Haven't seen this mentioned. The girls at the party say "don't you want to go where the rainbow ends?" The lens flare rainbow ends between the woman's legs. I would say 100% intentional. Brilliant analysis Rob.
Jesus, Rob. I've seen the film an innumerable amount of times and I've never noticed this before. Great stuff. Please make more on "Eyes Wide Shut". It's easily Kubrick's best in my opinion, and also happens to be my favourite film in general. People are finally starting to realise its genius...
I am experiencing this now. It seems that most people my age (30) seem to think this film is genius. Everyone at the time was scratching their heads.... but the 15 year old kids watching it on HBO got it right away.... go figure.
I accidentally came across this and this is one of my all-time favorite movies that does not get enough recognition I can't explain how many times I've tried to present this movie to other people
@@kevinelliostar Yeah, when I was a kid much of the things being said, the emotions, and the push/pull between men and women went over my head. Obviously I just saw certain parts. Now, I think it's the most honest and smartest movie ever made. I also remember how people around me called this movie degenerate and hedonistic, when really it's quite the opposite.
I lean toward it being intentional. It's amazing how Kubrick layered his films with so many subtle clues and hints. I never noticed those lens flares, and I've seen the film at least ten times.
@@newbeginning3568 The rainbow means society as we know it and consumerism. The end of that rainbow means the horrible things that the "Elite" does that are hidden from people. To a larger extent, it means something awful (no matter the importance) hidden from us normal, everyday people.
I'm most amazed by the amount of work it had to have taken to get those specific flares at those specific places. Surely there's even more of stuff like this in the film that has stayed unnoticed. The amount of takes Kubrick took for this film is legendary. Part of it had to have been about getting these kinds of things to line up properly, but all of the retakes couldn't have been just about that. What the hell else is still in this work that's undiscovered? It's driving me right mad
Such an underrated movie! I've had quite a bit of experiences where people refer to this as the "boring one" when referring to Kubrick's filmography. I don't know if it's his best, but it's up there with his other masterpieces. Great video as always, Rob! Thanks for this.
The score makes a film really is true when it comes to EWS. Unless its just Hollywood rumor bullshit, the final editing for the music in the movie didn't get done before Kubrick died. The people who took over just riddled it with one of the most generic songs in the biz: Waltz No.2 by Dmitri Shostakovich. Every "normal movie go-er" I've talked to who has seen it thought it was just a shitty weird romantic drama. God I would have loved to see their faces at the party scene.
@@throwaway5744 Ehhh, he was a connoisseur of classical/modernist music so the Shostakovich piece strikes me as a Kubrick pick. Reviewers lambasted his choices in music for 2001 as well when it came out for the same reasons.
I would argue that rainbows (or at least the colors of) are in a sense present in nearly every scene, given the persistent use of Christmas tree lights and primary colors (which can be combined to make other colors). I always thought the "ends of the rainbow" was a reference to the limitations of human perception. Humans can only see the visible portion of the EM spectrum, which is shown in the colors of the rainbow, although the spectrum is much wider. The ends of the rainbow are where our perceptions end. Combine perceptual limitations with all the mask-wearing, deception-is-a-necessity, do-you-know-anyone-here-not-a-soul stuff, I think it's meant to say something about the inability of people to really know each other, even within the context of a marriage. I could be completely off-base here, but it's possible Kubrick meant the phrase to have multiple metaphors.
Good points. I also suspect that "where the rainbow ends" means far more than just sex. For Mandy, for example, it ends with death, for Domino it ends with HIV, and it could have ended very badly for Dr. Bill too. While the movie seems to be about sex at first viewing, that's only one component, and arguably not the most important one. In any case, when the movie starts, Bill sees only a very narrow segment of the spectrum. In the end, his eyes are indeed wide open, but for how long...?
Very good point, open for how long? Until he dies. Sex and death are intimately linked through out the film. Everywhere there is sex, there is the threat of or presence of death. Mandy and Ziegler's sex session is interrupted by her drug overdose. There is a sense of dread when Bill is discovered at the orgy - will he be raped and killed? The hooker who he nearly has sex with is actually HIV positive. And so forth.
Bill and Alice really have their eyes wide shut all the way. Bill just bought the story of Ziegler, at least thats my logical interpretation, Alice has not resolved anything that at least we have seen, nothing is solved. They just but up another mask because of Helena, who they really dont pay any attention and who they educate to be the next generation of Mandys, Dominos, or Alices for that matter. However, I think the end is supposed to be interpreted in different ways as we are starting to open our eyes that are wide shut. Only after we really open them, we see that Alice and Bill are completely in sleep, because they think they are awake when they have resolved nothing. I hope that this Kubricks hardest to understand masterpiece will get the attention of what The Shining has.
Yes and when he goes over the rainbowshop he takes on a new masked and secret persona. But the rainbow is what you can see but even then it is kind of bent, but pleasing to the eye.
I have no words. SK was a master in his craft and a true genius. I take this movie as his farewell warning to the humankind he adored and loved so much. Truly a cinema hero for me.
Someone just mentioned on my FB posting about this vid ... there's a damned rainbow towel hanging up in shot when Bill is trying it on with Domino's room mate there too! Great observation Joseph Nardi.
Kubrick was s genius with lighting. He was able to sneak an eyeball reflection onto bill’s back. Right after Bill gets confronted at the party. When he walks into his apartment, you can see a reflection of an eye run across his back. I think it symbolizes that Bill is now being watched at all times. He’s got “eyes on his back”
Hi Rob, BIG FAN from Blackburn. Just wondering your take on all the interesting pictures/ mask and things on the wall at the bed time storey. One seems to be (please correct me if you do not feel the same) various bears (missing eye) same with Panda bear and a few paintings around the home. One on Alice's bedroom wall. Please zoom in on the top one. I think its Alice sat on somebody's body/face. Another quick one is the painting in the lounge ( Flowers) there is a child face in the bottom left and the painting in general is very interesting also the breakfast shot. On the honey there is two eyes and a nose drawn on in black.. Seems every time i watch it again i see more and more. One more i found interesting is when Dr Bill turns up at the party. Check those gates out? Keep up the fantastic work. Your killing it...
