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Sunday, February 28, 2021

Number 7: a prelude

It would be difficult to capture all significant instances concerning the number "7" in Eyes Wide Shut. But I think the topic warrants serial entries, and I'll try to cover a good bit of ground in this post. That won't preclude me from elaborating on "7" in future posts. The most recent occurrence of "7" I noticed was something that has bugged me during the billiards room scene. 














Ziegler stands at the edge of the pool table dialoguing with Bill. Notice his hands: three fingers and thumb are visible on his right hand, and thumb and two fingers are visible on left hand. Yes - seven digits are visible, perched on the table. And yes, I think they are "perched," rather like that of an eagle or owl. This exact same "4" and "3," or "7-finger perch" is seen earlier, when Ziegler breaches the subject of why he really brought Bill out so late at night. The first appearance of the seven-digit pose is below.





























Ziegler's pose is intentional and conscious, yet relaxed. The two fingers and thumb of his left hand actually somewhat resemble a claw or talon of, say, an eagle or owl. Eagles are a frequent symbol for Kubrick in Eyes Wide Shut and The Shining, but the owl seems to offer some competition for the eagle in terms of symbolic power. This, again, would be another post, but there are certainly connections to this "wise" creature whose occult importance dates to Ancient Greece. In modern times, it has been used by Freemasons, and appears as an architectural detail on many buildings at Yale University. Owls appear on older academic buildings at other colleges too, not to mention commercial and civic buildings. More recently, in addition to the Frost Bank Tower, whose spiky glass apex and sun-like false-clocks mimic an abstract image of an owl's head, at a condominium tower in the city of Austin, Texas, the developer installed on the grounds two ten foot tall owls which are designed with a robotic system that enables the owl's heads to pivot. If you thought security cameras were creepy, just think about two giant owls staring you down at night. Keep Austin Weird, I guess. 




















The giant sculpture at Bohemian Grove in Northern California (above), to which burned effigies are offered, is an owl. It's rumored to be a disguise for the ancient deity Moloch, mentioned in the Bible, to whom were offered human and even child sacrifices. The grove events are attended by "the best people:" several former presidents, government higher-ups, corporate leaders, celebrities, philanthropists, etc. Wisdom, foresight, bad luck, night, death, etc., are ascribed to the owl, historically, in a variety of different myths. 





















Speaking of owls, why not show the strange, symmetrical vase that appears in Ziegler's billiards room, on a window sill. I always thought it looked like a Great Horned owl. Consider the positioning in my quickly-annotated photo which suggests a larger form, beastly in appearance.




















The vase becomes the owl's head, while the two tables fill out the hominid-esque body. Coincidence or not? Who knows. The zoom comes from the below shot. The shot only lasts about three seconds. Notice also the striped 9 ball and the 5 ball on the table. 9 and 5 might hint at "nine to five," as in, a job. Maybe this points to Ziegler's role in Mandy's death - Ziegler's business is dark. Or, maybe, it points to Bill's sense of duty - he visits Ziegler as if visiting a patient. Together, 9 and 5 equal 14. 14 is 7 twice. "Ziegler" is 7 and "Harford" is 7. So we have two 7s meeting. 


















The 9 ball and 5 ball even seem to form the angles of a triangle in the triangular corn of the red pool table. A triangle with two interior angles of 9° and 5° would need a third angle of 166°. 









Above is an example I created using an online tool. I don't think there's any great scheme here, other than the idea of triangulation. Woody Allen, for example, supposes in his 1975 comedy, Love and Death:

A: Socrates was a man, B: All men are mortal, C: All men are Socrates; that means all men are homosexuals. I'm not a homosexual - once, some cossacks whistled at me. 

Triangulation - a third piece of information connects two known pieces of information. Even in ancient times, triangulation was used to measure objects like trees, or the pyramids, using eyesight and arithmetic. I'm tempted to show the creepy pyramid-with-eye we've all seen on the backside of the dollar bill. A triangle can also be formed using 166°, 7°,  and 7°, reinforcing the idea of "two sevens," Ziegler and Harford, as equal forces. And perhaps we can see subtext of power in the pool balls when the camera cuts back to Ziegler. As can be seen in the image earlier, the 10 ball and 1 ball are visible before Ziegler. Before Bill are the 9 and 5 ball. Bill: 14, Ziegler: 11. Is Bill winning because he has more? 

In Ziegler's first seven-finger pose, the "10" ball and the "1" ball are the only two pool balls shown in the shot, next to the pool cue. But we also have Ziegler's 7 fingers, and a sum of "11" on the table. In at least one or two shots, there are also pictured 11 pool balls on the table. So, whether it's the "10" and "1" ball equalling "11," or eleven actual balls, we are reminded of the eleven women/concubines Bill witnesses at Somerton. As an aside, 7 and 11 equal 18, an important number for those trying to keep their "personal affairs" legal. Legality aside, we're reminded that eightteen and nineteen are included in the same bracket as, say, thirteen

If Mandy is the "1" who is disappeared, then (maybe) we're left with 10. So, again, "10" and "1:" Bill sees Mandy as an individual, unmasked, therefore feels empathy for her. Behind the mask, he is hardly sure that it was Mandy who warned him, and that it was Mandy who "saved" him, and that it was Mandy who ended up in the morgue. 

