Eyes Wide Shut

Dream Story...is a sensual tale that explores the subconscious, forbidden desires of a husband and wife, in both their dreams and fantasies and their increasingly daring sexual adventures. Ahead of its time and marked by the deep influence of the author's contemporary, Sigmund Freud, Schnitzler's novel has become a modernist classic. In this volume the original story's themes of depravity and the elusive ambiguity of dream and reality can be compared to Kubrick's own transforming vision -- in the film that has become the culminating achievement of his career...

Excerpt

Please be advised: This excerpted material is for an audience over age 17 andcontains words that may be objectionable to some readers.

Dream Story by Arthur Schnitzler

An Excerpt from the Classic Novel That Inspired the Film

Twenty-four brown slaves rowed the splendid galley that would bring PrinceAmgiad to the Calif's palace. But the Prince, wrapped in his purple cloak,lay alone on the deck beneath the deep blue, star-spangled night sky, and hisgaze?"

Up to this point the little girl had been reading aloud; now, quite suddenly,her eyes closed. Her parents looked at each other with a smile, and Fridolinbent over her, kissed her flaxen hair, and snapped shut the book that wasresting on the table which had not as yet been cleared. The child looked up asif caught out.

"Nine o'clock," said her father, "time for bed." And as Albertine too had nowbent over the child, the parents' hands touched as they fondly stroked her brow,and with a tender smile that was no longer in-tended solely for the child, theireyes met. The maid came in, and bade the little one say goodnight to herparents; obediently she got up, proffered her lips to her father and mother tobe kissed, and let the maid escort her quietly from the room. Left alone underthe reddish glow of the hanging lamp, Fridolin and Albertine suddenly feltimpelled to resume the discussion of their experiences at yesterday's maskedball which they had begun before the evening meal.

It had been their first ball of the year, which they had decided to attend justbefore the close of the carnival season. Immediately upon entering theball-room,Fridolin had been greeted like an impatiently awaited friend by twodominoes dressed in red, whom he had not managed to identify, even though theywere remarkably well informed about various episodes from his hospital andstudent days. They had left the box to which they had invited him with suchauspicious friendliness, promising shortly to return unmasked, but then hadstayed away so long that he became impatient and decided to return to the groundfloor, hoping to meet the two enigmatic creatures there again. He looked aroundintently, without how-ever catching sight of them; instead, quite unexpectedly,another female reveller took him by the arm: it was his wife who had justwithdrawn rather abruptly from a stranger, whose blasémelancholy air andforeign-sounding?evidently Polish?accent had at first intrigued her, but whohad then suddenly let slip a surprisingly crude and insolent remark that hadhurt and even frightened her. And so man and wife, glad at heart to have escapeda disappointingly banal charade, were soon sitting at the bar, like two loversamong other amorous couples, and chatting amiably over oysters and champagne, asthough they had just become acquainted in some gallant comedy of seduction,resistance and fulfillment; and then, after a swift coach-ride through the whitewinter's night, they sank into one another's arms with an ardour they had notexperienced for quite some time. A grey morning awoke them all too soon. Thehusband's profession summoned him to his patients' bedside at an early hour, andthe duties of housekeeper and mother did not allow Albertine to rest muchlonger. And so the hours had passed predictably and soberly enough in work androutine chores, and the events of the previous night from first to last hadfaded; and only now that both their days' work was over, the child asleep, andno further disturbance anticipated, did the shadowy figures from the maskedball, the melancholy stranger and the dominoes in red revive; and those trivialencounters became magically and painfully interfused with the treacherousillusion of missed opportunities. Innocent yet ominous questions and vagueambiguous answers passed to and fro between them; and as neither of them doubtedthe other's absolute candour, both felt the need for mild revenge. Theyexaggerated the extent to which their masked partners had attracted them, madefun of the jealous stirrings the other revealed, and lied dismissively abouttheir own. Yet this light banter about the trivial adventures of the previousnight led to more serious discussion of those hidden, scarcely admitted desireswhich are apt to raise dark and perilous storms even in the purest, mosttransparent soul; and they talked about those secret regions for which they feltscarcely any longing, yet towards which the irrational winds of fate might oneday drive them, if only in their dreams. For however much they might belong toone another heart and soul, they knew last night was not the first time they hadbeen stirred by a whiff of freedom, danger and adventure; and withself-tormenting anxiety and sordid curiosity each sought to coax admissions fromthe other, and while drawing closer in their fear, each groped for any fact,however slight, any experience, however trivial, which might articulate theinexpressible, and frank confession of which might perhaps release them from atension and mistrust that were slowly starting to become intolerable. Whether itwas because she was the more impetuous, the more honest or the morewarm-hearted, Albertine was the first to find the courage to make a frankconfession; and with a trembling voice she asked Fridolin whether he remembereda young man the previous summer on the Danish coast, who had been sitting withtwo officers at the table next to them one evening, and on receiving a telegramduring the meal had promptly taken a hasty leave of his two friends. Fridolinnodded. "What about him"' he asked.

