Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Posted by vitaoptima@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 253 comments
So, this movie slipped under my radar when it first came out and, after many pleas from my wife, I finally watched it this past weekend. It was pretty damn good, what do you all think?
Main-Ad7805@reddit
This is my favorite Christmas movie of all time š
DenverNuggetz@reddit
I took a girl on a first date to this movieā¦..I did not get a second date
Weary_Management_566@reddit
The Travis bickle move
DenverNuggetz@reddit
Tbf I expected an art house movie, and weād discussed other Kubrick movies; this caught both of us off guard lol
t-g-l-h-@reddit
Kubrick was trying to tell us that there are rich people (doctors, lawyers, etc.) and then there are ALL CAPS RICH PEOPLE that can do anything and get anything they want because the world is their toy.
lurk3141592653589793@reddit
Funny he included an actor that seems to prove that very theory.Ā
Content-Seaweed-6395@reddit
Still saying WTF did I just watch to this day LOL
ominous_squirrel@reddit
Turns out that that sex parties of the 1% are much, much worse than anything in this movie
LimpZookeepergame123@reddit
Didnāt Kubrick have a lot more stuff in there involving kids and such but it was taken out?
BoJackMoleman@reddit
That's what I heard as well but could be rumor and myth and legend - as many Kubrick things are.
BoJackMoleman@reddit
Exactly. So unrealistic. None of those people would be getting off with that much wholesale consent. Someone would need to have their human rights seriously infringed upon for a single measly half chub if this was really the 1%
cepukon@reddit
Which is why they never let Kubrick release his cut
Content-Seaweed-6395@reddit
HAha true
allectos_shadow@reddit
I remember being baffled that they had managed to make the sex so unsexy. Once scene had this shot of Nicole's perfect back and it should have been so hot but it just wasn't
Blackbird136@reddit
Watched this at a āsleepover.ā (That word still sounds juvenile to me, and I never used the word at that time.)
Anyway, Iāve never been great at following movies due to some facial blindness issues, but this one particularly, I had no clue what Iād just seen. Lol.
discountErasmus@reddit
No, their faces were supposed to look like that, they were wearing masks.
Beesgf@reddit
I also watched this at a sleepover. My friend's dad bought a dvd player and it was the first one we'd ever seen. The local video store only had this to rent for dvd! lol
Blackbird136@reddit
Wow! I donāt think I used DVDs until at least 2003.
Beesgf@reddit
I know! That's why it was such a novelty to watch one! And, I suppose, why there was only 1 choice at the video rental.
I didn't have one until 03/04
doctorapepino@reddit
We were still using VHS on the little tv/vcr combos in college! Graduated in ā05
Blackbird136@reddit
I bought a used DVD player off my then-boyfriendās brother in I think 2005.
tider06@reddit
I remember seeing one in the wild my junior year (1998)
ipsumdeiamoamasamat@reddit
So for the folks who watched this during a āsleepoverā⦠were there any, um, awkward moments?
Blackbird136@reddit
LOL. Not in my friend group. Sorry to disappoint.
lnc_5103@reddit
Same! I only watched it the one time lol
Content-Seaweed-6395@reddit
I saw it when it came out, then went back a few years ago to make sure I wasn't just too young to get it at the time, no luck the second time around ha
Sensitive_Pianist777@reddit
Read up on the Epstein Files. Bohemian Grove.
RCP90sKid-@reddit
I saw it in the theatre. When I got out, turns out JFK Jr crashed his plane.
GuidanceOptimal734@reddit
Thats true. Crazy. What are odds of that onešš¤
RCP90sKid-@reddit
Well, 1999, it didn't seem weird. In 2026, with all the pedophile stuff connected to politicos and businessmen, it seems super weird.
ActuallyAlexander@reddit
I also saw this in the theatre, turns out it goes over your head a bit if you're in your early teens and are a kissless virgin who's never been in a relationship let alone one that's on the rocks.
Dogemom2@reddit
Same! I was exceptionally tired before going- I think Iād just gotten home from a. Trip or camp, but I had trouble following the movie enough that I fell asleep- first and only time falling asleep in a theatre.
slash_networkboy@reddit
oooh I should re-watch this. I was 23, so not a kissless virgin, but was still in the honemoon phase of my relationship with my now ex wife.... would be interesting to see now that I'm on the far side of a divorce.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
Well, at least we know what caused the crash now
BaconContestXBL@reddit
This is especially dark knowing that the main cause of the crash was reduced visibility in poor weather at night.