And then, there's a strange revelation: take 1 from 11 - what if 11 is just a way of writing "1?" "11" is, after all, written by repeating a "1." 1 vs 11 vs 111... the number grows, but it represents the individual, just as "Bill" represents the individual, and the single dollar bill. The "magic" circle at Somerton involved only "1" woman. Eleven, there, was just "more than one," but the number is maybe meaningless to the elite organizers. I think, without a doubt, a tragic fact that Bill begins to understand, is that "those" people, the "best people," don't have much regard for human life. It was Mandy this time, which Bill witnessed, but is it possible it will be the other ten, in due time? If, like Ziegler suggests, the whole thing was a "fake," then was Mandy's fate preordained? And if so, this would suggest that the other ten women are less than one. Nameless, faceless, and unknown. Bill's knowledge is the exception - he chances, dangerously, upon names, faces, and the known. But again, he is treading dangerous waters up to the end of the film. Bill's ability to witness the events (real or "staged") puts him in a bind, and I'd argue this is by design. 

It could be that Bill is being blackmailed merely for deceiving the people at Somerton. But it could also be that he is being blackmailed by design. There are some very dark corners in Eyes Wide Shut, one of those being that the spy or stalker, a bald man wearing a tan wool coat, "first" seen near the end of the film, is also seen much earlier, seated at the Sonata Cafe, very close to the stage where Nick is performing with the band. Granted, we only see the back of his head, so it could be a double, or a coincidence. But this is to be doubted. Could it be that Ziegler had "eyes and ears," so to speak, at the ball? I think so, and I think this could explain the spy's appearance at the Sonata Cafe. It may have concerned Ziegler that Bill and Nick were speaking. Maybe he ordered the spy to follow Nick, not Bill. This is possible, and likely. 

Going all the way back to 2001: A Space Odyssey, we can recall the moment when HAL lip-reads Dave and Frank's "private" conversation in the pod. This allows HAL to counterattack, and likely is the reason HAL kills Frank: HAL knows that Frank and Dave have plotted to kill him first. Conspiracy is far from unusual in Kubrick's filmography, rather, it's often a central theme. Alex is the conspiratorial leader of his Droogs until he falls prey to an insurgent counter-conspiracy which lands him in prison, and more, in A Clockwork Orange. The world's super-powers discuss nuclear war in a pedestrian manner while their individual constituents and military commanders are desperate for action in Dr. Strangelove. There are several sub-plots, offering a humorous take on conspiracy. Redmond Barry's many facades and deceptions are conspiratorial in nature, and serve to help Barry climb the social ladder in Barry Lyndon. The Killing is an overt conspiracy film as it involves a race-track heist carried out by a sizable group of men who ultimately have their own selfish interests separate from the group goal. Lolita encounters similar themes as Eyes Wide Shut, only 37 years earlier. To name a few. 

Obviously, the themes are timeless, but still. A bit of interesting trivia: Tom Cruise was born July 3, 1962, meaning he would have just turned 37 in 1999 when Eyes Wide Shut was released on July 16. We could even note that the 16th was 13 days after the 3rd. 13, again: Cruise would have been 13 days into his 37th year. As for 37, the two numbers are added to "10" and multiplied to "21." 

Anyways, back to the topic of "7" and the billiards room. 

Looking at Ziegler's authoritative pose above, we should also notice that the cue and the two balls, uh, align with Ziegler's waist in a way that's...not suggestive. At all. Any Kubrick obsessive has probably seen the overlay that establishes the subconscious connection between Ziegler's remark "knocking a few balls around." I've recreated it below. The cut of Bill approaching the door, and Ziegler's pose just before getting up to answer, align in the center of screen (as is typical with Kubrick), humorously showing Ziegler taking dead aim at Bill's family jewels. The overlay also reminds us of the color scheme: blue window, green lamp-shades, red felt pool table, yellow and white lamps, and probably a range of other colors. It might not be ROY-G-BIV, formally, but it is worth noting.










Additionally, one detail that may be random is seen in the lower left corner of the painting left of Ziegler's head. 












The image is a dog with black and white fur. If I had to guess, I would say it is a border collie, a breed originating in England and Scotland, known to be the smartest dog, and used to herd sheep. If I had to guess, I would say Ziegler is the energetic dog "running circles" around a sheepish Bill. Ziegler's mood changes from friendly to somber to playful to resentful, angry, and back to friendly. Black and white as a color theme is its own topic, for sure (Bill and Nick in black and white tux, etc.), but it's these strong contrasting colors that allow for a curious image. 









Maybe it's also time to mention Nick Nightingale's wool sport coat. Ok, maybe it's tweed, but we have the idea that Nick is a "wolf in sheep's clothing." He shoots devilish looks at Bill, his face morphing with Rorschach-ian shadows. The white tuxedo at Ziegler's ball confirms this idea of Nick-as-angelic. Lucifer, of course, means "bright star;" Lucifer is said to be a fallen angel who eventually ruled over Hell. The white tux echoes sheep which are often white. I've also drawn what I've interpreted to be the numbers 7 and 8 to the left and right of Nick's head, respectively. The "7" is backwards, but the shape is unmistakably  seven-like. I take these numbers to be part of a series. The Nick's picture in the playbill outside the Sonata which I've posted about previously, looks like a "6," and precedes this scene and these numbers chronologically. 

