"I have to admit that this is something that is uncertain but unavoidable. From the beginning to the end, I didn't think that Adriaan could make a Kubrick-style work. Although he is excellent, some things are fundamentally different because people have different ideas, different experiences, and different accumulation of time. The greatness of Kubrick is that he can always point to the darkest parts of people and society in his films. This is something that almost no one can match, but today, a young director has broken it. "- The Washington Post.
"Obviously, common sense doesn't work on Adriaan. It is impossible to be sure that his" Eyes Wide Awake "is what Kubrick wants, but it is also impossible to be sure that his" Eyes Wide Awake "is not what Kubrick wants. It is so similar but slightly different that it makes it impossible to make a definite judgment. The miracle director is indeed a miracle director." - Variety.
Two days later, the comments finally came out, but they were either as ambiguous as the above, or as focused on analyzing the plot without mentioning the controversy.
"In general, this is still a film about a marriage crisis. The director is very keen to grasp the feeling of distrust between the couple. The husband just solves a possible scandal for his employer, but the wife is suspicious because she saw him with a pair of female models, and she is almost seduced by an old man.
Although the wife controls her impulse because of her rationality, the seed of suspicion has been planted, and then as the director guides step by step, there is finally a conflict between the husband and wife. And the husband can't help but suspect his wife. The rich imagination and sudden passion make him impulsive, and then under the instigation of his old classmate, he participates in an underground party held by a rich class and puts himself in danger.
After getting away with great difficulty, the husband begins to pursue the truth. It seems that this has almost nothing to do with the first half of the story, but the director uses a few scenes to hint that it is because of the previous trust crisis that he is eager for the truth, as if he can find out if his wife really cheated. Finally, under the previous employer's showdown, the husband finally understands how dangerous he is and realizes the importance of his family. Finally, he returns to his wife and cries bitterly. It seemed to be a happy ending, but the wife's last line in the mall vividly told the audience that some things would never end, giving them endless imagination.
Whether it was the delicate composition, the contrasting colors, or the accompaniment of a bystander, they were all closely related to what the whole story wanted to express. The party in the middle seemed to be licentious, but if one were to observe it carefully, there was no sense of eroticism at all. There was only a kind of bone-deep strangeness. The director used this method to interpret the theme that had always been there: the alienation of human nature in a materialistic society. This is a thought-provoking piece of work! "— Morris Shedden, renowned film critic
Most people didn't deny that the meaning of the movie couldn't be accurately defined. Most people also admitted that at least the movie continued one of Kubrick's themes, which was Morris Shedden's "material society's alienation of human nature." Whether it was Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, or Full Metal Jacket, this theme was very obvious.
But there were still people who disagreed, such as Ms. Marintha Maggie. "Adriaan has made a sensationalist work. Although he has learned from Kubrick's style, he has not grasped the inner things at all, especially that absurd party. Whether it was the wife played by Nicole Kidman or the prostitutes played by Vanessa Shaw, they all seemed extremely weak. The only resistance they had was easily dissipated by the husband's insincere repentance. He didn't seem to realize what the original novel was trying to express, nor did he really consider Kubrick's thoughts. He just casually smeared it according to his own will!"
This was obviously a performance of being a sore loser. For example, film critic Aiden Karon severely criticized the movie for being too fancy and focusing on form, and the slow pace was not interesting at all. But the problem was that this film critic had never been on good terms with Kubrick. As early as the 1980s, he had criticized The Shining and Full Metal Jacket as useless works. It was normal for him to write such a review.
But this Ms. Maggie had previously claimed that she was a fan of Kubrick, but when most people thought that it still needed to be considered whether it was in line with Kubrick's style, she still wrote such a comment, so it could only be said that she refused to admit defeat for the sake of her reputation. There were such people everywhere. Even if the evidence was in front of them, they could pretend not to see it, let alone in this situation where there were countless places to refute.
Kubrick's die-hard fans still spared no effort to attack Adriaan. This was a common problem of fans. Once they put their idol on the altar in their hearts, they would never allow others to touch it. Even if there was a mistake, they would refute it and argue that it was good. Although Adriaan also had many die-hard fans, because of the variety of themes involved and the lack of a unified style, it was difficult for him to be a match for them.
But soon these people were divided. A small number of fans who had really studied Kubrick's movies began to take it seriously after watching Eyes Wide Shut a few times, although they were very reluctant. But more people liked Kubrick to highlight their own taste. Once this unique feeling was broken, they would be very angry and dissatisfied. Kubrick's movies had always been a niche audience. Other than the rise of the Internet, they were able to make their voices heard because of the cohesiveness of their love for Kubrick's movies. No matter what the reason for this love was, with such a split, their words no longer carried much weight.
