Eyes Wide Shut Is A Christmas Movie (According To Reddit)
Art is subjective and so too is the definition of what constitutes a Christmas movie. The holiday film debate — which has argued over projects ranging from "Die Hard" and "Harry Potter" to "Gremlins" and "Trading Places" — has taken a more definitive stance when it comes to "Eyes Wide Shut." According to Reddit, the erotic thriller released in 1999 about a wealthy couple (played by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) exploring infidelity in New York City during the holiday season conclusively qualifies as a Christmas movie.
The generally agreed-upon definition — explained here in a Reddit comment left by u/AlternativeLow3596 — states that there are two types of Christmas movies. One type covers films where Christmas is central to the story, and the other includes movies that just happen to be set during the season. Redditor u/theBelatedLobster maintained that "Eyes Wide Shut" falls into the first category, writing that every set, "is filled with lights, tinsel, Christmas trees and gifts!" In another Reddit discussion, u/piercelyndale wrote, "I've watched it most every Christmas for over a decade. It's an adult film that explores this season without sentimentality."
Director Stanley Kubrick died in 1999 before the film was released, so he was never in a position to weigh in on whether his final project was intended to be viewed as a Christmas movie. But in the Looper article "19 Holiday Movies That Aren't About Christmas," writers Meg Shields and Fred Onyango stated that it is, saying, "The multi-colored haze of Christmas lights lurks in the background of nearly every scene, an unspoken reminder that this is the season where most families grow closer together."
The movie's Christmas setting might have proven more significant
"Eyes Wide Shut" was adapted from the 1926 German novella "Traumnovelle," which translates to "Dream Story." Stanley Kubrick co-wrote the film's screenplay with Frederic Raphael and made notable changes to the book's setting, location, and characters. In author Arthur Schnitzler's original version, the story is set in the early 20th century in Vienna during Mardi Gras. Kubrick chose to update the material by moving his film to New York City in the 1990s, and setting the events during the Christmas season.
In the novella, it is suggested — although never outright stated — that the protagonists Fridolin and Albertina are Jewish, just like their author. In a piece for The New Yorker, "Eyes Wide Shut" co-writer Raphael recalled Kubrick saying that he wanted Tom Cruise's character — renamed Bill Harford — to be a "Harrison Ford goy" and he wanted the script stripped of any implication of Jewishness. If Kubrick had chosen to keep the protagonists' original religion intact, the choice to set the movie at Christmas might have added another layer to the isolation and otherness Bill feels at being shut out of the elite secret society he encounters during the film.
Kubrick's narrative choices and intentions notwithstanding, it's clear audiences have internalized Christmas' contribution to the film. In 2018, Facebook user Hugleikur Dagsson created a parody version of the movie's poster, turning the erotic thriller into a mainstream holiday rom-com. The poster continues to make the rounds on social media as the holiday season approaches, so as far as viewers are concerned, "Eyes Wide Shut" will always be a Christmas movie.