got in on Saturday. Stanley and I were supposed to talk on Sunday. He'd call me in the middle of the night. You're asleep? No, Stanley, what's up? Instead I got a call from Leon, who worked with him for many years and said, 'Tom, Stanley Kubrick has passed away'."

Cruise paused and toyed with a glass of mineral water. We were talking on Sunday, the day after the Los Angeles preview screening of " Eyes Wide Shut ."

"Well, he had made 13 perfect visions, Stanley Kubrick , and I'm just proud to have been part of it."

Like all of Kubrick's films, " Eyes Wide Shut " was made in strict secrecy. Rumors flew about the picture. It was about Cruise and Kidman as two sex therapists. It was hard-core porn. It was...

"Stanley would just say, let them keep talking," Cruise smiled. "Now it's such a relief to actually be able to discuss the picture. It's also--it's strange. It has a bittersweetness. At night, you hear Stanley's voice..."

The film has sex as its subject matter, along with trust, fidelity and jealousy. But the Cruise character never has sex with anyone during the movie, and that sets up the movie's final line of dialog, a punch line that will gain a certain immortality. He plays a rich Manhattan doctor. He and Kidman have one child. She tells him a story one night about how she was so filled with lust for a strange man that she would have left everything--husband, home, child--just to have sex with that man. The story fills him with anger and jealousy, and he sets out on a dangerous odyssey through the sexual underworld, which leads to a masked orgy in a country estate. A wealthy friend of his seems to be involved, and there is the possibility that dread secrets lurk just beneath the surface.

It's all based on a book, Traumnovelle, by Arthur Schnitzler--a book Kubrick didn't want them to read. The book was a starting point, not a destination. Kubrick worked obsessively on every scene, rehearsing, rewriting, involving Cruise, Kidman and the other actors in discussions about motives. I got the sense that the movie evolved from the collaboration; one reason for the secrecy might have been that Kubrick himself didn't know for sure what the movie was finally going to be about.

"Stanley had worked on this and thought about it for about 28 years," Cruise said. "The apartment in the movie was the New York apartment he and his wife Christianne lived in. He recreated it. The furniture in the house was furniture from their own home. Of course the paintings were Christianne's paintings. It was as personal a story as he's ever done. When he first wanted to do it, it was after 'Lolita' (1962) and Christianne told me she said, 'Don't...oh, please don't....not now. We're so young. Let's not go through this right now.'

"They were young in their marriage, And so he put it off and put it off. He was working on "A.I." [a planned film involving artificial intelligence] and was waiting for the technology to get to where he needed it. So he put that on hold, and it was just the perfect time to do this project."

Sometimes, Cruise said, it was just the three of them in a room. Kubrick would send the crew away. There was no deadline. They had all the time in the world.

"The crew wasn't ever there when we were rehearsing. We'd rehearse and he'd rewrite and he'd say, 'Well, what would you guys do here?' or 'What happened here?' And without talking about what the scene was about, you know, we'd discuss details of behavior or dialog. 'What makes sense?' he would say. And finally, 'Okay, well, that makes sense.' We'd rehearse and he'd rewrite and it got to the point that it was in your bones. Just in your bones."

What was your feeling, I asked, about that article in The New Yorker by Frederic Raphael , the co-author of the screenplay? It was an article that painted a harsh portrait of Kubrick as a self-hating megalomaniac.

Cruise made a face. "He wouldn't have written it if Stanley had been alive. Opportunistic. Self-serving. Inaccurate. I don't know that man at all and I've never met him. It's been interesting seeing how people have behaved afterward."

This was Cruise's first newspaper interview about the movie, although he had talked a few weeks earlier to a team from Time magazine. As he spoke, it was like listening to him relive his thoughts. They didn't come out in neat sound bites, like the typical movie star interview where everything has been said a dozen times before. Cruise has obviously been through a deep creative experience, and was only now surfacing and looking at it more objectively.

"I'm glad Nic and I didn't make this movie in the first or second year of our marriage," he mused. "The stuff we were talking about, confronting together with Stanley, was volatile and intense. The characters are very much at odds. When you're talking about jealousy or raw emotions that bring men to their knees at times, it can be crippling."

Everyone who has worked with Kubrick returns with stories of perfectionism, of the same shot being taken dozens of times, of days spent on a single scene.

"But it was funny," Cruise said, "how he was truly optimistic about the schedule. I'd show up on the set and we'd find ourselves singing a song, goofing around, and we'd rehearse the scene, and he'd ask, 'What are we gonna shoot the rest of the week?' And I'd say, 'Oh, Stanley, please don't say that!' Because at the end of the week, we'd still be working on that same scene, and he would laugh at himself."

The small crews meant less pressure, Cruise said.

"Stanley bought time when he made a movie. He was not at the mercy of a studio. I'm used to working. I'll work 15 hours a day and I'll work very hard to try to make something work. But if he felt that I was tired or the scene wasn't working, he never panicked. He knew he had the time. No matter what, he could always go back and take time to fix it. He never locked himself in."

Despite all the rumors about the film, I said, your character never has sex with anyone. It's not a movie about sex but about what sex represents.

"Sex itself wasn't what interested Stanley. The movie's about many things but especially the dynamic of a relationship that's affected by the raw emotions of obsession and jealousy. About how one little event in your life can take you off into such debilitating emotions."

When your character goes to the address where the orgy is being held...

"I think he was driven by his emotions," Cruise said. "He didn't want to go back home. He was absolutely driven by what his wife said to him. He was heading right for Dante's Inferno . He's consumed by the image of his wife he has created in his mind."

We see that fantasy image in monochrome, as he imagines his wife making love to the stranger she described. Then, at the orgy, surrounded by masked and hooded figures and nude women, he sees pure lust unbridled by morals, conduct--even personalities. It was that scene that created the movie's problems with the MPAA Code and Ratings Administration, which gave the film an "R" rating only after certain images at the orgy were masked by digitally-created figures who are superimposed between the viewer and some of the action.

"Stanley was concerned through editing," Cruise said, "that certain shots would get an NC-17. Stanley committed to an R rating." But it's an adult movie.

"Listen, at 16 I would have been interested in seeing what Stanley Kubrick had to say. I think I was seven years old when my father took me to ' 2001 .' He felt that he wanted an R for the movie. He committed to an R for the picture and he felt that the changes would affect the form but not the content."

The Cruise character glides from one room of the chateau to another, in long, unbroken, elaborate shots. To cut out the offending images would destroy the exquisite rhythm. Therefore, blotting them out with digital additions was the only alternative.

When both versions of the famous 65-second scene were shown at the preview, I said, a lot of people didn't like the strategy.

"Well, it's a shame if people feel that. But it doesn't change the content of the movie. Not a frame is touched on this, except just in form. I think when audiences see the movie, that won't be an issue for them."

Well, it might be, since for Kubrick form and content and style are all so closely linked. Isn't it a shame, I said, that America is the only country with no workable adult category? So that everything has to be cut and squeezed and compromised to get the R rating?

"With the NC-17--there are papers that won't run NC-17 ads, television stations that won't have NC-17 promos..."

But wouldn't a Kubrick picture with Tom Cruise be just the opportunity to overturn all that?

"You're preaching the converted here. But Stanley made the decision, you know. He wanted this and there's nothing I could have done."

Did he say he would add digital figures in the forefront?

"Yes, that's what he was exploring when he was in the editing process and what he discussed. He didn't wanna cut into the shots, but he felt that if he took the digital effects and just covered, you know...because he wanted to deliver an R rating."

But when he was shooting it, obviously he thought it was an R rating, because otherwise he would have had real people standing there instead of adding digital figures later.

Cruise sighed. "There aren't any real rules with the MPAA, you know. There aren't any rules like, 'Look, you can say three swear words or 16 swear words, but you can't have fornication in various positions, blah, blah, blah.' He worked very hard on that sequence. What's really even more important in this scene is the people in the masks watching. His composition is stunning."

I agreed, and said something about how there'd someday be a director's cut on video.

"But this is Stanley's cut," Cruise said. "I would not have supported anything that Stanley hadn't approved or didn't want. There's absolutely no way that would have happened. I mean, before he died, we went through a lot of details about how the movie was going to be released, how he wanted things handled, where he wanted the print developed. All of these issues. Stanley did everything. Only Stanley."

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Making Stanley Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' Was a Real-Life Nightmare

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The Big Picture

Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut , was a nightmare to make, with a production that lasted 15 months and set the record for the longest film production in history.
The film's setting, New York City, was recreated on a soundstage in England, showcasing Kubrick's attention to detail and his dedication to creating a perfect facsimile.
Eyes Wide Shut is a mysterious and polarizing film that leaves many unanswered questions, allowing the audience to interpret it in different ways and unlock new depths with each viewing.

The intensity of production for Stanley Kubrick 's films has been well documented. With hundreds of takes, attention to detail down to the smallest imaginable thing, using lenses from NASA to film in candlelight for Barry Lyndon , Kubrick was a perfectionist. None of his films were more of a nightmare to make than his final one, Eyes Wide Shut , starring then-couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The film set the record for the longest film production at 15 months, including 46 consecutive weeks. Why was this?

Stanley Kubrick was a master at this point, and according to Paul Thomas Anderson , who visited the set while filming Magnolia , "Kubrick had a really small crew... I asked him, ‘Do you always work with so few people?’ He gave me a look and said, ‘Why? How many people do you need?’ I felt like such a Hollywood asshole." What made this production such a nightmare, and how does that translate in a film that is probably Kubrick's most polarizing?

Eyes Wide Shut

A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.

Why Was Stanley Kubrick So Difficult On Set?

Stanley Kubrick's movies are popular among the average moviegoer, and the arthouse crowd for good reason. They are incredibly compelling, meticulously crafted films that span many genres, from political satires to war films and horror movies. Everyone from your freshman film student nephew to your grandmother probably loves one of his films. Eyes Wide Shut may be one of Kubrick's most well-crafted films from a production side but at a cost.

When you watch Eyes Wide Shut , the setting may feel a bit strange, especially if you're a New Yorker. The film is set in New York City, specifically Greenwich Village, but something just feels off. The scale feels a bit weird. This is because the film was not only not filmed in New York City, but not filmed in a city at all. Kubrick recreated Greenwich Village on a soundstage in England, where he lived for the last 40 years of his life, and produced both this film and Full Metal Jacket . In classic Kubrick fashion, according to The Guardian , everything was arranged to be a perfect facsimile, down to the exact width of the streets. Yet, there is still an oddity to the film. Something is not quite right.

