I’ve mentioned Eyes Wide Shut like 100 times since I saw it a couple weeks ago, so I think it’s earned that five. The last scene with Ziegler has definitely grown on me—might be the most pivotal scene in the whole film. The “she’s a hooker” line does a lot of heavy lifting. Everyone below Pollack is defined by their job: sex worker, costumer, pianist, hotel desk clerk, doctor (yes, you don’t have to show us your badge Bill, we get it), etc, etc. But then what does Ziegler do for a living?
Bill is at the very, very edge of being in the in-group, but he’s still defined by his servitude. He throws money at the issue, knows the right people and “passwords,” dresses the part. In the end, though, he’s worlds away from those people in the mansion. They have nothing in their lives but seeking entertainment, and the only avenue of entertainment left that holds any intrigue for them is the simple act of exclusion. I’ve seen other reviewers bring up the fact that attractive men and women, plentiful sex, and orgies for that matter are definitely easily available to wealthy urbanites, so why the secrecy? Why the occult? Certainly there’s an element of these rich folks just being bored and wanting to play dress up, but really it’s the charade of exclusivity, the artificial scarcity of sex that is the actual titillation. And it ties back to Alice’s fantasy about the naval officer. Bill occupies her bed but not her mind. Is that enough?
Note: Purchased on iTunes then streamed through Movies Anywhere as to watch the uncensored version in 4:3 and HD. I believe that is the only way to watch that version at the moment. Having seen the 1.85:1 and 4:3 versions quite close together, I think this one is the one to watch. Hopefully they go with 4:3 or at least give us an option for the inevitable UHD release.
Note 2: Maybe Kubrick’s most bangin’ soundtrack? Hard to compete with Barry Lyndon though.
Note 3: I wonder what the reception and the discourse around this film would have been like if it ended with “Directed by David Lynch.” The ritual music, fidelio (silencio), dream pondering… And the scene when the woman whose father died confesses her love for Bill—it has a particular kind of humorous timbre that’s Lynch’s go-to.