Columbus lives; deal with it

Every reader - every Kubrick obsessive, buff, nerd, theorist, critic, etc. - would benefit from reading about some new findings straight from a true Kubrick dilettante. What are we waiting for? 

As a Lynch-obsessive might quip, "this is it." Yep - this really is it. Or is it? The viewer will notice two numbers on the sign left of the image. The number on top is 14, and the number below is 92. The establishing shot shows the hospital Bill enters in order to visit the morgue where Mandy is being held. 

The detail comes from this main frame. Notice that the three arches of the modern, oversize hospital arcade mimic the three ornate arches at the balcony of the great hall at Somerton where Mandy appears to "save" Bill. Also, notice the taxi. Notice the "do not enter / wrong way" sign above the taxi, as if suggesting "do not enter" the hospital. Notice the "one way" signs that direct traffic left, towards "1492." We think of chronology as happening from left to right - the traffic flow tells us otherwise: as the film progresses, forward action goes from right to left, backwards in time. The roar of traffic also insinuates a sort of hunger to return to "1492." This may just be a microscopic nod to Vico's circularity of civilization - decadence leads to barbarism before civilization can flourish again.  

There are arches everywhere at Somerton (and other interiors) and I think this fact makes the choice of hospital exterior obvious. Anyways, I'll just say it's coincidence that my next point also involves the number 3. 

Christopher Columbus. Kubrick was, perhaps, merely including the marginalia of incontrovertible facts to his pictures when he selected signs like "14/92," "STOP (CMB)," "Happy Holiday," and countless others. 

The Nina, The Pinta, The Santa Maria - but not the Rage Against the Machine song, "Sleep Now in the Fire." Or, maybe, that song, too, sure. Fourteen ninety-two. 14 is two 7s, which we see in the dual rainbows, and in "ZIEGLER" vs "HARFORD." 92 is seven less 99, like 1999. One four nine two. 1+4+9+2 = 16. Sixteen is four fours, or, two eights. 8+8, or, 4+4+4+4. Numerology kaputt. 

"88" is double infinity. Conquest x infinity? 1492. Christopher Columbus. The New World. America, and/or, the Americas. Amerigo Vespucci. Remember the model ship in Ziegler's billiards room he passes before several times. 

This is speculative, but some research shows that a model of the HMS Victory bears some resemblance to the model ship in Ziegler's room. The HMS Victory was built in the late 1700s and entered into the Battle of Trafalgar. Maybe this is wishful thinking; the ship in the shot may just be a ship. Victory would obviously echo "Victor" quite well. If anything, the ship ties us back to "1492," now, not to mention the man with Columbus-esque mask at Somerton.

This has been noted before, in connection with Ziegler's ship. The "1492" sign might just be the smoking gun. Black slaves, white slaves - the slaveries of the New World are manifold, and, we might speculate, have never truly "ended." Probably one of the only black characters in the film is a hospital orderly who allows Bill into the morgue. He has no lines. 

The many female characters walk a narrow path between identification as a person or as an object. Even in death, Mandy is arguably being objectified by Bill: her eyes open, the lifeless body appears as it may have when still animate. Her being is nothing in the absence of selfish, lustful men. She doesn't exist beyond the confines of her physical body. This is a "dire" consequence of a money-and-sex-fueled commodified neoliberal West. Maybe it's an extreme view, but we never know the full story of her death, not to mention, of her life. In fact it's summed up in one word: "hooker." Victor might just be an empty symbol of manifest destiny, colonialism, and continental grand larceny. 

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? 

CMB, Baby, Hueco, and beyond

Some critics, like Welcome to Somerton (WS), have noted that “CMB,” the letters on the “STOP” sign the stalker passes behind when following Bill, could very well stand for Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, otherwise known as The Magi (or Three Kings) in the Bible who travel great distances to present gifts to the newborn baby Jesus. Already there is a connection between their journey, Bill’s “odyssey,” and the stalker’s mysterious and possibly lengthy journey secretly following Bill around New York. 

“CMB," then, could be a Christmas reference. I won’t say it’s the best interpretation, but one simple reading suggests we read the "STOP" sign literally as “STOP CMB." This would suggest something like stop (celebrating) Christmas. I take the two words just as they are: one preceding the other, as if part of a fragmented sentence. WS and possibly others have also pointed out a curious product placement on the shelf in the background in Domino and Sally’s apartment kitchen: a Combat pesticide box to the left of a Comet chemical cleaner can, and a "random" letter “Y.” Together, the words seem to read “Combat comet-y,” as in, “combat comedy.” 