Nice work
Dicfive@reddit
"reduced visibility"
BaconContestXBL@reddit
I couldnāt remember if it was fog or VMC to IMC and was too lazy to look it up
tiredtiredteacher@reddit
He wasn't instrument- certified to fly at night. He really shouldn't have been flying.
BaconContestXBL@reddit
Just to be pedantic, you donāt have to be instrument rated to fly VMC at night in the US, and the weather was reported as VMC that night. PIREPS indicated there was a haze layer that was making it difficult to discern the horizon, and anyone whoās ever flown over water at night knows youāre basically IMC until you start seeing ground lights again.
But as always, ālegalā and āsafeā can be very different things, especially in Part 91 flying.
Mackheath1@reddit
Holy crap, that was my first true laugh out loud in a week. I guess, I just did not expect it. Thanks, friend.
cbincle@reddit
I was just about to say the same! My friend and I went on a trip to Toronto and went to the movie, only to find out about JFK jr afterwards.
Phoniceau@reddit
I was also in Toronto when I found out about JFK Jr⦠no connection to the movie though š¬Ā
Silly_Scientist_007@reddit
What am I missing here with the association/relevance of JFK Jr??
RCP90sKid-@reddit
He died the night Eyes Wide Shut came out.
Leading up to the release of the movie, there was a ton of hype.
For me, I lived about 30 miles from the crash, so it was a whole scene on the water the next week or so.
Silly_Scientist_007@reddit
But is there some indirect association/inference with the movie & JFK Jr?
Sorry, I love this movie and would love to know if there are/were direct parallels Kubrick drew from (outside of the typical ātop .01%ā parallels).
RCP90sKid-@reddit
No? In 1999, it was just weird walking out of the theater and having that happen while I was in there.
vand3lay1ndustries@reddit
There was definitely some powerful people who fucked with Kubrick's original vision.
https://www.reddit.com/r/lostmedia/comments/1rolqae/fully_lost_cut_scenes_from_kubricks_eyes_wide/
RCP90sKid-@reddit
It's interesting to think about it, now that we know everything about Epstein.
Could this death have been...associated with that anger?
thatonelooksdroll@reddit
Came here to say this! It's also the day I turned 15
RCP90sKid-@reddit
Ah, a young'un!
thatonelooksdroll@reddit
Yeah, idk why I'm here. Solidly a millennial
RCP90sKid-@reddit
I think that depending on how much technology played in your life, and the kind of interests you have, the area between 1978-1984 gets a little gray.
I have older siblings. They are all gen x. I never felt like gen x. I have always had younger friends.
Okeydokey2u@reddit
Omg how weird that must of been
RCP90sKid-@reddit
Well, it was definitely a moment I remember vividly.
Jonestown_Juice@reddit
Saw this in the theater with a date. We had a pretty good night when we got home.
LazerShark1313@reddit
Another banger from Kubrick. I want to watch it again now
CheesyRomantic@reddit
I watched it in theatres with a friend. I think I was in my early 20s.
I don't remember having a strong opinion on the movie, except that I felt it was overhyped regarding the orgy/sex scene.
Maybe it went over our heads.
El-Royhab@reddit
I remember the joke "more like thighs wide open" which might have been from a Mystery Science Theater 3000 bit on recent movies (maybe an awards season thing?)
FractalGeometric356@reddit
I remember at the time thinking that that last line was dumb as hell, and I still think that.
Phillyphil956@reddit
some real epstein shit in thst movie
Own-Captain-8007@reddit
And as you probably know, Kubrick was a bit crazy about details. There's even a reference to Epstein and Maxwell in the movie.
marce11o@reddit
Thatās a stretch.
Own-Captain-8007@reddit
I don't think it is. These 2 characters are seen a few times during the movie and knowing how connected Kubrick was he must have heard of them or even met them during financing or social events.
dcgrey@reddit
Youāre not making it sound like less of a stretch.
SenseAndSaruman@reddit
Right. Theyāre saying itās not a stretch.
Fast-Watch-5004@reddit
No way haha. Wtf.
_chubby-puppy_@reddit
Holy shit
cheerful_cynic@reddit
Especially how it's implied the little girl goes with the rich men in black coats at the end
SatoshiBlockamoto@reddit
The Epstein class is still alive and well unfortunately.
