r/EyesWideShut

Anyone notice the potential nods to the wizard of oz? First there is the obvious rainbow connection. But I also noticed this conspicuous close up of Dr. Bill speaking with Nick Nightingale in the jazz club. I think it’s the first close up like that in the film. In any case, it stands out. Bill tells Nick: “You’re a long way from home.”

I don’t know. Could be nothing. “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” The traveling to a colorful land over the rainbow, etc. I’m not saying there’s a connection there for certain. But maybe.

The vintage black stroller and "Sabrina" (the teeanage witch) combined seem to hint at Rosemary's Baby. A year after this movie's release, its director Polanski's wife Sharon Tate was killed in a brutal mass murder. A night later, Rosemary LaBianca and her husband were murdered by the same Manson family members. These figures in the background in the toy store/stroller scene appear to be connected to these victims of August 1969. The Manson murders have since been interpreted as closing an era - the hippie culture of the 60s.

Tate-LaBianca in Eyes Wide Shut

Spoilered only due to some swear words in the poem.

So in school we had to look at modern poems and on the curriculum was Carol Ann Duffy who, at the time, was the Poet Laureate. Fraud, in Mean Times. I suddenly had flashbacks today about my teacher explaining the poem was likely about Robert Maxwell (Ghislaine's Father) and his drowning. The opening lines allude to his name change, but he was born "Jan Ludvik Hoch".

I had to go back and have a look because I thought it was like a false memory or something that it was mentioning directly polaroids of boys, politicians in-and-out (this is odd analytically to read because "in-and-out" is british slang for sex) of prams.

This poem was published back in 1993 and is still used in schools. I don't really know what to think of it but its interesting. Any idea on "The Gnome in Zurich"?

Right after reading the newspaper article, Ziegler says "It was a matter of time with her", same phrase Amanda's sister is quoted with, except in a more optimistic context. Sad irony, or a hint Ziegler is just making stuff up along the way to throw Bill off the cult's scent?

So Kubrick brings up the weirdos movie and talks on Bills place not looking over expensive or large but does the complete opposite.

Now we are told it’s a complete model of his old New York apartment. Why would he toy with Raphael when he knows those hallways would be huge in EWS? lol

throughout out the movie and apartment their are hints about their money, but I think Kubrick’s his this from Raphael, always knowing what he was going to do.

This man was such a planner.

Glenn Miller was one of the best-selling recording jazz artists of the early 1940s. Here are some facts about him:

- Left university to pursue music full-time.

- Worked as a freelance trombonist and arranger in the 1920s.

- Formed his successful orchestra in 1938. (The Glenn Miller Orchestra)

- Primary instrument: B♭ tenor trombone

- Breakthrough hit: “Moonlight Serenade" (1939)

- Jazz adaptation of Beethoven's classic: "Moonlight Sonata" (1941)

- Joined the U.S. Army in 1942 at age 38. Led the Army Air Forces Band. (Performed for troops across the U.S. and Europe to boost morale)

- The Army Air Forces Band was scheduled to travel from England to Paris in mid-December. The band usually travelled together.

- On 15 Dec 1944, Miller is said to have left early, boarding a small, unofficial military flight, unscheduled for him, accompanied by two officers.

- Miller had not reported this intention to his chain of command; it's mentioned as a 'casual', 'opportunistic' flight, since he allegedly wanted to organise logistics in Paris before the band's performance.

- The aircraft reportedly vanished over the English Channel, no trace found.

- On December 24, 1944, Miller's disappearance was announced to the press, stressing that no members of his unit were with him aboard the missing airplane.

- Cause of disappearance remains unknown.

Now some highlights from Eyes Wide Shut:

- Nick Nightingale left university to play (jazz) music full-time.

- Nick played at "Sonata" Jazz where we see "moon"-shaped lamps on the tables. Moonlight Sonata and Moonlight Serenade are both evoked. Beethoven is further evoked through the password 'fidelio'.

- Nick is "a long way from home" (Miller was from US but was in England)

- Before entering the cafe/bar, Bill stands in front of the poster and we see Bobby Berman's photo close-up, in the last seconds. Nick introduces him as "the one and only Bobby Berman" at the end of the performance, and shortly after, we see Berman as the focus in the frame between the curtains. The initials B.B. remind of Miller's signature instrument: Bb Trombone.

- Bill stands in front of the Miller (beer) sign when he enters. Then he orders and drinks a beer. The surname Be(e)rman also rings an association.

