Comments for an Analysis of Eyes Wide Shut – Part Four

Part Four is here.

Having moved the body of the post to html, am restoring for the comments on the section.

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8 responses to “Comments for an Analysis of Eyes Wide Shut – Part Four”

  1. Hal9001 Avatar
    Hal9001

    At the Sonata cafe when Bill sits down you can clearly see a bold looking man that looks like the stalker from later on in the film. Also there is a Kubrick doppleganger on the table to the left of bill. There seems to be a emphasis by Kubrick to use dopplegangers of charactors in the film (maybe to highlight mirror symmetry or show dream imagery) as they appear everywhere in the film (at zieglers party you can clearly see the navel officer)image here: ttp://www.jeffreyscottbernstein.com/kubrick/images/MORE%20STRANGE%20EXTRAS.pdf

  2. Philanthropy Avatar
    Philanthropy

    Here are some question to which I would like your opinion on:

    1)Regarding the “Fidelio” password , do you think that it could be a reference the magazine “Fidelio Journal of Poetry, Science, and Statecraft” published by the Schiller institute (http://www.schillerinstitute.org/fid_97-01/fidelio.html) which is part of the Lyndon LaRouche movement (The LaRouche movement says that it is based around an original economic philosophy and is praised by some commentators. Other commentators say the movement is conspiracist and antisemitic, and that its political and economic proposals are a cover for its actual beliefs. Here is more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Views_of_Lyndon_LaRouche_and_the_LaRouche_movement ). Interestingly According to a goggle search it turns out that Stanley Kubrick was a subscriber to the magazine!

    2)Also in this picture https://idyllopuspress.com/meanwhile/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/ews_rainbowrainbow-620×463.jpg it appears that Kubrick has framed it so as to make Bill (with his hands clasped) look like he is holding the end of a rainbow umbrella stick. What do you think?

    1. jmk Avatar
      jmk

      Yes on #2, I think it’s possible the shot may have been framed so Bill appears to be holding an umbrella rainbow. It’s certainly humorous.

      As for #1, I’ve previously, briefly skimmed over the idea of fidelio being linked to the magazine and thus LaRouche. I’ve my own thoughts on fidelio that I go into in section one, and I do favor my idea on it and think what I propose is reasonable, especially considering that in the screenplay the password is “Fidelio Rainbow”. But mine is certainly not the last word at all, and there could even be multiple references.

      However, I don’t know enough about the Schiller institute or about LaRouche to offer a sensible opinion on that angle.

      Coincidentally, at the Fidelio link I clicked randomly on one of the issues, choosing the one for Fall 1998, and, surprise, one of the articles in that issue was “Beethoven’s Creative Process of Composition: Reflections on Leonore (1806) and Fidelio (1814)”. Only partial text is given but it seems that Fidelio was being performed quite a bit in 1997 in Germany.

  3. Philanthropy Avatar
    Philanthropy

    Some more stuff for you too look at:

    1) Shining/Eyes wide shut connection? http://i49.tinypic.com/2ef2ovq.png

    2) 2001/Eyes wide shut connection? http://i48.tinypic.com/20s669h.jpg

    3) Cont. http://i47.tinypic.com/2wcpveq.png

    4) Barry Lyndon/ Eyes Wide Shut connection? http://i46.tinypic.com/2mg1t28.png

  4. Thomas Dean Nordlum Avatar
    Thomas Dean Nordlum

    Another thing about Milich, when he says ‘my hair is falling down’ this is a direct translation of how you would say it in French ‘tomber’ means fall (out) and that’s how you say my hair falls out (my hair falls down = mes cheveux tombent). But I don’t think he has anything to do with French, Milich. Also, when you listen to the French soundtrack, you can tell that it’s him doing the French dubbing (but Wikipedia lists another voice for the VF – version française). Who knows?

    I’ve also read that Fidelio is the story of a woman who saves her husband from a political prison. Leelee says ‘you should have a cloak lined with ermine.

    I have heard the mannequins were real, but I never could see it. Thanks for your images, I can see it now. Très subtile.

  5. Alessandro Raho Avatar
    Alessandro Raho

    very beautiful observation about the shoe and mannequin..

  6. Ron Avatar

    Okay. I just had a couple of questions. So the part in it that shows sewing thread, is kubrick leaving clues to find a way back out of the maze? Also I noticed he uses a lot of blue and red colors so I started looking just for those colors on thing and noticed a devilish figure on the store window where it says the hours and day sign is, right before he buzzes for the rainbow store. I was wondering if you noticed that as well. I’d have to watch it again to get the precise time for it. I probably shouldn’t have started in the middle of this but I was curious about the mannequins.

  7. Juli Kearns Avatar

    Hey, Ron. (1) I don’t know. I think it’s possible the thread shows up as a reference to the maze but don’t know beyond that. (2) I see the red figure you’re talking about. It only occurs in the night scene. It is absent when Bill returns the next day. I personally couldn’t conjecture what it is intended to be/symbolize. Hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it.

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