Sex in film , the presentation of aspects of sexuality in film , especially human sexuality, has been controversial since the development of the medium. Films which display or suggest sexual behavior have been criticized by religious groups or have been banned or censored by governments, although attitudes have changed much along the years and a more permissive social environment has developed in certain parts of the world, notably in Europe , North America , Australia and New Zealand . In countries with a film rating system , films which contain explicit sex scenes typically receive a restricted classification. Nudity in film may be regarded as sexual or as non-sexual.
124-505: Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic mystery psychological drama film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick . It is based on the 1926 novella Dream Story ( German : Traumnovelle ) by Arthur Schnitzler , transferring the story's setting from early twentieth-century Vienna to 1990s New York City. The plot centers on a doctor ( Tom Cruise ) who is shocked when his wife ( Nicole Kidman ) reveals that she had contemplated having an affair 12 months earlier. He then embarks on
248-517: A Penguin Classics edition of Dream Story , Raphael wrote that "Fridolin is not declared to be a Jew, but his feelings of cowardice, for failing to challenge his aggressor, echo the uneasiness of Austrian Jews in the face of Gentile provocation." The novella is set during the Carnival , when people often wear masks to parties. The party that both husband and wife attend at the opening of the story
372-636: A scriptural recitation from the Bhagavad Gita , which Pook took from a previous Yogeswaran recording. South African Hindu Mahasabha, a Hindu group, protested against the scripture being used, Warner Bros. issued a public apology, and hired the singer to record a similar track to replace the chant. The party at Ziegler's house features rearrangements of love songs such as " When I Fall in Love " and " It Had to Be You ", used in increasingly ironic ways considering how Alice and Bill flirt with other people in
496-399: A viola played by Pook herself – with no brass or woodwinds as Pook "just couldn't justify these other textures", particularly as she wanted the tracks played on dialogue-heavy scenes to be "subliminal" and felt such instruments would be intrusive. Another track in the orgy, "Migrations", features a Tamil song sung by Manickam Yogeswaran , a Carnatic singer. The original cut featured
620-485: A "complex story about marriage and sexuality". High-Def Digest also called it an erotic thriller. However, reviewing the film at AboutFilm.com, Carlo Cavagna regards this as a misleading classification, as does Leo Goldsmith, writing at notcoming.com, and the review on Blu-ray.com. Writing in TV Guide , Maitland McDonagh writes "No one familiar with the cold precision of Kubrick's work will be surprised that this isn't
744-537: A Christmas party hosted by a patient, Victor Ziegler, Bill reunites with his old medical school classmate Nick Nightingale, who now plays piano professionally. An older Hungarian guest attempts to seduce Alice, while two young models try to seduce Bill. Ziegler interrupts with news of an overdose by Mandy, a young woman Victor was having sex with. Bill aids in Mandy's recovery. The next night, while smoking marijuana , Alice and Bill discuss their unfulfilled temptations. Bill
868-542: A categorization disputed by others. It is classified as such in the book The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema , by Linda Ruth Williams , and was described as such in news articles about Cruise and Kidman's lawsuit over assertions that they saw a sex therapist during filming. The positive review in Combustible Celluloid describes it as an erotic thriller upon first viewing, but actually
992-452: A character with no counterpart in the novella: Ziegler, who represents both the high wealth and prestige to which Bill Harford aspires, and a connection between Bill's two worlds (his regular life, and the secret society organizing the ball). Critic Randy Rasmussen interprets Ziegler as representing Bill's worst self, much as in other Kubrick films; the title character in Dr. Strangelove represents
1116-490: A church in Baia Mare , played backwards – as a reference track. Kubrick then called the composer and asked if she had anything else "weird" like that song, which was reworked for the final cut of the scene, with the title "Masked Ball". Pook ended up composing and recording four pieces of music, many times based on her previous work, totaling 24 minutes. The composer's work ended up having mostly string instruments – including
1240-481: A detailed recreation of exterior Greenwich Village street scenes made at Pinewood Studios . The film's production, at 400 days, holds the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous film shoot. Kubrick died of a heart attack six days after showing the final cut of Eyes Wide Shut to Warner Bros. , making it the final film he directed. He reportedly considered it his "greatest contribution to
1364-494: A dive into the dark-toned world of BDSM . The inclusion in film of any form of sexuality has been controversial since the development of the medium. Kissing in films , for example, was initially considered by some to be scandalous. The Kiss (1896) contained a kiss, which was regarded as a sex scene and drew general outrage from movie goers, civic leaders, and religious leaders, as utterly shocking, obscene and completely immoral. One contemporary critic wrote, "The spectacle of
SECTION 10
#17327796081451488-454: A film's plot or as part of the character development. Sex scenes are the main feature of pornographic films. In softcore films, sexuality is less explicit. Erotic films are suggestive of sexuality, but need not contain nudity. Love scenes, erotic or not, have been present in films since the silent era of cinematography . Films that include sex or erotic scenes are to be found in a wide range of genres and sub-genres, with genres that have
1612-471: A jazz club. Nick describes a masked orgy in a mansion outside New York City, at which he will play piano blindfolded, and gives Bill the password to enter the party. Bill goes to a costume store owned by a patient of his to buy an outfit to fit in at the masked orgy. Finding the costume store now owned by a man named Milich, he offers money to rent a costume, where he and Milich find Milich's young daughter engaged in sexual activity with two older men. Milich locks
1736-542: A member of the ICW (International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS) stated at the International AIDS conference in 2006 "we need to bring love back into the whole thing." Each individual deals with an HIV diagnosis and their post-diagnosis sexual activity in different ways. Some individuals with HIV may decide to practice abstinence, while others may continue to have sex. An ICW member from Zimbabwe stated at
1860-432: A near-hypnotic atmosphere of commingled desire and dread." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club was also highly positive, arguing that "the film's primal, almost religious intensity and power is primarily derived from its multifaceted realization that disobeying the dictates of society and your conscience can be both terrifying and exhilarating. ... The film's depiction of sexual depravity and amorality could easily venture into
