Eyes Wide Shut is more or less about a sexual awakening that seems to be happening throughout the movie and the reaction of the main characters that takes place. There’s also an excellent reason why Harvey Keitel quit the film though you might think it’s a bit ridiculous.
Harvey Keitel’s Issues With The Director
I don’t after hearing this clip since it’s already been well-established that Stanley Kubrick was a hard man to work with as a director. The man was a genius behind the camera, without any doubt, but that didn’t mean he was the friendliest person or the easiest to understand. Keitel, a great actor in his own right, quit because he couldn’t understand what Kubrick wanted from him. And Keitel wasn’t a newbie in the acting scene, here are five of his best movies.
Known to be somewhat eccentric and focused on his vision quite often, Kubrick was the kind of director that would tell an actor to act again without telling them what he wanted. This could become understandably frustrating since just telling someone to do something without saying precisely what you want might be construed as many things. Keitel seems like a man, just like any actor, who would want to know what the director wants and how he wants something done. Without any basis for acting, it’s difficult to see what you’re doing wrong or what needs to change. Kubrick was horrible regarding this, even if he wasn’t being argumentative. He had his good and bad days just like anyone, but telling a person to do the scene again without telling them why or what they needed to fix seems a little counterproductive.
Harvey Keitel Quit on the Spot
Harvey had had enough of this and walked off the set without telling anyone because Kubrick was demanding. Of course, Harvey could have handled it differently because communication is essential. But if Kubrick wasn’t also communicating, why should he?
In his mind however that could have been Kubrick’s way of sorting things out, reasoning just what needed to be added and what was working as it was. It’s a strange process for anyone that doesn’t understand. Still, not everyone vocalizes what they think, as they prefer to internalize it and play it repeatedly until it finally looks right. The primary issue is that it forces everyone around them to become mind readers, which will not happen on a whim and be increasingly frustrating. On the one hand, I can side with Kubrick by stating that having to work things out in your head is something that many creative folks need to do. Sometimes it makes more sense in your head than in the real world, and you might be trying to reconcile the two to find a suitable compromise. However, I can sympathize with Keitel since being told to do something without reason and knowing if you’re doing it right is nerve-wracking. The idea of ‘you should know’ doesn’t work all the time.
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