In short, in early March 1997, the most debated topic in the media was not the prediction of the 69th Oscars, but the various debates about Eyes Wide Shut. As the film was released in Europe, European critics and directors unanimously praised the film itself. They liked the style itself. Of course, there was still a debate about whether Adriaan's production was in line with Kubrick's style.
The combination of these factors caused the box office of the movie, which had been a little low, to rise a lot on a certain weekend. Warner Bros. was very happy, so they asked Clarkson to tell them about Kubrick's reaction to the movie. After the media got the news, they asked Kubrick's daughter, Anya, for confirmation, and it immediately caused more discussion.
What did he mean by shaking his head first? Then what did he mean by giving a thumbs up when he clearly couldn't move because of the stroke? Was Kubrick both dissatisfied and satisfied? Or satisfied but regretful? If regretful, what was he regretful about? Many critics racked their brains to find the answer. All kinds of interview invitations were sent to Adriaan's hands. Those who had been against Kubrick for the sake of opposition felt as if they had been slapped hard in the face. Even though there were still a few people clamoring, they were forgotten by the public.
Director Miracle had once again created a miracle. This was the most popular topic during this period of time. However, those questions would never be answered. In mid-March, Stanley Kubrick had another cerebral hemorrhage in his sleep and left this world. People in the circle, whether they liked it or not, expressed their regret. At the same time, they gave Adriaan a mysterious halo.
"Anya said he died peacefully, as if he was very happy that his wish was fulfilled. I have to say that you are very good, Eide. I can't see through you anymore. If it were me, I wouldn't have been able to do so well." Spielberg said this to Adriaan at a cocktail party and asked him if he would like to take over the production of "AI".
Of course, Adriaan declined the offer. "Since Stanley was the one who suggested that you direct the film, you shouldn't let go of this responsibility. Steven, I think you are fully capable of producing this film. As for me, I can only say that I was lucky. After all, Stanley had already conceived the idea for 'Eyes Wide, Warning'. I just expressed his ideas. "
It was better to let Spielberg produce "AI". Having "Eyes Wide Awake" was enough. He had basically achieved his original goal of taking over, and it was even better than he had expected. What movie could he not produce now? As long as a miracle director wanted to, he could definitely create a miracle, right?
On the other hand, ever since "Eyes Wide, Warning" was released, all kinds of gossip about Nicole Kidman in the tabloids had never stopped. One time, it was said that Cruise was dissatisfied with her bold performance in the film, and another time, it was said that she was secretly dating the actor who acted in the passionate scene with her in the film. It was all because she looked so engrossed in those scenes.
Although Nicole and Cruise showed their intimacy in public from time to time, they were still photographed in seemingly harmonious photos. For a while, the two fell into an impasse, and rumors of a possible divorce were spreading. As for the rumored partner, no one found out where he was. Firstly, he basically didn't show his face in the film. Secondly, the film company claimed that because there were only a few scenes, they found a male model to play the role. In order to protect the man, they couldn't provide any information.
Everyone knew that this was nonsense. As a person in the entertainment industry, how could they not seize this opportunity to hype it up? But the truth was just so interesting. No one could find any trace of this actor. Even Tom Cruise couldn't get an answer after asking in a roundabout way.
"Let him be a mystery forever," Adriaan said in an interview.
In the end, he went on a talk show. Of course, his first choice was ABC TV. As the boss, of course, he had to support his own company. This made several other TV stations unhappy. Several CEOs complained in private. Why couldn't the boss of their parent company cause all kinds of sensations like Adriaan?
Throughout the interview, Adriaan spoke with confidence and didn't avoid many topics. Although it was his boss who participated, ABC didn't give more discounts. The talk show host, Jon Stewart, who was poached by a lot of effort last year, asked almost one question after another, as if he couldn't wait to ask all the questions he had accumulated during this period.
"Actually, I don't particularly like Stanley's movies. After all, we have different ideas in many areas — although I've never interacted with him before.
"It's hard to describe that feeling. It's like you accidentally reach out and grab a hair floating in the air, only a few microns in diameter.
"I understand how they feel. At first, I didn't believe that I could really finish this work, but after I started working, I never thought about it. I just tried my best to imitate Stanley's way of thinking and try my best to finish it. As I said earlier, although I have many differences with Stanley, I respect him very much.
"They're very outstanding. Whether it's Nicole or Tom, Stanley is really suitable to invite them to play the role of this couple. They're both doing their best to play their roles."
