Stanley Kubrick Believed This Unlikely Movie Is His Best Work
No, it's not The Shining.
It is difficult to single out any one genre or direction in Stanley Kubrick's filmography.
For example, Barry Lyndon is a drama about life in the 18th century, A Clockwork Orange is a dystopia, and Eyes Wide Shut is an erotic thriller.
Nevertheless, the movies are united by the director's unique style.
As Martin Scorsese once said: "Watching a Kubrick film is like gazing up at a mountaintop. You look up and wonder, how could anyone have climbed that high?"
In 70 years of his life, the director has made only 13 films, so why so few? It's all about the master's perfectionism and meticulousness.
It could take years for Kubrick to create a single movie: he carefully controlled every detail of the filming process, collecting all kinds of information about the personalities and time periods he wanted to talk about.
In an interview, Jan Harlan, a German film producer and Kubrick's right-hand man, revealed what Kubrick considered to be his best movie:
"I am very happy to know that he considered Eyes Wide Shut his greatest contribution to the art of filmmaking – and I think he is the only judge that matters."
For many, such a choice of a great director may not seem obvious. The Shining or 2001: A Space Odyssey, for example, have been much more widely embraced by audiences.
But Harlan believes that it will take decades for viewers and critics to understand the full meaning of the movie:
"I dare to define greatness by the test of whether the work lasts and serves as a reference for future generations in order to have a look at our time. I believe Eyes Wide Shut will be truly discovered in 50 years."
Eyes Wide Shut starred the married couple – Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The result of 400 days of work was an almost three-hour movie that comprehensively explores the relationship between a man and a woman.
In it, the mutual betrayal of the spouses ends in nothing: in the finale, the protagonist reconciles with his wife, offering both of them to live "with eyes wide shut."
The movie was initially received with mixed reviews, but as time went on, the movie came to stand alongside director's other cult works.
The director didn't see this success. Just one week after the film's release, Stanley Kubrick died of a massive heart attack, leaving behind one of the most impressive filmographies in the history of cinema.
Source: Sight & Sound