Considering its consistent placement and shape, it can be certain that Kubrick didn't manipulate the lights to create the effect, but through post-editing. See 2:20 , the camera angle dips down only a fraction of a degree, but the whole flare moves down and out of frame, then returns back to the scene drastically after re-centering onto Tom. Having worked with film + cinematography, I find it likely to almost impossible to create something that consistent (especially whilst moving; lens flares are organic, change and disappear quite instantaneously) There is a way, but it'd require a blank film photograph of a rainbow flare taken with a black backdrop (to bring out the colours from the negative), so that Kubrick could essentially layer it over the original film as needed. It can be concluded that this is more than likely an active decision by Kubrick - adding extra genius depth as he always does.
Also notice the light between them are the colour of a rainbow. Interesting to note that every time those Christmas light colours appear in the background are representing the rainbow thing Kubrick has going on in the film. Like the “under the rainbow” restaurant which has lots of colourful multi-coloured lights. Also, earlier on in the film those lights appeared behind Bill when the women tell him about “where the rainbow ends.” The framing suggests that the two women ARE the end of the rainbow.
With rumors of this film being edited by outside forces, we must strive to find hidden themes and subtleties like this one, which those outside forces may have missed. Thanks Rob! Keep up the good work!
Yep: definitely very carefully chosen lens, lighting and camera work. Great find! The more I find out about Kubrick, the more I am blown away. The man not only knew his lighting and lenses, but also the mirror reflex systems, film stocks, lab work.... all very important factors. He nailed it back in the day when there were no monitors with grids, histograms, focus contours - just light meters, viewfinders and skill.
In the documentary movie "Filmworker" (2017) about Kubrick´s close(est) companion Leon Vitali there´s a bit info about these flares ca 45 minutes into the film, Leon: "... whenever I say to Stanley that there´s flares in the shot he said "I like flares" so I never bothered to mention it. So we´re watching the rushes and he saw this flare and so he says "Leon, this flare!" and I said "well you always said you liked flare", and he gave me such a bollocking...." -In order words: un-intentional but Stanley kept it in. And Rob nailed why once again making this video yet another pleasure to watch!
If you notice, all the Christmas lights in the scene were also colored. This was probably done on purpose as well. Kubrick was definitely experimenting with color here. Whether that’s tied onto the rainbow or not, only he would know. From watching his films it’s quite obvious that a lot of his placements were by design.
I lean toward it being intentional. There are so many rainbows in this movie, from beautiful proverbial ones to sleazy ones (kitchen towel, the shop where they sell the masks, etc). "Where the rainbow ends" is defintely a theme. When Bill and Domino are talking on the bed after the phone call, the kitchen towel is visible behind the Dr. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold. Domino has a lamp above her head, kinda like a halo, she looks like a sweet innocent angel. Then Bill gives her the money (at the end of the rainbow towel) and when she gets the money, she isn't under the lamp/halo. Not so innocent anymore. The rainbow fantasy appears and in the end it's a corrupted pot of gold. Domino has AIDS, Rainbow Costume Rental (the owner prostitutes his own underage daughter for a pot of gold), Bill plays an ultrawealthy masked man, but in the end he's just a little pot of gold-owner compared to the ultrawealthy Ziegler and co types with their massive infinite pot of golds.
Rob have you watched Filmworker, the documentary about Leon Vitali? He mentions this briefly, it was an accident, Kubrick was raging when he saw it apparently
The part he´s walking with Domino and she teases him, the lens flares comes from Bill´s lower parts 3:13. Could that mean like his sexual energy arising in that situation?
i saw a different rainbow arc within the story. Before he is exposed , he is approached by a butler wearing a gold mask who takes him through a ballroom with gay and lesbian dancers ,also wearing gold masks. All the while the same music from the "Gold Room " ball scene in the Shining is playing in the background. Gold at the end of Rainbow
The Rainbow Room, "Rockefeller" Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan NYC. What was it? Who owned it, who built it, who sold it, who ran it? ...Who attended..? Christmas lights in scenes with lens flares... Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center... IS there a connection?
Great discovery. I don't think it is accidental since it happens too often that a perfectionist like Kubrick would let it stay in his movie if it wasn't intentional.
Of course is the genius of Kubrick! He did something similar in The Shining, some say he used the sound of the word Shine in some very specifyc moments in background, varely perceptible
the sections your L.Hicks fan noticed also have a string of colored lights in the background, on the fire escape, that form a 3. You can see it at 2:18, at 3:04, and at 3:25. I thought the timing was "too perfect" when the 3 is revealed during the "how'd you like to have a little fun" clip. That was deliberately timed. Is it a 3? Some other symbolic shape? 3some? Bringing a 3rd person into the relationship? thought it might help you unlock something.
So by rainbow you're referring to the shape of the lens flare, like an arch shape. I was looking for multi-colored flares. It would be very helpful to other viewers if you could add a note explaining that or something.Though i did notice that in most of the same shots there's also reflections from christmas lights which are multicolored, or the christmas lights themselves visible in the background out of focus, which resembles a rainbow as far as color goes.
If we are to assume Kubrick makes near zero mistakes when shooting, whether it’s visual or audio queues, and that each one has a purpose, then what would the purpose of playing Requiem be in the restaurant? Requiem was Mozart’s final piece that he composed as he was dying; in fact he knew he was dying which was the reason he wrote it. Did Kubrick, like Mozart, signal to us that this was his last work and that he knew it?
