Entertainment • Film

Eyes Wide Shut

Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic psychological mystery thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Eyes Wide Shut is a 1999 erotic psychological mystery thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a married couple whose relationship is shaken by sexual jealousy and a night-long series of disturbing encounters in New York City. The film is based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1926 novella Dream Story.

Plot

The story centers on Dr. Bill Harford and his wife Alice, whose marriage is destabilized after Alice confesses a sexual fantasy. Bill then moves through a series of nighttime encounters that lead him to a hidden world of ritual, secrecy, and elite privilege.

Cast

The principal cast includes Tom Cruise as Dr. Bill Harford and Nicole Kidman as Alice Harford. Roger Ebert’s review also identifies Sydney Pollack as Victor Ziegler, a wealthy figure connected to the events Bill encounters.

Source material

Eyes Wide Shut is based on Dream Story, a 1926 novella by Austrian writer Arthur Schnitzler. The film transposes the original story from early 20th-century Vienna to 1990s New York City.

Reception and legacy

The film became especially known for its erotic content, dreamlike tone, and the masked orgy sequence. It is frequently discussed as Stanley Kubrick’s final completed feature film.

Key facts

The film follows Dr. Bill Harford after his wife Alice reveals a sexual fantasy that unsettles their marriage.
Bill spends a night wandering through New York and becomes involved with a secret society and a masked orgy.
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman play the central married couple, Bill and Alice Harford.
The film is an adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s novella Dream Story, with the setting moved from Vienna to New York City.
A masked ceremony and orgy sequence is one of the film’s most discussed scenes.

Frequently asked questions

What is Eyes Wide Shut about?

It is about a married Manhattan doctor whose relationship is shaken after his wife confesses a sexual fantasy, leading him into a night of jealousy, temptation, and a secretive masked society.

Who starred in Eyes Wide Shut?

The film stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as Dr. Bill Harford and Alice Harford.

What is the secret society in Eyes Wide Shut?

The film depicts an unnamed elite secret society that holds masked rituals and a choreographed orgy; the sources describe it as a secret sexual group or clandestine gathering.

Why did Stanley Kubrick die after making Eyes Wide Shut?

Stanley Kubrick died of a heart attack in 1999, shortly after completing the film. The available sources identify his death as a heart attack, but do not present it as caused by making the movie.

Is Eyes Wide Shut based on a book?

Yes. It is based on Dream Story (Traumnovelle), a 1926 novella by Arthur Schnitzler.

What is the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut?

It is a masked ritual scene in which Bill infiltrates a secret gathering and witnesses a choreographed sexual ceremony at a country estate.

References

Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyes_Wide_Shut
Supports: Release year, director, cast, plot premise, source novella, and New York setting.
IMDb — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/plotsummary/
Supports: Plot details involving the secret society and orgy scene.
Roger Ebert — https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/eyes-wide-shut-1999
Supports: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman starring roles; description of the orgy sequence and Victor Ziegler.
Rotten Tomatoes — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/eyes_wide_shut
Supports: Synopsis of the plot and underground sexual group.
No Film School — https://nofilmschool.com/eyes-wide-shut-ending-explained
Supports: Summary of the masked party, password, and secret society.