1984-507: A night-long adventure, during which he infiltrates a masked orgy of an unnamed secret society. Kubrick obtained the filming rights for Dream Story in the 1960s, considering it a perfect text for a film adaptation about sexual relations. He revived the project in the 1990s when he hired writer Frederic Raphael to help him with the adaptation. The film, which was mostly shot in England, apart from some exterior establishing shots , includes
2108-400: A popular American erotic subgenre, with films such as Dressed to Kill (1980), Angel Heart (1987), Basic Instinct (1992), Single White Female (1992), Color of Night (1994), Wild Things (1998), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), and The Boy Next Door (2015). In some films, the development of a sexual relationship (or even a one-night stand ) is often used to create tension in
2232-419: A role on the basis of their breast size is controversial and has been described as contributing to breast fetishism , but has proved to be a draw card. Producers such as Russ Meyer produced films which featured actresses with large breasts. Lorna (1964) was the first of his films where the main female part, played by Lorna Maitland , was selected on the basis of breast size. The producers and exhibitors of
2356-513: A series titled X Femmes (French for X Women ), which consisted of ten short films shot by female directors with the goal of producing erotica from a female point of view. Since approximately 2010, many mainstream films have shown sexual scenes between women . There have been various films which have been made which mainly focus on exploring the relationship between women. Because of the limited films featuring same-sex sex scenes before 2010s, researchers were unable to research people's views on
2480-713: A session in Toronto that her "relationship ended, and I spent the next four years celibate," while an ICW member in the United Kingdom found that she preferred the use of condoms and "in some ways [HIV] has made me more assertive sexually." It is vital to note that a positive diagnosis of the disease does not only affect illegal drug users or promiscuous individuals and that their basic sexual desires do not fade. According to Emma Bell and Luisa Orza in Understanding Positive Women's Realities, there
2604-401: A sex film, which usually refers to a pornographic sex film and sometimes to a sex education film. It should also be distinguished from nudity in film, though nudity can be presented in a sexualized context. For example, nudity in the context of naturism would normally be regarded as non-sexual. Some people distinguish between "gratuitous sex" and sex scenes which are presented as integral to
SECTION 20
#17327796081452728-757: A sexual or erotic component typically including the term "erotic" in its description – such as erotic dramas, erotic thrillers , sex comedies , coming-of-age films , romantic dramas , besides others. A pornographic film , on the other hand, is a sex film which does not usually claim any artistic merit, but intends to provoke sexual arousal in the spectators and as such is mainly intended for so called "mature audiences", meaning adults. Some well known actors and actresses in Western countries have performed nude or partial nude scenes, or have dressed and behaved in ways considered sexually provocative by contemporary standards at some point in their careers. One famous case in point
2852-478: A strong campaign of secrecy helped by Kubrick always working with a short team on set. Outdoor locations included Hatton Garden for a Greenwich Village street, Hamleys for the toy store from the film's ending, and Mentmore Towers and Elveden Hall in Elveden, Suffolk , England for the mansion. Larry Smith, who had first served as a gaffer on both Barry Lyndon and The Shining , was chosen by Kubrick to be
2976-604: A young woman named Therese Belivet (played by Rooney Mara ) falling in love with an older woman named Carol Aird (played by Cate Blanchett ). It includes 3 minutes of sex scenes between Carol and Therese. They were carefully shot with the actors shown half nude, avoiding explicit scenes. Haynes, while talking about the production of the sex scenes, said that actors pretend that they are not nervous, adding: "But they are. So I try to create an environment that's comfortable and predictable. You set your shots, get rid of people that don't need to be there - and then you basically just go." In
3100-489: Is Jewish, wanted to keep the Jewish background of the protagonists, but Kubrick disagreed and removed details that would identify characters as Jewish. Kubrick determined Bill should be a " Harrison Ford -ish goy " and created the surname of Harford as an allusion to the actor. In the film, Bill is taunted with homophobic slurs. In the novella, the taunters are members of an anti-Semitic college fraternity. In an introduction to
3224-510: Is a Carnival Masquerade ball , whereas the film's story begins at Christmas time. In the novella, the party (which is sparsely attended) uses "Denmark" as the password for entrance; that is significant in that Albertina had her infatuation with her soldier in Denmark; the film's password is "Fidelio". In early drafts of the screenplay, the password was "Fidelio Rainbow". Jonathan Rosenbaum noted that both passwords echo elements of one member of
3348-461: Is a need for service providers to understand women's relationships impact on their ability to access treatment and other health services. In many cases, HIV-positive realities include husbands or partners who have not or are unwilling to be tested for HIV forcing their HIV-positive spouse into giving them their ARV dose. Stigma attached with the disease makes it particularly harder for children living with HIV and their caregivers. Caregiving goes beyond
3472-460: Is concerned about Nick's disappearance and the death of Mandy, whom he correctly identifies as the masked orgy participant who sacrificed herself for him. Ziegler claims Nick is safely back with his family in Seattle and that Mandy died from an accidental overdose due to drug addiction and not through any foul play. Bill returns home to find the rented mask on his pillow and confesses to Alice about
3596-499: Is not jealous of other men's attraction to Alice, believing women to be naturally faithful. Alice admits to fantasizing about a naval officer she met on vacation and considering leaving Bill and Helena. Bill is disturbed before being called to a patient's house. The patient's daughter, Marion, tries to seduce Bill, but he resists. After leaving Marion's, Bill meets a prostitute named Domino. When Alice calls, Bill backs out and pays Domino anyway after only kissing her. He then meets Nick at
3720-634: Is often abbreviated as "PLWHA" or "PLHIV". Recently, "People Living Positively" has also been used. The largest and oldest of the worldwide networks of people infected with HIV is the Global Network of People living with HIV/AIDS (GNP+), which has affiliate networks on every continent. For women who are HIV-positive and also in relationships, sexual expression and communication may become an issue of conflict. Their natural human desires of love, trust and intimacy might go unrecognized in programs such as ABC (Abstinence, Being faithful, Condom use) and as