I think this could be a reference to 2001 space odyssey. It makes me think of the way the planets align with the sun on top, if you were to draw a line with the center of the two "lens flares" it would point to Tom Cruise's head, perhaps associating the character as an "enlightened" being. We see this being portrayed in old paintings portraying enlighten people with a sun disc behind their head (see Buddha, Christ, the apostles and many many others.) Another thing I don't see many people talk about is Kubrick's use of geometrical shapes, especially the hexagon. The women dressed in red in your video has an hexagonal pattern on her dress, the spaceship in space odyssey has three hexagonaly shaped thrusters, the red space suit in one of the scenes has an hexagon, one of the ships on the moon is hexagonal, the red carpet in The Shining etc. Just stuff to think about.
Like HAL being a circle within a rectangle, the obvious rectangle shape of the monolith, the ship that lands on Clavius is a sphere. What do you think these shapes mean?
Hi Rob. I just found your videos. I believe, while some try to create things intentionally and in fact do, our physical realm is more affected by the spiritual realm than most people realize. This tends to flow out in to our consciousness through art and some sciences while being totally missed by many who only see the physical and thing in b/w. We tend to shape our realities by what we convince our subconscious mind to believe is true. If we as groups of people are able to change what our subconscious mind believes to be true then our physical reality is changed. Reality is all perception and so in that sense the Mandela Effect is real and really occurring. The spiritual realm is more real than our physical reality. All the best to you!
You missed an obvious one -- the christmas lights are a further rainbow flare. They occur 2 or 3 times in this video. At 2:25, the shot is a mirror image of the 0:40 shot: a flare in the foreground and christmas lights in the background, but this time on the wall of the shop in the background and the shop's indigo display lights.
There's also a lens flare in A Clockwork Orange when Alex ia i the hospital bed. When the reporters stream in and begin snapping photos, a white line appears above Alex's toes. You have to slow it down, bit it's there. It may be a reference to the warden telling him to keep his toes behind the white line earlier in the film
in the 2 scenes with Bill and Millich's transaction picking out and returning his cape and hood and mask there is a bit of extra emphasis to the ever-present sarcasm in Milledge's voice when he (in the pickup scene) repeats Bill's request and again when he asks Bill (during the return) if his costume worked out satisfactorily, which planted the thought as I watch that Milledge knows exactly what party Bill wants his costume for, and is having a bit of a private laugh on Bill about that. Part of this impression comes from Millich asking him (approx'ly) "What kind of cloak you want? Red? Brown? Red?" as if he already knows and is teasing him. Could as easily be part of Millich character's sarcastic belittling attitude is his perpetual norm.
They are accidents. If they had a precise meaning they would be consistent in conveying that meaning but, as you demonstrate throughout the video, they occur in scenes without any sort of connection or consistent theme.
And you can easily explain the reason why they always occur in the lower frame, because it would be right over the subjects faces if it was any higher and would look bad or out of place. Kubrick probably liked the way that particular lens refracted light and decided that he didn't mind the rainbow flare providing it wasn't egregious or distracting.
Also. It is obvious he is using the lens flare as a motif. Filmmakers always use motifs that not many viewers can pick up. Kubrick used this lens flare as a motif because he was always executing a film signature "chess game" against all other filmmakers. He worked at a completely different level.
Very interesting. It takes a fair amount of light bouncing about inside the lens elements to get this effect in-camera so if it was intended it would have taken an awful lot of effort to catch it on set, particularly in the shots when the camera is moving. Maybe Kubrick caught it happening on one of the rushes and had the idea of repeating it as a motif, a happy accident maybe, but probably in post-production. It's pretty easy to fake lens flares in post these days but I'm not sure about when EWS came out. Of the particular type of arc rainbow flare noted I've only seen this happen in extremely wide, fish -eye type lenses myself, it's to do with the convex nature of the outer element being more spherical than longer lenses or something. Usually you can tell from the bowing of vertical lines in a shot if a cheaper wide lens was used (amongst other things like spatial expansion between subject and background) but I know Kubrick had super expensive (sometimes custom made) lenses which are designed to mitigate aforementioned effects. I wouldn't be surprised if he deliberately used such a visual motif though, it seams plausible to me. Nice work Rob ;-)
My first thought would be to find out what lense was used and if this was a common issue with this lense. But even if it was, the odds are that he used it to his advantage, or even selected this lense for that effect. There's zero chance he would be ok with it unless he wanted it there. At the very least he positioned it where he wanted it to be. Now, as far as how important it was to the whole point of the film, I'd say it was 0.01% important to the overall meaning. But these small points add up in the end.
It is definitely not a happy accident. I'm currently writing an analysis which includes an extended take on this aspect. To make it short I believe the lens flares each have their own meanings in their specific contexts; however taken broadly together the flares point to conscious artificialities built in to the pseudo-realism of the film. The flare reminds the viewer of this artifice, and the presence of the camera itself, and of Kubrick behind the camera. There is definitely more to say about this but I'll leave it there.
I think the rainbow means the "seen" in oppossition to the "unseen". Therefore the rainbow represent the illusion by the one in the dream. The rainbow is a veil on the unseen world.
Good eye, as they say. Now I'm not sure who your "photographer friend is" but I certainly don't think his opinion is difinitive in terms of flare. I've seen plenty of similar flares especially on older triplet designs. But Kubrick was indeed a photog as well and fanatical as far as glass was concerned and quite literally had lenses constructed and modified and added onto for his specific desires, with additional elements providing different focal lengths to insanely fast pieces of glass like those made by Hasselblad for NASA, and everything in between. Things like that introduce new elements, each surface of which introduces a new flare possibility. The flare in these scenes looks consistent, with a similar field of view and depth of field each time. I've no doubt it was intentional and I'm just tickled you found and pointed this out.
How did you miss the fact that he's going over the rainbow, as opposed to, under the rainbow, or to the end of the rainbow? That was the difference in that final scene.