Back to the dog picture: combined with the set of legs in brown slacks, the fragments almost seem to spell "711" or "0711," or "1711." The dog's chest and leg look like a "7," while the man's legs look like "11." The dog's hind leg looks a bit like a "0" or letter "o," or a small "1." Maybe this is a stretch, maybe. But I don't care. Now that we have "7" and "11" in mind, consider this Expressionist painting by August Macke. The German painter was 27 when he died in 1914, fighting in the First World War (14 being two times 7). 














A reproduction of this painting is seen on the wall of Bill's office. 










Consider the elements of the painting: a window or door in the center that looks like a number "7," a blue door on the right of the painting, and two windows that look like ones, or "11" together. Bill's condo door is also royal blue, as is his private office door. The gates of Somerton are also blue. There is a figure in red wearing a fez (hat vs. mask) following behind two or more red-cloaked individuals entering a building beneath the "7" shaped window.  






Seven is the number of letters in the word "Fidelio" which acts as an ironic password to the infidelities of Somerton. Seven is also the number of letters in the surnames "Ziegler" and "Harford." 

"7" is the number of colors in the visible spectrum of light known as ROY-G-BIV, an acronym for each name of the seven colors. There are also seven letters in the word "rainbow" which obviously denotes the natural phenomenon. Speaking of rainbows, at Ziegler's party, Nuala and Gayle (whose five-letter names add to 10) want to take Bill to "where the rainbow ends." One way I've interpreted this is that they want to take him to the "end of color." The "end of color" may be the beginning of "monochrome," i.e., black and white. This can be read as good vs. evil, light vs. dark. It can also be read as a retreat into the past. Since white light contains all colors, then black, a total absence of light, in logical terms, rejects all colors. If I recall correctly, there are no decorations or Christmas trees in Ziegler's billiards room. The "game" room is in fact intended for the opposite purpose: serious business. So, this too is an "end of the rainbow" place, like Somerton, and like Bill's apartment when he switches off the rainbow-colored lights on the Christmas tree. 

Like Ziegler's seven fingers or "digits," there are also 7 digits in a telephone number. 10 if we need area code (10 fingers total), and 11 if we need to identify country. Let's use the number that appears on the Vitali Realty sign: 212-555-5005. 212 is the area code used for most of Manhattan. Added, "212" = 5. 212 is also a weird symmetrical/mirror number where "21" is made into "12" when omitting the third number. "555," the film industry's non-functional prefix/central office code is a sum of 15. "5005" adds to 10. "5005" is also a mirror, which, in this way, is "50" twice, or, "100." Bill tears a $100 Bill (Benjamin Franklin) in half before making his deal with the cabbie at the gates of Somerton. 

So, we have 5, 15, and 10. We can read this as 15+5= 20, and 10, and think back to The Shining, when Jack tells Lloyd he has "two tens and two twenties." Of course, this is only half, as 20 and 10 equal 30 in total. If we add "1" to the Vitali number to identify the country, USA, then we arrive at 21 and 10. Funnily, "1" would also suggest a patriotic, nationalistic "USA #1" theme. With the deep blue and white USPS mailboxes with eagles, we have several other symbols already establishing the strength of an American Empire. Of course, the "1" doesn't appear in front of the phone number.  

But, 21 is significant, as is 10. Together, we arrive at 31, also significant. No, the "1" isn't shown on the sign, so maybe this doesn't matter. But this is the power of one, no? Bill is the "individual" we follow throughout the film, and the saying "dollar bill" literally means a $1 bill. With a difference of only 1, we get 21, the reverse of 12, a number very relevant in The Shining, it being half of "42," a number with several eerie appearances, and a multiple of "7," of interest here. We just saw "212" in reference to the strange "Vitali Realty" sign. "31" is the symmetrical opposite of "13," an ominous, unlucky number. I've probably posted before that when divided into the two largest sums, 13 yields 6, 6, and 1. Or, 6, 1, and 6, and that "616" has been interpreted as the true "number of the beast" denoting evil. But let's just accept that a phone number at minimum has 7 numbers, though possibly 10 or 11 (I'm not counting the possibility of extensions!). 


Moonwatchers

 










Bill pretends to examine Milich's balding head. The pale, bluish spot may suggest to us the idea of the moon, pale and circular in the night. Bill seems to be gazing at this spot, even divining it, like a palm-reader, or a reader of crystal balls, attempting to see into the future. It could be implied that Bill is asking himself "what would be the consequences of helping Milich?" After all, Kubrick obsessives have noted that very early on, Ziegler mentions the osteopath Bill referred him to, thanking him. I think Bill says "the best in New York." So, we know Bill probably knows a trichologist, or hair specialist, but is concealing this information because of skepticism, or arrogance - both stemming from class differences. The question remains: is Bill a "moon watcher?" Moonwatcher, of course, is the name of one of the hominid leaders in "The Dawn of Man" sequence of 2001. Moonwatcher, we're led to believe, "discovers" the power of violence and destruction. 

Bill is not outwardly violent. He smacks his hands together angrily while passing by the sleazy shops. That's about it. He doesn't literally destroy anything. He's angry, but his actions do not align with true violence. But it seems Bill understands the power of money. Bill understands the power of the "bill." This is a tautology, and yet it isn't quite true: Bill arguably begins to realize his strength is little more than hubris. His weakness is what makes him moral: married, a father, a doctor, a social outsider. 