SnooPineapples6424@reddit
Absolutely. Crazy right.
Accurate-Temporary73@reddit
1999 was a great year to turn 18. Just sayin.
Excellent_Day640@reddit
Amen.
revvolutions@reddit
Completely relevant in this day with all the Epsteins around.
At the end they sacrifice their daughter.
t-g-l-h-@reddit
they what? how is this insinuated?
revvolutions@reddit
https://youtu.be/x7bWlT2q8vs?si=p5XnCiMCCRV685e_
t-g-l-h-@reddit
bro i aint watching a fucking joe rogan clip in 2026 lmao
revvolutions@reddit
Stay ignorant then.
ActuallyAlexander@reddit
Get ready to read 25,000 words from someone whose kids don't speak to them.
Sensitive_Pianist777@reddit
Talk about telling the world what it's really like. Pedos and people actually fine with giving up their children to it to be "In" the club.
buddymoobs@reddit
I always thought Nicole's nose looked funny in this shot.
walkinghrviolation86@reddit
Tom Cruise is a hard pass from me. The dudeās too weird. I think thereās only 1 or 2 of his movies I like and itās not because of him. Rain Man and thatās because of Dustin Hoffman. Interview with the Vampire and itās because of everyone else that I like that movie.
remoteworker9@reddit
Yeah, I hate him and Iāll never watch this.
wiserTyou@reddit
Eh, he's crazy there's no denying that, but he is a pretty good actor.
walkinghrviolation86@reddit
Iāll give you that heās decent at what he does but most of his movies didnāt interest me all around not just because of him.
soshibemuchwow@reddit
Ever see Magnolia?
walkinghrviolation86@reddit
No but Iām willing to watch it. Iāll give any movie a shot even if it includes an actor I donāt like.
77tassells@reddit
Try magnolia too.
nneighbour@reddit
I had been working at a camp that summer and did not read anything about the plot, but knew it was a Kubrick movie. I took both my parents to see it in theatres. I quickly regretted that decision.
TyeMoreBinding@reddit
I think your wife is trying to open your relationshipā¦
Stimpinstein22@reddit
As a film nerd, this was pretty tame compared to A Clockwork Orange (which I watched at 15). Still liked it, thoughā¦
Lazy_Squash_8423@reddit
Total mindfuck. The theme and ties to today are crazy.
Son_of_Atreus@reddit
I only watched this recently after years of ignoring and avoid it based on the backlash. I gotta say I loved it. It was not the plot I thought it would be, it was so interesting. Reminded me of a much more serious After Hours or even Ferris Buellerās Day Off. Single day continuous adventure that gets wilder as it goes.
Also for a film famous for its sex, it tamer than I thought in terms of character engagement.
stavago@reddit
Kubrickās last movie before he had that fatal āheart attackā
tcpukl@reddit
I never realised this was Kubrick!!
Sea2Chi@reddit
I saw it with my parents at 15 years old.
There were some awkward moments in that theater that day.
tacofever@reddit
I'll bet - who came first, you or your dad?
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
I've realized that they wanted to watcg those movies and didn't really care what they exposed you to.
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
My parents wouldn't let me watch movies with swearing and sex but I could watch horror flicks lol
Tylerdurden389@reddit
Allaplgy@reddit
And of course we thought that was just an action movie about a badass robot cop.
Sea2Chi@reddit
They made a kids cartoon about it.
The 80s were wild in the way they'd take clearly adult movies and be like "Yeah... I bet we can sell some toys with this. Lets order a season of cheaply animate 30 minute commercials and see how they do."
Allaplgy@reddit
I was more commenting on the social commentary/satire behind the movie.
But yeah, they also made a cartoon of "The Toxic Avenger." If you know anything about Toxie/Troma, that makes a RoboCop cartoon seem downright quaint š .
shmehdit@reddit
Toxic Cruuuusaders, Toxic Cruuuuusaders, TOXIC!
Allaplgy@reddit
Of course now all I can picture is the sex scene from Citizen Toxie.
Sea2Chi@reddit
I forgot about that one!
I remember seeing the Troma version in high school and being pretty surprised.
80's toy company board rooms must have been fueled by entirely by cocaine.
"So Steve, did you see that new robot cop movie?"
