Eyes Wide Shut: The Darker Christmas Classic

Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut was released in the summer of 1999 but its very present Christmas setting undeniably makes one think of it as a Christmas film. Starring then-married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, the film follows the marriage of Alice and Bill Harford. Bill, a well-respected doctor, and Alice, formerly an art gallery manager, live in New York City with their young daughter. The film is an adaptation of the 1926 novella Traumnovelle by Arthur Schnitzler, which originally takes place in 1900s Vienna around Mardi Gras. Kubrick’s intentional change of the story’s setting to Christmas time in a modern New York City makes a lot of sense, once one considers the story with the symbolic meaning of Christmas and the modern aesthetic associated with the holiday. 

The film’s pivotal moment comes when Bill and Alice get into an argument (fuelled by pot) over men and women and their sexual desires. After revealing that he isn’t bothered by other men’s attraction towards Alice, Bill reasons that women are naturally drawn to fidelity and that “they just don’t think like that” when it comes to lust—much to Alice’s indignation. He becomes disturbed when Alice admits to considering an affair with a naval officer while on vacation with Bill and their daughter. From this moment onwards, Bill can’t get the idea of his wife’s possible infidelity out of his mind and he becomes fixated on the idea of having his own sexual encounter—an attempt to seemingly get back at Alice. Spending the night wandering alone, he almost engages with a prostitute and later finds himself at a costume party that turns out to be a secret orgy. As a woman tries to tell him that he is in danger, Bill is found out by the hosts. He is let go with a warning to never speak of what he saw after the mystery woman seemingly pays the price for him. Bill is left startled and the events that transpire afterward only add to his confusion and growing fear. He finds himself being followed, his friend who told him about the party vanishes, and the mystery woman turns up dead. After coming home late in the night, Bill finds the mask he wore to the party beside a peacefully sleeping Alice. Breaking down from fear and guilt, Bill tearfully admits everything to Alice, leaving the couple in an awkward spot. 

For a film rich with detail, the previous paragraph really only covers the plot in its most basic form for the sake of simplicity. However, as the events of the film play ou, one thing is very clear. It is Christmas time. Many film critics have pointed to this notion of self-discovery associated with Christmas. In many of the classic Christmas films, we see the main character go through some sort of ordeal and then have this moment of realization just in time to celebrate the holidays, lessons on love and the power of human kindness learned along the way. It is perhaps through his nightmarish sex-fuelled escapade that Bill has his own Christmas epiphany, and whether it’s about his own marriage or the unspoken activities of society’s most elite, it is some sort of realization nonetheless. By the end, Bill comes clean to Alice, leaving the couple to figure out how they move on from here together, all just in time for Christmas.

Kubrick, who was known for his use of natural lighting in his films, uses Christmas lights not only as a technical tool but also as a recurring motif. Almost every scene is illuminated by colourful Christmas lights—a constant reminder of the holiday. The only scene devoid of any Christmas decorations seen throughout the rest of the film is the mysterious masked orgy scene, masked men in costume and naked women partaking in some sort of sexual ritual leave the viewer feeling uncomfortable. The dreamlike atmosphere felt throughout this film is only amplified by the soft glow of these lights, so a scene that sharply contrasts this acts to bring Bill (and by extension the viewer) back to reality, as he realizes the gravity of the situation he finds himself in. In a way, Christmas works to blur the lines between fantasy and a more bleak reality. 

Many have also attributed the film’s Christmas setting as Kubrick’s way of critiquing consumer culture. In Eyes Wide Shut, Christmas is depicted solely as a commercialized holiday. It is a time for shopping, spending, and lavish Christmas parties, such as the one the Harfords attend at the beginning of the film. Every reminder of Christmas is paired with a reminder of money and its uses. Bill touts his profession as a doctor throughout the film. He hands out money whenever he finds it convenient—to prostitutes for sexless exchanges, to the costume store owner so that he’ll cut him a break. While Christmas is very present in the film, any so-called Christmas spirit is completely lacking. Interestingly enough, what is meant to be one of the most joyous and meaningful times of the year is mostly depicted through a series of empty transactional interactions. 

Eyes Wide Shut remains somewhat of an ambiguous film and has been analyzed and picked apart by critics and everyday film enjoyers alike. While it’s definitely not one of the cheerful and heartwarming Christmas films that we might be more used to, it is a masterful film and nonetheless, a must-watch during the holiday season.