"That same morning I had seen him once before," replied Albertine, "as he washurrying up the hotel stairs with his yellow suitcase. He had glanced at me aswe passed, but a few steps further up he stopped, turned round towards me andour eyes could not help meeting. He did not smile, indeed his face seemed tocloud over, and I must have reacted likewise, because I felt moved as neverbefore. The whole day I lay on the beach lost in dreams. Were he to summonme?or so I believed?I would not have been able to resist. I believed myselfcapable of doing anything; I felt I had as good as resolved to relinquish you,the child, my future, yet at the same time?will you believe this" you were moredear to me than ever. It was that same afternoon, you remember, that we talkedso confidingly about a thousand things, discussing our future together,discussing the child as we had not done for ages. Then at sunset when we weresitting on the balcony, he walked past us on the beach below without looking up,and I was overjoyed to see him. But it was you whose brow I stroked and hair Ikissed, and in my love for you there was also a good deal of distressing pity.That evening I wore a white rose in my belt, and you yourself said that I lookedvery beautiful. Perhaps it was no coincidence that the stranger was sitting nearus with his friends. He did not look across at me, but I toyed with the idea ofstepping over to his table and saying to him: Here I am, my long awaited one, mybeloved?take me away. At that moment they brought him the telegram; he read it,went pale, whispered a few words to the younger of the two officers, and with anenigmatic look in my direction left the room."

"And then"' asked Fridolin dryly as she fell silent.

"Nothing more. All I know is that next morning I awoke in some trepidation.What I was anxious about'whether it was that he had left, or that he might stillbe there?I do not know, and even then I did not know. Yet when at noon hestill had not appeared, I heaved a sigh of relief. Don't question mefurther, Fridolin, I have told you the whole truth." You too had some sort ofexperience on that beach?of that I'm certain."

Fridolin got up, paced up and down the room a few times, then said: "You'reright." He stood at the window, his face in darkness. "In the morning," he beganin a restrained, somewhat resentful tone, "often very early before you got up, Iwould wander along the shore out past the resort; yet early as it was, the sunwould always be shining brightly over the sea. Out there along the shore, as youknow, there were little houses, each a little world unto its own, some withfenced-off gardens, some just surrounded by woods, and the bathing-huts wereseparated from the houses by the road and by a stretch of sand. I seldomencountered anybody, and there were never any bathers at that hour. One morning,however, I suddenly became aware of a female figure, not visible before, who wasgingerly advancing along the narrow side-walk of one of those bathing-huts onstilts, putting one foot in front of the other and stretching her arms behindher as she groped along the wooden wall. She was a young girl of no more thanfifteen, her loose, flaxen hair falling over her shoulders and on one sideacross her tender breast. Gazing down into the water, she slowly inched her waywith lowered eyes along the wall toward the near corner of the hut, and suddenlyemerged directly opposite where I was standing: she reached behind her evenfurther with her arms, as if to gain a firmer hold, looked up and suddenlycaught sight of me. Her whole body began to tremble, as though she were abouteither to fall or to run away. But as she could only have proceeded very slowlyalong the narrow plank, she decided not to move,?and so she just stood there,looking at first frightened, then angry and finally embarrassed. But then all atonce she smiled, a ravishing smile; indeed there was a welcoming twinkle in hereye,?and at the same time a gentle mockery about the way she lightly skimmedthe water between us with her foot. Then she stretched her young, slender body,as though exulting in her beauty, and evidently proud and sweetly aroused atfeeling my ardent gaze upon her. We stood opposite each other like this forperhaps ten seconds, with lips half open and eyes aflame. Involuntarily Istretched out my arms toward her; there was joy and abandon in her gaze. All atonce, however, she shook her head vigorously, let go of the side of the hut withone hand, and peremptorily signalled that I should withdraw; and when I couldnot bring myself to obey at once, such a pleading, such a beseeching look cameinto her child's eyes that I had no alternative but to turn away. I hastilyresumed my walk without once turning round?less out of consideration, obedienceor chivalry, than because I had felt so profoundly moved by her partinglook?far transcending any-thing I had experienced before?that I was on thepoint of swooning." And with that he ended.