"Robocop? Yeah that shit was intense. Fun movie. They must have been buying fake blood by the barrel."
"Yeah yeah yeah, but like, what if we made a toy based on it?"
"You.... want to make a kid's toy based on the distopian future movie where the protagonist shoots a drug dealer in the dick and murders half the criminals in Detroit?"
"Fuck yeah man! We'll do a saturday morning cartoon, and a breakfast cereal, and action figures, masks, matching pajama sets, and we'll be fucking rich!"
"But... the whole subject matter of the movie is about a cop who has his humanity stolen from him at the behest of a all powerful corporation that's taking over the government."
"Kids love cops! Kids love robots! It'll be great! We'll give him a kid sidekick and a dog. Like inspector Gadget, if Inspector Gadget shot drug dealers in the dick and the chief was a ruthless CEO without a shred of empathy in his body."
"OK... so I'm going to need about three or four more lines, but I think we can have a rough draft of the marketing plan by Monday."
Allaplgy@reddit
š
Tylerdurden389@reddit
Stuff wasn't marketed to kids until the 80s. Reagan apparently signed off on somethings to allow marketing to kids through merchandising and Saturday morning cartoons or something.
AdministrativeFlan76@reddit
He's a bad mother crusher.
onamonapizza@reddit
So true. My parents wouldnāt let me watch Simpsons when it first came out because they said the word āsucksā.
Meanwhile, movies like Poltergeist and Terminator and Chucky were all open game
Slow_Ad3662@reddit
That's the American way ā¹ļø
Hntrbdnshog@reddit
Mine would just tell us to cover our eyes for sex or gratuitous violence lol.
Bal-lax@reddit
First doc-u-drama just we didn't know
cepukon@reddit
I watched it when I was like 14 to jerk off because the TV warned me there was nudity. Wasn't a good time.
Sea2Chi@reddit
At the time I was the same age as the younger woman in the costume shop so I had more of a crush on her. But absolutely recognized Nicole Kidman was incredibly hot although not anywhere close to age appropriate for me.
That movie did start my love of Kubrick though and after seeing it I rented all his other movies that I could find. A few years later I wrote a big high school paper on his films.
big_ringer@reddit
It was one of those good movies that I only needed to see once. I also watched Kids and Perfect Blue in the same 8-hour period. I have nobody to blame but myself.
kid_christ@reddit
Yeah I felt it tried too hard and have not been a fan of Cruise for some time-including during that period. I still call it eyes wide stupid. And for a while I was making little movies and skits under the āeyes wide stupidā moniker
andiinAms@reddit
Meh
aytchdave@reddit
I remember the ācontroversyā about the sex scenes. I think the movie was OK but the hype of that made it seem like the movie was something different. I watched it years after it came out and was actually fairly disappointed. Wasnāt bad but wouldnāt watch it again.
owlcityy@reddit
I didnāt watch this movie until I was 41 and this Movie came out when I was 14 lol all I have to say is wow.
stayweird3000@reddit
Eyes Wide Shut is my favorite Christmas movie.
Bluntworth@reddit
Fuck Diehard, this is a Christmas movie.
resilientdonut1@reddit
The most anticlimactic and boring film I've ever seen. Surprising from someone like Kubrick. This film is a relic from 1999 that needs to be forgotten. The end of the film was lame. Everything from Nicole Kidman's bad dream to her last word in the film being "fuck", it was a plot lesson movie with many empty sub plots. It's almost 30 years later and I still want my 2+ hours and refund.
Skipper0463@reddit
I saw this movie in theaters. The night I saw it my two best friends gave me a mohawk and then the next day I started my first day of summer school.
mrs_hippiequeen@reddit
i remember my band director saying, "no one wants to pay to see a married couple fuck." š
wiserTyou@reddit
Nicole kidman in the 90s? I'd buy a ticket.
mrs_hippiequeen@reddit
me neither. his comment just tickled me - hearing a teacher say "fuck" was always exciting š
DetMasonGrist@reddit
Spoiler alert! But they donāt. Thereās only brief scenes of sex in the movie. Thereās no actual extended sex scenes in the movie.Ā
lsp2005@reddit
I still remember the bad date I went on to see this movie. I was horrified.
swisszimgirl79@reddit
Tom Cruise owes me the ticket price for that one. Wtf was that even???
growflet@reddit
A guy once asked me out, took me to his place, and showed me this film.