Some read Bill's decision not to help Milich as Bill condescending, or, guarding himself from the lower class. Both are basically true, which makes it incredibly ambiguous. After all, Bill has used a "foot-in-the-door" technique in order to gain entrance to the Rainbow rental shop. He creates a facade of seeking an old patient he probably knows is dead or moved away. He offers something personal in order to do something impersonal: rent a costume. Milich grants the impersonal wish, yet, when asks a personal favor of Bill, is denied. Bill wins, 2/2. Milich wins 1/2. 22 vs 12. 


















Also, concerning signs, check out this goofy "Clean up after your dog" sign that appears outside Gillespie's. The human figure is crouched, appearing more like a hominid, aka, "Moonwatcher," than a real person. The hominids are like "knuckle-draggers," and the sign seems to imply that the average people of New York are basically apes who have to be told to clean up after their pets. The sign also appears above Bill's head, implying that Bill might be a little dumb, aloof, and slow. The newspaper headline "LUCKY TO BE ALIVE" might even remind us of a common phrase: "dumb luck." 






what kind of charade?

 



















Business attire, dark hair, inexplicably malicious grimace. Ziegler vs. Bill Watson for most ominous "side" character. Ziegler isn't quite a side character. He appears at the beginning and end, possibly suggesting he is Bill's double, even if at a philosophical level. Bill seems like a protege of Ziegler - even if unofficially. He "watches" Ziegler's lifestyle from a distance, while not able to really participate. Bill Watson is a true side character only making a few appearances towards the beginning of The Shining. But the grimace still gets me, just like Ziegler's murderous scowl. 




Two fish: blue fish

I.

As far as signs and advertising is concerned, there are some interesting connections to be made. One such connection exists, not surprisingly, within the world of Eyes Wide Shut itself. The particular connection certainly relates to the real world as well. A grocer/bodega sign, hand-written by the looks, appears behind Bill's head as he exits the cab when crossing the street for the the Sonata Cafe. This is the "2 Pescado" sign. "Pescado" is Spanish for "fish," and the dollar amount can alternately be read as "two." We get "two fish." The text is positioned above a red-and-white striped half-circle awning. I will also point out the sign on the cab reading "DKNY EYES," with a woman in a red top barely visible at the far right edge. We'll get to this one later, after some more inevitable "deep dive" content. 



Honestly, I thought of Dr. Seuss's One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish when reading the sign in English as "two fish." The sign seems to spell "$2.61 PESCADO RESTAURANTE." The two numbers/characters that follow the "2" do not look like zeroes. But, who knows. If it was "$2.61" we may think back to Domino's apartment number, 265. 261 would be on the same block. Domino's block being odd, Bill starts from the corner hardware store, numbered 271. So, from 271 to 261, there would be 6 properties total. If the even-numbered properties are on the opposite side of the street, then we might arrive at 12. But, I can't quite read the sign. It might be "$2.66," or "$2.00." We don't get a shot close enough to know. This is simply conjecture. 













What isn't conjecture? Dr. Seuss's classic children's book was published in 1960 with great success. This in itself may be a strange and funny connection to the various fairytales and myths alluded to in Eyes Wide Shut and other films, mainly, The Shining. For one, The Nutcracker is mentioned within the first few minutes, the ballet being based on a story about a little girl's retreat into a fantasy world. A note on origins: the original story by E.T.A. Hoffman is written in German, while the popular ballet was created by Russian composer Tchaikovsky. The barbies, stuffed animals, Alice's name and character being a play on Alice in Wonderland, and many other cluesall reinforce a theme of imaginary vs. real worlds.

The cartoonist behind the name "Dr. Seuss," Ted Geisel, who was of German heritage, grew up in Western Massachusetts, later attending Dartmouth College and Oxford, though he left the latter without a degree. Geisel was, we may be inclined to think, one of the "best people." That he was German ties back to Schnitzler, who, while an Austrian Jew, spoke and wrote in German. As we just established, German is also the original Nutcracker story. "Josef Kreibich," the name of the (Jewish) bakery is also of Austrian origin. We also see Bill pass a BMW (3 Series from the early nineties?) before being pushed into a blue Mercedes-Benz by the Yale bros during the first part of his "odyssey." We also see Bill pass before a moving tan Mercedes, only to arrive at a parked Volkswagen outside the Sonata Jazz/Cafe/Gillespie's cluster. These are obviously all German cars, a fact that contrasts with Bill's yellow taxi. 








The Benz can be spotted in the background, turning onto the street Bill will cross. Moments later we see a black VW Golf, the model probably from '93-'95. This is tangential, but that's what blogs are for, right? I would add that golf keys us into golf, a traditionally "blue blood" sport - its origins lie in Scotland. Scottish Rite, Freemasons - ok, but there are more relevant connections. 

