Summary
- Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, holds the record for the longest continuous film shoot, lasting 400 days.
- The film was a result of Kubrick's meticulous nature, as he paid attention to every visual detail, demonstrating his extreme perfectionism.
- The prolonged filming process caused drama on set, with Harvey Keitel departing the project and Tom Cruise performing 95 takes of walking through a door to meet Kubrick's standards.
Stanley Kubrick left his mark all over the film industry, including one record with Eyes Wide Shut that no one in Hollywood is trying to beat. The legendary filmmaker is known for creating some of the most iconic movies of all time, including The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and A Clockwork Orange. His exceptional work defined several genres, from science fiction to horror, to historical epics. However, it is his final film, the mystery thriller Eyes Wide Shut, that set one of the most ridiculous records in film history.
Eyes Wide Shut, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, was Kubrick's final film before ing away just six days after showing the final cut to Warner Bros. Kubrick considered the film his "greatest contribution to the art of cinema." Many viewers would disagree on what Kubrick's best movie is, with so many great options to pick from. It may have been the sheer amount of time Kubrick had just spent on the project that led him to make that judgment.
Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut Holds The Record For The Longest Continuous Filming Shoot
In the process of making his final film, Stanley Kubrick set the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous film shoot ever. The shoot for Eyes Wide Shut lasted 400 days, a ridiculous record considering the average movie takes roughly a quarter of that time to film. The story of Eyes Wide Shut is inspired by the 1926 novella, Traumnovelle. Kubrick took an interest in transforming the story into a film as early as the 1960s, though his concrete idea for the project didn't finalize until the '90s. The path from novella to film was a marathon to begin with before the shoot even began.
400 days of shooting meant 15 months of filming with no break after originally having been planned as a six-month shoot. Such a ridiculously long filming process was bound to cause problems. Drama on set caused Harvey Keitel to depart from the project, having his role scrapped from the film entirely. Tom Cruise famously took 95 takes of walking through a door, an accomplishment that makes a David Fincher film look tame. This was all due to Kubrick's perfectionism.
Why Eyes Wide Shut Took So Long To Film
Eyes Wide Shut was essentially dragged out by Kubrick's meticulous nature, as he carefully examined every visual aspect of the film. Every detail mattered to Stanley Kubrick, from the color of furniture to the choice of masks for every individual present in the orgy scene. Kubrick gained a reputation for this extreme perfectionism over the years, causing many actors to fear working with him. However, his degree of care is likely the reason his filmography is considered to be so flawless, making him arguably the greatest filmmaker ever.
