While Eyes Wide Shut receives mixed reviews in Europe, where kicked off the Venice Film Festival Wednesday, its husband-and-wife stars blasted film's apparently conditional R rating in the United States. \nTOM CRUISE AND NICOLE KIDMAN…nuzzling for the Venice audience.
The Motion Picture Association of America rated the final film from Stanley Kubrick R on condition that some of the extras' nudity be masked digitally, according to the Hollywood Reporter, but stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman say the ruling was ridiculous.
"It should have gotten an R in its original form," Cruise told the Reporter. "It's not pornography." Kidman says she's glad Eyes Wide Shut was shown at Venice in its completed form.
On the other hand, some European critics have tweaked the film for not delivering the hardcore sex some of them say Warner Brothers promised. The Reporter says one critic went far enough to claim Cruise's suits in the film were two sizes too large.
But how will it play in Singapore?
Just ask the Associated Press. Officials want to snip part of an orgy scene in the film before releasing it to the general population, the AP says. Warner Brothers has appealed the decision, which was made by Singapore's Films and Publications Department.
In fact, Warners says there's a contractual obligation for Singapore under which the film is either shown in its entirety or not at all.
Warners submitted the American version of Eyes Wide Shut - the one with the digital masking Cruise and Kidman tweaked at Venice - for Singapore release, after Singapore censors objected when Warners submitted the film's European version.
"I don't see any reason why they can't let this come in," Singapore film critic Dennis Yin told the AP. "It's critically acclaimed. It's not a soft porn flick."