Besides a hole-in-one, on a par 5 hole (five strokes/shots to make par; typically the longest yardage hole), the next best score is a double eagle - the ball is in the cup in only two shots. Pros like Arnold Palmer and Tiger have shot double eagles before. Let's just say it's very difficult to shoot a double eagle. After double eagle is eagle. Then birdie, which is one under par. There you have it, an oblique reference to the eagles shown on the USPS mail drop-boxes which appear on the street where the VW is parked, and also, to the double-eagle throne upon which Red Cloak sits. The last connection would have truly validated this detail, but alas... Ziegler speaks of his "serve" when chatting with Bill at his party. He is likely talking about tennis or racquetball. These are also "blue blood" sports traditionally. But, I can still see Ziegler as a decent-enough golfer with a country club membership. Maybe he golfs more for fun. He brings cigars and buys drinks for the whole group to compensate for his sloppy short distance game which keeps them waiting longer than they should. At any rate, we wouldn't be surprised to see Ziegler talking about an upper crust golf course. 

There's the fact that most country clubs were exclusive to WASPs - the topic is explored with humor in Caddyshack. Al Czervik, played by Rodney Dangerfield (real name, Jacob Cohen), is a nouveau riche Jew who made his wealth in real estate. He "infiltrates" an old money country club. I've personally heard stories about this schism in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, but I won't name specific cities. Some old country clubs began accepting Jews, probably because older blue blood members were dying off, and newer WASPs weren't joining. And again, in time, one or two of these country clubs (at most) would become known as the Jewish country club. Golf has peaked and declined; now, the greatest and most famous player, Tiger Woods, is recovering from another car crash. Woods, of course, claims Thai and African-American ancestry, making him a complete oddity in the historically WASP sport. Woods had already risen to global fame in the 1990s, and he won the PGA Championship in 1999. 

As for racial quotas, I'll note that a Wiki article on NBC's Rainbow Room mentions a Luncheon Club which I take gathered in the 65th floor banquet room. The article mentions the Luncheon Club had a Jewish quota for some time. (30) Rockefeller Plaza is mentioned by Gayle and Nuala at Ziegler's mansion. Blonde and brunette, they would pass for WASP, especially considering their work as models. NBC Studios, housed in 30 Rockefeller Plaza, is of course identified by its logo which is a near-rainbow with six colors arranged like a peacock's feather. I'm not aware of the NBC logo appearing anywhere in the film. In 2014 Tishman Speyer acquired the property - an interesting fact, given that lots of important Jewish quotas began to be dissolved in the 1960s, if not by 1970. This includes country clubs, Yale, Harvard, and other Ivy League colleges, medical colleges, etc. So, let's say since 1970, it only took fifty years for a Jewish-owned real estate developer to acquire a building/complex originally funded by one of the wealthiest WASP Americans, John D. Rockefeller Jr. 

The building was completed in 1933 (the year the Third Reich came to power) and is 66 stories tall. 66 is double 33 - 33 is supposedly Jesus's age when crucified, and is a multiple of 11. Anyways, 30 times 6 is 180, which would signify a half-circle, the shape of the NBC logo. The half-dome also matches the Sonata Cafe sign, and the PESCADO store sign. 30 Rockefeller Plaza also speaks to Mandy's age at time of death: 30. The Rainbow Room/Rockefeller Plaza/Rainbow tux/rainbow lens flares connection is well established, so I'm not taking credit for this, but merely adding to the findings. 














Geisel made cartoons and advertisements for large companies ranging from NBC to Standard Oil (the company whose fortune Rockefeller Jr. inherited), not to mention a variety of magazines and newspapers. Here's NBC, once again. Think of his legacy: he's somebody we all know and love, even though we don't know him, therefore rendering this "love" imaginary. We know his cartoons, pictures, books, etc. Also, I'll note that a forest green hard-copy of How the Grinch Stole Christmas can be seen (text upside down) on the round kitchenette table during the brief montage showing Bill and Alice/Helena's "day in the life" as Helena watches Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales. Looney Toons was produced by Warner Brothers, who also produced most if not all of Kubrick's films. The original Warner Brothers, were, of course, you guessed it, Polish Jews. 



I wouldn't want to read into the upside down grinch book too much. Or would I? It's a side effect of watching Kubrick's work. So, let's turn it upside down. Did the Grinch steal Christmas, or, was Christmas stolen from him? Is the grinch the victim? The Grinch is a bad guy, a misanthrope, who lives alone on a mountain peak, save for a servile dog. At least that's how I remember the original animated movie. He's like Montgomery Burns's monster-like ancestor: cartoonishly evil, hater of humanity, and, not to mention, green. The connection between the Grinch and the green-masked orgy-member has been noted before. 



















But I'll make additional notes. The image is enough to turn one's stomach. The masked man looks repulsive. Green may symbolize growth, and wealth, and renewal, (and money), sure, but not in this context, and not when contrasted with reds, yellows, and browns. And, not when it appears on a human face. If the man is a symbolic "grinch," I think it's easy enough to say he is "stealing" Christmas. To work in another Simpsons reference, I'll mention Reverend Lovejoy, who once said to Marge, "Just about everything is a sin." Whether or not the green man is married, he's, uh, giving it to a woman in front of like fifty people. Making love? No. Much worse: the scene is raw, emotionless, cold, and anonymous. Infidelity? Possible and likely. Lust? Sure. Covetous? Yes. Jealousy? Perhaps - consider that maybe some of the motivation for these party-goers comes from jealousy. If green symbolizes jealousy, then, sure, the grinch double may be jealous - of others' pleasure, hence his need to seize and display this pleasure to a crowd. They are jealous of other people, other potential partners. Maybe they are jealous of their own partners. If they are jealous like Alice is jealous of Bill's self-assuredness (until she breaks it, that is), this is simple enough: the same jealousy is spawned in Bill once Alice breaks him down. He grows jealous of her potential to be reckless, impulsive, selfish, and overtly sexualized. Hence his night of misadventures. 