Those lens flares are added in pp. They're vfx. So 100% they're intentional. As far as I know Kubrick shot this film mainly with Cooke lenses. Those suckers are the best money can buy and are extremely hard to flare and certainly not in a pattern in which you can control and even less likely create the desired rainbow effect. They can flare more if the coating from the front of the lens is removed, in which case they will flare more, but with all those lights in the made-up neighborhood, the scene would have looked like a scene directed by JJ Abrams on snowballs.
I never really noticed the lense flare in the scene with Domino's flatmate before. It is there for a long time - hard to believe it wasn't noticed during shooting. Could be something to it. The other examples are less convincing but still intriguing.
2:40 The light poll in the background can also be interpreted as the “Kabbalistic Tree of Life”, with the Christmas lights hitting 8. Hod. 6. Tiphareth. 4. Chesed. 5. Geburah. 2. Chokhmah. 3. Binah.
dig your videos Rob! check out the lens flare dots on the back of bill's back as he walks down the hall to the dead patient's room. and i believe they appear again when he returns home from the party. extremely subtle.
Great finds, love this. Of course he meant it. Once you're done with EWS, maybe check out Dee Choi's analysis of the film (I know you don't usually like to do that). Very eye opening indeed. Also, check out my avatar pic screengrabbed from Strangelove - Jack D Ripper framed in the hexagonal lauchpad on the wall behind him. You're doing god's work, keep it up sir
I was watching an interview of Mac-Ultra (Mind Programming) Survivor and the phrase „you will go over the rainbow now“ was his trigger to switch in the another alter to do some things, they want him to do…I’ve heard this phrase was mentioned in another information about MK Ultra Program…When speaking of hidden symbols or meanings I just can think just about this meaning…
I believe the flares are intentional especially since Kubrick commonly did 20-40 takes of each scene. And the rainbow is of course the major dream clue in the film, repeated again and again so it’s obvious to everyone this is a dream just like Dorothy in the wizard of oz who desired nothing more than to find what she thought she was missing over the rainbow only to realize there’s danger there, it’s more nightmare than dream and there’s no place like home. How awesome to reference a “children’s story” in a film about sexuality and it adds to the odd naïveté of Bill. And I now I choose to end my wizard of oz references I’ll save those for another day lol
The rainbow represents the energy that the matter of our universe is composed of. "Where the rainbow ends" is the void of chaos outside of us where the dark intelligence resides (The Dark Tower is another version of the same concept, as well as the world's first weed church in Denver). That's why the entire movie is literally covered in rainbows except for when he enters the ritual, walking into the mansion is where the rainbow ends and he enters the world of the dark chaos magick. The first thing he witnesses is a Saturn ritual followed by an orgy. It's speculation at this point but considering Kubrick was murdered and the film was modified, it's not too grand of a leap to assume that this scene also included ritual child sacrifice and prostitution. Remember when the young girl whispered in his ear exactly what kind of cloak to wear or the magic circle game at the end of the film when their daughter was being abducted? Not to mention I get the strong feeling that the pool table explanation scene was slapped together after Kubrick was taken out and the daughter being kidnapped wasn't actually the ending but more likely meant for the 3/4 of the film. Again, just my speculation but at the same time kinda obvious.
I noticed them too the first time I saw them. I was looking for subliminals of course. But the photographer who told you he has never seen these kind of flares? Man, have you guys seen Die Hard? There's tons of rainbow flares in that film. I just googled the camera used for Die Hard. Panavision Panaflex Gold, Panavision C-, E-Series, Ultra Speed Golden and Cooke Varotal Lenses. There's even a scene where a music jingle is used to match with a lens flare to make the scene suspensful. Tho of course Die Hard is just a surface level action flick for enjoyment. But good movie.
Rob this video just made me realize; You would be a big fan of Hideo Kojima's stories. In his most recent game Death Stranding, many people are saying it mirrors the story of 2001 a space oddysey. There is even a rainbow lense flair, but the color blue is always missing from the rainbow. It's really interesting, I think you'd like it. The writer / creator is very fixated on human evolution, and refers to us now as "Homo-Ludens". Kojima Productions entire logo is like a big giant nod to Kubrick, Nasa, Space, and mankind. Thanks for showing me Rob!
It's a fake flare. I don't think you can make the arc so spot on with the camera moving along with people walking. If it's from a real light on set it is mounted on the camera equipment, but my money would be on CGI add on.
Haven't seen this mentioned. The girls at the party say "don't you want to go where the rainbow ends?" The lens flare rainbow ends between the woman's legs. I would say 100% intentional.
Brilliant analysis Rob.
The rainbow's end ends up with a chick and two Japanese restauraunteurs.
Jesus, Rob. I've seen the film an innumerable amount of times and I've never noticed this before. Great stuff. Please make more on "Eyes Wide Shut". It's easily Kubrick's best in my opinion, and also happens to be my favourite film in general. People are finally starting to realise its genius...
Guy same here! Eyes doesn’t get nearly enough love.
I am experiencing this now. It seems that most people my age (30) seem to think this film is genius. Everyone at the time was scratching their heads.... but the 15 year old kids watching it on HBO got it right away.... go figure.
good eye to notice this. its very subtle. i probably would have never picked up on it.
I accidentally came across this and this is one of my all-time favorite movies that does not get enough recognition I can't explain how many times I've tried to present this movie to other people
@@kevinelliostar Yeah, when I was a kid much of the things being said, the emotions, and the push/pull between men and women went over my head. Obviously I just saw certain parts. Now, I think it's the most honest and smartest movie ever made. I also remember how people around me called this movie degenerate and hedonistic, when really it's quite the opposite.
I lean toward it being intentional. It's amazing how Kubrick layered his films with so many subtle clues and hints. I never noticed those lens flares, and I've seen the film at least ten times.
The original password two words in the screenplay for Eyes Wide Shut was “Fidelio - Rainbow”
Guess Kubrick didn’t want to overdo it
@Richard Cayson scam.
¿its true? you have the original screenplay?, I thought Steeeeeeve had it XD
Damn, no matter how many times I watch Kubrick movies, I still get amazed!