He then asked if I wanted to go to bed with him.
I went home.
Impressive-Record839@reddit
Sounds like you failed the test LOL
LikelyLioar@reddit
I thought it was fantastic.
Dr-McLuvin@reddit
Ya just got it on 4K canāt wait to rewatch. I was too young when it came out in theaters.
high_everyone@reddit
I snagged critics passes to go see this the week before it opened. It was my first and only ānewā Kubrick film experience and I liked it even though I needed a long time to process what it was that I had seen.
svv1tch@reddit
Got to theater late. had to sit in front row. Do not recommend.
NovaForceElite@reddit
Its shallow with bits of Easter eggs that make people think it's deep.
SteakJones@reddit
Mmmmm⦠this was an awkward watch with my girlfriend and my parents.
PhloxOfSeagulls@reddit
I absolutely love this movie. I saw it in college when it came out in a classroom auditorium of all places. The version I saw back then was the edited one with the black figured "hiding" some of the sex scenes at the orgy. I didn't see the uncensored one until years later and wondered what the fuss was.
I only heard about the conspiracy theories connected to this movie a few years ago (that Kubrick was trying to expose the elite's practices, and that he was killed because of this movie). I don't buy into them, but they are interesting to consider.
styrofoamladder@reddit
Imagine my surprise when I started dating a NYC socialite and found out this movie is way more fact than fiction.
ErstwhileAdranos@reddit
š³ Do an AMA!
eat_like_snake@reddit
It's very relevant.
TransomBob@reddit
It's my least favorite Kubrick movie. I'm not a fan of the waking dream type movies which is what this sort of feels like.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
My fav Kubrick, it rules. I like it better w every rewatch
Gary-Phisher@reddit
What?! Better than 2001?
daftdude05@reddit
Is 2001 studied like the Shining and Eyes wide shut?
I find a good chunk of the movie a slog, and the colors at the end skippable. HAL scenes and the monolith are very memorable but the rest of the movie is forgettable imo.
Allaplgy@reddit
I've never made it anywhere near the end of 2001 unless I fell asleep and woke back up.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
Def 2001 isnāt a favorite of mine. I like it etc and respect it as art and for its place in cinema, but it doesnāt do much for me. Very āof its timeā imo, same with clockwork. Eyes wide shut is horny and mysterious, which I like.
Sensitive_Pianist777@reddit
Saw 2001 recently again and with all this AI push, reports of UFO, I found it to be more relevant than ever. AI today does fight back if you try to pull the plug on it.
IkidIgoat@reddit
Clockwork is in please read the book territory for me. Without the text you get teenage boys who think Alex is a hero.
Prestigious_Waltz_36@reddit
Really speaks to Kubrickās breadth, where each film takes ahold of very different parts of you
DAHMER_SUPPER_CLUB@reddit
You should ask to update your flair to āhorny and mysteriousā.
ahoypolloi_@reddit
Itās a masterpiece, but nearly all his films are
no_no_nora@reddit
I LOVE this movie. Itās oddly a comfort movie of mine. I donāt know why. But itās insanely relaxing. I donāt know what says about my mental state - but itās my favorite Kubrick movie.
zjuka@reddit
Hm. A lot more people are giving it positive reviews, I probably should rewatch it. I saw it when it came out on tape, didnāt think much of it, tbh. Felt very slow and unrepeatable.
Dodgy rich people doing dodgy rich people shit somewhere. I was struggling to pay rent at the time, these remote shenanigans did not hold my attention much. Tom Cruiseās character saves a woman from overdose by taking her pulse? That was closer to home - NYC was full of addicts at the time and some occasionally would overdose, guess no one thought of taking their pulse, shame.
echochilde@reddit
I watched this with my parents. 25ish years later, both parents gone, and I still feel awkward about it.
ipsumdeiamoamasamat@reddit
Wasn't this basically two steps removed from NC-17?
If I recall, it also was right at the end of Kidman-Cruise and seemed like an odd movie for them to take.
syntheseiser@reddit
Yes, there are some oddly placed CGI people blocking things that would've pushed it to an NC-17 rating
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
Lotta boobs, that's for sure.
Stardustquarks@reddit
Another cult leader classic!