“Combat comedy,” when “combat” is a noun or adjective, reminds me of Full Metal Jacket, as in, this would describe the genre. There are plenty of jokes and weird humor in the film which depicts the not-so-humorous Vietnam War. At the same time, “combat comedy,” when “combat” is a verb, sounds more like a command: stop comedy, or, fight comedy. Like other popular advertising slogans “Not even once,” “Just say no,” or “Only you can prevent forest fires,” “combat comedy” and “stop CMB” act like propaganda pieces issued from the top (or bottom) of a societal moral hierarchy. This in itself can be read as pure farce: Kubrick is exploiting his role as creator to the ends of humor. But, who knows?

There would be an interesting story behind the Magi interpretation of "CMB." The justification might be that the Western concept of Christmas has been corrupted and commodified - it would be better not to celebrate a holiday untrue to its origins. The Magi would represent Christmas. This message could be intended for Bill, who is “masquerading” as white/WASP, if not ethnically, then at least culturally. By extension, the message is intended for us, as we have a myopic view of Bill. 

I’ll offer a few more interpretations, but first, I’d also point out that, if we the audience identify with Bill, then the sign very well speaks to a bigger theme, which is somewhat redundant: the significance of “CMB” isn’t important, but our asking is. Bill is likely questioning the significance of the masked woman’s act, the true identity of the members of Somerton, Nick Nightingale’s true life and occupation, etc. In almost every scene, Bill is confronted by something that weakens his cocksure composure. In this way, Eyes Wide Shut becomes something of a coming of age film, like a creepier version of Catcher in the Rye (an unusually interesting parallel I've been wanting to finish). Bill may be “growing up,” and this will tie into a point I’ll make later.

“CMB,” in addition to the Magi, is an acronym for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, which is Latin for “May Christ bless this house.” Strange also is the fact that traditionally, “CMB,” the initials of the Magi, are chalked on houses as a blessing on the twelfth day or night of Christmas (January 5 or 6). So, we could use the same logic above here: “stop (saying) May Christ bless this house.” “CMB” is now implicated twice in a reference to Christmas. 

Reading "STOP" literally, it may also mean stop the Magi, as in, prevent the Magi from completing their journey. This again works as an interpretation of anti-Christmas and anti-Christian sentiment: if the Magi never arrive and present gifts, maybe this symbolizes doubt as to Christ's status as Son of God, and King of the Jews. At the same time, in the Book of Matthew, King Herod asked the Magi to report back to him once they had visited Jesus. The Magi, having been warned in their dreams not to return to Herod, fled to their own countries. Joseph is also warned by an angel to flee; Joseph, Mary and Jesus flee to Egypt. Soon after, Herod begins his notorious Bethlehem infanticide against all children under the age of two. 

If we see "STOP CMB" as a command, or decree, it would be Herod who issued it. That Bill is being followed echoes the order issued from on high: stop Bill. A tyrant, Herod is perhaps a historical shadow of Ziegler, who all but flat out confesses his responsibility for Mandy's murder, and has Bill followed. Perhaps Bill's visiting Sally with the box of baked goods symbolizes his dual role as a King. This implies Bill's goodness and Victor's evil. Ziegler's phone call to Bill when he is at the morgue almost symbolizes Herod's request for the Magi to return to him. Bill, however, does return to Ziegler, unlike the Magi who flee from Herod. Perhaps this truly is Ziegler's final warning. A theoretical question: is Bill fated to flee New York in order to escape Ziegler's scrutiny? With Alice and Helena, the family of three would also symbolize the flight of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus from Bethlehem to Egypt. A fact which is subtly ironic given that the Israelites fled Egypt more than a thousand years earlier after several centuries of captivity. As an aside, it's interesting that Jefferson and Franklin envisioned the Great Seal of the United States depicting Moses parting the Red Sea - a direct allusion to the Exodus, the Israelites' escape to freedom. 

In yet another reading, we could perhaps read the "CMB" sign as a Jewish or secular rejection of Christ and Christianity. It is hardly news that early Christians used stereotypes to persecute Jews, setting the groundwork for several centuries of exclusion throughout Europe. There’s a term out there, “synagogue of Satan,” which makes a few appearances in Revelations. This idea directly links Jews with Evil, though it was originally used to call out a particular group of secular Jews who rejected Jesus. There is another point I’ll make about this later. 

I’ll also note that the clearly spelled “CMB” on the “STOP” sign appears in black spray paint. Maybe this subverts the chalk ritual, or is merely a tangential detail. It could be a sort of inversion, like Nick’s white tux and Bill’s black tux - one of the few visual clues differentiating the very similar young men. However, on the USPS dropbox which appears in several scenes, the possible “CMB” is written in white spray paint. If it is a message, this is ironic, because mail, or letters, conceivably, convey a “message.” And as I’ll explain later, I read the USPS box’s text as “Baby,” and therefore do not find the color of too much significance.

