Cursed by the Bell

When Bill makes his return trip to the Long Island estate, Somerton, we see him pass over Manhattan Bridge, the same bridge he crossed the previous night. This time, however, by day, we see some of the hi-rises of the Lower East Side in the distance. One building of particular interest is a former New York Telephone Company building, now the Verizon Building. It isn't the Verizon Building at 140 West St., but the other Verizon Building at 375 Pearl St. Both buildings were constructed for the New York Telephone Company, the former being completed in 1927, and the latter in 1976. 

It's the latter building we see in the background to the far left of the shot. 

 

375 Pearl St. is considered one of the ugliest and most dreaded buildings in New York City. It's utterly banal concrete construction has tormented inhabitants within and without the structure for years. It wasn't until the mid-2000s that construction began on the installment of new glass windows. Note that its completion in 1976 has some symbolic power - this was the year of the American Bicentennial, a year dedicated to the celebration of two-hundred years of American Independence. 

Another thing: the Bell logo frames the entirety of the brief (five seconds) shot. The cables of the bridge fall and rise delicately in this short passage of time, hinting at uneasiness. There's an insinuation maybe of seasickness. Bill is driving a car on a bridge over the sea (or, more accurately, the East River, a tidal estuary). To a lesser extent, it reminds us of the Sopranos episode, "Remember When," when (remember?) Tony takes Paulie for a suspense-filled boat ride. The shot is mimicking a rough tide - the camera is presumably planted on the deck of the boat, capturing its response to the sea's turbulence. Likely this scene is created using camera tricks. 

There are certainly camera tricks here, too, but far subtler. This brief fall and rise of the cable also continues (rising) when the shot cuts to Bill's face in the SUV. "Rising tensions?" Sure. We also see two separate transitions (taking the exit, and, arriving at Somerton) in which the SUV is shown from opposing directions. I take this as a hint at the ambiguity of leaving vs. arriving: leaving one place is the same thing as going to another place. When Bill arrives at the Nathanson's, for example, he leaves Alice. The same goes for his entire night - his journey is shaped by negation: not at home, not with Alice. The camera helps illustrate this: arriving at Somerton is leaving Manhattan. 

On the Wiki entry of 375 Pearl St., we find that the Bell logo was removed and the Verizon logo was added in May, 2002, a year after 9/11. What is the bell, again? Well, it's one letter off from "Bill," not to mention it sounds like "Bill." So we already have some wordplay going on. As Bill drives his Range Rover, we see the building with the blue (or black) "bell" logo receding into the background. 

Bell Telephone Company, American Bell, Bell Systems, Bell Labs, etc. - all of these companies are in some way associated with Alexander Graham Bell whom history remembers as the guy who invented the telephone. They operated under AT&T which was broken up in 1984 for anti-trust violations. Basically, AT&T/Bell dominated the telephone industry for decades. This split resulted in seven "baby bell" companies. Note the number seven (or don't). The "break-up" would have been fairly recent at the time of Eyes Wide Shut. Maybe, maybe this logo points to the break-up of AT&T, and maybe foreshadows the change to the Verizon logo. And maybe this "break-up" alludes to the future of Bill and Alice's marriage. Or not.

Finally, probably the most interesting thing about this obscure detail is that it ties back to some interpretations of "CMB," namely, Cosmic Microwave Background. It was at a "horn" antenna in Holmdel, NJ, the site of a massive Bell Labs compound, that Wilson and Penzias found evidence for Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. It was also through Bell Labs that solar battery cells, fax machines, and improvements in radar and sonar were made possible. The bell is a symbol of innovation. Is it a cause for alarm? Is it Pavlovian? Is it a cryptic symbol of corporate tyranny? 

We're reminded that Wilson and Penzias relied heavily on the work of others before they were awarded their fame. Perhaps Meucci is the true creator of the telephone; what does that make A.G. Bell - a thief?