What Is 'Eyes Wide Shut' About?

Eyes Wide Shut follows Dr. Bill Harford, played by Tom Cruise, through an odyssey through the underbelly of New York City, following a revelation about his wife Alice, played by Nicole Kidman. Essentially, he is on a quest to reclaim his masculinity through sex. This could be presented in a very straightforward manner, played for some raunchy comedy or pure sex appeal. Tom Cruise had played a charismatic lead before in movies like Risky Business , and Kidman could easily slide into the sort of mean, erotic thriller role that dominated the '90s. This is not the case. Both feel profoundly out of place in every scene of the film. There is a strange, stilted quality to their behavior that we don't see from the supporting cast.

From Kubrick, we have to believe this is intentional. This is especially apparent because he put both leads through hell on the film set. As The Guardian confirmed, Tom Cruise had to walk through a door 95 times until Kubrick was happy with the take. And this was after two Best Actor nominations for Cruise, he was no spring chicken. But if you compare his performance to say, Sydney Pollack as Ziegler, Pollack is much more relaxed, much more natural, whereas Cruise seems like an alien learning how to speak. Once again, we are left with a strange feeling. A film feeling a bit stilted or off can lead to a lack of immersion, and more bad questions than good ones. Why would Kubrick do all of this then?

Is 'Eyes Wide Shut' a Finished Film?

There is an argument to be made that the reason Eyes Wide Shut feels so strange, is because it is unfinished. Kubrick died 6 days after presenting the first cut of the film. While you may think, how unfinished could the film be if he had a cut ready, you have to remember that Kubrick changed his films seemingly until the release day, including changing the entire score of 2001 during post-production. Who knows what could have been done if he had more time to work on the film? Maybe the setting could have felt more natural with a little color correction, or the acting a bit more natural with a few different cuts.

However, there is some dissent against that argument. Todd Field , who plays Nick Nightingale in the film and was close friends with Kubrick, has stated that "Stanley was absolutely thrilled with the film. He was still working on the film when he died. And he probably died because he finally relaxed. But it was one of the happiest weekends of his life, right before he died, after he had shown the first cut to Terry Semel and Tom and to Nicole." While you can certainly say that Kubrick could have done more with the film had he lived a little longer, the film certainly represents his vision. Now what that vision is, is up for debate.

Stanley Kubrick’s Advice for Albert Brooks Is Still Relevant

Albert Brooks was given the ultimate stamp of approval from a cinematic master.

Eyes Wide Shut may be the film with the most unanswered questions in Kubrick's entire career. For one, what is the film about? Is it an erotic thriller ? Is it a harsh critique of modern relationships? Is it a conspiracy film, Kubrick's confession to being involved with shadowy figures? Is it an incredibly dry comedy, especially considering Kubrick had wanted to make Eyes Wide Shut a comedy dating back to the '70s? For the outsider, this may all seem a bit much, but this has been the discourse surrounding many of Kubrick's films. The enduring theory that The Shining confesses his involvement with faking the moon landing because Danny wears an Apollo 11 sweater proves that. We will never know what Eyes Wide Shut is really about. And that's ok!

Stanley Kubrick created a bizarre film, with acting that feels just as strange as the fake city it's set in. What makes Eyes Wide Shut enduring, and makes Kubrick a director that still blows your mind almost 25 years after his death, is that you are never presented with all the answers. The audience has to fill in the gaps themselves. The film can be whatever you want it to be. One viewing can be about power, class position, and how disposable people can be to those who are above them. Another can be a comedy of manners, where a butler drives out to hand Tom Cruise a letter telling him to leave the premises. Every viewing unlocks a different part of the film, and that is classic Kubrick. The production may have been hell, the film may be a bit unpolished, but Kubrick ended his career with another masterpiece. Eyes Wide Shut is an essential work of American cinema, and one worth many, many viewings.

Eyes Wide Shut is available to rent on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

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20 Years Ago Stanley Kubrick Tormented Tom Cruise to Create a Strange Classic

They don't make 'em like this anymore... why.

1999 was a big year for movies, something we discuss elsewhere on this site as well. But we wanted to take particular note of the Independent's recent write up of Stanley Kubrick's final film .

It's hard to turn the cultural clock back to the late 1990s. There was no streaming yet. As writer Ed Power reminds us, Tom Cruise had yet to jump on Oprah's couch and none of us had seen Going Clear . Stanley Kubrick wasn't just a legend of cinema, he was a working director still making movies.

But as different as 1999 was from 2019, this situation seems like it would be weird at any time:

Idiosyncratic/hermit/creative genius filmmaker pairs with Hollywood's most bankable star and his real-life wife for a movie whose centerpiece is a creepy masked orgy's effects on a marriage.

"the 2001 of relationship movies" - Christopher Nolan

Oh, and it was released on July 16. Like some kind of summer blockbuster.

We have questions!

How Did Eyes Wide Shut Happen?

Kubrick had "long been obsessed" with the source, 'Traumnovelle' or 'Dream Story' which was a 1926 novella by Arthur Schnitzler. The plot is much the same, though it takes place in Vienna in the 20th century. It's a story about adultery or the desire to commit adultery. Having the movie star a Hollywood power-couple at the peak of the tabloid fame was a stroke of pure genius. Or maybe luck.

Or maybe both...

Tom Cruise signed on to work with Kubrick instantly, being a fan of Kubrick's work. Having his wife Nicole Kidman play his wife in the movie was Cruise's idea. Who were Kubrick's first picks for the leading role?

Well in 1973 he'd wanted Woody Allen for the part. You know, Woody Allen and Tom Cruise are always up for the same roles.

There was also the consideration of Steve Martin and later Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger. Okay, now it's starting to feel familiar to the movie we got.

With Cruise and Kidman in, the budget could balloon and Kubrick could deliver.

It Took a Long Time to Make

"Hey Tom, stick with me, I'll make you a star."

Cruise and Kidman gave Kubrick the ability to be as particular as he likes to be. He recreated Manhattan in the UK because he refused to travel to shoot anywhere else. He was extremely afraid to fly, and this limited the location options for many of his movies.

The Eyes Wide Shut Orgy Scene

Vulture did an oral history of the famous Eyes Wide Shut orgy scene , that gets insights from the many people working on the crew that helped create it. As with all things, Kubrick had a lot of specifics in mind. One story says when he noticed a single lightbulb was out somewhere on set he insisted everyone wait until it was replaced. The body types of the nude figures had to fit certain parameters (nothing surgically altered), and they had to find a way to shoot it so it was 'lyrical' and 'ballet or yoga-like'.

There was also some research involving watching Red Shoe Diaries .

The Eyes Wide Shut party scene is one of the most enduring elements of the movie, but it's worth thinking back on the fact that a movie with this massively strange orgy at its center was, again, a major mid-summer release with Hollywood's top stars.

1999 was different.

The Eyes Wide Shut Meaning

This is certainly one of those movies that critics and fans will reexamine and discuss often, with no clearly obvious meaning. We will all likely continue to do some Eyes Wide Shut analysis every once in a while. There has certainly been plenty written on theories, proposing to be ' Eyes Wide Shut explained'.

The reality is the movie may hold different meanings for different people, and even more so at different times in their lives. That's part of what Christopher Nolan thinks, "Watching it with fresh eyes, it plays very differently to a middle-age man than it did to a young man...it is the 2001 of relationship movies."

On a surface level, it could be about a bourgeoisie couple having a sort of interlude with the world of the super-elite, while also providing commentary on their dynamic with the lower class. Ideas of class and status run throughout the entire movie. Perhaps since it is about a marriage and "ownership" of a spouse and their sexuality, there are other depths to mine meaning-wise.

We can save the Marxist reading of Eyes Wide Shut for another day. Or maybe another website.

The point remains that Kubrick's movies all take big swings at some big ideas. The dynamics at the core of his plots are between humanity and God, society and base nature, heaven and hell... things get DEEP. Which is one reason film-goers and filmmakers alike keep coming back to his work.

Maybe what Eyes Wide Shut means is less critical to understand right now than why we don't see Eyes Wide Shut movies anymore. It wasn't that long ago that movies were about ideas like this, without providing readily available answers, and they could still make money. It was Kubrick's last film, and his most successful (Cruise and Kidman helped...)

So What Happened?

Why don't these kinds of probing odd movies get made on the largest scale anymore? Did the audience for them dry up? Did the existence of the streaming market and a seemingly infinite ocean of 'content' create too much competition?

Did creatives like Kubrick just cease to exist? Did stars like Cruise stop trying to make those kinds of movies because they didn't want to get ulcers?

There are honestly lots of ways to answer these questions. There are also, to be fair, plenty of movies and shows that do probe where creatives like Kubrick wanted to. They just don't get center stage as often.

We're interested in your takes on it.

Source: The Independant

‘A Quiet Place: Day One’ Writer-Director Michael Sarnoski's Path from 'Pig' to Studio Franchise

“you have to be constantly focused and moving things forward and not waiting for someone else to step in.”.

Michael Sarnoski is the director and co-writer of A Quiet Place: Day One , the franchise's third film. The film follows Sam who is trapped in New York City during the early stages of an alien invasion. Michael shares that he was attracted to this film because of the opportunity to explore interesting character dynamics.

In today’s episode, No Film School’s GG Hawkins speaks with Michael Sarnoski to discuss:

Bringing aspects of his feature film Pig to his current film, A Quiet Place: Day One
How the aliens in the film are a vehicle for exploring character dynamics
Michael’s journey as a filmmaker
Giving yourself permission to write something you care about
Figuring out what a “silent New York” would sound like
Balancing VFX and practical effects
Creating a respectful yet constructive environment on set
Michael’s approach to hiring and knowing who to collaborate with

Subscribe to the No Film School Podcast on:

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Listen to more episodes of the No Film School podcast right here:

This episode of The No Film School Podcast was produced by GG Hawkins .