Going back to “CMB,” another reading could point specifically to the tradition of gift-giving. Meaning, the “stop” would be directed at consumerism and commodification. “Stop buying.” It’s also possible the “STOP” sign suggests we should “stop,” and remember “CMB.” As in, we should take the time to consider what we’re celebrating during the Christmas season. This would be a way of commemorating the original story of Christmas, which, as the sign might imply, has become little more than a “tag” on the enormous urban jungle that is the modern world. In this interpretation, the stalker, who appears behind the “stop” sign ties back to an authoritarian moral hierarchy, like a sort of guardian angel (or demon) watching over Bill. He would of course have been sent not from the heavens, but from the underworld.

Kubrick wasn’t a practicing Jew, so I’m not confident this was meant to be a form of religious propaganda. But the very idea that it could be religious propaganda is what’s interesting and unusual, even for a movie set during Christmas. I suppose the irony here would be the hollow notion of Christmas movies: so much of the time, the Christmas theme is exploited in film as a product and celebration in itself - again, the magnitude of irony and hollowness Kubrick was likely portraying. Similarly, Eyes Wide Shut clearly subverts the “Christmas” movie genre entirely, and did so to the disappointment of many, though it seems they were expecting a sexy, erotic movie, not a Christmas movie. The film hit theaters in July - Christmas in July. Which, come to think of it, is like “Christmas in Hell.”

Another note that might be of interest here: consider the “El Hueco” restaurant sign (far left of image above). It appears briefly in the shot showing Bill arriving at the Rainbow after the Sonata Jazz. WS writes of "Hueco" as a play on "hue," as in, color, in connection with the Rainbow. Possibly it is a play on the words "Hue Company," like "Color company." We may also think of the "Muralo Paints" sign we see in the background as Bill returns to the Rainbow at daytime. “Hueco” is related to the hueco/huaco/Waco, the Indians from northeast Texas. The word also happens to mean “empty,” “hollow,” or “gap.” We may think of David Koresh and the Branch Dividian complex in Waco, TX - the site of the infamous 1993 Waco Siege in which nearly eighty people died. This may be a roundabout way of alluding to religion and/or cults, though the Siege would have been fairly recent at the time Eyes was being filmed. 

Though I couldn't find any concrete evidence of Hueco Indian Wars or massacres, the history suggests hostilities with Westerners preceded their removal from Texas to Anadarko, Oklahoma. From the 19th century forward, the Hueco Indians were at the mercy of the US Government, signing several peace treaties and moving onto reservation land in an apparent compromise. “Hueco” points to at least one “Waco” which ended badly, and to another “Waco” which also ended pretty badly, both resulting in a sort of “hollow” or “empty” place. File this under "Dissertations on Kubrick's Indians." Much of Texas, and the Midwest, for that matter, of course, is large, wide open, and sparsely populated. The sign itself points to its own emptiness: it’s just a constructed sign on a constructed film set; the buildings, of course, are two-dimensional. 

BaBY

The USPS dropbox that appears in several scenes is tagged with a white text that seems to spell “BABY.” The dropbox with “BABY” tag first appears outside Hotel Jaso(n). In the next scene, outside the Rainbow costume shop, we see the dropbox again. Finally, when Bill is being followed, we see the stalker pass by the dropbox staged outside Cafe de Emilio and “Same Day Cleaning” dry cleaner shop. In the chilling stare-down scene, the stalker will cross the street, passing three additional USPS dropboxes as well as two (or more) newspaper boxes. This detail has of course been chewed over by the vultures of criticism: it is strange to see so many mail dropboxes on one intersection. Strange also is that the 1:43:00 timestamp coincides with the hotel clerk suggesting there was “something a little strange” about the way Nick Nightingale left the hotel (Jaso[n]) whose building number is, oddly, also 143. The scene starts around 1:41:00 but the words “a little strange” are just at 1:43:00.

I’ve always read this dropbox tag as “BABY.” Why? Simple - it looks like “baby.” What else about “baby?” Of course, we have the Chris Isaak track “Baby Did a Bad, Bad Thing,” which appeared in the trailer and momentarily as Bill and Alice kiss before their bedroom mirror(s). “Baby” here seems to point to Alice: “baby” is feminine - Alice is Bill’s baby, not the other way around. The “bad thing” of course being that Alice confesses past desire for another man to Bill. If Bill is “baby,” the bad thing becomes, well, arguably worse than the simple confession of a past desire. No, Bill spends large (by 1990s standards) sums of money pursuing his desires, not in the name of desire, but more as retaliation against Alice’s initial confession. Plus, when Alice dances with Sandor, Bill promenades with two models - Bill is ever so slightly worse. Here, again, is a suggestion that Bill, not Alice, is the “baby.”

