Stanley Kubrick’s Most Controversial Thriller Just Got A Huge Upgrade

Eyes Wide Shut is a dreamlike odyssey where eroticism is everywhere. Stanley Kubrick’s last film, adapted from Arthur Schnitzler’s novella Dream Story, follows doctor Bill (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman), who have what seems like the perfect life. But after they attend a swanky New York City Christmas party, they have a candid conversation about their desires. Bill can’t fathom the idea of Alice being unfaithful, but she reveals that she’s been fantasizing about a naval officer she saw while on vacation. This surprises Bill, but what really astonishes him is that Alice has been so overcome by her desire that she’s considered leaving Bill for him.

With the thought of his wife’s potential infidelity sending Bill into a tailspin, he goes out into the city, and horniness follows him wherever he wanders. And when he stumbles upon a clandestine erotic party full of powerful people, it threatens to unravel him and his relationship for good.

Stanley Kubrick made many masterpieces over his decades of work, but perhaps none is stranger or more disturbing than Eyes Wide Shut. Its atmosphere of paranoia and suspense is remarkable as it breezes through 159 minutes of searing, disarming conversation. It’s a chilling exploration of marriage, masculinity, and fidelity, and with a brand new 4K release from Criterion, there’s no better time to watch it.

How was Eyes Wide Shut Received Upon Release?

Buoyed by two major movie stars in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (who were married while making the film), Eyes Wide Shut was a box office success, turning a $65 million budget into $162 million worldwide. Not adjusting for inflation, it was Kubrick’s highest-grossing film, which is quite a surprise given he made A Clockwork Orange, Spartacus, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. That success was largely international, as the film floundered in the United States. It frustrated audiences, as evidenced by a brutal D- CinemaScore, and Eyes Wide Shut made just $55 million domestically.

Critics, while mixed, were more positive than audiences. Roger Ebert gave the film a glowing review, as did Janet Maslin for The New York Times. But many reviews were negative, perhaps swayed by marketing that pushed the film as an erotic thriller, despite it being a great deal more beguiling than that. The film has become more esteemed with time: Slant Magazine called it the second-best film of the 1990s, Indiewire called it the best of the ‘90s, and the BBC placed it 61st on its list of the 100 greatest American films of all time.

Why Is Eyes Wide Shut Important to See Now?

Kubrick’s film is bursting with suspense, mystery, and eroticism, but it’s never more arresting than when Bill and Alice just talk to each other (and that’s saying something, given that the film famously has an orgy sequence). Kidman and Cruise deliver some of their best work here, and their chemistry is electric. Is Bill and Alice’s struggling marriage emblematic of the real stars' relationship, or is it pure fiction? It’s an unanswerable question, but one that creates plenty of intrigue while watching. And frankly, Eyes Wide Shut is so compelling that it would still be a marvel even if you’d never heard of Cruise or Kidman.

The film also looks fantastic in this new Criterion release, and the transfer has been supervised and approved by the film’s cinematographer, Larry Smith. It preserves the distinctive grain of Eyes Wide Shut, which was filmed by Kubrick with force-developed stock. The grain dances around on-screen, while the film's vivid color palette looks terrific here.

What New Features Does the Eyes Wide Shut 4K Blu-ray Have?

The 4K disc has the film in Dolby Vision HDR, and there are two additional Blu-rays for the film and special features. There are new interviews, including one with Smith, who details his career and the specifics of shooting Eyes Wide Shut. There’s also a 20-minute doc called “Lost Kubrick” that’ll make you wish his unfinished projects were completed, as well as a feature-length documentary, “Kubrick Remembered,” which was previously included in Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection. There’s plenty here for people wanting to learn more about Eyes Wide Shut, as well as Kubrick himself, including:

• New 4K digital restoration of the international version of the film, supervised and approved by director of photography Larry Smith, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack.
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features.
• New interviews with Smith, set decorator and second-unit director Lisa Leone, and archivist Georgina Orgill.
• Archival interview with Christiane Kubrick, director Stanley Kubrick’s wife.
• Never Just a Dream (2019), featuring interviews with producer Jan Harlan; Katharina Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick’s daughter; and Anthony Frewin, Kubrick’s personal assistant.
• Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick (2007).
• Kubrick Remembered (2014), featuring interviews with actors Todd Field and Leelee Sobieski and filmmaker Steven Spielberg.
• Kubrick’s 1998 acceptance speech for the Directors Guild of America’s D. W. Griffith Award.
• Press conference from 1999, featuring Harlan and actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
• Teaser, trailer, and promos.
• An essay by author Megan Abbott and a 1999 interview with filmmaker and actor Sydney Pollack.