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What are the best mystery movies of all time, canon rumored to announce new r1 and r5 mark ii cameras next month, uh-oh: dji drone ban bill passes through house of representatives, how they shot that sexy slo mo in 'challengers', walk around with nikon’s naturally wide nikkor z 35mm f/1.4 lens, 20 ways to come up with movie ideas, what is a body double, how composer david naroth brought music to 'searching for amani', hollywood is a constant search for someone to match your freak.

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Stanley Kubrick

By terry semel and tom cruise, october 20, 2012.

I explained to my colleagues at Warner Bros. that there was no way that this director was going to be told how to move forward day by day. He was going to call all the shots. Terry Semel

Stanley Kubrick made some of the most dazzling films of the 20th century, works whose titles alone have come to represent filmmaking at its most astonishing, challenging, and psychologically spellbinding. The list includes Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), and The Shining (1980). A true auteur, he was meticulous, formally inventive, and philosophically provocative. Contradictions marked his career: a Jewish kid born in the Bronx in 1928, he spent the last decades of his life in England; a maker of Hollywood studio films like Spartacus (1960), he exhibited a fiercely independent sensibility. Right up until his sudden death from a heart attack in 1999 at age 70, he was still obsessing over the smallest details of his final film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999).

In November, a retrospective of his work opens at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibition will include scripts, costumes, props, set models, and production photography and is co-presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It’s an overdue show in a city whose main industry has been deeply impacted by Kubrick and his legacy. Festivities begin with LACMA’s second annual Art + Film Gala on October 27 (where the artist Ed Ruscha will also be honored), and continue on November 7 with “An Academy Salute to Stanley Kubrick,” hosted by actor Malcolm McDowell, who starred as the antihero Alex in A Clockwork Orange . The retrospective allows cinephiles to appreciate the dark vision—and the stylistic bravura—that evolved from early low-budget films like Killer’s Kiss (1955) and The Killing (1956) to the cult classic The Shining . Few filmmakers can boast a career that includes the antiwar classic Paths of Glory (1957), the controversial Lolita (1962), or the disturbing Vietnam War drama Full Metal Jacket (1987).

On the occasion of the LACMA retrospective, two of Kubrick’s friends and collaborators reminisced about the master director’s approaches, rituals, and concerns. Tom Cruise, who starred in Eyes Wide Shut , and former Warner Bros. head Terry Semel, who oversaw the production of many of Kubrick’s films, got together for a phone conversation that I moderated in late August to discuss Kubrick’s brilliantly cinematic storytelling. Some surprises emerged as they talked with affection about his renowned perfectionism: He was “incredibly collaborative,” according to Cruise; “Stanley was really our father,” said Semel, who consistently supported Kubrick and gave him unusual latitude throughout the studio process.

Kubrick loved baseball, chess, photography, and control. Cruise and Semel recalled how funny he could be—as well as how secretive—and remembered the groundbreaking qualities of his films. Love and gratitude are not the first words that come to mind when discussing Kubrick’s films, but they are the emotions that spring up in the people with whom he worked so diligently and closely.

ANNETTE INSDORF: Do you think Stanley Kubrick’s enduring reputation as a master director comes primarily from his artistic and technical skill? Or is it something beyond—his vision of the world?

TERRY SEMEL: I think it’s the latter. Tom and I can both vouch for the fact that anyone who worked with Stanley just adored him. He was a real gem, very smart, very articulate—

TOM CRUISE: And very funny.

SEMEL: Yes, he had a great sense of humor. I remember when working on the film that turned out to be Barry Lyndon [1975], I explained to my colleagues at Warner Bros. that there was no way that this director was going to be told how to move forward day by day. He was going to call all the shots. He did everything himself. He not only shot the whole movie, but there was almost no other crew on his sets except the key actor. So the way he worked was risky. It was questionable. But Barry Lyndon was the first in a series of movies we worked on together and it set up a routine that we kept for the rest of our projects.

CRUISE: Terry, you’ve got to tell them the ritual you guys had. I love this.

SEMEL: The ritual never changed. Because I was the head of the studio, I felt I had to make the decision that there was no way to put handcuffs on Stanley. So this was my routine—it was quite simple. Stanley would work on a couple of screenplays and when he thought he had the one that he was really excited about doing for his next picture, he would call me and say, “How fast can you come to London?” He did not want to send the script to the studio in California. Because he got a lot of death threats after A Clockwork Orange was released, he didn’t want to leave the area of London. So I would fly to London. His brother-in-law would put me in the same room in the same hotel each time. Then Stanley would get on the phone and say, “Make sure you go to sleep early now, Terry, get a lot of rest. Sleep well, don’t go out at night, just stay in your room, and in the morning when you wake up, there will be a script under the door for you.” [ Cruise laughs ] His brother-in-law would deliver the script in an envelope. I’d say, “Stanley, I really would like to discuss this script a little with a few of my colleagues at Warner Bros.” But he’d say, “No, no, don’t let anyone read the script! That’s why you came all this way. You read the script.” Okay. So I would read the script and when I finished, I’d call his house in the countryside and he’d send a driver to get me. And that routine never deviated. When he thought the script and the characters were there, my role was to show up, be there, read it, be familiar with it, and be in a position to say, “This is too expensive and this isn’t” to all the important details of the film.

INSDORF: And those details extended to the casting of the film?

Stanley was brilliant at getting under the audience’s skin. He was very interested in the idea of, ‘How can I tell this with just a camera?’ Tom Cruise

SEMEL: Well, when Stanley did The Shining , he had someone else shoot a lot of second unit because that was in America. He would not fly to that set. Most of the interior filming was done in the studio in England. One of his great concerns was Jack Nicholson—a terrific actor and a big movie star, but Jack never went to sleep at night. He was always out socializing, having fun. Stanley thought that was terrible. He thought an actor had to go to bed early, get a good night’s sleep, and come to work in the morning. So after The Shining , Stanley would say, “I don’t want to use movie stars in my movies anymore. Jack Nicholson was fabulous but he was always out partying and I don’t want to do that.” He even said that about Tom on Eyes Wide Shut . And I said, “But Stanley, I want to have a movie star in Eyes Wide Shut . I mean, it’s been a long time.” He said, “No. They have too many opinions.”

CRUISE: [ laughs ] Too many opinions. And he doesn’t want opinions.

SEMEL: Not until he trusts the person and realizes they are going to contribute positively toward the film. I said, “I want Tom Cruise.” And Stanley said, “He’s not going to fly all the way here.” I said, “Hold on. Give me the phone.” And I called Tom and I said, “Tom, I’m sitting with Stanley Kubrick. I think this is a fabulous idea and a great movie for you and it’s a great movie for Stanley. Would you consider the idea of coming to London and meeting Stanley Kubrick and talk about Eyes Wide Shut ?” And Tom said something like, “I’ll be there in the morning.” And as it happened, they became two brothers—or a brother and a father. Stanley isn’t like how others imagine he would be, but he didn’t like to meet many people. So he didn’t use a lot of movie stars in his pictures.

INSDORF: But he used Kirk Douglas in Paths of Glory . In fact, the only way Kubrick was able to make Paths of Glory was to have a star—Douglas—take the role.

CRUISE: And Ryan O’Neal was in Barry Lyndon . And he actually offered Paul Newman [ 2001: A ] Space Odyssey . But for me, it was so interesting hanging out with Stanley and being able to spend time with him. When I first met him, he was an incredibly charming guy. I remember I took a helicopter and landed on his property. And I read the script for Eyes Wide Shut , which was about 95 pages long. It was a very simple story. We sat down and he made lunch for me at his house and we spent about four hours in his kitchen talking. We talked about the story and where he wanted to shoot it and how he wanted it to go. He said, “Look, I need to start shooting this right away in summer because I want to finish the movie by Christmas. Okay?” Of course, I had studied Stanley’s movies and I’d spoken to many people about the way he works—especially Terry—and I knew it was going to be at least a year of shooting, at the minimum. So I said, “Okay, Stanley, let’s do this.” Then we talked about the female lead and I said, “Listen, I don’t know if you’ve seen Nicole Kidman’s work, but you’ve really got to look into her. She’s a great actress.” And we kind of talked about the wife, and Nicole playing that character. He also talked about baseball. He loved baseball.

SEMEL: That’s right.

CRUISE: He started as a photographer at Look magazine. We discovered that we were both Yankees fans. But in that meeting, he didn’t really want to discuss certain subjects—like how he made certain pictures or the choices he made. But as time went on, we became great friends, and he just broke down for me all the sequences of his movies—starting with 2001 —and how he came up with all the ideas for each shot. It was an incredible learning experience. Working with Stanley was a lot of fun because even though it may look like a very simple film, he was brilliant at getting under the audience’s skin. He was very interested in the idea of, “How can I tell this with just a camera?” I know the games that he and Sydney Pollack used to play back-and-forth. They would trade commercials back-and-forth and see how much of the dialogue could be taken out of the commercial while still retaining a story and also seeing what they could do visually with it. When you look at Eyes Wide Shut , there’s the sense of, “Is this a dream or is this a nightmare?” and how do you handle the aspects of the story in such a way that you’re not resorting to the usual visual techniques to say, “This is nightmare.”

INSDORF: You mean Kubrick was playing with formal structures?

CRUISE: He was pushing the film very hard. One fascinating thing about Barry Lyndon was that he used the Apollo lenses [still photography lenses developed for NASA, modified for film use]. The speed of those lenses is startling, and he used them to shoot in candlelight, which gives it that incredible depth of frame that he’s really known for. He likes those wide-angle lenses and he would often adjust the furnishing and the pictures on the wall. He understood those lenses completely, because a lens like that will bend the picture. It will alter it, and he made adjustments because he wanted that depth, he wanted the audience to feel the space. He was very selective when he went into a close-up. Every director has his taste in a performance, but Stanley would explore a scene to find what was most interesting for him. When you look at the lens choices with Jack Nicholson, for example, when he’s in the pantry leaning against the door and Stanley shoots up at him, its clear what an amazing eye he had. When you’re working with a filmmaker with that command of storytelling, you know right away that it’s his taste, it’s an extension of him. It’s not necessarily analytical. As an actor—like an artist—you have to ask, “Why do I choose a certain moment to play something a certain way?” It’s organic to who we are. I think you see through Stanley’s movies that his visual command was an extension of him. And in Eyes Wide Shut he was very much pushing the film. Every morning, I would go in early and we would look at the negatives together. We would look at the day’s rushes—not with sound, but we would look at the image, and he was checking the film to see how hard could he push it. There was an interesting moment during filming. We were shooting in the backlot of Pinewood Studios and he had built a set to resemble New York. We were working on a scene where I see that a guy is following me. He cast a very distinct-looking actor, a bald guy with a very particular wardrobe. In the shot, this guy walks across the street. We went back and looked at the video playback; we must have spent hours studying it, just to figure out what the behavior of this man should be like crossing the street. Finally, Stanley said, “Listen, when you’re crossing the street, please don’t stop staring at Tom.” It looks like a very simple thing, but behaviorally, it had a tremendous effect. He just immerses you with his tone. His tracking shot through the trenches in Paths of Glory is revolutionary. And it’s the same with the Steadicam shot in The Shining with [camera operator] Garrett Brown. That was a very difficult shot where the boy is racing from carpet to floor to carpet. That was the brilliance of Stanley: he knew how to use the medium of film and the camera and the lens, and, of course, also sound. He had such command of his craft. SEMEL: Tom, were you amazed by how few people he had on the set?