3844-404: Is represented through its connection to the characters in the film; as Tim Kreider points out, this can be seen through the masks in the prostitute's apartment and her being renamed as " Domino " in the film, which is a type of Venetian Mask. Unused early poster designs for the film by Kubrick's daughter Katharina used the motif of Venetian masks, but were rejected by the studio because they obscured
Eyes Wide Shut - Misplaced Pages Continue
3968-555: Is set around Vienna after the turn of the century. The main characters are a couple named Fridolin and Albertina. The couple's home is a typical suburban middle-class home. Like the protagonist of the novel, Schnitzler was Jewish, lived in Vienna, and was a doctor, although he left medicine to write. Kubrick frequently removed references to the Jewishness of characters in the novels he adapted. In Eyes Wide Shut , Frederic Raphael, who
4092-425: Is somewhat broken as the character Randy Meeks points out that one of the rules of horrors is to not have sex. In an intersecting scene, the film's main protagonist Sidney Prescott loses her virginity to Billy Loomis. After they finish, Billy is stabbed by Ghostface and Sidney is then chased. Randy himself survives a gunshot wound at the end of the film because, as he explains, he is a virgin. However, he dies in
4216-439: Is summoned to the bathroom to deal with an apparent overdose, as he climbs the spiral staircase he passes Giulio Bergonzoli's sculpture Gli amori degli angeli (The Loves of Angels) which is at the foot of the staircase. This sculpture is said to be inspired by a poem titled The Loves of The Angels by 19th-century poet Thomas Moore , the poem itself describes the story of three angels who fall in love with mortal women and share
4340-563: Is the Warmest Colour (2013) sparked an international firestorm over its frank depiction of sexuality between two young women, yet managed to win the Palme d'Or , the highest prize awarded at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in May 2013. Love (2015) contains many explicit unsimulated sex scenes. The Finnish black comedy film Dogs Don't Wear Pants (2019) presents the viewer with
4464-467: Is the only set in the film without a Christmas tree, stating that "Almost every set is suffused with the dreamlike, hazy glow of colored lights and tinsel." Furthermore, he argues that "Eyes Wide Shut, though it was released in summer, was the Christmas movie of 1999." Noting that Kubrick has shown viewers the dark side of Christmas consumerism, Louise Kaplan states that the film illustrates ways in which
4588-463: Is walking through a hospital hallway towards the end of the film, he walks past Jann Haworth's painting Aunt Gurdi Burning (1995). The painting is oil on canvas and mounted on a screen, it is in the permanent collection of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital where the scenes were filmed. Warner Bros. heavily promoted Eyes Wide Shut , while following Kubrick's secrecy campaign – to the point that
4712-749: The Global Network of Sex Work Projects and the Global Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS , have all condemned forced HIV testing actions as infringements on human rights and conflicting with proven public health measures that are successful in preventing HIV transmission. Sex workers in Malawi and Greece have been forced to undergo HIV testing and those who tested HIV-positive were criminalized. Stigmatizing measures discourage HIV-positive people from seeking voluntary and confidential counseling, testing and treatment. In Understanding Positive Women's Realities, Emma Bell and Luisa Orza argue HIV and sexual and reproductive health programmes and policies fail to recognize
4836-668: The Warner Village cinema in Leicester Square . The film's wide opening occurred the following week-end, and topped the U.K. charts with £1,189,672. The international performances for Eyes Wide Shut were more positive, with Kubrick's long-time assistant and brother-in-law Jan Harlan stating that "It was badly received in the Anglo-Saxon world, but it was very well received in the Latin world and Japan. In Italy, it
4960-731: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 38.4 million people were infected with HIV at the end of 2021. That same year, some 1.5 million people became newly infected, and 650,000 died of AIDS-related causes, including 98,000 children. More than two-thirds of new HIV infections are in sub-Saharan Africa. Infection with HIV is determined by an HIV test . As of 2021, 85% of all people living with HIV knew their status. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Amnesty International ,
5084-402: The "material reality of money" is shown replacing the spiritual values of Christmas, charity, and compassion. While virtually every scene has a Christmas tree, there is "no Christmas music or cheery Christmas spirit." Critic Alonso Duralde , in his book Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas , categorized the film as a "Christmas movie for grownups", arguing that "Christmas weaves its way through
Eyes Wide Shut - Misplaced Pages Continue
5208-442: The 'erotic thriller' that the press maintained nor an easily identifiable 'Kubrick film ' ". DVD Talk similarly dissociates the film from this genre. In addition to relocating the story from Vienna in the 1900s to New York City in the 1990s, Kubrick changed the time-frame of Schnitzler's story from Mardi Gras to Christmas. Michael Koresky believed Kubrick did this because of the rejuvenating symbolism of Christmas. Mario Falsetto, on
5332-460: The 159 minutes of other available DVD and Blu-ray versions. This is due to the transfer being done at 25 frames per second rather than 24 as shot; no actual footage was cut. On October 23, 2007, Warner released Eyes Wide Shut in a special edition DVD, plus the HD DVD and Blu-ray disc formats. This is the first home video release that presents the film in anamorphic 1.78:1 (16:9) format (the film
5456-1015: The 2000s featured kissing scenes, but Central Board of Film Certification 's prohibitions against original nudity still continues, with many Bollywood stars refusing to do sex scenes. On the other hand, implied rape scenes or scenes showing sexual assault were common until approximately the early 2000s. With the entry of over-the-top streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , Art films and foreign films containing sexuality are, however, watched by Indians—their reach being limited to more liberal crowds. A 2007 Taiwanese film titled Lust, Caution by director Ang Lee included multiple graphic sex scenes. The scenes were edited out for release in China and initially for Singapore, and were shown intact in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, as well as elsewhere. Many drama series , and daytime soap operas are based around sex. This commonly revolves around
5580-526: The DVD. Eyes Wide Shut received generally positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 76% based on 160 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Kubrick's intense study of the human psyche yields an impressive cinematic work." Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 69 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Over 50 critics listed