Despite what theorists or psychologists may say, I would argue green is easily associated with nausea and sickness. Consider Edvard Munch's painting, The Murderer, completed in 1910. The fictional Josef Kreibich Knish Bakery two doors down from Domino's apartment has a sign saying "Since 1910." The storefront is very similar to the real Yonah Schimmel Knishery, which was actually established in 1910. Of course, I want to stay on topic. But I will note that "1910" is interesting in that it pairs "19" and "10." "10" is the address of the Rainbow fashion shop, and "19" is the cell number for Mandy's body in the hospital morgue. To see "1910" appear again, outside the film, is somewhat interesting, especially in connection to the context of Traumnovelle (1926), The Nutcracker (1892), Ted Geisel (born 1904), etc. 









Expressionism, once again, takes us back to Matisse and Macke, two painters whose works actually appear in the film. Exaggerated and unrealistic colors, bold colors, a combination of representational and abstract forms, etc., etc. Munch was Norwegian - Norway shares the North Sea with nearby Denmark, whose capital, Copenhagen, is the password to the masked ball in Schnitzler's Traumnovelle. Munch used green in several paintings. What was it we said about jealousy? 











Consider this painting, titled Jealousy, dated 1907, supposedly painted in Warnemünde, a town on Germany's Baltic coast (Germany, again). The abstract man on the right may symbolize an anxious Munch, while the green-faced figure on the left is well-known to be based on one of Munch's acquaintances, Stanisław Przybyszewski. This Polish writer had a few children out of wedlock before finding Dagny Juel. Dagny was a female model for Munch, as well as lover, for a time, before marrying Stan in 1893. There was likely some bad blood between Munch and Stan, prompting these paintings. In 1901, as both Dagny and Stan were pursuing extra-marital relationships, it is thought that Stan may have planned to have Dagny killed. Dagny was Emeryk's muse - Emeryk was wealthy with mining money, and perhaps Stan and Emeryk conspired together. Emeryk invited Stan and Dagny to Tbilisi, Georgia. Stan stayed home. Away went Dagny, 5-year-old son Zenon, and Emeryk. In a hotel, Emeryk shot Dagny in front of Zenon before shooting himself. Munch, it is thought, was saddened by Dagny's initial interest in Stan, and predicted or anticipated her tragic death. Anyways, we could guess that the red-faced woman could represent Dagny - surely after six years, Munch had learned her fate. Red would represent blood, and/or violence and death, hence the female-figure's coloration. Yellow often stands for anxiety and uncertainty. 

This isn't really relevant to Eyes Wide Shut, and not to the topic of "fish" which is what I thought I would be writing about. But once again, I find archetypical themes: Alice tells Bill of her past temptation of running away and having sex with another man. She is confident and zealous, taking apparent pleasure in her certainty that she could have done this. There's a bit of - to use a German word - schadenfreude going on here - Alice is enjoying another's suffering - worse, her husband's suffering. This is what makes Eyes Wide Shut devastating. There isn't much sex or violence or typical Hollywood entertainment. No, there's atypical visual representations of existential terror, dread, and void. It's the knowledge, or the certainty, that she could have made a different choice, could have done something hugely damaging to what, at that point, has existed with every appearance of stability, normalcy, and basic trust: her relationship and marriage with Bill. 

I wouldn't want to patronize Munch, but I think we can piece together similarities between the real life Munch and Bill Harford. The naval officer Alice tells Bill about is just as real to Bill even though he never met him or knew him. The knowledge that such a thing could happen is what ultimately drives the contempt, disgust, and fear. Munch actually painted figures based on Stanislaw. Bill imagined vivid scenes of the naval officer with Alice in his mind. Alice ultimately succeeds in making Bill jealous, by subverting most of everything he believes is the case regarding their relationship. Munch is an aside, but he is another painter with last name starting with "M" after Macke and Matisse who do appear in the film. "M" is the 13th letter in the alphabet, making it a halfway point (like 12 is half of 24, for hours in a day). To me, Munch is a sort of missing piece: I certainly think his raw portrayals of emotion dovetail well with Kubrick's signature, almost mockingly raw and melodramatic displays of emotion, which are probably their strongest in Eyes Wide Shut compared to any of his other films. 


Back to the fish. 

I'll have to note that this scene - Bill going to return his costume - though outwardly dull, is brimming with tension. Bill doesn't really know what he is doing, just as Ziegler implies when he scolds him with the question, "What the hell did you think you were doing?" in the billiards room. Bill exits the cab with Rainbow fashion bag in hand, as if going to return his costume. Of course, we know the rental shop is on the other side of the street, but the camera captures a dull, black storefront, not the late-night shop illuminated with neon. We don't notice it, and we hardly recognize it to be the same shop. Bill doesn't recognize the shop, or else he would have crossed the street to return the costume. I assume Bill would want to distance himself from the threatening people at Somerton. But I don't think Bill can process what has happened/is happening, in order to effectively take action. This is why he is confused - everything happens in real-time. He wants to return the costume, wants to speak to Nick, wants to find Mandy, wants answers, but cannot find order, or precedence. I would also argue this confusion and tension stems from a basic sympathy or empathy: Bill believes he is somewhat responsible for Nick and Mandy. 