"And how often," asked Albertine flatly, looking straight ahead, "did youlater follow the same path?"

"All I have told you," replied Fridolin, "just happened to occur on the lastday of our stay in Denmark. Even I don't know how things might have developedunder other circumstances. And you too, Albertine, shouldn't inquire anyfurther."

He was still standing at the window, motionless. Albertine got up and wentover to him, her eyes dark and moist, her brow slightly creased. "In future weshould always tell each other things like this at once," she said.

He nodded silently.

"Promise me."

He drew her to him. "Do you really doubt that?" he asked; but his voice stillsounded harsh.

She took his hands, fondled them and looked up at him with tearful eyes, in thedepths of which he tried to read her thoughts. She was now thinking about theother, more real, experiences of his youth, some of which she was privy to,since during the first years of their marriage he had given way to her jealouscuriosity rather too eagerly, and revealed, or, as it often seemed to him,surrendered many things he should perhaps have kept to himself. He could tellthat various memories were now resurfacing within her with some urgency, and sohe was hardly surprised when, as if in a dream, she mentioned the half-forgottenname of one of his youthful loves. Yet to him it came across as a reproach, evenas a quiet threat.

He drew her hands to his lips.

"In every woman?believe me, even though it may sound trite,?inevery woman whom I thought I was in love with, it was always you that I wassearching for. I feel this more deeply, Albertine, than you can everunderstand."

She smiled sadly. "And what if I too had chosen to go exploring first?" shesaid. Her expression changed, becoming inscrutable and cold. He let go herhands, as if he had caught her out in a lie or infidelity; but she continued,"Ah, if only you all knew," and again fell silent.

"If we only knew" What do you mean by that?" Rather harshly she replied:"More or less, my dear, what you imagine."

"Albertine?is there something you have never told me?"

She nodded with a strange smile and looked straight ahead. Vague irrationaldoubts began to stir within him.

"I don't quite understand," he said. "You were scarcely seventeen when webecame engaged."

"Yes, Fridolin, a little over sixteen. And yet?"she looked him straightin the eye?"it was not my fault if I was still a virgin when I became yourwife."

"Albertine?!" And she continued:

"It was on the Worthersee, shortly before our engagement, Fridolin, when onebeautiful summer evening an extremely handsome youth appeared outside my windowwhich looked out over broad extensive meadows, we chatted away together and inthe course of our conversation I thought to myself, just listen to what Ithought: What a sweet, delightful, young person he is,?he would only have tosay the word this minute, though of course it would have to be the right one,and I would go out and join him in the meadows and follow him wherever hedesired,?into the wood perhaps;?or it would be lovelier still if we were to goout on to the lake together in a boat?and that night he could have everythinghe desired of me. Yes, that is what I thought to myself.?But he did not say theword, this charming youth; he just fondly kissed my hand,?and the next morningasked me whether I would be his wife. And I said yes."

Fridolin let her hand go, displeased. "And what if that evening," heremarked, "someone else had happened to stand outside your window, and had saidthe right word: for example?"he wondered whose name he should mention, butshe stretched out her arm in a gesture of demurral.

"Anyone else, whoever it might have been, could have said what he liked, itwould have been to little avail. And if you hadn't been the one to stand beforemy window"?she smiled up at him"?then the summer evening would nothave been so lovely either."