CRUISE: Yeah. In all matters of the film, he was economical. He needed time to make the film, yes, but he also needed time to think about the film. The script, for him, was just the blueprint. And, as you know, as much as Stanley projected this notion of him as not being collaborative, he actually was incredibly collaborative. We had a $65-million budget for Eyes Wide Shut , and everyone thinks we ended up shooting for two years. But it wasn’t quite two years. I got there in August and he gave us a month off for Christmas and left about a year and a half later. But we had a lot of vacations in between. Stanley would allow us to break, and that would give him time to evaluate the film and look at the sets. So he knew what people he needed. And he was very smart about money. He never went back to Terry and asked for more. He stuck by the budget and did everything it allowed him to do—with the time he needed—to make his film.

SEMEL: I don’t think it can be overemphasized how hands-on he was on his projects. He never became the type of filmmaker to direct from a distance.

CRUISE: Earlier on in his career, he would do all the operating. When you look at The Shining , you see that he operated a lot. He did less so on Eyes Wide Shut , but even then, he didn’t want many people on the set. He wanted to keep it very contained and very intimate and personal. It was the least amount of crew I’ve ever had on a movie. I think he was always looking at “How do I bring things down to a simplicity?” Annette, you spoke about Paths of Glory . After that film, he went on to work with Kirk Douglas again on Spartacus . The original director for Spartacus was Anthony Mann, but Douglas replaced him with Stanley after the first week. And, of course, Stanley and [director of photography on Spartacus ] Russell Metty didn’t get along, because Stanley, of course, really knew as much, if not more, about lighting and composition. Metty was used to, “You’re the director and you stand over there and I do my work over here.” He and Metty really came to blows on that. I think that experience changed Stanley’s feelings about Hollywood in terms of not wanting to go through that again.

SEMEL: I remember he would finish a film and come to me and say, “I, Stanley, want to create all the ad campaigns. I want to do all the PR. I want to be involved in every aspect of the movie.” He worked on every inch of how a movie got promoted. He did the trailer. He decided when it was going to open, and in which city. And all of this was done with the backdrop of, “No, I cannot leave London or the greater London area.”

CRUISE: The trailer for The Shining is stunning. And I think the one for Eyes Wide Shut is as well.

INSDORF: I remember François Truffaut telling me about 30 years ago that Kubrick had a hook-up in his home that alerted him when a projection bulb blew in a New York theater that was showing one of his films. This was before computers were part of our daily lives. Was he the most exacting perfectionist with whom you’ve ever worked?

SEMEL: Without question. He would get a list of the theaters that his movie would be opening in, and he would have his brother-in-law go from theater to theater taking photographs. Stanley was interested in how many people there were in the audience when the movie opened. His brother-in-law would photograph them coming in and out of the theater. So Stanley knew more about what was happening day by day than I did. [ laughs ] He’d call and say, “You gave me a list of all the theaters and I have photographs of them. This one doesn’t have good parking and the screen isn’t very good in this theater in Denver!” I’d say, “How do you know about this theater in Denver?” So this was not a man who just went out and made a movie. It was sad in fact that the final night before he died he had been going over every detail of Eyes Wide Shut —the ad campaign, the trailer, everything—and it was only week or two before it all came out. He was so good at that aspect of promotion, but he would often make this comment about other filmmakers: “Why in the world do they go on talk shows? Do they realize that they’re not celebrities? They make movies. Why are they there?”

CRUISE: He did not want to be a celebrity. You know, [the late director] Tony Scott worked on Barry Lyndon . He was in art school at the time. Tony told me that he wrote down the exact longitude and latitude of where Stanley wanted the camera, the exact height of the camera, and the time, to get the shot that Stanley wanted. Tony said he sat there for a couple of weeks trying to get the right light. Stanley really loved the Scott brothers. I’ve had long conversations about this with both Tony and Ridley. Stanley was a director who did not let people borrow or rent his lens. He never gave his Apollo lens to anyone. But when Ridley was having a really difficult time with the end of Blade Runner [1982], Stanley gave Ridley footage that he had shot but didn’t use for the opening of The Shining . He was offering to let him use it for Blade Runner . That’s how highly Stanley thought of them.

when you watch eyes wide shut, yes, it’s a disturbing film. but when we were shooting the end, stanley said, ‘this is a happy ending.’ we were in a toy store. he had an amazing sense of humor. Tom Cruise

SEMEL: Stanley didn’t even like having his picture taken. Maybe it’s because my wife is British, but for some reason, Jane was the one photographer he’d let take his picture. Some of her pictures appear in the exhibit at LACMA.

CRUISE: Yeah, he loved Jane.

SEMEL: One of the pictures is of him and me. He’s in his old clothes, totally disheveled looking—

CRUISE: He wore the same thing to set everyday.

SEMEL: But the good part was, whenever he did allow someone into his private sanction, his home, he’d spend the entire day—or two or three—in the kitchen. And we’d eat.

INSDORF: I want to go back to something that you said, Tom, about his ability to get under the audience’s skin. In comparison to other contemporary filmmakers, his vision wasn’t upbeat or comforting. The choices he often made—a wide-angle lush exterior with a tiny human being in the center, or a crowded interior with few close-ups of the character, for example—give a sense of dehumanization. If you look at Eyes Wide Shut , the mansion is an arena where cold copulation is the norm and anonymity is the condition. Do you think that bleakness was an integral part of his vision?

SEMEL: He had a great sense of humor. I don’t think he saw any of that as being bleak.

CRUISE: In terms of the orgy scene, that’s how Stanley wanted it to feel. He wanted the audience to have that reaction. Here’s a guy going into the dark side of life. One of the themes that the film explores is jealousy—the wife never actually lived this fantasy that she had, and the husband goes on this journey where he feels, I’m going to do this. But nothing ever happens. He doesn’t sleep with the woman whose father has died. He doesn’t end up being able to participate in the orgy, and, as an audience, you wonder how much danger he was ever really in—you know what I mean? And yet, it does have to be dark. The character that I’m playing—and Stanley and I spoke about this—is using his title as a doctor as a way to open doors and as a weapon. Stanley’s own father was a doctor. People look at doctors like they know everything, and Stanley was very cynical about that—people using their titles or power to allow themselves into places and to exploit others and the situation. And the orgy is dark, but it’s not satisfying either—it’s a slow burn. In The Shining , there is the same slow burn. There is no cat that jumps out at you. It’s a slow, slow burn that gets under your skin, and it builds and becomes quite terrifying. He’s someone who definitely understood the tone of the story that he was telling and the consistency of tone. So I think, personally, when you watch Eyes Wide Shut , yes, it’s a disturbing film. But when we were shooting the end, Stanley said, “This is a happy ending.” We were in a toy store. As Terry said, he had an amazing sense of humor. And he was a lot of fun to be with.

INSDORF: I’m thinking of the subject matter he was drawn to. [Anthony] Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket , The Shining —all of these are unsettling visions of human behavior. Remember that scene in A Clockwork Orange where Malcolm McDowell’s character has his eye clamped open, forced to watch horrors? His voice-over says, “It’s funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.” Kubrick seems to be suggesting the relationship between film and the spectator is both sadistic and humanizing.

SEMEL: I think you’re right. He was the man who made Lolita . Did he have a smile on his face the entire time he did Eyes Wide Shut ? Who knows?

INSDORF: Terry, was there any serious thought of releasing Eyes Wide Shut as an NC-17 film with no digital covering of nudity?

SEMEL: It was such a short period of time between Stanley’s death and the release of the film. I did not want our company to be responsible for changing Stanley’s view or adding things to Stanley’s view. I just decided in my own self that I was going to do everything I possibly could to make sure that the film got this rating. It’s Stanley’s movie. And I don’t want anyone else touching it or fooling with it. I don’t want to change history with it. I think the best parts of the film still shine. I just made sure that we got the rating so it could be in lots of theaters throughout the world.

CRUISE: Stanley wanted that. He wanted his movies to be huge successes. He did not want an NC-17 rating.

SEMEL: He would call me every other week to tell me to go back to the rating board. [ laughs ] To push them against the wall . . . Tom, do you want to talk about the final nights before he died?