"Yes, it's very stressful. After all, in the history of Hollywood, there has never been a scene like this. As for the rating, that's the MPAA's business. Since they think it's fine, what's the problem?"
After the show was broadcast, ABC's ratings inevitably rose by a few percentage points, and the public became more curious about Adriaan. A young director who didn't particularly like Kubrick, but because of his respect for him, he resolutely took over the guiding tube after Kubrick's stroke and successfully helped him fulfill his wish, allowing him to leave this world without regrets. It sounded amazing, didn't it?
Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people, Adriaan began to look great. However, the opponents also found a good excuse. They claimed that since Adriaan didn't like Kubrick very much, how could he make a movie in the style of Kubrick? At first, Kubrick would agree that he was deceived, and his reaction was likely to be sarcastic.
Unfortunately, after half a month of debate, not many people cared about their opinions. These things weren't as eye-catching as the discussion about the rating of the film.
Ever since the New York Times questioned the rating of "Eyes Wide Shut," more and more conservatives joined in. They all thought that the rating of the film was very inappropriate.
"The definition of an R rating is that the film contains adult content, there are more scenes of sex, violence, drug abuse, etc., and swear words; the definition of an NC-17 is that there are clear scenes of sex, a lot of scenes of drug abuse, violence, and swear words. In any case, "Eyes Wide Shut" is more in line with the latter than the former. It can be said that the MPAA has failed in its duties in this regard, "a spokesman of a conservative group said publicly.
However, the person in charge of the MPAA immediately retorted, "According to Section 14, Article 17, the judges have the right to rate the film according to their own opinions. The entire rating process is evaluated by five professionals, and the rating will be reviewed twice, so such an accusation is unreasonable."
The two sides were also engaged in a heated debate, but no matter how many people criticized the rating, it was useless. After all, the rating had been determined and the film was released in major cinemas. In the end, even if the MPAA admitted that the rating was improper, it would not help. Besides, the MPAA would not allow unrelated people to criticize them.
"This is the benefit of having the right to speak in the MPAA," Adriaan said to Claude.
"Anyway, you have it all planned, haven't you?" Claude replied.
"Yes, I have it all planned, as long as you support me." Adriaan nodded.
"Don't worry, if everything goes well, you won't have to wait too long." Claude had a confident smile on his face.
Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. After all, it was still a few months away. But now, the media was still debating about "Eyes Wide Shut," even the original version did not cause such a big fuss, right? He could be proud again.
However, as the end of the month approached, the Oscars gradually became closer, and all kinds of predictions began to occupy the various pages. In addition, Adriaan also appeared on a few shows, so the popularity of the film was finally slowly subsiding. At least for him, he could focus on other aspects, such as —
"Ahhh!" Drew screamed and jumped up with a high kick. He even imitated Bruce Lee and rubbed his nose with his thumb, which was quite cute.
Cameron, who was next to him, also did the same, but she did not put her foot down. Instead, she straightened her body as much as possible, tilting her body so that it was almost in a straight line with her other leg. However, this posture did not last long. After a few seconds, she put her foot down and almost fell, but Adriaan immediately hugged her.
"Although I know that you guys trained well, don't be so stubborn," he said teasingly.
"Cammie just wants you to have a taste of her leg skills," Drew said with a smile.
"I've already had a taste." Adriaan teased. Indeed, he had already had a taste. The two women each put a leg on him. Although this posture was a little difficult, it was also exciting.
Ever since they had a threesome, Drew and Cameron had basically advanced and retreated together. This was also very good. Even if it was a threesome every time, Adriaan could still easily satisfy them, and he could also have more fun.
Hu Kaili, who was next to him, had a slight change in expression. How could she not hear the meaning behind it? However, she obviously knew how to conduct herself. During this period of time, she had also gotten along well with Drew and Cameron, so even if she heard something, she would pretend not to know. However, it was inevitable that she would glance at Adriaan a few times.
These movements naturally did not escape Adriaan's eyes, but he did not pay much attention to it. As for Hu Kaili's leg skills, he had also tried it, and it felt very good.
"Okay, let's start filming." Noticing the director's gesture in the distance, Adriaan gestured. "Now let me see how you use the results of your training in the filming."
This was one of the reasons why he took the time to come to the set of "Charlie and Charlie" to observe. Yuan Zhenyang, who was in charge of their training, expressed his recognition of their hard work. Adriaan also wanted to see the actual effect of the filming, because the new movie that he had written and directed, "The Matrix", was just around the corner.
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