Canthelpit2056@reddit
Stupid movie. And if I'm not mistaken those two split right after making this movie. So they thought it was stupid too
BlackestHerring@reddit
Turns out Kubrick was warning everyone about what was going on with global elites.
WatchedHotwife@reddit
I believe that movie exploded nuances of their personalities that ended leading them to divorceā¦
DonCavalio@reddit
Lower tier Kubrick imo...not horrible just decent
8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit
Excellent movie! And there's a lot going on, both on screen and subtextually. Kubrick was decades ahead of outing the Epstein / Diddy type sex parties for rich and famous people.
jambr380@reddit
My friends in Boston and I thought we were so sophisticated after we saw this together in the theater
IkidIgoat@reddit
Boston and sophisticated in one sentence, what a world.
MTRIFE@reddit
Either you've never been to Boston and your opinion of it is entirely formed by Hollywood. Or your opinion is a reflection of your feeling about Boston sports fans rather than the city or its people outside of sports.
IkidIgoat@reddit
My opinion is formed from growing up in the NE and knowing people from Boston.
But also Iām just being an asshole, which is the natural state of my people.
MTRIFE@reddit
Well I should have added as a lifelong Bostonian in addition to the two I named, the third option which is...
You're a New Yorker.
That's my bad on that.
Responsible-Park9640@reddit
this is the most sophisticated man to come out of Boston..be proud
jambr380@reddit
I mean, the accent doesn't help, but Massachusetts is #1 in the US in education. It's also extremely safe and frequently cited as the most European-like US city
IkidIgoat@reddit
Oh yeah they educated, you just wouldnāt know it.
Please forgive me, just a little regional snark. Iām from Staten Island, NYC, feel free to degrade my background.Ā
jambr380@reddit
Staten Island is great. You can take a free ferry ride over there from Battery Park and then not even get off the boat and come right back. But at least they include it in the marathon. A nice pat on the head from the rest of the boroughs.
Okay, okay, I'll see myself out. I've spent a lot of time in NYC, including several summers, and have been to Staten Island a number of times.
ActuallyAlexander@reddit
He said Boston, not Cambridge
eatsleepdive@reddit
How do you like dem apples?
Two_Speeds_The_First@reddit
Worked at a cinema when it was released. Watched it many times. Think I was one of two staff members that liked it.
SpaceAdventures3D@reddit
I wish Kubrick had done "Neapolitan" as his last movie.Ā Or had done his version of "AI".Ā Ā Though I get that EWS was easier to film, being a drama and not a war movie or sci-fi.
Creepy movie, given Cruise's own relationship with a secret society.Ā Two years after EWS, he divorces Kidman and has her phone witetapped during the divorce process.Ā His next wife, Holmes,Ā had to slip away and flee for safety.
Sudden_Airport_7469@reddit
Saw it in theaters when it was released. Love this movie and Stanley Kubrick.
BookMan78@reddit
I watched this so many times as a movie theater projectionist, especially the last scenes. Kubrick was a genius, and this was a truly haunting film. I wish it weren't still so relevant today
Jr5309@reddit
When we had a black box, I started this movie at least 3 times. Still havenāt seen the last 10-15 minutes (kept falling asleep) nor do I remember anything about it.
Iām ready for another attempted rewatch. Sure I can appreciate it more now.
lollipop-guildmaster@reddit
I remember seeing this in the theater, where it was running at the same time as the PokƩmon movie. My now-husband pointed out that the people coming out of PokƩmon had the same glazed expressions as the people coming out of Eyes Wide Shut. The only difference was whether they had kids with them.
Fassbrowse@reddit
I think it's boring.Ā
frustratedComments@reddit
I wish we learned more about the secret society, but itās a great movie. Rewatched recently actually. Gets a lot of shit but I think itās great.
t-g-l-h-@reddit
i kinda think that was the point though, the opacity, even a "rich man" like dr. cruise couldn't peer over the garden wall of the ultra-elite
2099AD@reddit
Isn't it odd that Kubrick made a movie about the weird sex parties of the elite class, and a few months later he was found dead?
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
Given what we know now, not really...
courdeloofa@reddit
Saw this, Lolita (the 1997 version and the 1962 version) all in college for an āArt of filmā class when EWS was freshly released onto DVD. There was definitely a theme going with this professor . (Also watched Belle du Jour). Would be surprised if the prof would do this pairing of films today. He definitely had the creepy prof vibe)
WankAaron69@reddit
My girlfriend loaned out my DVD copy to one of her friends in 2001. I havenāt seen it since. Thanks OP for opening up an old wound!