- When Bill goes to the hotel, the receptionist tells him that he left with 'two men': - "Big guys. I mean they were very well-dressed and very well-spoken, but they weren't the kind of people you'd fool around with."

- Ziegler later tells Bill not to worry about Nick, that "All they did was put Nick on a plane to Seattle."

There are some other mentions and signs of 'Miller' throughout the movie, but I will finish the list here.

Maybe neither Nightingale nor Miller boarded any plane? Maybe both had seen or said something they shouldn't have.

Whatever happened, Glenn Miller's music is fantastic and lives on, and he remains a Legend.

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I was rewatching EWS yesterday and as it always happen, some scenes always make me think how did it really happened and sometimes I have a few theories, but other times when I really stop to think about it, they just don't make any sense and one of them has to do with the scene of Alice lying in bed along with the mask.

I used to think that when Bill hid his costume in his office after the party and in other scene, Alice and Helena were wrapping the christmas gifts, she was looking for some place to hide them.

And I thought that, by accident, she hide one of Bill's gifts in his office in that same drawer he hid the costume, she was going to hide it there, found the plastic bag, took what was inside out, saw the costume, got confused and perhaps the mask was the thing that most baffled her about all of that.

So she took the mask to her room and in order to figure it out why Bill had that costume and the mask, she was waiting for him to come home and ask about it, but since he took so long to come home, she ended up falling as sleep and I belive you guys know what happed...........

But honestly, this theory is ridiculous because, why in the hell she would hide the gift there? Just put it above the christimas tree, like everyone does.

And also, Bill would have easily found the gift there if she had put it inside that drawer, so it wouldn't be a surprise.

Unfortunately, even though I don't like this other theory cause I think it's pretty boring, maybe someone who was hired by that rich groupe, perhaps the red cloak or even Ziegler, who had a more intimate relationship with Bill, to broke in the Harford's residence and left the mask there while Alice was sleeping.

There might be some wholes in this theory as I read some posts here before about, but I don't remember exactly right now.

What do you think about that? What is your theory about this scene?

I think this scene in Eyes Wide Shut is about the press, and communications/media in general. This is how I arrived at this conclusion:

The newspaper dispensers, the mail boxes, and finally the kiosk selling newspapers/magazines all point to the same concept. So I decided to dig about 'Verona' around this context. I found out about the Verona Congress, held in 1822, which was a topic of conspiracy the next year in 1823, when the London Morning Chronicle published a document referred to as "The Secret Treaty of Verona". A newspaper in Paris also followed in publishing this 'secret treaty', but the publisher was sent to jail and this document was immediately announced to be a fabrication across Europe.

The Secret Treaty of Verona was an alleged agreement between European powers (Austria, France, Prussia, Russia) to suppress representative governments and press freedoms across Europe.

Article 2 of the treaty pledged that the high contracting powers would suppress the liberty of the press to protect monarchical rule from democratic movements across Europe.

Almost a century later, this document appeared again in history as it was brought to the attention of the US Senate in 1916.

The concept of control/freedom of press seems to be linked to the newspaper Bill buys from the kiosk.

https://preview.redd.it/qzwpr38hg5vg1.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f7be84b58a23fca6a016c23480b597435e49852

The cover reads: "Lucky To Be Alive" (strangely describing Bill's recent situation) and the news article about Mandy's death portrays it as an incident of accidental/suicidal overdose (while still including some subtle hints of foulplay as it mentions 'two men' taking her to the hotel room)

The same newspaper New York Post and the same writer Larry Celona is known to publish about Epstein's 'suicide'.

Another link to the notion of press freedom/control in the kiosk scene is the "§ 2.30" sign on the glass:

https://preview.redd.it/hgk52ncdg5vg1.jpg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f2f2ed5d9e3b92d885f7f3cd0bd9f4339f60654d

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (47 U.S.C. § 230***) is a foundational US law that shields interactive computer services (like websites and social media platforms) from liability for third-party content. Enacted on February 8, 1996, it establishes that providers are not treated as the publisher or speaker of information provided by users.***

(Section 230 has recently returned to the spotlight as lawsuits against major social media platforms, including Meta, have raised questions about the extent of legal immunity these companies should receive.)

In short, the Verona Restaurant scene overall seems to allude to the theme of controlled/manipulated media.

What do you think?

There is a rainbow decal in the stand where Bill buys the newspaper. Upper-left, in the banner reading "Lottery." As if Kubrick was saying "Yes, you found it!"