eyes wide shut

Crooked Table Podcast: Episode 142 — Albert Lanier / Eyes Wide Shut

The year 1999 is the gift that keeps on giving. We’re already covered several key releases from that year, including The Matrix, Fight Club, American Beauty, and Office Space. Now, this week, we welcome freelance writer and critic Albert Lanier to the show to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut.

Released 20 years ago, this compelling thriller is the stuff of legend. A notoriously long shoot, friction with the MPAA, and of course, Kubrick’s death soon before it hit theaters. Eyes Wide Shut even received something of a mixed response from critics upon its theatrical run. However, in the years since its summer 1999 release, the film’s dissection of sexuality, fidelity, and relationships has become far more appreciated.

Listen in as we touch on everything Kubrick says with his last film, the stellar performances from then-real-life married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and how Eyes Wide Shut might actually be two films disguised as one. Much like the film itself, this is a conversation unlike any we’ve done so far. So keep your ears open for this week’s feature: Eyes Wide Shut.

SYNOPSIS

After Dr. Bill Harford’s (Tom Cruise) wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), admits to having sexual fantasies about a man she met, Bill becomes obsessed with having a sexual encounter. He discovers an underground sexual group and attends one of their meetings — and quickly discovers that he is in over his head.

SHOW NOTES

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