What does "where the rainbow ends" mean please
@@newbeginning3568 The rainbow means society as we know it and consumerism. The end of that rainbow means the horrible things that the "Elite" does that are hidden from people. To a larger extent, it means something awful (no matter the importance) hidden from us normal, everyday people.
Genius level subtlety methinks.
I'm most amazed by the amount of work it had to have taken to get those specific flares at those specific places. Surely there's even more of stuff like this in the film that has stayed unnoticed. The amount of takes Kubrick took for this film is legendary. Part of it had to have been about getting these kinds of things to line up properly, but all of the retakes couldn't have been just about that. What the hell else is still in this work that's undiscovered? It's driving me right mad
nice thatnwhy Kubrick did so many takes
Such an underrated movie! I've had quite a bit of experiences where people refer to this as the "boring one" when referring to Kubrick's filmography. I don't know if it's his best, but it's up there with his other masterpieces. Great video as always, Rob! Thanks for this.
The score makes a film really is true when it comes to EWS. Unless its just Hollywood rumor bullshit, the final editing for the music in the movie didn't get done before Kubrick died. The people who took over just riddled it with one of the most generic songs in the biz: Waltz No.2 by Dmitri Shostakovich.
Every "normal movie go-er" I've talked to who has seen it thought it was just a shitty weird romantic drama. God I would have loved to see their faces at the party scene.
@@throwaway5744 Ehhh, he was a connoisseur of classical/modernist music so the Shostakovich piece strikes me as a Kubrick pick. Reviewers lambasted his choices in music for 2001 as well when it came out for the same reasons.
I would argue that rainbows (or at least the colors of) are in a sense present in nearly every scene, given the persistent use of Christmas tree lights and primary colors (which can be combined to make other colors). I always thought the "ends of the rainbow" was a reference to the limitations of human perception. Humans can only see the visible portion of the EM spectrum, which is shown in the colors of the rainbow, although the spectrum is much wider. The ends of the rainbow are where our perceptions end. Combine perceptual limitations with all the mask-wearing, deception-is-a-necessity, do-you-know-anyone-here-not-a-soul stuff, I think it's meant to say something about the inability of people to really know each other, even within the context of a marriage. I could be completely off-base here, but it's possible Kubrick meant the phrase to have multiple metaphors.
Good points. I also suspect that "where the rainbow ends" means far more than just sex. For Mandy, for example, it ends with death, for Domino it ends with HIV, and it could have ended very badly for Dr. Bill too. While the movie seems to be about sex at first viewing, that's only one component, and arguably not the most important one. In any case, when the movie starts, Bill sees only a very narrow segment of the spectrum. In the end, his eyes are indeed wide open, but for how long...?
Very good point, open for how long? Until he dies. Sex and death are intimately linked through out the film. Everywhere there is sex, there is the threat of or presence of death. Mandy and Ziegler's sex session is interrupted by her drug overdose. There is a sense of dread when Bill is discovered at the orgy - will he be raped and killed? The hooker who he nearly has sex with is actually HIV positive. And so forth.
Bill and Alice really have their eyes wide shut all the way. Bill just bought the story of Ziegler, at least thats my logical interpretation, Alice has not resolved anything that at least we have seen, nothing is solved. They just but up another mask because of Helena, who they really dont pay any attention and who they educate to be the next generation of Mandys, Dominos, or Alices for that matter.
However, I think the end is supposed to be interpreted in different ways as we are starting to open our eyes that are wide shut. Only after we really open them, we see that Alice and Bill are completely in sleep, because they think they are awake when they have resolved nothing.
I hope that this Kubricks hardest to understand masterpiece will get the attention of what The Shining has.
Yes and when he goes over the rainbowshop he takes on a new masked and secret persona.
But the rainbow is what you can see but even then it is kind of bent, but pleasing to the eye.
What does "where the rainbow ends" mean please
I have no words. SK was a master in his craft and a true genius. I take this movie as his farewell warning to the humankind he adored and loved so much. Truly a cinema hero for me.
Kubrick was so exacting and meticulous, I don't believe he allowed anything on the screen accidentally.
Someone just mentioned on my FB posting about this vid ... there's a damned rainbow towel hanging up in shot when Bill is trying it on with Domino's room mate there too! Great observation Joseph Nardi.
Welcome!
Kubrick was s genius with lighting. He was able to sneak an eyeball reflection onto bill’s back. Right after Bill gets confronted at the party. When he walks into his apartment, you can see a reflection of an eye run across his back. I think it symbolizes that Bill is now being watched at all times. He’s got “eyes on his back”
Hi Rob, BIG FAN from Blackburn. Just wondering your take on all the interesting pictures/ mask and things on the wall at the bed time storey. One seems to be (please correct me if you do not feel the same) various bears (missing eye) same with Panda bear and a few paintings around the home. One on Alice's bedroom wall. Please zoom in on the top one. I think its Alice sat on somebody's body/face. Another quick one is the painting in the lounge ( Flowers) there is a child face in the bottom left and the painting in general is very interesting also the breakfast shot. On the honey there is two eyes and a nose drawn on in black.. Seems every time i watch it again i see more and more. One more i found interesting is when Dr Bill turns up at the party. Check those gates out? Keep up the fantastic work. Your killing it...
Rob, your film analysis page loads incredibly slowly, which could turn away customers. You might want to look for better hosting.
eh, "rainbow" might be stretching it a bit on that one. Its just pink yellow and green
Considering its consistent placement and shape, it can be certain that Kubrick didn't manipulate the lights to create the effect, but through post-editing.
See 2:20 , the camera angle dips down only a fraction of a degree, but the whole flare moves down and out of frame, then returns back to the scene drastically after re-centering onto Tom.
Having worked with film + cinematography, I find it likely to almost impossible to create something that consistent (especially whilst moving; lens flares are organic, change and disappear quite instantaneously)
There is a way, but it'd require a blank film photograph of a rainbow flare taken with a black backdrop (to bring out the colours from the negative), so that Kubrick could essentially layer it over the original film as needed.
