by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright September 22, 1999
All Rights Reserved.

apsing into immortality together with his final labor of love — Eyes Wide Shut (Warner Bros., 1999) — Stanley Kubrick remained true to form, refusing to acquiesce to Hollywood’s predictable formula of techno-glitz or maudlin soap opera movie-making. Without anything left to prove or lose, Kubrick’s last signature clearly depicts the maddening duplicity of the ‘90s — a decadent society obsessed with instant gratification, consumed by superficiality and fixated on lurid voyeurism — revealing the blurred line between fantasy and reality. Keeping your 'eyes wide shut,' maintains the illusions, reinforces the denial and allows painful relationships to continue uninterrupted.

       Waltzing through the pretense of his characters — the cosmetic veneer of Dr. & Mrs. Harford’s 'idyllic' marriage — Kubrick succeeds in exposing the darker side of life, neatly tucked away from both individuals and their relationships. Using the mask as a powerful metaphor, Kubrick portrays the terror of exposing one’s true self and inner desires. Keeping the 'eyes wide open' is far more threatening. With frontal nudity as the bait, he invites viewers to examine their own pretenses, lies and sexual fantasies. Beyond the microcosm of blinded relationships are today’s news and politics, packaged by spin meisters, sold by Wall Street and inspired by Hollywood’s best image makers. For those looking in the mirror, the distinction between the tabloids and 'conventional' journalism is obscured beyond recognition.

       Preferring to keep their 'eyes wide shut,' the public hangs onto fantasies about high profile celebrities, sacred institutions and newsworthy events . Tapping into the public’s paranoia enables clever spin doctors to transform far-flung ideas into plausible 'right wing' conspiracies. Believing the lies and spin is easier than dealing with the painful realities connected with the truth. If nothing else, the Lewinsky sex scandal proved that the truth isn’t easily accepted by most people. Kubrick’s focus on lurid sexual fantasies is really about a society gone mad with pretense and glossy makeovers, unable to accept the flaws and problems lurking beneath the surface. Deciphering staged publicity stunts, phony press releases, misleading news leaks, and neatly packaged propaganda from real events is a full time job. From health care to gun control, sorting out facts from spin represents a twilight struggle of epic proportions.

       While most audiences and reviewers went to sleep, Kubrick executed his final statement about the inner reality and outward facade of today’s fantasy couple, Dr. and Mrs. Bill Harford, played by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Showing all the trappings of success — a rich, dashing physician with his trophy wife, model child and opulent lifestyle — the couple sleepwalks through their lives built on illusions and stereotypes. Beneath the surface is the real story, revealing frightening unconscious impulses for adventure and lust, rarely admitted by couples jaded by the artifacts of the good life. Paralleling this reality, is today’s media, circulating images breeding envy, jealousy and greed and perpetuating false perceptions of a world that doesn’t really exist.

       Studying human nature is no easy task. Nor is it always pleasant to examine the real motivations of individuals, groups and organizations driven by unbridled greed, hatred and hidden agendas. It’s far easier to accept things at face value and keep your 'eyes wide shut.' Dealing with scandals and human tragedies forces many people to re-examine their values, take searching inventories and put their lives into perspective. With tragedies like Columbine High and the Oklahoma City bombing, it’s inescapable that good things don’t always happen to good people. Reports about police corruption, school board fraud or the sordid private lives of idealized celebrities or elected officials, shatters illusions for some, but others prefer the comforting balm of keeping their 'eyes wide shut.' Using shocking events as a wake-up call is a step in the right direction, but doesn’t address the powerful forces leading many people to turn a blind eye.

       Like Dr. Harford and his wife, the public finds it easier to take things at face value, accepting news reports as factual when it’s, in fact, part of a fraudulent publicity stunt or phony press release. When Wall Street blames stock market plunges on 'the Asian flu,' interest rate jitters or lackluster earnings, it’s easier to accept than greedy mutual fund managers taking profits by liquidating massive blocks of shares. When president Clinton denies any political motivation for granting clemency to Puerto Rican terrorists, it’s easier to swallow than pandering to the Puerto Rican community for his wife’s possible election bid in New York. Kubrick reminds us that things are rarely what they seem to be. But unlike Dr. Harford or his wife, whose panic over 'losing their marriage' keeps their blinders on and fantasies in check, the public needs to recognize spin and open their eyes to clever manipulators influencing their perceptions of reality.

       Box office failures don’t always tell the whole story. Nor do presidential candidates whose messages are lost because of their personal obsessions or abysmal lack of charisma. Kubrick’s last hurrah was obscured because the film moved at the speed of life, the slow and sometimes tortured pace of the real world. Reminding us to question common illusions, he succeeded in capturing the scary but no less real fantasy life of ordinary people. Questioning what’s on TV or in the papers — news or otherwise — isn’t un-American or even unduly paranoid, it’s a matter of staying on top of things and being better informed. Swallowing today’s spin — whether out of Washington or in your own marriage — without reading between the lines, guarantees that your eyes will remain wide shut.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com. He’s also the director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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