5704-827: The Sand (1971) was an American gay pornographic film, the first gay porn film to include credits, to achieve crossover success, to be reviewed by Variety , and one of the earliest porn films, after Blue Movie to gain mainstream credibility, preceding Deep Throat (1972). In North American films, erotic films may be primarily character driven or plot driven , with considerable overlap. Most dramas center around character development, such as Steven Shainberg 's Secretary (2002). Comedy films, especially romantic comedies and romantic dramas, tend toward character interaction. Mystery films, thrillers, drama and horror films tend toward strong plots and premises. Others combine both strong plots and characters. Erotic thrillers are
5828-402: The actors involved in sex scenes, Intimacy Directors International (IDI), a not for profit organization, was established. According to IDI, IDI provides an intimacy coordinator who works with actors and does following: Production companies may hire an intimacy coordinator in the following situations: Since the 2010s, film and TV productions increasingly employ intimacy coordinators to ensure
5952-583: The age limit to 12 years, Singapore 21 years, and Brazil opposed to print Blu-rays . The movie earned around $ 20 million in US and Europe. It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and awarded the Palme d'Or , along with many other international awards. Carol , directed by Todd Haynes and released in November 2015, also caught much attention. Set during Christmas in 1952, it tells the story of
6076-528: The apartment, Bill is followed by a mysterious figure. He discovers from a newspaper article that an ex-beauty queen has died from an overdose and identifies her as Mandy at the morgue. Later, Ziegler summons him and admits to being a guest at the orgy. Ziegler reveals that there was no second password at all, and failing to know this is what outed Bill as an outsider. Ziegler assures Bill that the secret society only aims to intimidate him into silence but implies that they are capable of taking action if necessary. Bill
6200-775: The art of cinema". In order to ensure a theatrical R rating in the United States, Warner Bros. digitally altered several sexually explicit scenes during post-production. This version was premiered on July 13, 1999, before being released on July 16, to generally positive but polarized reviews from critics. Box office receipts for the film worldwide were about $ 162 million, making it Kubrick's highest-grossing film. The uncut version has since been released in DVD , HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc formats. Dr. Bill Harford and his wife Alice live in New York City with their daughter Helena. At
6324-405: The bone marrow of a donor who was immune to AIDS due to a genetic mutation. Since then also has been confirmed as a 3rd patient, a woman who received an umbilical cord transplant from a donor with immunity. Among long-term nonprogressors , those who can maintain very low levels of viral loads, there have been reports of cases of individuals who have undetectable levels. Loreen Willenberg from USA
SECTION 50
#17327796081456448-515: The character of "Red Cloak" who simultaneously serves as Grand Inquisitor and King of Carnival. As such, Nelson argues that the sex ritual is a symbolic mirror of the darker truth behind the façade of Victor Ziegler's earlier Christmas party. Carolin Ruwe, in her book Symbols in Stanley Kubrick's Movie 'Eyes Wide Shut' , argues that the mask is the prime symbol of the film. Its symbolic meaning
6572-416: The child-caregiver dynamic, and is intertwined with the local community and the healthcare and support system structures. Movies such as Philadelphia (1993) , which followed the story of a gay, HIV-positive lawyer played by Tom Hanks , helped counteract stigma towards those living with HIV and made the topic less taboo. As HIV advocate Gary Bell claims: "I remember there was quite a buzz about it. I think
6696-494: The color and emphasize highlights. This effect is evident in the Christmas party scene at Ziegler's house, with Smith noting that the push processing "made the lights appear to be much brighter than they were" and created a "wonderful warm glow." Kubrick's perfectionism led him to oversee every visual element that would appear in a given frame, from props and furniture to the color of walls and other objects. One such element were
6820-569: The complexity of HIV-positive people's lives and the context in which their sexual and reproductive choices are situated. Services do not prepare people for the consequences of a positive result of an HIV test. In many cases, service users are not taken into account and are forced to undergo an AIDS test without prior consent. Diagnosis and gender play corresponding roles in recognizing the lives of those who live with HIV/AIDS. Women have not been diagnosed as early as men because their symptoms were not as obvious and doctors were not as likely to search for
6944-401: The couple's behavior, though in opposite ways. The party in the novella consists mostly of nude ballroom dancing. In the novella, the woman who "redeems" Fridolin at the party, saving him from punishment, is costumed as a nun, and most of the characters at the party are dressed as nuns or monks; Fridolin himself used a monk costume. This aspect was retained in the film's original screenplay, but
7068-449: The cover of Time magazine, and on show business programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood . Eyes Wide Shut opened on July 16, 1999, in the United States. The film topped the week-end box office, with $ 21.7 million from 2,411 screens. These numbers surpassed the studio's expectations of $ 20 million, and became both Cruise's sixth consecutive chart topper and Kubrick's highest opening week-end as well as
7192-408: The demand of the master of ceremonies, but the woman who warned him intervenes. She insists on redeeming him, at a personal cost. Bill is let off with a warning to keep quiet. Bill comes home feeling guilty and confused, only to find Alice laughing in her sleep. He wakes her up, and she tearfully tells him about a dream where she was having sex with the naval officer and many other men, and laughing at
7316-492: The development of personal relationships of the main characters, with a view of creating sexual tension in the series. Partial nudity was considered acceptable on daytime television in the 1970s but disappeared after 2000, partly due to more conservative morals, and also to the prevalence of cable and satellite subscriptions. Only PBS occasionally features nudity. In 2008 and 2009, the French TV channel Canal+ featured
7440-536: The disease in them as they are for men. This has also been based on the fact that far more men than women participated in clinical trials and women were therefore under-represented. Barbara Ogur has pointed out that the stigma of illegal drug use and multiple partners has also led to a lack of care and noticeability for women. Among the women who were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the United States in 2009, 64% were Black, 18% were Hispanic , 15% were White, and 1% were Native Alaskan or Native American . Far more women contract