It can be concluded that this is more than likely an active decision by Kubrick - adding extra genius depth as he always does.
Rob belongs on tv with his own programme.
Survive the Jive The Great British Bake Off
Also notice the light between them are the colour of a rainbow. Interesting to note that every time those Christmas light colours appear in the background are representing the rainbow thing Kubrick has going on in the film. Like the “under the rainbow” restaurant which has lots of colourful multi-coloured lights. Also, earlier on in the film those lights appeared behind Bill when the women tell him about “where the rainbow ends.” The framing suggests that the two women ARE the end of the rainbow.
So you are saying Kubrick was trying to tell the world that Tom Cruise is gay.
That's an argument that can be made :)
It's artistically beautiful, if he was?
because he had a little flair? haha I get it... Damn Kubrick is good. :P
and Tom never knew Kubrick put in the flare...until today .......
The rainbow flag is also the banner for the LGBT movement.
With rumors of this film being edited by outside forces, we must strive to find hidden themes and subtleties like this one, which those outside forces may have missed. Thanks Rob! Keep up the good work!
I also think that the coloured Christmas lights in the background of a lot of the shots symbolize the rainbows.
Yep: definitely very carefully chosen lens, lighting and camera work. Great find! The more I find out about Kubrick, the more I am blown away. The man not only knew his lighting and lenses, but also the mirror reflex systems, film stocks, lab work.... all very important factors. He nailed it back in the day when there were no monitors with grids, histograms, focus contours - just light meters, viewfinders and skill.
In the documentary movie "Filmworker" (2017) about Kubrick´s close(est) companion Leon Vitali there´s a bit info about these flares ca 45 minutes into the film, Leon: "... whenever I say to Stanley that there´s flares in the shot he said "I like flares" so I never bothered to mention it. So we´re watching the rushes and he saw this flare and so he says "Leon, this flare!" and I said "well you always said you liked flare", and he gave me such a bollocking...."
-In order words: un-intentional but Stanley kept it in. And Rob nailed why once again making this video yet another pleasure to watch!
If you notice, all the Christmas lights in the scene were also colored. This was probably done on purpose as well. Kubrick was definitely experimenting with color here. Whether that’s tied onto the rainbow or not, only he would know. From watching his films it’s quite obvious that a lot of his placements were by design.
I lean toward it being intentional. There are so many rainbows in this movie, from beautiful proverbial ones to sleazy ones (kitchen towel, the shop where they sell the masks, etc). "Where the rainbow ends" is defintely a theme. When Bill and Domino are talking on the bed after the phone call, the kitchen towel is visible behind the Dr. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold. Domino has a lamp above her head, kinda like a halo, she looks like a sweet innocent angel. Then Bill gives her the money (at the end of the rainbow towel) and when she gets the money, she isn't under the lamp/halo. Not so innocent anymore. The rainbow fantasy appears and in the end it's a corrupted pot of gold. Domino has AIDS, Rainbow Costume Rental (the owner prostitutes his own underage daughter for a pot of gold), Bill plays an ultrawealthy masked man, but in the end he's just a little pot of gold-owner compared to the ultrawealthy Ziegler and co types with their massive infinite pot of golds.
Genius subtlety no doubt. Kubrick was a mensch who knew every aspect of the film making process.
Awesome! As a film maker, I always look forward to seeing your work. Keep it up!
Very nice! Admittedly missed this one, and I've done A LOT of analysis on this one.
Brilliant. Have you talked about the pink hues in the. movie (Christmas lights, pink hue in his doctor's office, etc)?
Your videos are fantastic and fascinating
Rob have you watched Filmworker, the documentary about Leon Vitali? He mentions this briefly, it was an accident, Kubrick was raging when he saw it apparently
He's a liar. It was no accident.
The part he´s walking with Domino and she teases him, the lens flares comes from Bill´s lower parts 3:13. Could that mean like his sexual energy arising in that situation?
They ALL come from (or are on) his lower parts, exept the last one, which is on the stairs.
i saw a different rainbow arc within the story. Before he is exposed , he is approached by a butler wearing a gold mask who takes him through a ballroom with gay and lesbian dancers ,also wearing gold masks. All the while the same music from the "Gold Room " ball scene in the Shining is playing in the background. Gold at the end of Rainbow
The Rainbow Room, "Rockefeller" Plaza, Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan NYC. What was it? Who owned it, who built it, who sold it, who ran it? ...Who attended..? Christmas lights in scenes with lens flares... Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center... IS there a connection?
Yes
beautiful colors in this film. tom cruise is a weird guy but a very, very good film actor.
Great discovery. I don't think it is accidental since it happens too often that a perfectionist like Kubrick would let it stay in his movie if it wasn't intentional.
At 1:18 Bill makes a slightly similar gesture as Jack in the 1921 photo from The shining?
Of course is the genius of Kubrick!
He did something similar in The Shining, some say he used the sound of the word Shine in some very specifyc moments in background, varely perceptible
Where's the brief flare when Tom meets Dimino? I can't see it all.
You have a great sense of observation Rob very good :)
the sections your L.Hicks fan noticed also have a string of colored lights in the background, on the fire escape, that form a 3. You can see it at 2:18, at 3:04, and at 3:25. I thought the timing was "too perfect" when the 3 is revealed during the "how'd you like to have a little fun" clip. That was deliberately timed. Is it a 3? Some other symbolic shape? 3some? Bringing a 3rd person into the relationship? thought it might help you unlock something.
With Kubrick there are no accidents. Thanks for the video.
Wasn't this flare debunked in the documentary Filmworker a year prior to this upload?
So by rainbow you're referring to the shape of the lens flare, like an arch shape. I was looking for multi-colored flares. It would be very helpful to other viewers if you could add a note explaining that or something.Though i did notice that in most of the same shots there's also reflections from christmas lights which are multicolored, or the christmas lights themselves visible in the background out of focus, which resembles a rainbow as far as color goes.
