Eyes Wide Shut/North by Northwest

[John Cole]

Some recent discussion of Eyes prompted me to watch it again. I noticed the similarity between it and North by Northwest, at least when it comes to the ideas of "playacting." Note that both heroes venture to homes on Glen Cove Rd. in Long Island. Grant character, Roger O. Thornhill, has been taken for George Kaplan by the spy ring. Convinced of this, James Mason's character devises an attempt to kill "kaplan." Thornhill protests, but Mason's character assumes that Thornhill is Kaplan. Throughout the scene, he accuses him of "playacting" and overacting his part. Thornhill has been brought into a world (by taxi if I recall) where the "owners" of the house--of course they aren't the owners but only act the part--accuse Thornhill of overplaying his role.

Note also in Eyes Wide Shut that Bill (Cruise's character) arrives by taxi to an even more elaborate estate on the same road. Bill, however, believes the world he finds to be "real." That is, he's convinced he was in danger and that a woman has been murdered. However, if we believe Pollack's character, what Bill witnesses after he has been found out is merely a fiction--all playacting--to inspire real danger in him.

Stanley Cavell, writing about North by Northwest, mentions the scene late in the film when he sneaks out of the hospital. He breaks into a woman's room, and she puts on her glasses and tells him to stop. After she gets a good look at him, she tells him to stop much more urgently. Cavell sees this as an acknowledgement of Grant's persona in the film, the actor. And, when we watch Eyes, are we far from seeing that this is also the story of Cruise and Kidman, the real people, not Dr. And Mrs. Hanford?

[FortunaMaximus]

If you sift through the media surronding EWS, yes, to some extent Kubrick was not casting them, but making the roles into themselves.

Kidman and Cruise have commented on this.