The Sonata is closed, so Bill goes to Gillespie's and speaks to the waitress. Bill can't see the Rainbow shop during daytime, I think is another conclusion I would draw about why he doesn't notice it. This speaks to larger symbolic ideas, like day vs night, Eros and Thanatos. I.e., his actions are following from Thanatos in day, and Eros by night, which is sort of ironic, since the death drive happens in broad daylight, while the erotic/life drive happens in the dark. It speaks to a nocturnal/diurnal tension fairly central to how we present ourselves, or, mask ourselves, too. The bag may even be a status item: Bill may be thinking he has become one the "best people," when the reality couldn't be more different. We see extras with Woolworth or Gap shopping bags - the Christmas season involves gifts. Bill's gift was a gift to himself. We all know his gift wasn't very good - a chance at infidelity, narrowly avoiding contracting HIV/AIDS, his own death, and his family's health and safety. I'd also argue what Bill wants cannot be bought. We don't see guilt or shame until Ziegler puts Bill in his place (once it's too late). Bill tries to milk the situation when he returns to Domino's apartment only to find Sally. We know his advances are declined. And notably, the bright rainbow sign is shown clearly on the facade when Bill finally does go to return his "fancy dress."  

But, what about the fish? Well, let's recall the scene (literally, scene) in Ziegler's bathroom. 



After getting off topic fourteen times, I return to the "2 PESCADO" sign and it's connections. Ziegler is the kind of filthy rich guy whose bathrooms have custom-designed fireplaces. This is where we find two blue fish. They appear flanking the green/gold fireplace in the front right edge (the bathroom is largely green - money, jealousy). They appear to be carp, and look Japanese in character. Assuming they are evoking Japanese design, we can recall the two Japanese men Milich "finds" at the Rainbow shop. The first time Bill sees them, they are wearing wigs. Almost as if they are crossdressers. When Bill returns his costume, they are dressed like businessmen. The word "fish" is slang for a male crossdresser whose appearance is convincing or believable. Also: "fish" is prison slang for new inmates. So, what's the deal with "two fish, blue fish?" The Japanese men, realizing they could be caught by the police, are sad. They are symbolically "blue," because of the possibility that they could end up in jail. Of course, I think Milich is putting on a show for Bill. But who's to say he wouldn't turn them in if his well-being was at risk? Were they any true friends? Were they just clients? The two men are "blue fish," and if they ever end up in prison, they will be "bluer fish." What humor!

Some more slang and tongue-in-cheek humor:

Mandy is in a blue robe, tying her to the two blue/aquamarine fish. If Mandy "sleeps with the fishes," this is a double entendre and a tongue-in-cheek joke. Mandy, as we know, will die, and possibly by force. Ziegler's butlers and assistants look more like hired muscle than they do gentile servants. And maybe they are.

By the end of the film, she "sleeps with the fishes," as the mobsters say ("Capone" is a name in the newspaper article). Perhaps Ziegler & Co. are the disguised mob who carried out this cruel hit - I think this is likely. Carelessness can be just as bad as intentional malice: letting an addict use and even mix drugs sounds like a very careless thing to do. Poisoning somebody intentionally would be a malicious thing. Yet both are malicious. Something to consider when it comes to the question of who killed Mandy? And that would be another thesis - society - all of us - killed Mandy. How? By enabling her behaviors, by doing nothing. To be sure, I don't think Mandy's story was supposed to teach us anything, as sad as that may sounds. The real portrait being painted mainly concerns Bill, Alice, and Ziegler. Bill, I think, will forget about Mandy as soon as he regains security again. If he does. 

The first time Mandy appears on screen, alive, that we know of, she is nude, sleeping in a client's bathroom alongside literal architectural fish. This is a foreshadowing of her eventual death. Ziegler's one line is particularly depressing: "Nothing happened to her that night that hadn't happened to her before." That something was done to her, rather than her doing something, is an awful truth. Drugs can "help" an abuse victim, only to the extent that it will create other abuses. Mandy almost dies, but does she ever almost live? 

The blue color may tie back to the royal/elitist blue, from which the name "blueblood" ultimately descends: wealthy, well-educated WASPs. Which Ziegler isn't, nor Bill. And if this is so, maybe - and I think this is possible - Ziegler is also new to the Somerton circle, and is somewhat of an outsider. But maybe he just plays it like this to gain Bill's trust. Bill actually is an outsider. One thing is certain: the blue carp are pretty kitschy and cheap for an otherwise ostentatious urban mansion. Unusual? Yes. But an indicator of wealth? Not quite. But again, the bathroom is stylistically very different from Ziegler's billiards room. Not all rooms are created equal. 

Like Milich's daughter who figuratively "sleeps" with the two Japanese men, Mandy literally sleeps next to the two carp fish. 