Yes, there are various Xmas light lens flares or refractions in other scenes too.
holy shit, i never even saw this in the movie despite numerous viewings.... amazing find... im almost over the rainbow
This was a great film.
If we are to assume Kubrick makes near zero mistakes when shooting, whether it’s visual or audio queues, and that each one has a purpose, then what would the purpose of playing Requiem be in the restaurant? Requiem was Mozart’s final piece that he composed as he was dying; in fact he knew he was dying which was the reason he wrote it. Did Kubrick, like Mozart, signal to us that this was his last work and that he knew it?
"visual or audio queues"?
do you mean "cues"?
"queues" are people,vehicles,whatever waiting in line.
Don't forget that the credited names of the jazz band are Zippy, George, and Bungle too
00:08 and that site?
I think this could be a reference to 2001 space odyssey. It makes me think of the way the planets align with the sun on top, if you were to draw a line with the center of the two "lens flares" it would point to Tom Cruise's head, perhaps associating the character as an "enlightened" being. We see this being portrayed in old paintings portraying enlighten people with a sun disc behind their head (see Buddha, Christ, the apostles and many many others.)
Another thing I don't see many people talk about is Kubrick's use of geometrical shapes, especially the hexagon. The women dressed in red in your video has an hexagonal pattern on her dress, the spaceship in space odyssey has three hexagonaly shaped thrusters, the red space suit in one of the scenes has an hexagon, one of the ships on the moon is hexagonal, the red carpet in The Shining etc.
Just stuff to think about.
Except it's always around his crotch so it's more like the wrong head is illuminated... lol.
Yeah I've also thought about the use of shapes in 2001 but never made any connections of meaning from it
Like HAL being a circle within a rectangle, the obvious rectangle shape of the monolith, the ship that lands on Clavius is a sphere. What do you think these shapes mean?
just noticed the dish towel hanging in apartment is rainbow pattern too
Hi Rob. I just found your videos. I believe, while some try to create things intentionally and in fact do, our physical realm is more affected by the spiritual realm than most people realize. This tends to flow out in to our consciousness through art and some sciences while being totally missed by many who only see the physical and thing in b/w. We tend to shape our realities by what we convince our subconscious mind to believe is true. If we as groups of people are able to change what our subconscious mind believes to be true then our physical reality is changed. Reality is all perception and so in that sense the Mandela Effect is real and really occurring. The spiritual realm is more real than our physical reality. All the best to you!
You missed an obvious one -- the christmas lights are a further rainbow flare. They occur 2 or 3 times in this video. At 2:25, the shot is a mirror image of the 0:40 shot: a flare in the foreground and christmas lights in the background, but this time on the wall of the shop in the background and the shop's indigo display lights.
I've noticed there are also Xmas trees in almost every scene where sex may or is about to take place in the film.
Look up saturnalia and that will help you
@@tiancole8763 Yea I think it's referenced to saturnalia where Romans had orgies as celebration
There's also a lens flare in A Clockwork Orange when Alex ia i the hospital bed. When the reporters stream in and begin snapping photos, a white line appears above Alex's toes. You have to slow it down, bit it's there. It may be a reference to the warden telling him to keep his toes behind the white line earlier in the film
in the 2 scenes with Bill and Millich's transaction picking out and returning his cape and hood and mask there is a bit of extra emphasis to the ever-present sarcasm in Milledge's voice when he (in the pickup scene) repeats Bill's request and again when he asks Bill (during the return) if his costume worked out satisfactorily, which planted the thought as I watch that Milledge knows exactly what party Bill wants his costume for, and is having a bit of a private laugh on Bill about that. Part of this impression comes from Millich asking him (approx'ly) "What kind of cloak you want? Red? Brown? Red?" as if he already knows and is teasing him. Could as easily be part of Millich character's sarcastic belittling attitude is his perpetual norm.
Fascinating. Most directors would see a rainbow lens flare in a shot as a screw up and fixed to remove it
Models ask Bill the go “where the rainbow ends”, they probably refer to going “where the elite gathers and performs rituals”.
They are accidents. If they had a precise meaning they would be consistent in conveying that meaning but, as you demonstrate throughout the video, they occur in scenes without any sort of connection or consistent theme.
And you can easily explain the reason why they always occur in the lower frame, because it would be right over the subjects faces if it was any higher and would look bad or out of place. Kubrick probably liked the way that particular lens refracted light and decided that he didn't mind the rainbow flare providing it wasn't egregious or distracting.
Perhaps Kubrick dropped those rainbows at precise moments in post-production, like the "shone" audio moments in THE SHINING.
Haha, I've never bought into the "shone" video personally. Just seemed like a re-used sound effect of a sliding door.
I doubt it cause i think it wouldn't have looked as good in post.
@@collativelearning but.......why would they be in the film continuously
At 3.33 when he enters the cafe, the christmas decoration he walks under is shaped like a rainbow and has coloured lights
Hh, could well be the intention. I noticed that same prop shows up in Zeigler's hallway near the end too. Never thought of it as a rainbow though.
Also. It is obvious he is using the lens flare as a motif. Filmmakers always use motifs that not many viewers can pick up. Kubrick used this lens flare as a motif because he was always executing a film signature "chess game" against all other filmmakers. He worked at a completely different level.
Very interesting. It takes a fair amount of light bouncing about inside the lens elements to get this effect in-camera so if it was intended it would have taken an awful lot of effort to catch it on set, particularly in the shots when the camera is moving. Maybe Kubrick caught it happening on one of the rushes and had the idea of repeating it as a motif, a happy accident maybe, but probably in post-production. It's pretty easy to fake lens flares in post these days but I'm not sure about when EWS came out. Of the particular type of arc rainbow flare noted I've only seen this happen in extremely wide, fish -eye type lenses myself, it's to do with the convex nature of the outer element being more spherical than longer lenses or something. Usually you can tell from the bowing of vertical lines in a shot if a cheaper wide lens was used (amongst other things like spatial expansion between subject and background) but I know Kubrick had super expensive (sometimes custom made) lenses which are designed to mitigate aforementioned effects. I wouldn't be surprised if he deliberately used such a visual motif though, it seams plausible to me. Nice work Rob ;-)
My first thought would be to find out what lense was used and if this was a common issue with this lense.