CRUISE: What happened is, Stanley sent the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut to New York. And the four of us watched it—Terry and Jane and me and Nicole. We watched it twice in a row and went out to dinner after that. I had to leave after that for Australia to start filming Mission [ Impossible 2, 2000]. You were on the phone talking with Stanley about the movie, going over everything—

SEMEL: That’s right. Stanley wouldn’t allow anyone else to see the cut. I think his nephew carried the print from England to a screening room in Manhattan. And he called that night—”What did you think? And how was this? And how was that scene?” He went through every bit of the film. And generally speaking, we were all very happy and excited. I said, “Stanley, I’m going to fly back to Los Angeles,” which is where I was living. “We’ll continue this tomorrow. We’ll talk about lots of details. You have notes, we have notes.” And then when tomorrow came, he was on the phone with me—which was not a rare occurrence—for many, many hours. And it was probably about three o’clock in the morning at that point, and he and I had been talking the entire time. And he went over every detail of how the movie would be released—of who would do it, of what it would look like, etcetera. It just went on and on and on. When it was about four o’clock in the morning, I said, “Stanley, I’m really tired. I’m going to go to sleep now. We can continue this conversation in the morning.” So I go to sleep, get up in the morning, and in those days we had an answering machine, and there were dozens and dozens of calls on the machine, starting with Stanley’s wife, who was insisting that they wake me up. He had died during that night. She said, “What was it like? What happened? Were you guys angry?” I said, “No, we were laughing for hours. We were going over everything on that film and we were in hysterics for hours—for many, many hours until sunlight was starting to come through.” We were all in a state of shock. I’m so happy to say that his life ended on a huge up-note of feeling success coming from his latest movie, Eyes Wide Shut . It was like a celebration on the phone for many, many hours and a lot of laughing. Later, we did an opening for Eyes Wide Shut for a charity in Los Angeles, and I got up to introduce the movie to the audience, and I said, “This is going to be my last movie at Warner Bros.” I think all of my colleagues and the whole company all stopped to say, “Terry, what did you just say?” I just felt there’s no way to top the experience with Stanley. And then didn’t we all fly back to his funeral in his backyard?

CRUISE: Yeah, we did. I was in Australia when I got the call. I talked to Stanley on the plane. We talked for about an hour, going through the film. And then I got the call. And we flew back for the funeral at his house in England.

INSDORF: Had Kubrick lived another 10 years, which films do you think he would have made? Would it have been A.I. ? The Aryan Papers ? Napoleon ? What are we missing?

CRUISE: We talked about Napoleon and A.I. He showed me the boards for both of those films and he was very interested in them. But with Stanley, you never really knew what he was going to do.

SEMEL: And The Aryan Papers . He’d been thinking about how to do a film about the Holocaust for a few years. And then one day, in one of those little sessions in his kitchen, I said, “Are you aware of Spielberg’s film [ Schindler’s List , 1993]?” And he was not really aware of it at the time. As we talked about it, Stanley said, “I don’t want to do it—he’s way ahead. Steven’s film is going to be coming out very shortly.” And he switched. He started to look at other scripts he had been working on and other properties that he was interested in.

INSDORF: So Schindler’s List prevents him from making The Aryan Papers . And, ironically, Spielberg picks up the mantle and directs A.I. [2001].

CRUISE: They were working on that together.

INSDORF: Tom, as you’ve worked closely with Spielberg, how different do you think Kubrick directing A.I. would have been from Spielberg directing it?

CRUISE: They’re just different directors. Both amazing, extraordinary filmmakers. It’s impossible to say, as they would have made different choices. I know that Steven wanted to honor Stanley, and that has a lot to do with why he made it.

INSDORF: I admire A.I. a great deal, but I get the feeling that Kubrick would have made it darker than Spielberg did, consistent with some of the vision that I’ve been describing from his previous work. Maybe there is something to the fact that he loved chess in addition to baseball and photography. He was the master manipulator on the one hand, and he often depicted characters as pawns—as diminutive shapes on an elegant chessboard of life, moved around by forces that we’re not aware of—and I think he may have felt that more than Spielberg ever would. But, yes, who can say. From all I’ve read, Terry, your relationship with Kubrick was extraordinary for him in terms of the support. The unconditional support you showed is rare in the history of American cinema.

SEMEL: It’s also very rare to meet a person with his capabilities and his intellect and a great sense of humor at the same time. I think Tom would certainly agree that he became our idol, he was the man. Whichever direction he wanted to go with his next movie, from my standpoint, that would be his next movie. And I’m thrilled about this exhibition on him at LACMA.

INSDORF: It’s thrilling to be able to see all of these films together, including some that haven’t gotten their just attention, like Full Metal Jacket, which suffered a little bit in comparison to a film like Platoon [1986]. But that also underlines how Kubrick was different from other filmmakers. Platoon offers you the possibility of identifying with the Charlie Sheen character, who ultimately chooses good over evil. But in Full Metal Jacket, the character played by Matthew Modine has this amorality that you can’t really sympathize with, and, in that sense, Kubrick was more challenging than most filmmakers who’ve dealt with difficult subject matter.

CRUISE: The thing about Kubrick, though, is it wasn’t analytical for him. These are things that he just did. I don’t think he went about it thinking, I’m going to do it like this for a particular reason. In the end he really was collaborative. I felt like we were working on Eyes Wide Shut together.

SEMEL: Don’t forget he looked at you as a colleague, and a friend, and someone who he could also trust. I’m sure Jack Nicholson today is still thinking, “Why didn’t he trust me?” [ laughs ]

Tom Cruise is a producer and the star of the film Jack Reacher , opening this December. Terry Semel is the Former Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. and the former Chairman and CEO of Yahoo! Inc. Annette Insdorf is Director of Undergraduate Film Studies at Columbia University. Her most recent book is Philip Kaufman (University of illinois).

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Entertainment

Eyes Wide Shut: What you never knew about the Stanley Kubrick movie starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman

FIFTEEN years ago Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman starred in Eyes Wide Shut. But they weren’t the director’s first choice to star in the film. Here’s what you never knew.

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FIFTEEN years ago Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, opened around the world.

Setting records for the longest shoot in movie history, it was an excruciating labour of love for lead stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman — one that would often be traced back to the alleged start of their marriage’s decline. Throughout the process, cryptic reports implied that Kubrick’s obsessive perfectionism had reached peak levels, which was especially eyebrow-raising given the film’s sexual explicitness. The director, who won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for 2001: A Space Odyssey , died of a heart attack in March 1999, days after screening the final cut. Had he lived, perhaps we’d have more perspective on the movie’s production — or perhaps not, as Kubrick was notoriously reclusive.

Then husband-and-wife actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman with co-star Sydney Pollack.

An excerpt from Amy Nicholson’s book, Tom Cruise: Anatomy of an Actor , printed in Vanity Fair , offers details about the project’s goings-on. Coupled with a 1999 Entertainment Weekly article pegged to the film’s release and a Los Angeles Times report about its box-office expectations, the passage reveals some things you may not know about Eyes Wide Shut .

1. Kubrick always intended to cast an actual married couple as the movie’s leads, but Cruise and Kidman weren’t who he had in mind. The initial pair he thought of was Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger.

2. Sydney Pollack’s role first went to Harvey Keitel, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

3. Jennifer Jason Leigh was originally tapped to play Marion Nathanson but left mid-production due to scheduling conflicts. Marie Richardson wound up playing that part.

Tom and Nicole certainly weren’t shy in Eyes Wide Shut.

4. When Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise arrived in London in the fall of 1996 to shoot the movie, they expected to be wrapped and back in Los Angeles by the following spring. Instead, the production didn’t conclude until January 1998, making it the Guinness World Record’s longest-running film shoot in history. (Kidman and Cruise reportedly signed open-ended contracts that stated they’d stick with the project no matter how long it took to complete.)

5. To say Kubrick is a perfectionist is an understatement: His intent was to film scenes so many times that it would wear down his actors and they’d forget the cameras existed. During the course of shooting Eyes Wide Shut , the director filmed 95 takes of Cruise walking through a door.

6. Cruise was so anxious about giving the legendary director what he wanted that he developed an ulcer. He never told Kubrick.

Nicole and Tom were on the cover of Time Magazine after the film’s release..

7. Frenzied tabloids ran reports that Cruise and Kidman’s marriage was crumbling in late ‘90s. If anything, that notion was only enhanced by their Eyes Wide Shut dynamic. Kubrick coaxed the couple into sharing their personal reservations about the marriage with him, in turn transferring those troubles onto their characters, Bill and Alice. Kidman called it a kind of “brutally honest” anti-therapy, as no one asked how they felt about each other’s criticisms.

8. Director Todd Field ( Little Children , In the Bedroom ), who starred in the movie as piano player Nick Nightingale, said of Kidman and Cruise: “You’ve never seen two actors more completely subservient and prostrate themselves at the feet of a director.”

9. Kubrick was terrified of flying, so instead of travelling to New York City to shoot in Greenwich Village, he built a top-secret replica of the neighbourhood at England’s Pinewood Studios. A set designer was sent to measure the exact width of the streets and distance between newspaper stands.

All loved up at the Sydney premiere of Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.

10. Kubrick allowed only a skeleton crew to remain on the set throughout filming. One rare outsider permitted to watch the action unfold was Boogie Nights director Paul Thomas Anderson. Cruise was in talks for the lead role in Anderson’s Magnolia and had to sneak him past security. ‘’I asked [Kubrick], ‘Do you always work with so few people?’ Anderson recalled. “He gave me this look and said, ‘Why? How many people do you need?’ I felt like such a Hollywood a**hole.’’

11. Cruise isn’t the only actor who filmed dozens of takes. Vinessa Shaw, who played the prostitute Domino, recalled having shot about 90 takes for a single scene.

12. Had Kubrick not died before the movie opened, he may still be making adjustments to it today, like he did with The Shining after its release. “I think Stanley would have been tinkering with it for the next 20 years,” Kidman said. “He was still tinkering with movies he made decades ago. He was never finished. It was never perfect enough.”

Tom Cruise played a New York City doctor in Eyes Wide Shut.

13. Warner Bros. wanted a $20 million opening weekend to consider the movie a success. It surpassed that, grossing $21.7 million across 2,400 screens. Marketing tracking studies for the film showed it had an awareness level of 78 but lacked the first-choice status among moviegoers that other summer fare like Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Big Daddy saw.

This article originally appeared in the Huffington Post .

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10 Movie Scenes That Took The Most Amount Of Takes Ever

7. tom cruise walks through a door...95 times - eyes wide shut.

Perhaps no filmmaker in history is as reputed for their clinical perfectionism as Stanley Kubrick, and so this won't be the only time his name will appear on this list.

For his final film Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick took his desire for dozens - if not hundreds - of takes to a level of self-parody while shooting a scene where Tom Cruise's protagonist Dr. Bill Hartford walks through a door.

Kubrick reportedly had Cruise perform the scene 95 times, all while the cast and crew were presumably left wondering how many different ways a person could possibly walk through a door.

Hilariously, it's never actually been confirmed which scene in the movie saw Cruise forced to repeat his entrance almost 100 times, truly underlining how utterly unimportant it was to waste so much time shooting it.

Though Kubrick's method often begets fantastic results, in this case it's clearly an instance of directorial indulgence taken too far.

