References to other films
While Kubrick draws parallels with various films, I will focus on those whose plots involve themes of power, high society, cults, secret societies, and dishonesty within relationships.
Some interesting examples include:
True Lies (1994), in which an agent from a top-secret agency hides his true profession from his wife, leading her to believe he is a computer salesman. Their lives change when he discovers she is also seeking excitement, and both end up involved in a mission against nuclear terrorists. Both films feature dance scenes that include the exchange: "Do you like the period? I adore it."
In The Ninth Gate (1999), the protagonist is an unscrupulous rare-book expert hired to examine copies of a book supposedly co-authored by the Devil; he discovers a high-society congregation of devotees awaiting the Devil's manifestation. Many scenes set at St. Martin's Castle are reminiscent of Somerton. Interestingly, the French pronunciation of "St. Martin" sounds similar to "Somerton." Both films feature a scene where a car arrives at a location marked by a sign in the woods bearing the name of the respective mansion. In The Ninth Gate, the red car turns into the lane and then drives away. In Eyes Wide Shut, when Bill arrives by car during the day, a red car is seen passing him, heading in the opposite direction and driving away.
In Half Moon Street (1986), a brilliant intellectual begins leading a double life, working secretly for a high-end escort agency, and finds herself trapped in a dangerous game of conspiracy and international tension. There is a scene where she meets with a client and a waiter; the two Japanese actors involved are the same ones who appear in the scene with Milich's daughter in Eyes Wide Shut.
In Rosemary's Baby, a couple moves into a mysterious New York City building, and the young woman becomes pregnant amidst a dark Satanic conspiracy. The car featured in the film's poster bears a striking resemblance to the one that catches Helena's eye at the end of Eyes Wide Shut—a car Alice dismisses as "too old-fashioned."
Has anyone else spotted references or similarities to other films in Eyes Wide Shut?
