Kubrick was disgusted with Eyes Wide Shut
Stanlety Kubrick talked to R. Lee Ermey, who first came to the fore in Full Metal Jacket as the quite insane Gunnery Sergeant, spoke with him shortly after the film was completed, and his comments are quite strong. Not just for the film but also for Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.
"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 s**t 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 s**t."
That's his full quote from IMDB. Now before people fly off and say Kidman and Cruise ruined it, read that carefully. It doesn't quite say that and it leaves enough room to suggest that Kubrick thought the film was awful, and on another point the stars easily controlled him, it does sound as though it was a major factor however.
It's indeed a shame that this was his last film, however I think that we should all look to his body of work over this last one, and Emery's comments just cement that fact. You've got to like the guy, he does speak as plain as day.
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