[follow up from Mr. X re: EWS and replies]


From: Jojo Lapin X
To:bobmonel
Sent:July 3, 2008, 4:03 pm

The music in question is original music composed for the film by Jocelyn Pook. The only difference from the theatrical version is that a voice reciting from the Bhagavad Gita has been replaced by a voice reciting something else; the rest of the piece is the same. There is no home video version of the film that has this piece of music in its original state.

The picture I put up on your message board is not a screenshot from the DVD I own; it is something I found on the web. The DVD looks great. I realized for the first time that he used existing light as far as possible, just like with BARRY LYNDON.

You are certainly right that EYES WIDE SHUT has been misunderstood---I am not sure I "understand" it. The other day when I watched it it struck me as more of a comedy than I had noticed previously, however. There are several peculiar performances in it, notably those of Marie Richardson and Alan Cumming, that completely steal the show from Tom Cruise. And what is with the scene in which a group of young men accost Cruise in the street and call him a "fag," for no immediately apparent reason? Is this a reference to real-life speculations about the actor's sexuality? And if it is, and assuming he realized that, why would Cruise agree to participate in it?


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From: bobmonel
To:Jojo Lapin X
Sent:July 3, 2008, 2:48 pm

That music replacement really bothers me as much as the digital changes, because Kubrick chose the original music, but the change was after his death. It was quite effective chanting, But some group in the UK complained that it made some religious chanting seem sinister so it was done to be politically correct. So, I would not be able to watch this or accept this version. I'll see if I can find a non digitally censored version. I really, really think EWS is Kubrick's most underrated film and misunderstood one. The color in that scene where he meets the guy in the club is incredible, I remember the red and other lights. But the screenshot you put up looks rather color drained and fuzzy. Do you have the UK disc?