So, to attempt to tie up this connection, "$2 PESCADO" may just be the name of a very cheap Mexican/Latin bodega, or, it may mean "two fish." And even if it means "two fish," we have the reference to the "$2" which automatically implies money. To Milich, the Japanese businessmen are just doing business. They are paying for a prostitute. Notice also that the first Japanese man says the name "Milich" when he pleads with the angry store owner. Clearly, this indicates that the man knows Milich. It's basically impossible that the two men would be in the "office" late at night without Milich's knowledge. And, furthermore, Milich's threat seems to actually awaken a deep-seated fear in the Japanese men - maybe Bill looks like a cop or detective. Maybe Milich is helping with a STING operation, maybe he will rat out his customers, maybe he isn't loyal. 

Jump back to the original "$2 PESCADO" sign: at that moment, Bill is trying to forget Mandy. "Two fish" would be a reminder - Bill likely saw the fish sculptures flanking the fireplace when he sat across from Mandy for several minutes attempting to revive her. I think Bill suspects that Mandy was the same woman who warned him to leave Somerton, and likely the same woman who offered to "redeem" him. This seems to be the case. Still, Bill is clueless. He may glimpse the sign, and simply think "pescado, isn't that fish? Two dollar fish?" or, you know, something similar. But, once again, the signs are everywhere, but Bill can't see. 

II.

So, now we can return to the taxi cab sign which appears in the same frame that the "$2 PESCADO" sign emerges. The cab sign might suggest "eyes for fashion," or, could be read like "DKNY eyes sewing thread." Which would make sense as DKNY design clothing. And this may be irrelevant, but the language is terse much like the headline Bill reads: "Ex-beauty queen in hotel drugs overdose." The sentence doesn't really make sense, but the information is there. Further, "overdose" doesn't mean "death," so it's a strange omission that I think points to the power hierarchy: perhaps "those people" at Somerton made sure the news article wouldn't arouse serious worries. There are even one or two misprints in the article. One, in the second paragraph, would make any close reader question the authenticity of the author (Larry Celona) or article. 
















The line "Hotel by security personnel...check on her be-" is printed twice. Is it printed twice to take up space, because the story isn't all that important? I doubt this was accidental, as we've seen the bizarre detail to type in The Shining, to name one example of close-up newsprint in Kubrick's work. I've also taken the liberty to rotate the image, making it appear straight. The original image is at somewhat of a tilt. "It may seem ridiculous," but the torn newspaper article Bill gives to Ziegler, which the camera zooms in on, appears at a 15° tilt. It's either at 75° or 105°, depending on how we want to look at it. So, 105° vs 15°, huh? If zero has no value, then 15° and 15° are the same thing. Yes, this forensic geometric research is borderline crazy...but, 15 plus 15 is 30, the age of Amanda Curran. "Amanda Curran" is twelve letters and thirteen characters when we include a space. 13, 15, 30: she would have been 31 next year, 2000. Plus, the article quotes "Jane" ("Jane Doe?"), Curran's sister, who talks about her emotional trouble as a teen. Again, the numbers 13, 15, and morgue door number 19. Another aside: the article says she was taken to her room at the Florence Hotel at 4 am. 4 times 30 is 120; 120 is 15 greater than 105, the angle which the article appears at (when not viewed as 75°, of course). 

Lots of information. 

A zoom-in on the original shot of Bill handing the scrap to Ziegler. An angle overlay shows the tilt.











 Back to the cab:









Clearly an advertisement for fashion company DKNY, the color scheme is bold while the font nearly ties back to the Futura Bold typeface which Kubrick used extensively for Eyes Wide Shut, in addition to posters for A Clockwork Orange, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. It isn't Futura Bold, but it is a bold, all-caps font, shown at an angle. 

DKNY began in 1984, after Donna Karan, the brand's namesake, had spent fifteen years working for Anne Klein. Like Klein, whose real name was Hannah Golofski, Karan is Jewish. The "DKNY EYES" sign below and left of the "SEWING THREAD" advertisement painted on the grey wall, arguably combine thematically to hint at the long history of the Jewish garment industry, specifically in New York, dating to the mid to late 19th century (though this connection dates back centuries). It was not an easy or pretty industry like our image of the present day fashion industry (which obviously isn't all glamor), and many who succeeded looked to real estate to grow their business. Recall the new owners of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Recall the "Vitali Realty" sign which humorously plays on long-time Kubrick assistant's name, Leon Vitali. The name "Vitali" is elusive, to the say the least. It is spelled with an "i," or "y" ending in Russian, and sometimes with an "i" or "e" in Italian names. It is a surname and a first name, and, like "Stanley," is also a Jewish first name, like Vitaly Ginzburg, the physicist who helped create the Soviet hydrogen bomb. So, from garments and fashion to advertising and realty, this is a subtextual conversation about ethnicity and culture.

Does the DKNY EYES sign suggest that it's fashionable not to see? Later we see Bill holding a newspaper in Sharky's cafe, the headline word "Cool" visible beside his arm. It is one of those ambiguous connections: DKNY is relevant for a movie taken to be set in New York mostly shot in England. And of course "eyes" ties in perfectly to the film title. Perhaps having one's "eyes wide shut" is something that can be advertised and sold, something profitable, something stylish. Perhaps we are required to "shut our eyes" in order to accept reality. I think I read once that dreaming is the unconscious mind's defense mechanism for dealing with reality the other half of the day, every day. There are things happening we don't notice when we are noticing other things when we are conscious. 



Rival camps

Some things keep you up at night. In the universe of Kubrick, and more specifically, the world of Eyes Wide Shut , we are bound to comes acr...