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
VStarlingBooks@reddit
I wonder what really happened behind the scenes because didn't they like divorce right after that
proportional-porcini@reddit
This was a documentary not a movie!
Jokierre@reddit
This was actually a novella (Arthur Schnitzler's Dream Story) that he adapted.
proportional-porcini@reddit
Either way it shows us into the world of the Epstein class and what it is they do behind doorsā¦
ActuallyAlexander@reddit
There's an austrian TV version that's interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u50DsIKCa1w
Jokierre@reddit
Wow, super interesting. Thanks!
monoxide616@reddit
Itās the only movie I have ever walked out on because I thought it was terrible
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
What made you walk out?
monoxide616@reddit
Itās been so long I donāt remember anything about it. š I just remember leaving the theater. One of those random memories that sticks with you
FeelTheWrath79@reddit
I've seen lots of reviews about this movie and how there are SO many levels to it. Enjoy the rabbit hole.
Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit
It was meh. Soundtrack was killer though
SenorNeiltz@reddit
I liked it. It was weird. Fidelio.
Notermlimits4GEQBuS@reddit
I saw and being honest with myself now ā¦It was a disappointment compared to his other movies. Then he died either right after the movie was done and we got deprived of another movie
PraetorianXVIII@reddit
spoiler First time I saw it "THERE IS NO HOUSE PASSWORD, THEY ARE TRYING TO TRICK YOU!" can't believe I got that right.
981GTSF90M5F87M2C@reddit
Saw it as a double feature with the South Park movie at a drive in. An odd coupling for sure!
Admirable_Average_32@reddit
I love the drive in!
PaintedRaisin@reddit
Sooo boring. Nicole Kidman somehow has negative sex appeal for me. Felt the same way about Babygirl.
Deathgripsugar@reddit
Exactly the opposite for me: she was willowy very pale, tall, and beautiful. She would make the best vampire goddess; 10/10 would thrall.
PaintedRaisin@reddit
The undead just donāt work for me I guess.
djscuba1012@reddit
Fact is stranger than fiction
Workamania@reddit
It's my favorite hidden message movie of all time. It's also my favorite Tom Cruise move.
flyingcars@reddit
Saw this in theaters at 18 and remember being so pretentiously into Kubrick, bless our little hearts, we were kind of starstruck by getting the chance to see new contemporary Kubrick after such a long gap since his last film. Who could blame us for nerding out over him, I had already been into A Clockwork Orange, the Shining, and Full Metal Jacket by that time.
coffee_robot_horse@reddit
It's still on my to-watch list
onebluthbananaplease@reddit
Excellent movie until the last twenty or so minutes. They explained too much I feel. And the ending line? Come on
DonovanMcLoughlin@reddit
Slowest movie of all time; except for that one part.
eatsleepdive@reddit
The fast part?
Automatic_Opposite17@reddit
Great documentary.
velouria-wilder@reddit
This is absolutely in my top ten of all time. Artful and provocative!
Alice_600@reddit
This was a weird movie. It was like Tom Cruise was trying to prove he wasn't gay.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
One of the rare times heās not playing a āgood guyā - notable enough for that alone.
Alice_600@reddit
Don't care. Eating popcorn and watching Kingsmen the secret service and enjoying real social commentary.
wingthing666@reddit
I remember feeling so grown up and intellectual walking out of it when it first played in theatres. Because I understood it, unlike so many plebians. The interplay of sex and death was so.... grown up and intellectual. Or something.
theapplekid@reddit
Held up very damn well.
In hindsight it's practically prophetic. Also a little sus that Kubrick who had spent time in New York City (near a certain notorious island), died before he could finish working on the film. He was in the editing process of selecting which footage would go into the final cut.
HechicerosOrb@reddit
He filmed it all in England - all the ny exterior shots were on insanely detailed sound stages or done via rear projection. Thatās part of what gives the film a very surreal and claustrophobic energy imo, very cool.
