Cruise and Kidman Ruined 'Eyes Wide Shut', Kubrick Told Ermey

[HughBeaumont]

WENN - Stanley Kubrick thought his last movie Eyes Wide Shut was a "piece of shit" that was ruined by interference from its stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, according to actor R. Lee Ermey. Ermey starred in Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and remained in contact with the legendary film-maker up until his death in 1999. When the pair spoke shortly after Kubrick had completed work on Eyes Wide Shut, Ermey recalls the legendary director expressing his disappointment with the movie. He says, "Stanley called me about two weeks before he died, as a matter of fact. We had a long conversation about Eyes Wide Shut. He told me it was a piece of shit and that he was disgusted with it and that the critics were going to have him for lunch. He said Cruise and Kidman had their way with him - exactly the words he used. He was kind of a shy little timid guy. He wasn't real forceful. That's why he didn't appreciate working with big, high-powered actors. They would have their way with him, he would lose control, and his movie would turn to shit." Kubrick died in Hertfordshire, England of natural causes in March 1999.

Well, that's no lie. EWS is my least favorite movie by him and, despite the visuals and color, it was crapola because of those two egomaniacal dickhayds scenery chewing like pigs at every opportunity. It became an endurance test, watching these two act like they were 22 or something.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. Kubrick ruins his own movies well enough.

Outside of Dr. Strangelove, he tried WAAAAY too hard to be artsy and wound up screwing up every one of his films. Full Metal Jacket would've been good -- if it were two entirely separate movies that were more fully fleshed out. Clockwork Orange was a good book ruined. He literally ripped out absolutely vital portions of the plot that ruined the purpose and tone of it. Eyes Wide Shut - well, I don't need to say much for that, but I don't think the performances killed it as much as the pacing, tone, and overall story of the film. Trite on all three counts there. And the Shining was again killed by Kubrick's pacing, eliminating key plot elements again because he wanted to spend more time being artsy.

As you can tell, I'm no fan of Kubrick.

[HughBeaumont]

6. Please elaborate on "vital portions of the plot".

Other than eliminating the book's final chapter, I thought the script followed the novel (which I've read three times) quite well. Pauline Kael, who hated the movie with a passion, also thought the movie followed the script quite closely (first paragraph). Her beef is a matter of Kubrick desensitizing Burgess' use of language and ignoring his poignant societal commentary in favor of sexed-up violence and rape. Or, how can the viewer pick it up when the attacked portrayed are no better than the attackers, either way?

Yeah, I don't get any of that when I watch Clockwork Orange. All I know is that EWS was an undeserved swan song, mostly thanks to those two pretentious hack actors.

[Sugar Smack]

2. That was such an AWFUL movie.

Two hours I'll never get back. Probably the worst thing about it was the "suspense", and the flat, flat ending.

[Shakespeare]

9. THREE hours. Three awful fucking hours.

It was an extra-large dose of steaming shit. It's gotta be the worst movie I've ever watched in a theater--and the LA audience I was with openly LAUGHED through much of it (they knew it was shit, too). Especially that idiotic repetitive, over-the-top, pounding piano note. About half an hour into the movie, the entire audience would dissolve into hysterical laughter every time the note sounded.

[Sugar Smack]

11. Three hours- that's right!

It was painful waiting for something to happen. I remember also that my skin kind of crawled during the Nicole-Kidman-hysterical-screeching-laughter scene. *shudder* Like nails on a blackboard.

[Blue_Tires]

12. i'll never forget

i remember the controversy about the then-explicit sex scenes in it at the time, and i took a girl i was dating to the movie; thinking it would make her a little "anxious" if you know what i mean...one hour into the film she was dead asleep, and i didn't bother to wake her until the end (and no, there was no storming of the palace gates for me that night!)

[Sugar Smack]

13. Eyes Firmly Shut.

I like it! I had to fight off the yawns myself. :toast:

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. I never understood why an artist would want to work with Cruise.

Especially an artist of Kubrick's talent and skill.

[Love Bug]

4. I didn't see it, but a friend did and she still want to kill the piano

player on the soundtrack.

[Sugar Smack]

5. Oh, me too!

[edbermac]

7. Ermey is full of shit!

Kubrick rolled over for NO ONE! SK was the master!

[cemaphonic]

14. Yeah, this doesn't seem right to me either.

Stanley "OK, take 98, and please act more terrified this time, Ms. Duvall" Kubrick, who was sufficiently disenchanted with Hollywood to make movies out of London for decades, was bedazzled by the star-power of Cruise and Kidman?

I wasn't too thrilled by the movie either, but I think the problems were with the script, and possibly that Kubrick was so old and ill while making it. (and that it was his first movie in over a decade.)

I thought that Cruise was actually pretty well cast here, since his character was supposed to be cold, arrogant and unlikeable.

[Lautremont]

8. Kubrick should have had Ermey on set to skullfuck Cruise

whenever the need arose.

[Giant Robot]

15. All I have to say to that comment is

:yourock:

[NYYFan]

10. If Cruise had anything to do with it- of course it was ruined

Nicole Kidman's acting ability vanished while she was married to him. Not a coincidence that she won the oscar AFTER they divorced.

Sorry- Lunacy aside, I think he's one of the worst actors ever. :puke:

[Zomby Woof]

16. You know what would be cool?

If Ermey could rip Cruise a new one, "Full Metal Jacket"-style! :D I would pay good money to see that.

[dback]

17. Oh yeah, that's why it took him all those months/years to make?

Re-creating New York on sets in England, because he wouldn't shoot on location?

Scene after scene of Cruise wandering around the city, with that goddamn piano going PLINK...PLINK...PLINK?

The ridiculous orgy scene, continuing Kubrick's long string of mysogenistic and sexist films, where most of the men are clothed or covered but all of the women are naked?

The almost three hour running time?

The non-ending?

Yeah, that's all definitely Cruise and Kidman's fault.