His mouth twisted in a sneer. "That's what you say now, so at this moment youmay even believe. But?"

There was a knock at the door. The chambermaid entered and announced that theporter's wife from the Schreivogelgasse had come to fetch the doctor on behalfof the Count Counsellor, who was again feeling very ill. Fridolin went out intothe hall, learned from the messenger that the Count Counsellor had had anotherheart-attack and was in a bad way, and promisedto come over at once.

"Are you going out"?Albertine asked him as he was hastily preparing toleave, and from her irritable tone it seemed as though he were deliberatelytreating her unjustly.

A little incredulously Fridolin answered, "But I have to."

She sighed lightly.

"It shouldn't be too bad, I hope," said Fridolin, "in the past, three gramsof morphine have usually helped him over the attack."

The chambermaid had brought his fur coat, Fridolin kissed Albertine on themouth and forehead a little absent-mindedly, as if the last hour's conversationhas already been erased from his memory, and hurried off.

A Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Frederic Raphael

ALICE

Hmmm...tell me something...those two girls at the party last night. Did you,by any chance,
happen to f- - - them?

BILL

(coughs and splutters)

What!? What are you talking about!?

ALICE

I'm talking about the two girls that you were so
blatantly hitting on.

BILL

I wasn't hitting on anybody.

ALICE

Hmmm...Who were they?

BILL

They were just a couple of models.

ALICE sits up next to BILL.

ALICE

Where did you disappear to with them for so long?

BILL starts to kiss and touch ALICE.

BILL

Ohhhh! Wait a minute, wait a minute! I didn't disappear with anybody.Ziegler wasn't feeling too well. I got called upstairs to see himAnyway, who's the guy you were dancing with?

ALICE

A friend of the Zieglers'.

BILL

What did he want?

ALICE

(as Bill kisses her ear)

What did he want? Oh ...what did he want?
Sex?upstairs, then and there.

BILL

Is that all?

ALICE

Yeah...yeah. That was all.

BILL

(kissing Alice)

Yeah, that's right.

BILL

I guess that's understandable.

ALICE

Understandable?

BILL

Because you are a very, very beautiful woman.

ALICE

Woah! Woah! Woah! Wait!

ALICE puts the spliff into the ashtray on the bed, disengages BILL's arms,and gets up. She backs up towards the bathroom leaving BILL sittingon the bed

ALICE

So...because I'm a beautiful woman the only reason why any man wants to talkto me is because he wants to f- - - me! Is that what you're saying?

BILL

Well, I don't think it's quite that black and white, but I think we bothknow what men are like.

ALICE now leans against the door frame.

ALICE

So, on that basis I should conclude that you wanted to f- - - those twomodels?

BILL

There are exceptions.

ALICE

What makes you an exception?

BILL

What makes me an exception is that...I happen to be in love with you andbecause we're married and because I would never lie to you or hurtyou.

ALICE starts walking to the other end of the room.

ALICE

Do you realize that what you're saying is that the only reason you wouldn'tf- - - those two models is out of consideration for me, not because youreally wouldn't want to?

BILL

Let's just relax, Alice. This pot is making you aggressive.

ALICE

It's not the pot, it's you! Why can't you ever give me a straight f- - -inganswer!

BILL

I was under the impression that's what I was doing. I don't even know whatwe're arguing about here.

ALICE

(sits on a stool)

I'm not arguing. I'm just trying to find out where you are coming from.

BILL

Where I'm coming from?

ALICE gets up and stands at the end of the bed.

ALICE

Let's say, let's say for example, you have some gorgeous woman standing inyour office naked and you're feeling her f- - - ing tits. Now, whatI wanna know...I wanna know what are you really thinking about whe you'resqueezing them?

BILL

Alice, I happen to be a doctor. It's all very impersonal and you know thereis always a nurse present.

ALICE

So, when you are feeling tits it's nothing more than your professionalism, isthat what you're saying?

BILL

Exactly ...sex is the last thing on my mind when I'm with a patient.

ALICE

Now, when she is having her little titties squeezed, do you think she everhas any little fantasies about what handsome Doctor Bill's dickie might belike?