My quick edit shows how the text may spell "BABY." The dropbox appears in the second half of the film, after the masked ball (which coincides with the film's halfway point). The second half is marked by Bill's return to previous destinations (Domino’s, Sonata Cafe, Rainbow, Somerton, etc). I’ve taken this to be a suggestion of recognizing defeat, or, impotence. This ties in well with “baby,” as Bill will experience more rejection than invitation in the second half of the film. 

Furthermore, as I suggested earlier, Eyes Wide Shut can be read as a coming-of-age story. Cruise would have been 34 when principal photography began in November 1996. The shoot “ending” in June, 1998, Cruise would have been 36 then, turning 37 just days before the film hit theaters in July, 1999. This puts Bill’s age at roughly 34-35 - early middle age. Thirty-five sounds old to twenty-somethings, and it sounds young to fifty-somethings. I’ve often read Bill’s age as being symbolic of ambivalence - it likely pointing to midlife crisis. The idea of the midlife crisis probably has something to say to the theme of innocence and youth: expensive sports cars, the temptation of infidelity, adventure - all of the trappings of the midlife crisis can be interpreted as ways of destroying innocence, or, rather, as ways of embracing a destroyed innocence. Bill does drive a Range Rover, he does explore extramarital affairs, he does go on an adventure. 

Additionally, I would suggest that the mail boxes are pointing to a play on the word “mail” as “male" (there could even be a point about the box itself as square and "straight," which contrast with an effeminate Bill). The stalker is just one real “male” surrounding Bill, but there are plenty of symbolic others, not to mention that they are “eagle-eyed.” Eagles can see eight times farther than humans, a fact that contextualizes the surveillance cameras, dropboxes, and the stalker: Ziegler is watching Bill’s every move - with ease. Also, in terms of aesthetics, the real-life dropboxes (if I remember correctly, they were sourced from the New York area) are painted blue with white eagles, a visual reversal of the Aryan ideal: pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. 

If Bill is a, or the, baby, maybe he is experiencing growing pains. If his “crisis” worsens, he will have to embrace a life devoid of innocence - he must become cynical. Ziegler’s age once again points to the idea of a post-crisis life: materially rich and morally void. Not that we’re supposed to see Ziegler as a bad guy - he appears most earnest arguably when he is lying. In the interview with Ciment on Clockwork, I think Kubrick says that Alex is not supposed to be likable. I'm not sure I believe this: the first half of Clockwork is especially appealing to the adolescent male, if only at a surface level - Alex does what he wants when he wants, and is free (or so he believes). I wouldn't say my middle school friends regarded A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket with cultish importance, but I don't really know. These are movies teenagers milk for their sex appeal, violence, and shock value, but switched off when the plot becomes difficult and challenging. They were also the movies talked about and quoted by older kids, and watching them was a sort of "rite of passage" into high school. Jacket is obviously one of the greatest cult movies of all time. Clockwork, too, and maybe to a lesser extent, is enjoyed by jocks, stoners, artists, and theater kids alike. There's a universal appeal. Still, that the second half of both movies is often neglected speaks volumes about Kubrick's craft and intent. Watching only the first half is doing the film an injustice. 

Maybe we don't admire Alex's actions, but we, like his droogs, sympathize with him, or, "identify with the aggressor." He holds us captive on screen, just as he holds his droogs captive to his orders (for a time). Yet we don't identify with the droogs who coldly turn on him - Alex is a fallen hero, but a hero nonetheless, while the droogs symbolize a ruthless mob. Even if Alex knows he is deceiving society by pretending to be cured, we still identify with him - surely, he has been the scapegoat of society, and cannot take full responsibility for his actions. 

Anyways, Ziegler is a totally different character. Unlike Alex, we don't see his evil, we can mostly only imagine it. Ziegler's evil must outweigh Alex's in some ways, or, maybe, we are supposed to be attuned to a different sort of evil which Ziegler embodies. Whatever the case, it seems implausible that Kubrick didn't realize he was making Alex's evil behavior likable, fashionable. Of course, the film was banned and he removed it from circulation after some teens committed copycat crimes inspired by it. But that's the big difference - the evils (or crimes) of Eyes Wide Shut are far more sophisticated, organized, and structured. It would be difficult to emulate those crimes, but, there's no shortage of sins shown on screen: flattery, lust, sloth, envy, anger, pride, and gluttony - if spending money is considered a form of consumption, which I think it is. 

Ziegler doesn’t seem to have a family, or kids. He only has his wife, who appears more like a youthful “girlfriend.” He is living proof of Sandor’s quip about marriage - if we reverse the roles.

SS: You know why women used to get married, don’t you?

AH: Why don’t you tell me.

SS: It was the only way they could lose their virginity…and be free to do what they wanted with other men, the ones they really wanted. 