7564-525: The disease through heterosexual contact than men. As of April 2020, there have been two reported cases of individuals being completely cured of this disease. The first case was Timothy Ray Brown , known as "The Berlin Patient", who was cured in 2007. The second was Adam Castillejo , known as "The London Patient", who was cured in March 2020. Both of these patients were cured with stem cell transplants from
SECTION 60
#17327796081457688-399: The entire film was shot in England. Sound-stage works were completed at London's Pinewood Studios which included a detailed recreation of Greenwich Village. Kubrick's perfectionism went as far as sending workmen to Manhattan to measure street widths and note newspaper vending machine locations. Real New York footage was also shot to be rear projected behind Cruise. Production was followed by
7812-570: The faces of the film's two stars. Paintings and sculptures appear throughout the film, some historical and others painted by Kubrick's wife Christiane Kubrick and step daughter Katharina Kubrick Hobbs. The home of the Harfords contains the majority of the works painted by Kubrick's family members, with the exception being a painting of a nude reclining pregnant woman by Christiane Kubrick title Paula On Red that appears in Ziegler's bathroom during
7936-527: The film among the best of 1999. French magazine Cahiers du Cinéma named it the best film of the year in its annual "top ten" list. However, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "D−" on an A+ to F scale. In the Chicago Tribune , Michael Wilmington declared the film a masterpiece, lauding it as "provocatively conceived, gorgeously shot and masterfully executed ... Kubrick's brilliantly choreographed one-take scenes create
8060-439: The film and, as Robert Wilkes writes, reflect its "mood of sensuality, ritualism, and exoticism". In the same cafe scene, a crystoleum print of Maude Goodman's Hush! (or, A Moment of Idleness ) is seen behind Bill as he sits down with a newspaper, in the proceeding shot the print is replaced with what Wilkes describes as a "more chaotic, nightmarish image" as Bill reads about the ex-beauty queen's apparent overdose. When Bill
8184-457: The film from start to finish". Historians, travel guide authors, novelists, and merchants of Venetian masks have noted that these have a long history of being worn during promiscuous activities. Authors Tim Kreider and Thomas Nelson have linked the film's usage of these to Venice's reputation as a center of both eroticism and mercantilism . Nelson notes that the sex ritual combines elements of Venetian Carnival and Catholic rites, in particular,
8308-462: The film was noted for its use of classical music. The opening title music is Shostakovich 's Waltz No. 2 from " Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra ", misidentified as " Jazz Suite No. 2 ". One recurring piece is the second movement of György Ligeti 's piano cycle " Musica ricercata ". Kubrick originally intended to feature "Im Treibhaus" from Wagner 's Wesendonck Lieder , but the director eventually replaced it with Ligeti's piece feeling Wagner's song
8432-442: The film were prosecuted for obscenity in several US states. Other large breasted actresses used by Meyer include Kitten Natividad , Erica Gavin , Tura Satana , and Uschi Digard among many others. The majority of them were naturally large breasted and he occasionally cast women in their first trimesters of pregnancy to enhance their breast size even further. Author and director William Rotsler said: "with Lorna Meyer established
8556-473: The film's press kits contained no production notes, not even the director's suggestions to Semel regarding the marketing campaign, given one week prior to Kubrick's death. The first footage was shown to theater owners attending the 1999 ShoWest convention in Las Vegas. TV spots featured both Isaak and Ligeti's music from the soundtrack, while revealing little about the movie's plot. The film also appeared on
8680-399: The film's cinematographer. Wherever possible, Smith made use of available light sources visible in the shots such as lamps and Christmas tree lights, but when this was insufficient he used Chinese paper ball lamps to softly brighten the scene, with other types of film lighting if needed. The color was enhanced by push processing the film reels (emulsion) which helped bring out the intensity of
8804-533: The film, two Pre-Raphaelite paintings can be seen hanging on parallel walls, Ophelia by John William Waterhouse and Astarte Syriaca by Dante Gabriel Rossetti . Waterhouse's Ophelia depicts the character by the same name in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet moments before her death. Astarte Syriaca depicts Astarte , the ancient Syrian goddess of love, as well as two symmetrical angels holding torches directly behind her. Both paintings mirror events within
8928-437: The film." Harper' s film critic, Lee Siegel , believes that the film's recurring motif is the Christmas tree, because it symbolizes the way that "Compared with the everyday reality of sex and emotion, our fantasies of gratification are ... pompous and solemn in the extreme ... For desire is like Christmas: it always promises more than it delivers." Author Tim Kreider notes that the "Satanic" mansion-party at Somerton
9052-703: The formula that made him rich and famous, the formula of people filmed at top hate, top lust, top heavy." Blue Movie (1969), directed by Andy Warhol , was the first adult erotic film depicting explicit sex to receive wide theatrical release in the United States . Blue Movie is a seminal film in the Golden Age of Porn and, according to Warhol, a major influence in the making of Last Tango in Paris (1972), an internationally controversial erotic drama film. Another explicit adult film of that period
9176-460: The franchise subsequently dies – female aliens kill human suitors regardless of whether they have poor genes, resist the alien's advances, or mate successfully. Human women who mate with alien men die shortly after sex as their abdomens burst during the unnaturally rapid pregnancy that always follows. Most times in horror movies the typical survivor is a young girl who is still a virgin. In the film Scream , which satirizes horror movies, this rule
9300-470: The general public. By the early 1980s, the rise of home video gradually led to the end of the era when people went to movie theaters to watch pornography. Sex is especially prevalent in the erotic thriller genre which peaked in popularity in the 1990s. A study published in May 2024 found that sex in feature films had declined dramatically since the year 2000. The study's author theorized that this could be due to changing audience tastes and social norms,
9424-478: The highest featuring Kidman and Cruise together. Eyes Wide Shut ended up grossing a total of $ 55,691,208 in the US. The numbers put it as Kubrick's second-highest-grossing film in the country, behind 2001: A Space Odyssey , but both were considered a box office disappointment. Shortly after its screening at the Venice Film Festival , Eyes Wide Shut had a British premiere on September 3, 1999, at