BILL

Come on, I can assure you that sex is the last thing on this f- - -inghypothetical woman patient's mind.

ALICE

And what makes you so sure?

BILL

If for no better reason...because she's afraid of what I might find.

ALICE

OK! OK! So, so after you tell that everything's fine what then?

BILL

What then? Ah, I don't know that, Alice, What then? Look, womendon't ...they basically don't think like that.

ALICE gets up and provocatively points a finger at BILL

pace up and down at the foot of the bed.

ALICE

Millions of years of evolution, right? Right?
Men have to stick it in every place they can, but
for women ...women it is just about security
and commitment and whatever the f- - -...
else!

BILL

A little oversimplified, Alice, but yes, something
like that.

ALICE

If you men only knew....

BILL

I'll tell you what I do know is that you got a
little stoned tonight. You've been trying to pick
a fight with me and now you're trying to make
me jealous.

ALICE

But you're not the jealous type, are you?

BILL

No, I'm not.

ALICE

You've never been jealous about me, have you?

BILL

No, I haven't.

ALICE

And why haven't you ever been jealous about

me?

BILL

Well, I don't know, Alice. Maybe because you're
my wife, maybe because you're the mother of
my child and I know you would never be
unfaithful to me.

ALICE

You are very, very sure of yourself, aren't you?

BILL

No, I'm sure of you.

ALICE bursts out laughing.

BILL

Do you think that's funny?

ALICE collapses onto the floor, her laughing fit uncontrollable
now.

BILL

F- - -ing laughing fit, right?

ALICE calms down a little.

ALICE

Do you ...do you remember last summer at
Cape Cod?

BILL

Yes.

ALICE

Do you remember one night in the dining room?
There was this young naval officer and he was
sitting near our table with two other officers?

ALICE sits back against the radiator and focuses on her
story.

BILL

No.

ALICE

The waiter brought him a message at which
point he left. Nothing rings a bell?

BILL

No.

ALICE

Well, I first saw him that morning in the lobby.
He was ...he was checking into the hotel and
he was following the bell-boy with his luggage,
to the elevator. He ...he glanced at me as he
walked past, just a glance. Nothing more. But I
could hardly move. That afternoon Helena
went to the movies with her friend and you and
I made love, and we made plans about our
future and we talked about Helena and yet at
no time was he ever out of my mind. And I
thought if he wanted me, even if it was for only
one night, I was ready to give up everything.
You, Helena, my whole f- - -ing future.
Everything. And yet it was weird because at the
same time you were dearer to me than ever and
. . . and at that moment my love for you was
both tender and sad. I ...I Barely slept that
night and I woke up the next morning in a
panic. I didn't know whether I was afraid he
had left or that he might still be there, but by
dinner I realized he was gone and I was
relieved.

BILL is stunned by what ALICE is telling him and it is
some time before he can respond to the repeated ringing
of the telephone. He finally picks it up.

BILL

Hello? Yes, this is Dr Harford. When did it
happen? No, no, erh ...I have the address.

Thank you.

(to Alice)

Lou Nathanson just died. I'm gonna have to go
over there and show my face.

34. INT. TAXI CAB - NIGHT

BILL sits in the cab thinking about what ALICE has told
him.

35. INT. ROOM - CAPE COD - DAY

BILL, in his jealousy, fantasises about ALICE and the

NAVAL OFFICER making love.

36. INT. TAXI CAB - NIGHT
BILL continues to torture himself with ALICE's confession.

37. INT. LOBBY - NATHANSON APARTMENT

BUILDING - NIGHT

The elevator door opens and BILL comes out. He walks
across the elegant, art deco lobby and presses a door-bell.

38. INT. HALLWAY - NATHANSON APARTMENT -

NIGHT

A maid walks to the door of the luxurious apartment
and peeps through the spy-hole. This is ROSA. She opens
the door.

BILL

Good evening, Rosa.

ROSA

Good evening, Dr Harford.

BILL

How is Miss Nathanson?

ROSA

Not so good. She's in the bedroom.

BILL

Thank you.

Copyright © 1999 Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael, and Arthur Schnitzler. All rights reserved.
ISBN: 0-446-67632-2