AH: Fascinating.

As far as we can tell, Victor and Ilona would be an inversion of this. Victor marries Ilona, but we only see Victor having an affair. Furthermore, Sandor’s motivations are obvious: his talk is aimed directly at Alice. He is simply cajoling her to sleep with him, offering an anecdote purportedly true to the “original” motivations for marriage. Once again, we can see that Ilona could very well be truly disappointed and depressed by Victor’s actions. Maybe she is the true victim. Sandor tries to exploit the idea of liberation and empowerment, setting the groundwork for Alice’s victimization. It doesn’t look like Alice buys it, but, who knows, maybe she is fascinated by this creepy old man’s anecdotes. 

Bill’s innocence is somewhere between salvageable and destroyed, hence the crisis. The first two shots of the “baby” dropbox include Bill, while the final shot includes the stalker. This could suggest that the stalker is following Bill’s tracks. Perhaps the dropbox is a clue left behind by Bill - Bill is taking “baby steps?” Ziegler admits that he knows Bill visited Nick’s hotel. The degree of surveillance is somewhat shocking: in a matter of hours (or minutes) Ziegler can learn of Bill’s whereabouts. This tells us at once that Bill is playing a losing game - he cannot outsmart Ziegler.

Recall Ziegler’s paternalistic act at the near-end of the film: he offers easy answers for difficult (incriminating) questions, and ultimately threatens Bill if he doesn’t quickly change his tune and show obedience. Bill’s idealism echoes a youthfulness long dead to Ziegler, who, judging by his (Pollock’s) age, could easily be Bill’s father, again adding to the paternalistic, or, Bill-as-baby theme. 

Alpha

And as one last note, I tend to read the text above the "baby" tag as "alpha." It looks more like "alpa," but mentally I fill in the letters. Bill as an "alpha baby?" The funny thing is that "Alpha" appears on the back of a van in the establishing shot just after Bill returns his costume at the Rainbow. This is the shot of the MetLife Building at 200 Park Avenue. Is Bill trying to be "alpha?" I would argue yes, and, I would argue that maybe he is still a baby (child). 

Intertext

Concerning the “baby” theme in Kubrick’s other films, the Star-child is possibly an elderly Dave Bowman reborn as a cosmic baby. Lets recall Alice’s mocking words directed at Sandor Szavost regarding Ovid: “Didn’t he end up all alone, crying his eyes out, in a place with a very bad climate?” Bowman ends up all alone in frigid outer space. And, though we don’t see any tears, we can infer that if in fact Bowman survives the Jupiter mission, maybe he is a little sad. Surely at some level the mysterious bedroom at the end of 2001 is allegorical and not supposed to be real. Maybe the bedroom is a view inside Bowman’s mind: maybe this is Bowman imagining his own death as he actually dies in some strange, dark abyss. We’ll return to 2001 in a bit.  

Bill’s idealism also echoes Lord Bullingdon’s puerile, stubborn attitude in Barry Lyndon. Bullingdon rejects Barry every chance he gets, even in social settings before crowds. He challenges Barry to a duel and shoots his step-father’s leg, leading to an amputation. Bill has more in common with Barry, with the exception of the billiards room scene when Bill wants to level with Ziegler - in this scene, Bill begins to resemble Bullingdon (who also resembles a rebellious Lolita trapped in her own Electra Complex). The “Bill” in billiards is similar to the “bull” in “Bullingdon,” possibly an allusion to the mythical bull in the maze - though we think of the bull as virile, not impotent. 

Oedipal associations are less overt in Eyes Wide Shut. There is no reference to Bill’s father - instead, Bill plays father to the many “orphan” women, though never “committing” to the role. Marion looks to Bill who arrives at her father’s opulent condo only minutes after his death. She impulsively declares her love for Bill and makes advances, much like Alice admits she imagined doing with the naval officer. Bill is on a “sexual odyssey:” the word “odyssey” reminds us of the sea. Bill is also a naval officer, of sorts - a doctor “adrift” in the (urban) sea. It doesn’t hurt that Manhattan is an Island, like Long Island, where the mansion is located. 

We could presume that Marion was very attached to her father, Lou. This would validate the argument that her Electra Complex was broken by Lou’s death. Lou’s wife, or Marion’s mother, is not in the picture, and Rosa, the maid, does not play a substantial role. Mostly, she plays a “gatekeeper.” Bill, therefore, stands in for Lou, as well as Carl, who is a near-double of Bill. Bill and Carl’s similar physique and features maybe suggests Bill has disguised himself as Marion’s lover, confusing her. 

