Is this 1999 film ripe for a fresh debate, much like Die Hard, on its merits as a Christmas movie? Not really, but filmmaker Kyle Smith is back this week, joined by film editor Rehman Nizar Ali to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s final film. On today’s episode we discuss how the movie changes in viewings throughout the years based on the maturity of ones own romantic relationships, what early iterative casting ideas like Steve Martin or Woody Allen would have been like, if the cinemageography of the production design leaves the film open to a Room 237 interpretation, and Shane’s obsessive love/hate for screenwriter Frederic Raphael’s memoir of writing the film, Eyes Wide Open. Also: Whether Kubrick had a specific body-type for model/extras, how the real-world analogues of Terry Southern’s novel Blue Movie relate, speculation on what the co-writer/director might have cut from the film had he survived until its theatrical release, and whether or not the Illuminati covertly murdered Kubrick for revealing the real-world secrets of their sex orgies on film.
Smith is writer/director of the films Blue Highway and Turkey Bowl, which debuted at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival. Currently in development on his third feature, you can find Kyle and his film thoughts on Letterboxd.
Ali is co-editor of recent films for Terrence Malick including A Hidden Life, Song to Song, and Voyage of Time. Other works include commercials for Facebook, Google, Guerlain, and the recent concert film, All in Washington: A Concert for COVID-19 Relief. You can also find him at his website.
Eyes Wide Shut is currently streaming on Hulu.