9548-477: The idea of Bill watching. The next day, Bill goes to Nick's hotel, but the desk clerk tells him that Nick left with two dangerous-looking men. Bill returns the costume but realizes he has misplaced the mask and learns that Milich has accepted profiting from his teenage daughter as a prostitute. Milich implies that Bill can pay to have sex with his daughter if he likes. In the afternoon, consumed by thoughts of his wife's infidelity, Bill leaves work early and returns to
9672-501: The individual dream-like atmosphere of the separate scenes, and called the choice of Christmas-themed lighting "garish, like an urban sideshow". Sex in film An erotic film is usually a film that has an erotic quality, meaning that it may arouse sexual feelings, even if the stated or suggested intention of the film maker is to induce philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality and romantic love . Sex in film can be distinguished from
9796-595: The intimate scenes between women. In 2016, researchers Maria T. Soto-Sanfiel and Adriana Ibiti created a report on pleasurable sensations created by watching sexual scenes between women. People, including heterosexual individuals, reported that the scenes had different effects on their sexual arousal . The reasons were different for everyone who identified themselves as either heterosexual or homosexual , male or female. Lesbian women said that it brought back memories of their own experience and created pleasurable sensations while watching it. Heterosexual women said that they got
9920-441: The lead in the 1980s. The project was revived in 1994 when Kubrick hired Frederic Raphael to work on the script, updating the setting from early 20th century Vienna to late 20th century New York City. Kubrick invited his friend Michael Herr , who helped write Full Metal Jacket , to make revisions, but Herr declined for fear he would be underpaid and have to commit to a long production. Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Dream Story
10044-642: The masks used in the orgy which were inspired by the masked carnival balls visited by the protagonists in the novel. Costume designer Marit Allen explained that Kubrick felt they fit in that scene for being part of the imaginary world and ended up "creat[ing] the impression of menace, but without exaggeration". As many masks as were used in the Venetian carnival were sent to London and Kubrick chose who would wear each piece. The paintings of Kubrick's wife Christiane and his daughter Katherina are featured as decorations. Nicole Kidman revealed that her explicit scenes with
10168-414: The men in a room and threatens to call the police and ushers Bill away from the scene. Bill goes to the mansion and gives the password, discovering a sexual ritual in progress. A masked woman warns him he is in danger. He is brought before the master of ceremonies, who demands to know a second password for the house, revealing that the password Bill has is only to enter the grounds. Bill removes his mask at
10292-537: The middle of it. This convention of it being bad luck to have sex in a horror film is notably illustrated in the Friday the 13th film series, where supernatural villain Jason Voorhees takes a special dislike to teenagers and young adults having sex because, as a young boy, he drowned in a lake while the camp counselors who should have been supervising him were having sex. In some interpretations of this "rule",
10416-406: The most important examples of this. The entertainment industry is an important part of modern India, and is expressive of Indian society in general. Historically, both films and television lacked any frank depiction of sex. Even kissing scenes, for example, were banned by Indian film censors until late 1990s. Since then, the entertainment industry has liberalized and some Bollywood films in
10540-503: The naval officer, played by Gary Goba, were filmed over three days and that Kubrick wanted them to be "almost pornographic". After shooting had been completed, Kubrick entered a prolonged post-production process, and on March 1, 1999, Kubrick showed a cut to Cruise, Kidman and the Warner Bros. executives. Kubrick suddenly died six days later. Jocelyn Pook wrote the original music for Eyes Wide Shut , but, like other Kubrick movies,
10664-466: The other hand, notes that Christmas lights allow Kubrick to employ some of his distinct methods of shooting including using source location lighting, as he also did in Barry Lyndon . The New York Times notes that the film "gives an otherworldly radiance and personality to Christmas lights", and critic Randy Rasmussen notes that "colorful Christmas lights ... illuminate almost every location in
10788-521: The other supporting cast, Alan Cumming later said that he auditioned six times for his small role in the film. In 2019, it was revealed that Cate Blanchett had provided the voice of the mysterious masked woman at the orgy party. Actress Abigail Good could not do a convincing American accent, and Cruise and Kidman ended up suggesting Blanchett for the dubbing , which occurred after Kubrick's death. Principal photography began in November 1996. Kubrick's perfectionism led to script pages being rewritten on
10912-553: The overdose scene. In the beginning of the film, as Bill and Alice are saying goodbye to their daughter Helena and the babysitter, a painting by Christiane Kubrick titled "View from the Mentmore" can be seen hanging next to the Christmas tree. Mentmore Towers is an English country house in the south east of England that was used for filming the interior scenes of the Somerton house and the masked orgy. During Ziegler's party, Bill
11036-401: The password to heaven with them resulting in their banishment. At the time of the poem's release, it was received with controversy due to the open eroticism throughout. During the same party sequence, Bill is talking with the two models as they walk past a small reproduction of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's sculpture Apollo and Daphne sitting on a table. When Bill enters a cafe towards the end of
11160-430: The past two days. The next day they go Christmas shopping with their daughter, and Bill apologizes to Alice. She suggests they do something "as soon as possible," to which Bill asks what she means. Alice simply responds with one word: "Fuck". Eyes Wide Shut was developed after Stanley Kubrick read Arthur Schnitzler's Dream Story in 1968, when Kubrick was looking for a project to follow 2001: A Space Odyssey . Kubrick
11284-486: The past, sex scenes between same-sex couple not only made the actors uncomfortable, but they were also stigmatized, considered shocking or even immoral. However, this has changed greatly and many films about same-sex relationships have been made. There is also an increasing focus on gay male relationships in cinema. An Italian film Call Me by Your Name , directed by Luca Guadagnino , was released in January 2017. Set in
11408-401: The prolonged pasturing on each other's lips was beastly enough in life size on the stage but magnified to gargantuan proportions and repeated three times over it is absolutely disgusting." The Catholic Church called for censorship and moral reform – because kissing in public at the time could lead to prosecution. Perhaps in defiance of the righteous indignation and "to spice up a film", the film
