The latest in the BFI Modern Classics series is a very welcome recognition that Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (1999) actually is a modern classic. Although Kubrick may seem an obvious choice as a director worthy of the BFI treatment, Eyes may seem a peculiar choice to some. On its release the film's reception by mainstream critics and audiences was lukewarm at best. The Independent's Anthony Quinn called it 'dismal and overwrought', and Time Out's Geoff Andrew damned it as 'neither shocking, erotic nor profound and actually rather silly'. Almost without exception however, Kubrick's films met with critical derision on their release, but went on to become some of the greatest cinematic masterpieces. At the time of 2001's release (1968) for example, Pauline Kael accused Kubrick of 'building enormous science-fiction sets and equipment, (and) never even bothering to figure out what he was going to do with them'.
With all this in mind Michel Chion sets out to dispel the myths and stigma that have attached themselves to Eyes, and to Kubrick's work in general. Rather than consistently defending the film however, he champions it by looking at it for what it is: a complex but accessible piece of cinematic art. Chion recognises Kubrick's meticulous style as a way of giving us 'a different perspective on existence' that does not patronise or manipulate the audience by telling us what is important and what isn't. Every image and every character, whether minor or major, is given the same treatment. Everything must be taken as part of a whole. This can sometimes frustrate expectation, such as the apparent ordinariness of the central character Bill Harford (Tom Cruise), and the mundanity of much of the dialogue. Put together these things add up to a very human film that shows what Chion describes as 'naked human nature', something which is often attempted but rarely successfully realised on the cinema screen. Typical of Kubrick's films, it is an attempt to show the unshowable; the essence of human action, human folly and human desire.
Chion's book answers (without referencing any particular review) almost all the problems critics had with Eyes, such as its slow tempo, minimal music, acting style and repetitive dialogue. His arguments are all entertaining and force the reader to re-evaluate their original opinions and judgements. He does have a tendency however, along with other pro-Kubrick critics, to hyperbolise. For example he claims Eyes to be 'both the best-acted film in Kubrick's work and one of the best-acted films in the entire history of cinema'. He also suggests (and indeed already suggested in his previous BFI book, Kubrick's Cinema Odyssey) that the film is 'told from the point-of-view of a male individual conceived in a sexual act between the two main characters which takes place at the end of the film'. This child may also be related in some way to the Star Child who appears at the end of 2001. You certainly can't accuse Chion of being unimaginative.
The great thing about this book however, is the way it forces the reader to look closely at every aspect of the film, and the great thing about the BFI Modern Classics series is that it does this within an easily readable length (in this case 95 pages). Whether a Kubrick lover or hater, Chion's book will give you a way of understanding and accessing Eyes Wide Shut as well as Kubrick's overall style and themes. It is also interesting to see just how much one writer can fit so much into under a hundred small pages.
Reviewed by Tim Smedley