Ziegler isn’t a step-father, but a fatherly, older patient. Ilona is not Bill’s mother, or step-mother. However, their role in the story is somewhat central. Ilona must be either willfully blind to, or complicit in, Ziegler’s (double) life. In Barry Lyndon, Lady Lyndon catches Barry courting another woman, and we see cold disappointment (or indifference) on her face. There are complex family and social roles that persist throughout the film, arguably more so than in Eyes Wide Shut, which is primarily concerned with Bill. 

There is another possibility: blonde-haired Ilona is pictured only once, wearing a red dress and pearl-like diamond necklace. Like Red Cloak at Somerton, red is linked to power and sex. Blonde hair echoes the countless young blondes Bill flirts with - Marion, Domino, Sally, even Ilona (in a split-second shot where Bill plays peek-a-boo behind Alice). If Bill does want to kill/overcome Ziegler, it may be significant at a symbolic level. Bill would be reunited with the “taboo” colors “red and blonde,” which point to power and sex, and youthfulness, respectively. If we interpret blonde as “gold,” then we can also add money to the list. Red and gold isn’t far off from “pink and gold,” Wendy’s favorite colors, and two colors used in the “Gold Room” in The Shining. 

Power, sex, youthfulness, and money - the pursuit of these things certainly defines humanity in a large way, though we’re missing one thing: love (fidelity). Unlike in 2001, we see Bill and Alice at the end of Eyes Wide Shut, although their daughter, Helena has disappeared (is Helena “sacrificed” for the sake of their marriage?) This could suggest a loss of innocence, and ties back to Herod's infanticide (although Helena is seven). We can note that Helena is dressed in a black wool coat with black cap, while Alice wears a camel fur coat, and Bill wears a black coat with a red sweater underneath. With a critical eye, Helena’s outfit mirrors the women at Somerton with black hooded cloaks and masks. Alice bears some resemblance to the stalker - she is watching and following Bill. Bill looks like…Bill; that is, like almost everyone else in the store wearing a black coat - he is anonymous. The “sacrifice” of Helena is reinforced by something several critics consider to be a suggestion of prostitution: there are two men in black coats Helena runs toward in the toy shop. The two older men are the same two men seated at a table (with their wives?) at the base of the staircase in Ziegler’s mansion. 

I don’t want to go into the darkest implications of this suggestion, since the toy store itself is probably one of the most disturbing scenes in the film (this is another topic). But, in a general way, we can say the two men are a symbol of moral decay. We can say they are generally a symbol of evil, like Ziegler, and that evil is generally synonymous with sexuality, although, conceptually, evil, like the men, is “old,” while sexuality is “young.” In many ways, all of these points combine to suggest that Eyes is an "unmasking" of the banal evils of, say, the film industry, the fashion industry, and modern life in general. But this is yet another topic.

Another CMB

Like some other critics, I have also interpreted “CMB” as Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation, which was theorized in the late 1940s (if not earlier) and "discovered" in 1965. Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation appears in searches for “CMB.” Without the accidental discovery of CMB, the Big Bang theory would have much less support. Eyes Wide Shut might not be a “space” film, in the traditional sense of the word, but, I think there are connections worth mentioning. 

In a rudimentary sense, Dave Bowman's "trip" in the "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite" sequence of 2001 is a masterful imagining of the experience of radiation in outer space. It's a trope often referred to as "space madness" which is actually far from a joke or sci-fi MacGuffin for agencies like NASA, who conducted thorough psychological tests on astronauts (like Buzz Aldrin) before and after missions to outer space. 

I also think of "STOP CMB" here, as "stop radiation." What kind of radiation? I would have said neon lights, which frequently accompany Bill's anxious wanderings around New York. Actually, fluorescent lights, not neon lights, have been known to cause UV radiation, though at a minimal amount. So this doesn't make sense, though I think maybe the neon signs and allure of "night life" work on Bill like a gaseous, atmospheric sort of radiation. Maybe our modern, urban notion of "night life" is, like CMB radiation, a sort of vestigial, unconscious remnant of our distant reptilian-brain past: food, drink/drugs, and sex are all core urges Bill seems to have often repressed prior to his "odyssey." Again, to find a reference to our possible hominid or neanderthal past, we can look back to 2001, particularly, obviously, the "Dawn of Man" sequence. 

Space in Eyes Wide Shut? Consider the idea of doorways and spaces through which Bill passes. The billiard balls on Ziegler's table also seem to allude to planets, and Ziegler to a mythical Zeus (not to mention that oak wood and eagles are symbols of Zeus - the billiards room finished with wood panelling and the eagle-eyed mail-boxes alluding to Ziegler who sends the stalker after Bill). 