11532-487: The realm of camp in the hands of a lesser filmmaker, but Kubrick depicts primal evil in a way that somehow makes it seem both new and deeply terrifying." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a score of three and a half stars out of four, writing, "Kubrick's great achievement in the film is to find and hold an odd, unsettling, sometimes erotic tone for the doctor's strange encounters." He praised
11656-481: The relentless nature of the production, the crew became exhausted and were reported to have been impacted by low morale. Cruise developed an ulcer but did not tell Kubrick. Filming finally wrapped in June 1998. The Guinness World Records recognized Eyes Wide Shut as the longest constant movie shoot that ran "...for over 15 months, a period that included an unbroken shoot of 46 weeks". Given Kubrick's fear of flying,
11780-412: The rising importance of global market considerations, the proliferation of internet pornography and increased sensitivity to actors' working conditions. To minimize risk and conflict, and because an actor can feel vulnerable shooting a sex scene, agreements are signed prior to filming. Therein, specific terms of each sex scene are negotiated, including details of the sex scenes and the surroundings of
11904-545: The same pleasurable sensations as watching heterosexual sex scenes. Heterosexual men related the scenes to their memories of pornography. French film Blue Is the Warmest Colour , directed by Abdellatif Kechiche , was released in October 2013. The film is about a high school student Adele who lusts after art student Lea and falls in love with her. The film explores the lesbian relationship between them and their transformation as characters. To showcase their developing characters,
12028-400: The scene or material can remain. Also, whether photographs can be taken, and if these are to be used in the promotion of the film. Use of a body double , a person replacing the performer, is also regulated, as is the consequences of a performer agreeing to a nude scene but later deciding against doing it. The agreements apply to auditions too. To tackle the physical and psychological safety of
12152-409: The scene. As Kidman was nervous about doing nude scenes, Kubrick stated she could bring her own music for the filming. When Kidman brought a Chris Isaak CD, Kubrick approved it, and incorporated Isaak's song " Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing " to both an early romantic embrace of Bill and Alice and the film's trailer. The film was described by some reviewers, and partially marketed, as an erotic thriller ,
12276-600: The sequel, Scream 2 , after which it is revealed that he lost his virginity sometime prior to his death. In Mexico, many comedy films are based on sex, typically portraying men as unstoppable sex-seeking creatures and women as willing targets. Although the number of such comedies waned during the 1990s, domestic servants, bar workers, dancers and neighbors' wives continue to be depicted as potentially willing sexual partners. The films Homework (La Tarea) (1991), Miracle Alley (El callejón de los milagros) (1995) and And Your Mother Too (Y tu tamá también) (2001) are some of
12400-403: The set, and he intentionally filmed many scenes multiple times to try to break down the actors involved and have them give a more authentic performance. One scene of Cruise walking through a door was filmed 95 times. As a result, the shoot went on for much longer than expected. The actress Vinessa Shaw was initially contracted for two weeks and one scene but ended up working for two months. Due to
12524-608: The sex acts themselves directly cause the character's demise. In Cabin Fever , a man catches the deadly illness because a woman who was infected (but not yet symptomatic) seduces and has impulsive sex with him. They do not use a condom because the careless woman believes she is healthy. Ironically, the woman (and the audience) only realize that she is infected because of red welts that are brought out by their rough lovemaking. Species (1995) and its sequels also feature many sexual deaths as virtually every human who mates with an alien in
12648-517: The silent era with films such as The Last Days of Pompeii (1926). Lars von Trier of Denmark has included explicit/unsimulated sex scenes in some of his films, such as Breaking the Waves (1996), The Idiots (1998), Manderlay (2005), Antichrist (2009), and Nymphomaniac (2013). He is also a co-founder of film company Puzzy Power , a subsidiary of his Zentropa , with the goal of producing hardcore pornographic films for women. Blue
12772-418: The site of the orgy. At the front gate, he is handed an envelope with a warning to stay away. That evening, Bill tries to call Marion but hangs up when her fiancé answers. He decides to go to Domino's apartment to consummate their affair but is met by her roommate, Sally. Although there is sexual tension between them, Sally informs Bill that Domino has just received news that she is HIV-positive . After leaving
12896-484: The steamy erotic thriller a synopsis (or the ads) might suggest." Writing in general about the genre of 'erotic thriller' for CineAction in 2001, Douglas Keesey states that "whatever [ Eyes Wide Shut 's ] actual type, [it] was at least marketed as an erotic thriller". Michael Koresky, writing in the 2006 issue of film journal Reverse Shot , writes "this director, who defies expectations at every turn and brings genre to his feet, was ... setting out to make neither
13020-465: The storyline, especially if the people involved should not be sleeping together, such as in Out of Sight (1998), where a U.S. Marshal has sex with the criminal she is pursuing. In horror films , sex is often used to 'mark' characters that are doomed to die. Characters that engage in sex acts are often the first to be claimed by the antagonist(s), or will die shortly after their sex scene or (sometimes) in
13144-432: The studio when the sex scenes will be shot. These "nudity riders" are written contracts commonly used by movie and television shows that intend to film sex or nude scenes . These agreements can include very detailed descriptions such as how much the actors have to be nude, i.e. nude or semi-nude, and information on their attire. An agreement may stipulate that while an intimate scene is being shot, only people associated with
13268-481: The summer of 1983, the film is about a 17-year-old American-Jewish man, named Elio (played by Timothee Chalamet ), forming a relationship with a 24-year old graduate student Oliver. HIV-positive people HIV-positive people , seropositive people or people who live with HIV are people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus which if untreated may progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). According to estimates by
13392-454: The three-hour long film contained almost ten minutes of sexual scenes between them. These scenes were so long that even heterosexual scenes in movies have not exceeded the length. The scenes were shot in a close-up manner, showing great detail with bold and intimate camera angles. Many critics expressed that if it was not a film, the sex scenes would be close to pornography . The sex scenes were controversial and received mixed reviews. France set