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.

War History Online

'Full Metal Jacket' Facts Every Movie Fan Should Know

Posted: June 27, 2024 | Last updated: June 27, 2024

<p>Many Vietnam-era films were released in the decade or so following the war's end, and one of the most popular was <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> (1987). Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the 1979 <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1542752" rel="noopener">semi-autobiographical book</a> by Gustav Hasford, it was a huge box office success, bringing in $120 million. The following is a list of little-known facts about <em>Full Metal Jacket, </em>the making of the movie, and the cast that made the film as impactful as it was.</p>

‘Full Metal Jacket’ Facts Every Movie Fan Should Know

Many Vietnam-era films were released in the decade or so following the war's end, and one of the most popular was Full Metal Jacket (1987). Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the 1979 semi-autobiographical book by Gustav Hasford, it was a huge box office success, bringing in $120 million. The following is a list of little-known facts about Full Metal Jacket, the making of the movie, and the cast that made the film as impactful as it was.

<p>While Matthew Modine was experiencing a hot streak in Hollywood during the 1980s, he wasn't on <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/stanley-kubrick-war-movies.html" rel="noopener">Stanley Kubrick</a>'s radar when it came to casting for <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> - in fact, Modine himself wasn't even aware the film was being produced. It wasn't until he had a <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/val-kilmer-matthew-modine-full-metal-jacket.html" rel="noopener">less-than-enjoyable encounter</a> with fellow actor Val Kilmer at a Los Angeles diner that he found out about the role.</p> <p>Kilmer was wrongfully under the impression that Modine was vying for the part of Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis and was thus incredibly hostile toward him during their unanticipated meeting. Kilmer's mood left a bad taste in Modine's mouth and prompted him and his agent to send Kubrick some acting examples. He was subsequently offered the role.</p>

Val Kilmer helped Matthew Modine secure the role of Pvt. 'Joker'

While Matthew Modine was experiencing a hot streak in Hollywood during the 1980s, he wasn't on Stanley Kubrick 's radar when it came to casting for Full Metal Jacket - in fact, Modine himself wasn't even aware the film was being produced. It wasn't until he had a less-than-enjoyable encounter with fellow actor Val Kilmer at a Los Angeles diner that he found out about the role.

Kilmer was wrongfully under the impression that Modine was vying for the part of Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis and was thus incredibly hostile toward him during their unanticipated meeting. Kilmer's mood left a bad taste in Modine's mouth and prompted him and his agent to send Kubrick some acting examples. He was subsequently offered the role.

<p>Before Dorian Harewood was chosen to portray Cpl. "Eightball," then-up-and-coming actor <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2021/09/16/denzel-washington-facts/" rel="noopener">Denzel Washington</a> was up for the role. However, as he wasn't able to read the script before the audition, he declined. He's since come out and said he regrets turning down the part.</p>

Denzel Washington could have been Cpl. 'Eightball'

Before Dorian Harewood was chosen to portray Cpl. "Eightball," then-up-and-coming actor Denzel Washington was up for the role. However, as he wasn't able to read the script before the audition, he declined. He's since come out and said he regrets turning down the part.

<p>Denzel Washington wasn't the only actor to turn down a role in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>.</p> <p>Before Adam Baldwin graced the big screen as Sgt. "Animal Mother," <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/08/16/arnold-schwarzenegger-son/" rel="noopener">Arnold Schwarzenegger</a> was offered the part. He ended up turning it down to star as Capt. Benjamin Stuart "Ben" Richards in the 1987 film adaptation of <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/03/16/stephen-kings-carrie/" rel="noopener">Stephen King</a>'s <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2019/04/21/the-running-man/" rel="noopener"><em>The Running Man</em></a>.</p>

Speaking of actors turning down roles...

Denzel Washington wasn't the only actor to turn down a role in Full Metal Jacket .

Before Adam Baldwin graced the big screen as Sgt. "Animal Mother," Arnold Schwarzenegger was offered the part. He ended up turning it down to star as Capt. Benjamin Stuart "Ben" Richards in the 1987 film adaptation of Stephen King 's The Running Man .

<p>It's a proven fact that Stanley Kubrick was one of the best directors to ever grace Hollywood, and the scenes in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> that feature the recruits training at <a href="https://www.mcrdpi.marines.mil/" rel="noopener">Marine Corps Recruit Depot</a>, Parris Island is an example as to why.</p> <p>During basic training, no recruit is considered above the rest, and Kubrick was able to bring that sentiment to the big screen by using a special lens, which kept each actor's face in focus, meaning no one person was the center of attention.</p>

No recruit was more important than the rest

It's a proven fact that Stanley Kubrick was one of the best directors to ever grace Hollywood, and the scenes in Full Metal Jacket that feature the recruits training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot , Parris Island is an example as to why.

During basic training, no recruit is considered above the rest, and Kubrick was able to bring that sentiment to the big screen by using a special lens, which kept each actor's face in focus, meaning no one person was the center of attention.

<p>To play Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>, Vincent D'Onofrio had to gain 70 pounds. It took him seven months to put on the weight and another nine to lose it once filming had wrapped. Prior to this, the record for the most weight gained for a film role was held by <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/08/31/robert-de-niro-favorite-films/" rel="noopener">Robert De Niro</a>, who put on 60 pounds to portray Jake La Motta in 1980's <em>Raging Bull</em>.</p> <p>Interestingly enough, no actor has been able to break the record since, despite it being nearly 40 years later!</p>

Vincent D'Onofrio broke Robert De Niro's record

In portraying Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket , Vincent D'Onofrio had to transform his body by gaining a staggering 70 pounds. This difficult task of putting on the weight took him seven months and another nine months to lose it once filming had finished. Before this, Robert De Niro held the record of the most weight gained for a film role. He put on 60 pounds when he played Jake La Motta in 1980's Raging Bull .

Even today, no actor has been able to break D'Onofrio's record, despite it being almost 40 years ago!

<p>When compared to other famed directors, Stanley Kubrick's resume is rather short. In fact, he only made one film after <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> premiered in theaters, and it was posthumously released. <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/07/22/kubricks-eyes-wide-shut/" rel="noopener"><em>Eyes Wide Shut</em></a>, starring Nicole Kidman and <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2021/11/22/maverick-facts-about-the-tom-ultuous-tom-cruise/" rel="noopener">Tom Cruise</a>, made its box office debut in July 1999, just a few months after Kubrick suffered a fatal heart attack.</p>

It was the last film released in Stanley Kubrick's lifetime

When compared to other famed directors, Stanley Kubrick's resume is rather short. In fact, he only made one film after Full Metal Jacket premiered in theaters, and it was posthumously released. Eyes Wide Shut , starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise , made its box office debut in July 1999, just a few months after Kubrick suffered a fatal heart attack.

<p>It's hard to imagine anyone other than Tom Cruise playing Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 1986's <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/03/30/stars-of-top-gun/" rel="noopener"><em>Top Gun</em></a>, but the truth is he almost wasn't. Matthew Modine was initially offered the role, but turned it down to star in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>. Modine was aware the Tony Scott action film would likely over-perform at the box office, yet still chose to decline the part.</p> <p>According to Modine, <em>Top Gun</em>'s glamorization of the US military went against his anti-war beliefs, whereas <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> showed the psychological and physical impacts the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/playboy-vietnam-war.html" rel="noopener">Vietnam War</a> had on those who served in the conflict.</p>

Matthew Modine chose Full Metal Jacket over Top Gun

It's hard to imagine anyone other than Tom Cruise playing Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 1986's Top Gun , but the truth is he almost wasn't. Matthew Modine was initially offered the role, but turned it down to star in Full Metal Jacket . Modine was aware the Tony Scott action film would likely over-perform at the box office, yet still chose to decline the part.

According to Modine, Top Gun 's glamorization of the US military went against his anti-war beliefs, whereas Full Metal Jacket showed the psychological and physical impacts the Vietnam War had on those who served in the conflict.

<p>This might be a well-known fact for fans of <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> and Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, but for those unaware, <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/r-lee-ermey-marine-corps-service.html" rel="noopener">R. Lee Ermey</a> was a real-life sergeant in the US Marine Corps before appearing in the film. Not only that, he served 14 months in Vietnam.</p> <p>Ermey's first foray into acting was as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war film, <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/apocalypse-now-facts.html" rel="noopener"><em>Apocalypse Now</em></a>. He followed this up with a number of smaller roles, after which he was approached by Stanley Kubrick to serve as the technical advisor on the set of <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>. The director later offered him the role of Hartman after watching an instructional tape he'd recorded.</p>

R. Lee Ermey was a veteran of the US Marine Corps

This might be a well-known fact for fans of Full Metal Jacket and Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, but for those unaware, R. Lee Ermey was a real-life sergeant in the US Marine Corps before appearing in the film. Not only that, he served 14 months in Vietnam.

Ermey's first foray into acting was as a helicopter pilot in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 war film, Apocalypse Now . He followed this up with a number of smaller roles, after which he was approached by Stanley Kubrick to serve as the technical advisor on the set of Full Metal Jacket . The director later offered him the role of Hartman after watching an instructional tape he'd recorded.

<p>While we're on the topic of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, did you know that Stanley Kubrick refused to let R. Lee Ermey talk to the cast between takes? What's more, the director ensured Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio and the rest of those playing the recruits never met the Marine Corps veteran prior to filming. This meant everyone's performances were as authentic as possible.</p>

Speaking of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman...

On the topic of Gunnery Sgt. Hartman, it's worth noting that Stanley Kubrick wouldn't to let R. Lee Ermey talk to the cast between takes. Taking it even further, the director ensured Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio and the rest of the actors playing the recruits never met the Marine Corps veteran before they started filming. This added a different level of authenticity and realism to everyone's performances.

<p>Among the most memorable moments in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> is when Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis imitates famed Western star <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/joseph-stalin-john-wayne.html" rel="noopener">John Wayne</a>. It's pretty impressive, and Modine has fellow actor Mel Gibson to thank.</p> <p>During the filming of <em>Mrs. Soffel</em> (1984), Gibson had to use a dialect coach because he couldn't put on a convincing American accent. Despite being born in the United States, he'd grown up in Australia and, as such, had a relatively thick accent. Modine later revealed that Gibson would sound like John Wayne while putting on his American accent, and that's how he learned to do the impression for <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>.</p>

Matthew Modine's John Wayne impression came from Mel Gibson

Among the most memorable moments in Full Metal Jacket is when Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis imitates famed Western star John Wayne . It's pretty impressive, and Modine has fellow actor Mel Gibson to thank.