To get back to the history of the theory itself, scientists Robert Woodrow Wilson and Arno Penzias were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978 for their work on Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. Soviet physicist Pyotr Kapitza is also unofficially recognized in the US as a recipient of the award. We'll dive deeper: Penzias is Jewish, as is Kapitza. Wilson’s middle name is “Woodrow,” confusing his identity with that of the 28th president who served two terms from 1913-1921. In a small aside, “1921” is “13” when added as 1+9+2+1. The photograph at the end of The Shining is also dated July 4, 1921, picturing Jack in the center as the “caretaker.” Robert Woodrow Wilson, from CMB radiation, may be an oblique reference to themes in The Shining (history is written by the ...victors). 

As early as the 1940s, the Big Bang theory was discussed by physicists Robert Herman, George Gamow, and Ralph Asher. Herman, Gamow, and Asher also, all happen to be Jewish. It has been suggested that the accidental discovery by Wilson and Penzias in the 1970s wouldn’t have a strong foundation without the work of Herman, Gamow, and Asher. Maybe it's a surface reading, but perhaps “CMB” is a roundabout way of alluding to Jewish Genius - Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, after all, impacted the world in more ways than one, and set a strong foundation for cosmological theories like the Big Bang. “CMB” points to a lesser known, or forgotten, tradition of academic and experimental theoreticians. Gamow was a top-selling science author (born in Russia), who inspired literally thousands of young people to study the sciences. Herman and Asher ultimately predicted that a type of residual radiation would exist following a “big bang” explosion. All three were distinguished professors who played significant roles in other disciplines (traffic science, DNA, etc). 

CMB is a type of radiation not visible to humans which is thought to have been “leftover” from the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. It is present as a low-level hum which is technically audible when a television set is tuned to static. Subsequent discoveries built upon the initial evidence of the radiation’s existence. Another point is that the “Big Bang” is basically a scientific “creation” myth. It’s a theory that has gained traction with evidence that supports its basic claims. But even the best scientist or team of scientists will not discover what preceded the “Big Bang,” or what preceded the thing preceding the Big Bang. We’ll have more theories, maybe. We’re left with myth. “CMB” is a testament to this. Similarly, the “star-child” in 2001 is in some ways an allusion to the “Big Bang.” Man and universe are inseparable. 

In Eyes Wide Shut, Christmas, or the decorations of Christmas, symbolize the historical or mythical “birth” which shapes the atmosphere - Jesus Christ. So, “CMB” at once points to the Biblical Magi, who celebrate the birth of Jesus, while also pointing to the scientific (secular) “birth” of a theory about the birth of the universe. Note that Gamow, Herman, and Asher make a group of three physicists, and Wilson, Penzias, and Kapitza also make a group of three. Pitting the latter group against the Magi, we have a grouping of six. There's a shot during Bill and Victor's mano-a-mano in which Bill hands Victor the news-story he has cut out. The six green lamps hovering over the billiards table reflect on the glassy surface of the coffee table. The fire-place is the center-point of the one-point perspective. Are the Magi in competition with the Scientists? As far as "creation" myths go, they sure are, but not necessarily so. 

One More CMB

Some cursory research reveals that "CMB" is also the acronym for 1990s R&B group Color Me Badd. The group has an album from 1991 simply titled C.M.B. Some of the tracks include "I Wanna Sex You Up," "Heartbreaker," and "Thinkin' Back." I tried to end with humor, but the lyrics of the first mentioned track begin as follows: "Come inside take off your coat / I'll make you feel at home." This sounds and looks like Domino's plans for Bill as she preys on him just outside her apartment. "Stop Color Me Badd?" Is their music that "badd?"  

Mardi Gras season

A playbill/flyer for Queen Ida is spotted in the hallway of the Sonata Cafe.

It's difficult to read, but can be seen to the right of the reproduction of Matisse's 1958 Blue Nude lithograph, after an unidentifiable flyer. The Matisse litho neither looks blue nor nude, but the torso almost suggests a face or mask. The name is suggestive enough given our understanding of the color blue (scenes with Alice in bedroom, and naval officer montages) and the idea of nakedness in the context of Eyes Wide Shut. 

Queen Ida is the performing name of Ida Lewis Guillory, a Creole accordionist from Lake Charles, Louisiana. She learned French before English, and often sings in French. She moved to San Francisco at a young age. Her album Back on the Bayou was released in 1999, and features her brother, Al Rapone, who is also an accordion player and guitarist. The genre is called Zydeco, a style that evolved from French-speaking Creole (people of mixed African, French, Spanish, and Native American ethnicity) in Southern Louisiana

Here is the cover of Queen Ida's Mardi Gras album, released in 1994. 

