In Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick explores a world of emptiness. He reveals a society of masks with open eyes that never actually see anything. He uses the relationship between Bill and Alice Harford, an ordinary, although wealthy, couple to show the difference between reality and fantasy. Red is a prominent theme throughout the movie as it represents passion and evil. He also uses mirrors to give an actual, unbiased reflection of the characters. .
As in many other movies, Kubrick names the main characters with a purpose. Bill and Alice are such everyday names, for everyday people. By naming them with such ordinary names, he is comparing them to the viewer. He follows up on this idea when Bill goes to Somerton and he zooms in on the security camera on the building. Instead of the security camera watching Bill, it's as if it's watching the camera, or the audience. .
Kubrick strategically places the color red in places where Bill is "giving in- to something that will lead to his demise. The door to Dominoe's apartment, the Sonata Café, and the costume shop are all covered in red. Each place is like a warning for Bill to turn back, but he continued on. At Sonata Café, Kubrick places a more obvious warning. All along the walls are signs that state "All exits are final."" Once Bill decides to explore the other side, he will lose the wholeness of his reality forever.
The masks at Nathanson's house, Dominoe's apartment, and at the orgy in Somerton represent a loss of reality. With the mask on, the characters can do anything they desire because they are hidden and separated from reality. They lose their identity, and become nameless, empty individuals. In Dominoe's apartment, Bill "wears- a mask, as he stops being the loving husband, and tries to re-establish his masculinity by having emotionless sex. At Somerton, the masks allow the people shed all morality, and give into their physical desires.
"Wake up," I heard my grandmother's voice, urging me to open my eyes. ... The mischievous glint was visible in her eyes. ... I recall getting an epiphany about how diverse the world is, and how I was looking at life with my eyes half closed this whole time. Since then, I knew that I would miss the beauty of the world if I keep my eyes shut. Since that moment, I have been keeping my eyes wide open....
Panicking, she scrambled to the front door only to find that it was wide open. ... Suddenly Mary's eyes snapped open. ... Mary screamed at the sight of her brother's eyes staring back at her. ... Someone pushed the heavy lid of the coffin shut and said, followed by hysterical laughter, "All the doors have been locked, everything will be fine."...
He yelled to my older sisters to ambush me and hold me down with my mouth wide open. I did put up a fight, but eventually was caught and there I was strapped down on the floor and mouth wide open by my two sisters along with my two brothers who got into the scene to hold my legs. ... I did not realize the kick of fire at first, but as soon as my mouth shut tears started to shed out the corner of my eyes. ... The second step that made me put my other foot in and shut the door behind me is influenced by the society I was living in. ...
With a roar the Tyrannosaur's head burst through the waterfall Tim stared in terror as the big mouth gaped wide. ... Tim squeezed his eyes shut as the slimy muscle covered his face. ... But Dennis Nedry shuts down the energy grid while stealing 15 different embryos for another company. ...
My right eye shut tight as my left eye squinted to a narrow slit in a last minute attempt to line up my shot. ... I closed my eyes and stood straight up in order to calm myself down. ... His eyes darting from the green felt to me. ... As I was looking at him contemplating if I could possibly take him in a fight, his eyes grew bigger revealing the white from around the dark gray color. ... My wide brown eyes were sealed on the white ball gliding across the smooth felt. ...
During World War II, America needed to turn its eyes from the war and focus on something else. ... "Sally Don't You Grieve" was written in 1944 by Guthrie and was for the women who had men at war: "I'm a-gonna cross that ocean wide Army rifle by my side When Hitler's beat you can be my bride But I told her not to grieve after me." ... While Europeans were struggling with their countries at war, Americans were actually enjoying themselves and their eyes were finally off of the crisis over seas. ... Shortly after the invasion of Pearl Harbor in 1941, Major League Baseball c...
I pull the curtain wide open to see where the chirp was coming from. ... My brother screamed, "Wait for me, don't shut that door on me, you dumbass! ... So scared, I ran all over the house shutting every window and locking it. ... As I am telling him the story, I glanced my eyes to a brown, dirty, graffiti apartment down the hill from my house. ... I swing the curtain to shut and I slightly peep out the window. ...
I walked to the outside of my class, right next to the student store, the door to the class was shut, so I joined the group of excited students outside the room. ... My eyes widened as I stared blankly at my paper. ... "Dianna Blake, please take the stage." my eyes were now so wide I could sware they were going to pop out. ...
Behavioral Science Applied to Art In the world of art, there is a wide range of classifications that fall under this category. ... Art is something that can not be put in a category of good or bad because it is always different in the eyes of the beholder. ... As Paul Gauguin, a French Post-Impressionist artist, once said, "I shut my eyes in order to see" (Mistretta). ...