During the filming of Mrs. Soffel (1984), Gibson had to use a dialect coach because he couldn't put on a convincing American accent. Despite being born in the United States, he'd grown up in Australia and, as such, had a relatively thick accent. Modine later revealed that Gibson would sound like John Wayne while putting on his American accent, and that's how he learned to do the impression for Full Metal Jacket .

<p>Matthew Modine's character in <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> is named for Spec. James T. Davis of the 3rd Radio Research Unit. Davis was killed on December 22, 1961 during an enemy ambush by <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/vietnam-war/viet-cong-booby-traps.html" rel="noopener">Viet Cong</a> guerrillas and was, for a time, considered the first American casualty of the war in Vietnam.</p> <p>However, that's no longer the case. Tech. Sgt. <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/first-american-lost-during-the-vietnam-war.html" rel="noopener">Richard Fitzgibbon Jr.</a> is now considered the first official US casualty of the conflict, having been killed by a fellow US Air Force member while in Vietnam with the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in 1956.</p> <p>For a decade, Fitzgibbon's family and US Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) petitioned for him to be declared the conflict's first casualty. This led the <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/department-of-defense-26-page-brownie-recipe.html" rel="noopener">Department of Defense</a> to change the official start date of the war to November 1, 1955, the day MAAG was established.</p>

No longer considered the first US casualty of the Vietnam War

Matthew Modine's character in Full Metal Jacket is named for Spec. James T. Davis of the 3rd Radio Research Unit. Davis was killed on December 22, 1961 during an enemy ambush by Viet Cong guerrillas and was, for a time, considered the first American casualty of the war in Vietnam.

However, that's no longer the case. Tech. Sgt. Richard Fitzgibbon Jr. is now considered the first official US casualty of the conflict, having been killed by a fellow US Air Force member while in Vietnam with the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) in 1956.

For a decade, Fitzgibbon's family and US Representative Ed Markey (D-MA) petitioned for him to be declared the conflict's first casualty. This led the Department of Defense to change the official start date of the war to November 1, 1955, the day MAAG was established.

<p>Lon Chaney was among the most famous actors of the <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/12/04/batmans-joker/" rel="noopener">silent film era</a>. Known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces," he was like a human chameleon with his ability to change up his appearance for roles. Vincent D'Onofrio was such a fan of Chaney's that he actually based his performance as Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence on his style of acting.</p>

Taking inspiration from Hollywood's silent film era

Lon Chaney was among the most famous actors of the silent film era . Known as the "Man of a Thousand Faces," he was like a human chameleon with his ability to change up his appearance for roles. Vincent D'Onofrio was such a fan of Chaney's that he actually based his performance as Pvt. Leonard "Gomer Pyle" Lawrence on his style of acting.

<p>Before he was John McClane in <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2021/12/07/yippee-ki-yay-turkey-baster-die-hards-christmas-setting-is-more-complex-than-you-might-think/" rel="noopener"><em>Die Hard</em></a> (1988), <a href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2022/03/31/bruce-willis-iconic-roles/" rel="noopener">Bruce Willis</a> was a relatively unknown actor who was up for the role of Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis. Stanley Kubrick offered him the part, but he was forced to turn it down, due to his role in the ABC comedy-drama series, <em>Moonlighting</em> (1985-89)</p> <p>Filming the show almost got in the way of Willis appearing in <em>Die Hard</em> - imagine that!</p>

Bruce Willis could have been Pvt. 'Joker'

Before he was John McClane in Die Hard (1988), Bruce Willis was a relatively unknown actor who was up for the role of Pvt. J.T. "Joker" Davis. Stanley Kubrick offered him the part, but he was forced to turn it down, due to his role in the ABC comedy-drama series, Moonlighting (1985-89)

Filming the show almost got in the way of Willis appearing in Die Hard - imagine that!

<p>Stanley Kubrick wanted the cast of <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> to be made up of relatively unknown actors. To accomplish this, he placed ads across the US, asking for young, aspiring actors to send in audition tapes. Of the around 3,000 he received, Kubrick himself watched around 800.</p>

Stanley Kubrick wanted a relatively unknown cast

Stanley Kubrick wanted the cast of Full Metal Jacket to be made up of relatively unknown actors. To accomplish this, he placed ads across the US, asking for young, aspiring actors to send in audition tapes. Of the around 3,000 he received, Kubrick himself watched around 800.

<p>Stanley Kubrick's daughter, Vivian, wrote the score for <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> under the alias "Abigail Mead." She also made a short cameo in the film, appearing as a photographer at the site of a massacre in Vietnam.</p>

Stanley Kubrick's daughter makes a cameo in Full Metal Jacket

Stanley Kubrick's daughter, Vivian, wrote the score for Full Metal Jacket under the alias "Abigail Mead." She also made a short cameo in the film, appearing as a photographer at the site of a massacre in Vietnam.

<p>Matthew Modine had a number of big life events occur while filming <em>Full Metal Jacket</em>, including his wedding and the birth of his son. However, he almost missed the latter. Stanley Kubrick tried to prevent him from attending, going so far as to tell the actor he'd get in the way of the doctors.</p> <p>To obtain permission to travel to the hospital, Modine took out his pocket knife and threatened to cut open his hand. The rather extreme tactic worked, and the actor was able to witness his son's birth.</p>

Matthew Modine almost missed the birth of his child

Matthew Modine had a number of big life events occur while filming Full Metal Jacket , including his wedding and the birth of his son. However, he almost missed the latter. Stanley Kubrick tried to prevent him from attending, going so far as to tell the actor he'd get in the way of the doctors.

To obtain permission to travel to the hospital, Modine took out his pocket knife and threatened to cut open his hand. The rather extreme tactic worked, and the actor was able to witness his son's birth.

<p>It's a known fact that <em>Full Metal Jacket</em> was filmed in England, but many don't realize that Stanley Kubrick was able to recreate the city of Huế by filming at an abandoned gasworks plant. The site wasn't necessarily the safest, as the soil was contaminated with carcinogens and asbestos.</p> <p><strong>More from us:</strong> <a href="https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/saving-private-ryan-facts.html" rel="noopener">'Saving Private Ryan' Facts Ever Movie Fan Should Know</a></p> <p>Modine <a href="https://www.slashfilm.com/1102929/full-metal-jackets-vietnam-set-was-literally-toxic-according-to-matthew-modine/" rel="noopener">later spoke about</a> what it took to film those scenes, saying:</p> <p>"When you went home from work and took a bath, the tub would literally turn a kind of cobalt blue with all this dirt and chemicals that came off of your body. It was a sickening place, and after we finished up at Beckton, we all needed an opportunity to relax and cleanse that c**p out of our bodies."</p>

A toxic work environment

It's a known fact that Full Metal Jacket was filmed in England, but many don't realize that Stanley Kubrick was able to recreate the city of Huế by filming at an abandoned gasworks plant. The site wasn't necessarily the safest, as the soil was contaminated with carcinogens and asbestos.

More from us: 'Saving Private Ryan' Facts Ever Movie Fan Should Know

Modine later spoke about what it took to film those scenes, saying:

"When you went home from work and took a bath, the tub would literally turn a kind of cobalt blue with all this dirt and chemicals that came off of your body. It was a sickening place, and after we finished up at Beckton, we all needed an opportunity to relax and cleanse that c**p out of our bodies."

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Stanley Kubrick And Tom Cruise Pushed TAR's Todd Field To Start Directing His Own Movies

Todd Field is once again in Academy Award conversations thanks to his work on "Tár." The psychological drama stars Cate Blanchett as the titular world-famous composer has been described as one of the tensest films to come out of 2022, and audiences shouldn't be surprised if it snags a couple of Oscar nominations later in 2023. Blanchett has already been nominated for a Golden Globe, with plenty of other outlets praising her performance, in particular (via NBC News ). However, the movie only managed to come together under the watchful eye of Field.

Casual viewers may not realize that Field has an immense body of work that goes far beyond writing and directing. Before he stepped behind the camera, he was an actor who starred in several projects, from "Fat Man and Little Boy" to "Twister." He also played Nick Nightengale in "Eyes Wide Shut," which is noteworthy for being director Stanley Kubrick's final film.

If it wasn't for that role, there's a chance Field never would have pursued filmmaking, as he recently related on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast . He spoke about a number of topics, but one of the most intriguing involves Kubrick and "Eyes Wide Shut" star Tom Cruise convincing him to pursue directing.

Tom Cruise really pushed Todd Field to develop his first feature

When asked about his experience filming "Eyes Wide Shut," Todd Field immediately went into how intimidating it was to be side-by-side with Stanley Kubrick. He talked about wandering the inside of a manor where they were shooting with a camera around his neck, and when Kubrick saw him, he wanted to know everything about the camera. From that interaction alone, Field could tell that Kubrick knew he was interested in more than just acting.

However, Tom Cruise ended up being the one to really push Field to work on his first feature, "In the Bedroom." Field elaborated, "[Cruise] took me aside after a few months and said, 'You're gonna make a feature film.' I said, 'Yeah, I will. I went to film school.' He goes, 'No, but you're gonna make a feature film. You've got a few months now, what are you going to do? You should write a script.'" With that bit of inspiration, Field fleshed out the idea for "In the Bedroom" more and eventually brought it to Kubrick.

Field didn't detail what precisely Kubrick told him, but he explained, "He would never tell you anything, but he would always ask you a lot of questions. He asked me a lot of questions about what I was thinking, why I wanted to do it, and he very gently offered me some extremely valuable advice." "In the Bedroom" ended up garnering two Academy Award nominations for best picture and best adapted screenplay. More Oscar nods may be in Field's future if "Tár" continues its upward trajectory.

Tom Cruise’s Iconic Characters

Discover four characters played by tom cruise, and learn why they are so iconic. read on to explore our list of films.