The connections are obvious enough not to have to explain anything. But I will add that "Al Rapone" is coincidentally similar to "Al Capone," the surname of which appears in margins of the New York Post newspaper Bill reads. This is more of a "fun" reference that establishes a kind of authenticity. In addition to the mask and the connection between Zydeco, Creole, Louisiana, and Mardi Gras, we could add that "Ida Lewis" sounds slightly unusual. Lewis is at once an old American name coming from England. In Latin and Italian, the name is instead, Ludovico, like, say, the fictional Ludovico Technique shown in A Clockwork Orange. "Ludovico" also being "Ludwig" in German, like Beethoven. Lewis is like Louis, which can be pronounced with a silent "s." Louis is like the German name Loewe, like Levi, and Levi is one of the twelve sons (tribes) of Jacob (Israel) in the Bible. Levites were said to be the tribe associated with priestly duties. This would include singing and performing music in the Temple, as well as guard duties. Names like "Lewis" or "Levi" are not necessarily related to the Levite Tribe. "Lewis" in particular seems to be a British-Jewish adaptation. "Ida," surely more common in the early 20th century, is or was, also a fairly common Jewish first name for girls. 

The idea of "Queen Ida" being a false name and "mask" reveals another name which can easily also appear to be a mask. Again, like Bill, who wants to blend in, "Harford" is white-sounding-enough not to raise suspicions, it being a homophone of "Harvard," which is as white as it gets (or, uh, got?). Plus, we have the problem with "queen" being another slang word for flamboyant gay men. Bill isn't flamboyant. He's hardly the type to create an alternative identity as "Queen Ida." But maybe this background flyer points to his fears.

Perhaps he fears he is being perceived this way. The Yalies sling insults that seem to come from nowhere - loner status seems to imply homosexuality in this context: the male group is impossibly, totally male, straight, heterosexual, white. It's clearly an exaggeration of a stereotype, yet it's almost shockingly accurate. The group picks on the loner. Like "Moonwatcher" in 2001, - sure I'll compare hominids and real Homo sapiens people - Bill is a loner, but perhaps he's also a leader? That's the irony: the Yalies go out of their way to show their toughness, implying that Bill is in the wrong part of town (or country) - "go back to San Francisco where you belong!" (this comment ties us back to Queen Ida). 

It's ambiguous whether Domino's apartment is supposed to be located in Greenwich Village, which the Sonata Cafe is. Of course, we know that Sonata is reflected in the windows of the Rainbow rental shop, and that the Rainbow rental shop is just one block down from Domino's apartment. The camera is playing tricks on us, but we can use this to argue that Bill isn't quite sure where he is? If he is in the Village, he may not want to acknowledge this. Furthermore, the funny question is: what are/were the Yalies doing? Are they lost? Passing through? Crusading? 

Juli Kearns's map of the fictional Greenwich Village block where all of Bill's journeys take place is fairly accurate. That means that it is riddled with impossibilities, errors, and strange doublings - a la Kubrick. This isn't surprising - it's an urban maze without the trappings of a maze, similar to the various literal and figurative mazes in The Shining. We "see" everything, or the slow pace of the film makes us think we do. But the closer we look the more contradictory the setting is. 

It could be that the six-man group are intimidated by Bill's dark figure, hence their quick verbal attack, and the shove which seems unusually powerful. This probably suggests not how strong the Yalie is, but how weak Bill is, or how weak Bill's confidence is. Perhaps they could find themselves in a similar state as Bill in the future. Bill is discovering his true feelings and emotions as his life and marriage are growing fraught. Yet he seems to understand that sexual plunder is wrong, or a bad idea, or would have bad consequences, or isn't what he's really after. I've sometimes considered the sexual theme in Eyes Wide Shut to be a cover for a bigger topic that is roughly something like "crooked reality." The basic introduction to this would be the hypocritically consumerist Christmas season, and corrupt capitalism. 

Maybe sex is a big distraction in the film. There's certainly a case to be made for this idea. "Fidelity" - is it more about love and trust, or simply sex? It's still fairly ambiguous, yet sex seems to double as trust. Marital trust isn't true if it is broken (and therefore multiplied). Maybe Bill wants to use sexual infidelity to prove he is capable of mistrusting Alice. He seems to want to become the cheating aggressor, lest he become the weak cuckold. And conversely, he wants to place trust in other women (Marion, Domino, Mandy, Sally, etc.) to replace his dependence on Alice. The thing is, I think, Bill realizes that sex is the other half of trust, which is why he is never able to give in completely to his impulses with the other women. 

This is a good thing, yet I think it's something Kubrick intentionally diverts our attention from, having us focus more on the various pains and emotions Bill experiences during this trying time. Given that It's A Wonderful Life tells the story of family man, George Bailey's mid-life crisis, and near-suicide in the Christmas season, I'm tempted to think of Eyes Wide Shut as the 21st century's first classic Christmas film. It's devastating, but then, hope doesn't exist without despair, right? 

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." 

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 clues, all 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.