LeaveThatCatAlone@reddit
Saw it on opening night since we were huge Kubrick fans, but it didn't hit at all that night. I never went back and rewatched it, but maybe I will going by some of the comments. It was weird though the whole theater kind of collectively groaned at the end, but maybe since we were all there because of Kubrick last film we built it up too much.Ā
AnthrallicA@reddit
This movie bored and confused me lol. I'm no stranger to Kubrick films but this one just didn't connect for me.
meltedchocolatepants@reddit
I only watched it again recently in light of it being a reflection of the Epstein class. I was also interested in the conspiracies around it (that there were 24 minutes cut that indicated that there was child sacrifice/assault and their own child was taken at the end as well).
Supposedly Kubrick was very upset about this being cut, and he was killed for it.
Alice_600@reddit
No he died of a heart attack after the movie was made while working on AI and Spielberg had to finnish AI for him.
Also, That child abuse scene would be too much for Cruise's delicate ego.
Top_Play4027@reddit
Thereās a good recent podcast episode of Decoder Ring that discusses the film and crazy conspiracy theories around it. Spoiler: none of the conspiracies are true. š¤£
Ok-Somewhere-2325@reddit
Turns out they dont like the truth getting out
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
I worked at the theater at the time and got to watch this the night before release. Bosses let me have a poster too, a few weeks after it left the theater.
Not my favorite Kubrick but very much worth watching.
universal_cereal_bus@reddit
I remember seeing this senior year of high school in the movie theatre with my girlfriend and her calling it "Legs Wide Open"š
greenmelinda@reddit
Shockingly just caught this a couple of days ago on 35mm. Itās now my favorite Xmas aesthetic.
ahrumah@reddit
Best Christmas movie of all time. One of my absolute favorites.
Background-Beach-289@reddit
Same, this is my viewing tradition between xmas and nye.Ā
styrofoamladder@reddit
Second only to Die Hard.
nopester24@reddit
This movie was so freaking stupid
Jokierre@reddit
Well, then criticize its source, not the movie itself:
Arthur Schnitzler's novella Dream Story
William_Shaftner@reddit
I remember when this movie ended it absolutely surprise me that I was unaware of how much time had passed. It is such a long movie.
But somehow it captivated me in the theater, even at my short attention span young age.
Kavova@reddit
I believe it was the first movie ever Iāve ever walked out of.
Renegade-Pervert@reddit
Still want my money back.
val0ciraptor@reddit
I tried to see it on my birthday. I was a pretentious film snob teen. I wasn't old enough to see it without parent permission though and my parents were nowhere to be found so I had to watch Notting Hill instead and I'm still bitter about it.
juanvald@reddit
I worked at a movie theater at the time and watched it late night after work the Thursday before it released. All I remember was thinking it was weird as fuck and it definitely wasn't a movie geared towards teenagers. Maybe I'd have more respect for it if I watched it again.
vitaoptima@reddit (OP)
Being that I didn't really know much about it going in, other than the little I'd heard, I thought it was some sort of movie about swingers lol
anOvenofWitches@reddit
Weird heterosexual boner in the theater
CaptinEmergency@reddit
I watched it on deployment in the rec tent with a bunch of dudes. Those were the worldās most appreciated boobs in that moment, morale was increased and new scenes were added to the spank bank.
AshDogBucket@reddit
Pretty sure that was 97% of the purpose of this movie.
AshDogBucket@reddit
The only good thing about this movie was the references to it in other stuff. Like how Andre uses fidelio as a safe word in The League š
Overall I thought this movie was hot garbage, something created by men who really wanted to look at and control a lot of sexy women who were often naked.
jessek@reddit
Saw it opening weekend in the theater. I was excited because it was the final Kubrick film. I didnāt have any expectations beyond that. I enjoyed it and thought it was well made but it wasnāt mind blowing like all of his other movies were for me. Watched it again last year and it aged well.
Imaginary-Bunch-460@reddit
My high school girlfriend and I went to see it in the theatre for our second date⦠at her suggestion, because I would have never been so bold as to suggest it. It is NOT a second date, getting-to-know-you movie.
Nova7ryxeloria99@reddit
Two and a half hours of Tom Cruise walking around New York looking confused while rich people in robes stare at each other. No plot. Just vibes. Christmas music everywhere for some reason. Kubrick died right after finishing it. Absolute legend. Went out on his own terms.
4luminate@reddit
Love it. One of the first DVDs I bought.
FoppyRETURNS@reddit
Weird movie. Cool that I watched it once, don't need to watch it again.
alvysaurus@reddit
Haunting. Might be Kubrick's best.