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Interview with the Vampire (1994)

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Cruise gives opinions on director Stanley Kubrick who worked on eyes wide shut with him in 1999 Cruise gives opinions on director Stanley Kubrick who worked on eyes wide shut with him in 1999 Cruise gives opinions on director Stanley Kubrick who worked on eyes wide shut with him in 1999

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Connections Referenced in The Invisible Man: A Definitive Portrait of Stanley Kubrick - Director's Cut (2019)

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The late 1990s were a very interesting period for memorable films, and Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999) was definitely no exception. As a director who was arguably as passionate about film as he was controversial, his infamous reputation often yielded especially strict rules for actors who worked under him, no matter how-profile they were. According to a report by SlashFilm, both Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were subject to this while working on what would be Kubrick's swan song.

Eyes Wide Shut was depicted as an erotic psychological drama based on a 1926 novella named "Traumnovelle", or "Dream Story". It was a genre mashup that even now would be deemed questionable among mainstream audiences. Typically saved for outside-the-box risk-takers like American Psycho (2000), Kubrick never shied from violently shaking the status quo of conventional (and respectable) filmmaking. Whether it was the substance of his films, or the methods he subjected his actors to. While directing Eyes Wide Shut , he set strict rules for both lead actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman , who were married at the time.

The most notable of all was that they were to remain separated as much as possible when not required on set, to maintain the theme of both physical and psychological alienation their characters felt between each other. To push it further, Kubrick directed the two of them separately, each with their own set of notes that they weren't allowed to share. Perhaps the most controversial experience of this method, was Kubrick having Kidman film six days worth of sex scenes with the actor who plays her character Alice's sexual fantasy. The two actors had to film in 50 different sexual positions, and Kidman was forbidden to discuss any aspect of the process with Cruise on or off-set. This on top of the exceptionally long filming schedule of 46 weeks, which reportedly even wore Cruise down, made Kubrick's final film before his death a no-less enduring experience for those involved.

Related: Eyes Wide Shut: Behind the Scenes of Kubrick's Erotic Christmas Thriller

Kubrick's Legacy of Aggressively Pushing the Envelope

A number of Stanley Kubrick's works have been firmly cemented into film history, often for atypical reasons that are almost entirely unique to him, or any other director that could come close to his abnormal expectations. An infamous perfectionist that micromanaged nearly aspect of the production process, up to his death at the age of 70, the director created some of the industry's most memorable films, for better or worse. His most heavily criticized film, A Clockwork Orange (1971), was pulled from theaters in the U.K. for its undeniably brutal, disturbing content. On the other side, his sci-fi drama 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), was well-received as a marvel of special effects for the time and remains one of the most popular films in the genre to this day.

His film which likely receives the most universal attention even now is The Shining (1980), his big-screen adaptation of Stephen King's original novel. Despite it essentially being a household name, and being preserved in the Library of Congress's archive of history's most impactful films, the psychological horror flick won virtually no awards, was ruthlessly panned by Stephen King himself, and was predictably criticized for Kubrick's treatment of cast and crew, particularly Shelley Duvall. The actress, who was sick and enduring a brutal divorce at the time, took the brunt of Kubrick's perfectionist tactics. She was infamously forced to reshoot the "staircase scene" with fellow actor Jack Nicholson well over 100 times, because Kubrick reportedly wanted to mentally break her to get the best take possible. Nonetheless, for every critic of Kubrick's methods, others maintain that his intense dedication to his craft was a necessity, no matter the costs.

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Tom Cruise with Connor Cruise and Bella Cruise.

“They are adults. They are able to make their own decisions,” the “Moulin Rouge” star told Australian magazine Who at the time.

“They have made choices to be Scientologists and as a mother, it’s my job to love them. And I am an example of that tolerance and that’s what I believe – that no matter what your child does, the child has love and the child has to know there is available love and I’m open here.”

Kidman — who is now married to Keith Urban — divorced Tom in 2001.

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Tom Cruise 's appearance at Taylor Swift 's London concert on Saturday was not only a huge hit with fans ... but he was also super popular with the pop star's boyfriend, Travis Kelce .

Check out the video ... Tom was sitting in a VIP box while grooving to Taylor's music with a big smile on his face. Travis was also grinning while standing behind Tom and placing both hands on his shoulders.

Travis then leaned in and said something to Tom, prompting a little laugh from the acting legend. Tom then patted Travis' hand as a friendly gesture.

The bonding sesh was captured after Tom strolled inside Wembley Stadium for Taylor's second night performance in London, part of her international "Eras" tour.

Video showed Tom passing excited fans while saying hello to some of them and posing for photos.

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Stanley Kubrick: la exposición definitiva del genio del cine
Stanley Kubrick Wanted Very Different Lead Actor For 'Eyes Wide Shut'
Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut
Tom Cruise Questions Everything in Stanley Kubrick's Final Film
Stanley Kubrick 1990s Photos et images de collection
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Eyes Wide Shut
Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick.It is based on the 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story) by Arthur Schnitzler, transferring the story's setting from early twentieth-century Vienna to 1990s New York City.The plot centers on a physician who is shocked when his wife (Nicole Kidman) reveals that she had ...
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Tom Cruise's Dr. Bill Harford in "Eyes Wide Shut" is the second kind of Kubrick hero.He's is a bit of a dope but takes himself absolutely seriously, never looking inward, at least not as deeply as he should. An undercurrent of film noir runs through most if not all of Kubrick's films.
Eyes Wide Shut
Page 1 of 6, 11 total items. After Dr. Bill Hartford's (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual ...
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
assistant: Mr. Kubrick Matt Dalton ... accounting assistant (as Matthew Dalton) Kerry David ... assistant: Ms. Kidman Barbara Del Greco ... researcher: Venetian masks Andrea Doven ... assistant: Ms. Kidman Michael Doven ... production associate Chester Eyre ... laboratory consultant
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Stanley Kubrick with producer Jan Harlan, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman during production of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Warner Bros Pictures. Kubrick seems to take immense delight in subverting Cruise's virile man-of-action image - Bill is almost pathologically passive, unable to acknowledge, let alone explore, his sexuality.
Cruise opens up about working with Kubrick
Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. LOS ANGELES--Tom Cruise had just flown in from Australia and he was tired and a sad. Sad because he was talking about the new Stanley Kubrick movie, and Stanley wasn't there to pitch in.
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A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing. Release Date. July 16, 1999. Director. Stanley Kubrick. Cast. Tom Cruise , Nicole ...
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The truth behind Stanley Kubrick movie 'Eyes Wide Shut'
However, Kubrick transposed the setting from decadence-era Vienna to New York, a move that has been taken by many as a means of holding the mirror up to contemporary society. The picture features the two biggest stars of the day, power couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. They were perfectly cast, Adam and Eve-like symbols of humanity's ...
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Eyes Wide Shut. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman signed open-ended contracts. They agreed to work on this project until Stanley Kubrick released them from it, however long that turned out to be. Stanley Kubrick died just four days after presenting Warner Bros. with what was reported to be a final cut of the film, after a legendarily long shoot.
Stanley Kubrick
Tom Cruise, who starred in Eyes Wide Shut, and former Warner Bros. head Terry Semel, who oversaw the production of many of Kubrick's films, got together for a phone conversation that I moderated in late August to discuss Kubrick's brilliantly cinematic storytelling. Some surprises emerged as they talked with affection about his renowned ...
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7. Frenzied tabloids ran reports that Cruise and Kidman's marriage was crumbling in late '90s. If anything, that notion was only enhanced by their Eyes Wide Shut dynamic.Kubrick coaxed the ...
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1955 1h 7m Approved. 6.6 (26K) Rate. Ready to catch a train to his hometown, a washed-up boxer tells us about the strange and twisty events that happened to him the past couple of days. Director Stanley Kubrick Stars Frank Silvera Irene Kane Jamie Smith. 3. The Killing. 1956 1h 24m Approved.
Tom Cruise opens up about the death of Stanley Kubrick
Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut is a mesmerising odyssey of unabashed hedonism which is intended to be a critique of consumerism. For the lead role, Kubrick took the initiative to cast whoever he wanted to like Jack Nicholson in The Shining .
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Originally aiming to cast Steve Martin in the lead role in 1980, 15 years later, Stanley Kubrick eventually landed on casting Tom Cruise, at the suggestion of his producer Terry Semel. According ...
The moment Tom Cruise discovered Stanley Kubrick had died
Those days seem like a distant memory, but there really was a time when Tom Cruise would go out of his way to seek out and collaborate with the most celebrated directors in the business, and they don't come much more vaunted than Stanley Kubrick.. As a keen student of cinema who devours as many movies and absorbs as much information as possible, Cruise would have known exactly what he was ...
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Directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the 1979 semi-autobiographical book by Gustav Hasford, it was a huge box office success, ... Eyes Wide Shut, starring Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, ...
Stanley Kubrick And Tom Cruise Pushed TAR's Todd Field To Start
Tom Cruise really pushed Todd Field to develop his first feature. Warner Bros. When asked about his experience filming "Eyes Wide Shut," Todd Field immediately went into how intimidating it was to ...
WarnerBros.co.uk
Did Tom Cruise improvise his dance scene in Risky Business? Yes! The iconic scene where Cruise dances in his underwear while lip syncing to Bob Seger's 'Old Time Rock & Roll' was largely improvised. ... Kubrick's last movie explores darker themes of sexuality, desire, adultery and marriage. It considers the complexities of monogamy and ...
Cruise on Kubrick (Video 1999)
Cruise on Kubrick: Directed by Paul Joyce. With Tom Cruise. Cruise gives opinions on director Stanley Kubrick who worked on eyes wide shut with him in 1999
Stanley Kubrick Had Odd Rules for Stars Tom Cruise and ...
Stanley Kubrick Had Odd Rules for Stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman During Filming of Eyes Wide Shut Eyes Wide Shut (1999) By Stephanie Watel. Published Jan 1, 2023. Your changes have been saved.
Tom Cruise flies helicopter with son Connor after missing daughter Suri
Tom Cruise was seen deplaning a helicopter alongside his son, Connor Cruise, in central London Friday -- a week after skipping his youngest child Suri Cruise's high school graduation.
Tom Cruise Buddies Up with Travis Kelce at Taylor Swift's London Show
Tom Cruise's appearance at Taylor Swift's London concert on Saturday was not only a huge hit with fans ... but he was also super popular with the pop star's boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

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