13516-578: The wellbeing of actors who participate in sex scenes, and to help prevent harassment and violations of consent. Pedro Almodóvar of Spain is a prolific director who has included eroticism in many of his movies. Tinto Brass of Italy has dedicated his career to bringing explicit sexuality into mainstream cinema. His films are also notable for feminist -friendly eroticism. French filmmaker Catherine Breillat caused controversy with unsimulated sex in her films Romance (1999) and Anatomy of Hell (2004). In Italy, nudity and strong sexual themes go back to
13640-504: The woman's sacrifice, was staged. Whether this is to be believed or not, it is an exposition of Ziegler's view of the ways of the world as a member of the power elite. When Warner Bros. president Terry Semel approved production in 1995, he asked Kubrick to cast a movie star as "you haven't done that since Jack Nicholson [in The Shining ]". Kubrick considered casting Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger as Bill and Alice Harford. Cruise
13764-517: The worst of the American national security establishment, Charles Grady represents the worst of Jack Torrance in The Shining , and Clare Quilty represents the worst of Humbert Humbert in Lolita . More significantly, in the film, Ziegler gives a commentary on the whole story to Bill, including an explanation that the party incident, where Bill is apprehended, threatened, and ultimately redeemed by
13888-525: Was Mona the Virgin Nymph (1970), that contained a number of unsimulated non-penetrative sex scenes. Unlike Blue Movie , however, Mona had a plot . To forestall legal problems, the film was screened without credits. The producer of Mona , Bill Osco , went on to produce other adult films, such as Flesh Gordon (1974), Harlot (1971), and Alice in Wonderland (1976). Boys in
14012-440: Was "too beautiful". In the morgue scene, Franz Liszt 's late solo piano piece, " Nuages Gris " ("Grey Clouds") (1881), is heard. "Rex tremendae" from Mozart 's Requiem plays as Bill walks into the café and reads of Mandy's death. Pook was hired after choreographer Yolande Snaith rehearsed the masked ball orgy scene using Pook's composition "Backwards Priests" – which features a Romanian Orthodox Divine Liturgy recorded in
14136-566: Was American actress Marilyn Monroe , who early in her career in the film industry performed in sexually explicit short films (never widely circulated to the general public) before taking roles in films which did not require her to display sexual activity, but only that she could pose as a sexually attractive female. Her image has become an icon of American popular culture. During the Golden Age of Porn between 1969 and 1984, several American pornographic films were released theatrically and received relatively positive attention from movie critics and
14260-411: Was a huge hit." Overseas earnings of over $ 105 million led to a $ 162,091,208 box office run world-wide, turning it into the highest-grossing Kubrick film. Eyes Wide Shut was first released on VHS and DVD on March 7, 2000. The original DVD release corrects technical gaffes, including a reflected crew member, and altering a piece of Alice Harford's dialogue. Most home videos remove the verse that
14384-458: Was announced as the first such case in 2019 and in 2021 another case from Argentina dubbed "the Esperanza patient". Over the years of coping with the stigma and discrimination that accompany the diagnosis in most societies, a large number of support groups have been formed. In these groups, the term most often applied to people who are HIV-positive is "People Living With HIV/AIDS". This
14508-481: Was claimed to be cited from the sacred Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita (although it was Pook's reworking of "Backwards Priests" as stated above). In the UK, Warner Home Video 's 'rated 18' [no video altering] 1999 DVD release was in 4:3 full frame aspect ratio, with a note at the beginning that this was as Kubrick intended it to be shown [ratio as shot]. However, the film's length on this UK DVD is only 153 minutes, as opposed to
14632-423: Was deleted in the filmed version. The novella makes it clear that Fridolin at this point hates Albertina more than ever, thinking they are now lying together "like mortal enemies". It has been argued that the dramatic climax of the novella is actually Albertina's dream, and the film has shifted the focus to Bill's visit to the secret society's orgy, whose content is more shocking in the film. The adaptation created
14756-411: Was first with Finding Graceland , then Leigh with eXistenZ . They were replaced by Sydney Pollack and Marie Richardson, respectively, in the final cut. Decades later, Keitel said that he had quit after feeling like Kubrick had "disrespected" him; Gary Oldman added that the breaking point was after Kubrick asked Keitel to do dozens of takes for a scene of his character walking through the door. Among
14880-777: Was followed by many kiss imitators, including The Kiss in the Tunnel (1899) and The Kiss (1900). Other producers would take the criticism on board, or in mock of the standard, and use an implicit kiss, which would be obstructed from view just as the lips would touch, such as shielding a possible kiss by placing say a hat in front of the actors' faces, or fading to grey just as a kiss is to take place, etc. The display of cleavage created controversy. For example, producer Howard Hughes displayed Jane Russell 's cleavage in The Outlaw (1943) and in The French Line (1953), which
15004-525: Was found objectionable under the Hays Code because of Russell's "breast shots in bathtub, cleavage and breast exposure" while some of her decollete gowns were regarded to be "intentionally designed to give a bosom peep-show effect beyond even extreme decolletage". Both films were condemned by the National Legion of Decency and were released only in cut versions. The selection of actresses for
15128-559: Was in England because his wife Nicole Kidman was there filming The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and the pair eventually decided to visit Kubrick's estate. After that meeting, the director awarded them the roles. Kubrick also managed to make both not commit to other projects until Eyes Wide Shut was completed. Kubrick offered Eva Herzigová a role in the film, but she declined. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Harvey Keitel each were cast in supporting roles and filmed by Kubrick. Reportedly due to scheduling conflicts, both had to drop out. Keitel
15252-579: Was interested in adapting the story, and with the help of journalist Jay Cocks , bought the filming rights to the novel. For the following decade, Kubrick considered making the Dream Story adaptation a sex comedy "with a wild and somber streak running through it", starring Steve Martin or Woody Allen in the main role. Kubrick also considered Tom Hanks , Bill Murray , Dustin Hoffman , Warren Beatty , Albert Brooks , Alan Alda and Sam Shepard for
15376-509: Was shown theatrically as soft matted 1.66:1 in Europe and 1.85:1 in the US and Japan). The previous DVD release used a 1.33:1 (4:3) aspect ratio. It is also the first American home video release to feature the uncut version. Although the earliest American DVD of the uncut version states on the cover that it includes both the R-rated and unrated editions, in actuality only the unrated edition is on
#144855