NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K UHD captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Criterion 4K UHD (October 2025): Criterion has transferred Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut to Blu-ray and 4K UHD. The Criterion package features a remarkable new digital restoration of the international version, supervised and approved by cinematographer Larry Smith, presented in Dolby Vision HDR on a single UHD disc with accompanying Blu-rays (one with the feature unshared and a second with all the video supplements.) We reviewed the Blu-ray and HD-DVD (that's how long ago this was) circa 2001 HERE and compared to DVDs HERE.  

While we are in possession of the 4K UHD disc, we cannot resolve the encode yet, and therefore, cannot obtain screen captures. We hope to add to this review at some point in the future. So, the below captures are from Criterion's 2025 1080P Blu-ray transfer.

Kubrick, collaborating with cinematographer Larry Smith, employs a visual style that is both hypnotic and disorienting, reinforcing the film’s dreamlike narrative. What truly stands out in the 4K UHD is the rich saturated look, prominent contrast as well as the preservation and enhancement of the film's heavy grain structure, a deliberate artifact from Kubrick's use of force-developed film stock that imbues every frame with a textured, almost palpable, wiggling grid. This grain and intensity is not a flaw but an integral part of the aesthetic, amplifying the dreamlike surrealism in scenes, like the dimly lit orgy or the amber-hued interiors, where it adds depth to shadows and a gritty realism to the reconstructed New York streets, making skin tones cooler and fabrics feel tactile while avoiding the sterile smoothness of the limitations of the 20+ year old Blu-ray technology. Now the Warner looks vertically stretched and the Criterion does have some teal-leaning. The HDR elevates the dynamic range with piercing highlights from Christmas lights contrasting against inky blacks, and the wide color gamut intensifies the symbolic palette - reds pulsing with danger, blues chilling with isolation - resulting in a visual experience, closer to saturation, that honors Kubrick's obsessive vision far beyond previous editions where the grain might have been subdued or lost in compression. Kubrick's meticulous mise-en-scène layers the film with symbols. Mirrors represent duality and self-reflection, structuring the narrative as a mirrored journey - Bill revisits locations in reverse, post-orgy. Eyes symbolize surveillance and subconscious insight, recurring in posters, stares, and Masonic "all-seeing eye" motifs. Wide-angle lenses create disorienting depth, Steadicam shots immerse viewers, and force-developed film yields surreal colors. Subtle details, like the rainbow motifs (e.g., the costume shop’s name, “Rainbow Fashions”) and floral imagery (roses as yonic symbols,) weave a symbolic thread tying sexuality to illusion. Truly the 2160P is a magnificent leap in a boldly authentic presentation beyond the past Warner Blu-ray. Kubrick fans should be celebrating.

NOTE: We have added 75 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE.

On their Blu-ray and 4K UHD, Criterion uses a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround track (24-bit) in the original English language. Music (from Dmitri Shostakovich to György Ligeti) underscores tension, while the script evolved through collaboration with Frederic Raphael. The score, curated by Kubrick and executed by composer Jocelyn Pook (Room in Rome,) is a haunting blend of classical, jazz, and minimalist pieces that amplify the film’s psychological tension. Shostakovich’s “Waltz No. 2” opens and closes the film, its lilting melody juxtaposing the dark undercurrents of the narrative, evoking a false sense of elegance. Ligeti’s “Musica Ricercata II”, with its repetitive, ominous piano notes, underscores key moments of dread, such as Bill’s unmasking at the orgy, creating a sense of impending doom. Pook’s original compositions, particularly the backward-chanted “Masked Ball” (using Romanian Orthodox liturgy,) lend the orgy a ritualistic, almost demonic quality, enhancing its otherworldly menace. Popular music, like Chris Isaak’s “Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing” during Alice’s flirtation and Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night”, injects ironic commentary on infidelity and desire. The score’s sparseness - often single piano notes or drones - mirrors the film’s pacing, allowing silence to heighten tension and draw attention to visual cues. Silence is equally powerful, particularly in moments of confrontation (e.g., Bill’s unmasking) where the absence of music amplifies the weight of stares and gestures. The lossless provides a clean, immersive listening experience that aligns with Kubrick's deliberate, front-heavy sound design, elevating the film's psychological tension through precise dialogue clarity and atmospheric subtlety. While not aggressively discrete -reflecting the director's historical aversion to bombastic surround mixes - the track excels in rendering the haunting minimalist score by Pook with its repetitive piano motifs and backward chants enveloping the listener in a subtle rear-channel haze during key sequences, like the masked ball. Ambient city hums, echoing footsteps in cavernous halls, and the crisp clink of glasses at the opening party gain newfound weight and separation, ensuring whispered confessions and ominous warnings carry an intimate chill. Vocals remain natural and free of distortion, and the overall fidelity surpasses prior releases, turning the soundtrack into an aural extension of the narrative's dreamlike disorientation. Criterion offers optional English (SDH) subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray and Region FREE 4K UHD.

The extras on Criterion's Eyes Wide Shut 4K UHD set form a comprehensive archive isolated to the second Blu-ray disc, offering in-depth insights into Kubrick's final masterpiece through a mix of new and archival materials that illuminate its production challenges, thematic layers, and enduring legacy. New interviews include 25 minutes with Larry Smith detailing the cinematography's symbolic lighting techniques and push-processing that contributed to the film's heavy grain; 20 minutes with Lisa Leone recounting the intricacies of set decoration, second-unit direction, and recreating New York's dreamlike streets on UK soundstages; and 1/4-hour with Georgina Orgill (Eyes Wide Shut: Behind Stanley Kubrick's Masterpiece) exploring the Kubrick archive's treasures, including rare documents and artifacts from the film's development. Archival gems feature 10 minutes of Christiane Kubrick sharing personal anecdotes about Stanley's perfectionism and family life during the shoot; the 2019 nine-minute short Never Just a Dream with producer Jan Harlan, daughter Katharina Kubrick, and assistant Anthony Frewin discussing the adaptation from Schnitzler's novella and its Freudian undertones. Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick runs 20 minutes from 2007, providing context on abandoned projects, like Napoleon and Aryan Papers that influenced his later work. Fans will appreciate the feature-length Kubrick Remembered from 2014 compiling reflections from actors Todd Field (on playing Nick Nightingale) and Leelee Sobieski (on her eerie role as Milich's daughter,) alongside Steven Spielberg's thoughts on Kubrick's genius and collaborative spirit among other participants. Additional highlights encompass Kubrick's concise 1998 DGA D. W. Griffith Award acceptance speech - running under five minutes, a revealing 1999 press conference at over 35 minutes with Harlan, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman fielding questions on the film's eroticism, marital themes, and Kubrick's directing style amid rumors of on-set tensions. Lastly are promotional materials: teaser, trailer, and TV spots showcasing the marketing's mysterious allure. Rounding out the package is an essay by Megan Abbott (The Street Was Mine) analyzing the film's feminist subtexts and commodification of desire, paired with a 1999 interview where Sydney Pollack reflects on his role as Ziegler and the script's evolution, making these extras not just supplementary but essential for unpacking the film's enigmas.

Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut, his final film, stands as a profound and multifaceted exploration of human desire, societal structures, and the blurred boundaries between reality and fantasy. Adapted from Arthur Schnitzler's 1926 novella Traumnovelle (Dream Story,) the film transforms the source material into a dreamlike odyssey that critiques marriage, sexuality, and power dynamics within a capitalist framework. Released posthumously after Kubrick's death just days after approving the final cut, it initially faced mixed reception but has since been reevaluated as a misunderstood masterpiece, rich with hidden layers that reward repeated viewings. The title itself encapsulates the film's central paradox: characters and audiences alike observe the world with "eyes wide shut," perceiving surface illusions while missing deeper truths about perception, denial, and the subconscious. Bill's (Cruise - Risky Business, Rain Man, Jack Reacher, War of the Worlds, Top Gun, Vanilla Sky, All the Right Moves, Born on the Fourth of July, Minority Report, Collateral, Magnolia,) journey unfolds like a surreal dream sequence: he encounters a grieving daughter (Marie Richardson - Don't Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves) who propositions him at her father's deathbed, hires a prostitute named Domino (Vinessa Shaw - 3:10 to Yuma) but leaves without consummating the act, and reconnects with his old friend, pianist Nick Nightingale (Todd Field - director of Tár, Little Children, In the Bedroom,) who reveals a secret masked orgy at a remote mansion. Sydney Pollack (director of Absence of Malice, Three Days of the Condor, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, The Swimmer) delivers a commanding yet sinister performance as Victor Ziegler, the manipulative elite who underscores the film’s themes of power and deception while Leelee Sobieski’s (Deep Impact) brief, haunting role as Milich’s daughter in Eyes Wide Shut adds an unsettling layer of youthful vulnerability and forbidden allure to the costume shop scene. Alice (Nicole Kidman - The Others, Babygirl, The Killing Of A Sacred Deer, Strangerland, Malice, To Die For, Dead Calm) in a more introspective role, catalyzes change through her fantasy, evolving from objectified wife to empowered partner. Using the password "Fidelio" (from Beethoven's opera about marital fidelity,) Bill infiltrates the ritualistic gathering, witnessing anonymous sexual rites before being unmasked and nearly punished. This structure follows a five-part narrative arc: introduction to the status quo, a bridge of disruption via Alice's confession, escalating complications in Bill's odyssey, a crucible of hopelessness in Ziegler's revelation, and a final confrontation restoring a tentative equilibrium. The film suggests that true intimacy requires confronting shadows, as Bill and Alice's arc moves from denial to awakening through mutual confession. The resolution, however, remains cynical: their recommitment feels like a temporary salve in a world where marriages serve as tools for social climbing and deception. The orgy sequence (shrouded in ritual and anonymity) critiques dehumanizing lust among the elite, blending voyeurism, power, and misogyny. Women are objectified as disposable "playthings." Themes of homosexuality, necrophilia, and prostitution further expand this with Bill's journey reflecting Freudian id impulses clashing against societal repression. References to Freemasons, Skull and Bones, and real-world scandals (e.g., Rothschild balls, MKUltra) symbolize hidden power structures perpetuating misogyny and control. Over time, Eyes Wide Shut's undertones and fractal complexity cite it as Kubrick's richest work. Its legacy lies in provoking endless interpretation. Eyes Wide Shut transcends its erotic thriller facade to offer a haunting critique of human vulnerabilities, urging viewers to awaken to hidden truths. As Kubrick's swan song, it encapsulates his career's themes of duality and perception, remaining an enigmatic puzzle that defies easy resolution. In summary, Criterion's 4K UHD edition of Eyes Wide Shut stands as an exemplary home video release, resurrecting Kubrick's swan song with technical excellence and scholarly depth that finally grants the film the reverence it deserves two decades after its polarizing debut. The superior video restoration supports its visual poetry, the refined audio underscores its sonic subtlety, and the robust extras peel back layers of production lore, making this three-disc set indispensable for cinephiles seeking to unravel the movie's Freudian mysteries. At its core price point, it not only outshines prior Warner Bros. iterations but elevates Eyes Wide Shut from misunderstood footnote to essential masterpiece, a haunting testament to Kubrick's unyielding vision that demands rediscovery in the isolation of your home theatre.

Gary Tooze