But even if it was, the odds are that he used it to his advantage, or even selected this lense for that effect. There's zero chance he would be ok with it unless he wanted it there. At the very least he positioned it where he wanted it to be.
Now, as far as how important it was to the whole point of the film, I'd say it was 0.01% important to the overall meaning. But these small points add up in the end.
It is definitely not a happy accident. I'm currently writing an analysis which includes an extended take on this aspect. To make it short I believe the lens flares each have their own meanings in their specific contexts; however taken broadly together the flares point to conscious artificialities built in to the pseudo-realism of the film. The flare reminds the viewer of this artifice, and the presence of the camera itself, and of Kubrick behind the camera. There is definitely more to say about this but I'll leave it there.
thanks for your vids rob. i'm too much of a cheapo to buy the full versions so these quick little ones wet my appetite quite nicely. cheers.
That's perfectly fine. Shame though, you're missing out ...
He was the greatest.Directed masterfully Cruise to act like he isinto women.
Was the rainbow lenses in this scene another secret message ?
I think the rainbow means the "seen" in oppossition to the "unseen". Therefore the rainbow represent the illusion by the one in the dream.
The rainbow is a veil on the unseen world.
You always sound stuffy...but feel better. Lighting effects are genius moves by Kubrick.
Good eye, as they say. Now I'm not sure who your "photographer friend is" but I certainly don't think his opinion is difinitive in terms of flare. I've seen plenty of similar flares especially on older triplet designs. But Kubrick was indeed a photog as well and fanatical as far as glass was concerned and quite literally had lenses constructed and modified and added onto for his specific desires, with additional elements providing different focal lengths to insanely fast pieces of glass like those made by Hasselblad for NASA, and everything in between. Things like that introduce new elements, each surface of which introduces a new flare possibility. The flare in these scenes looks consistent, with a similar field of view and depth of field each time. I've no doubt it was intentional and I'm just tickled you found and pointed this out.
2:44 Kubrick cameo in the black hat coming around the corner?
The rainbow always seems to be placed somewhere around the pelvic area. As though it's an aura emanating upward.
Interesting stuff
A part from all the rainbow lights here and there in those scenes
It's curious that in the lens flare scenes, there's apparently always multi-coloured Christmas lights visible in the background or foreground.
How did you miss the fact that he's going over the rainbow, as opposed to, under the rainbow, or to the end of the rainbow? That was the difference in that final scene.
You can clearly see that the tea towel in the backround has a rainbow on it too.
Those lens flares are added in pp. They're vfx. So 100% they're intentional. As far as I know Kubrick shot this film mainly with Cooke lenses. Those suckers are the best money can buy and are extremely hard to flare and certainly not in a pattern in which you can control and even less likely create the desired rainbow effect. They can flare more if the coating from the front of the lens is removed, in which case they will flare more, but with all those lights in the made-up neighborhood, the scene would have looked like a scene directed by JJ Abrams on snowballs.
Nae Dolor Cooke lenses do flare, and if you check the lens flare on a zeiss superspeed 25mm you will see this flare
But wouldn't a lens flare have a multi-sided shape (rather than a round one) because of the diaphragm? Or does that happen only with photo lenses?
I never really noticed the lense flare in the scene with Domino's flatmate before. It is there for a long time - hard to believe it wasn't noticed during shooting. Could be something to it. The other examples are less convincing but still intriguing.
Next time I watch it I won't be able to take my eyes off the bottom of the screen.
Those lensflares remind me somehow flash frames of Pazuzu in "The Exorcist", but maybe I'm reaching too far.
I mean, Stanley "I need 2000 shots of this man picking up the phone" Kubrick released a film with things he didnt wanted in it? Hmmmm
2:40 The light poll in the background can also be interpreted as the “Kabbalistic Tree of Life”, with the Christmas lights hitting 8. Hod. 6. Tiphareth. 4. Chesed. 5. Geburah. 2. Chokhmah. 3. Binah.
It really impressed me. Frankly, I would like to meet the people who star in this movie.
dig your videos Rob! check out the lens flare dots on the back of bill's back as he walks down the hall to the dead patient's room. and i believe they appear again when he returns home from the party. extremely subtle.
Makes me think of Saturn Worship. 1:11 Hexagons on woman’s dress to the left. Occult hand signals from the woman on the right.
hmm...never noticed that before! very cool
I think you're onto something there. It also seems to me that each time the rainbow lens flare appears, it looks like it's pointing at Jack.
Great finds, love this. Of course he meant it. Once you're done with EWS, maybe check out Dee Choi's analysis of the film (I know you don't usually like to do that). Very eye opening indeed. Also, check out my avatar pic screengrabbed from Strangelove - Jack D Ripper framed in the hexagonal lauchpad on the wall behind him. You're doing god's work, keep it up sir
huh...Someone above you posted a bunch of other hexagons that pop up in Kubrick Movies, even in eyes wide shut.
I think this is my favourite 'oh blimey' video about movies.
There is also eye on the back of Bill in this scene watch?v=cugpmP_R1vA
Krubrick including Thomas Pynchon sexual metaphysics from "Gravitys Rainbow"?
I was watching an interview of Mac-Ultra (Mind Programming) Survivor and the phrase „you will go over the rainbow now“ was his trigger to switch in the another alter to do some things, they want him to do…I’ve heard this phrase was mentioned in another information about MK Ultra Program…When speaking of hidden symbols or meanings I just can think just about this meaning…
I believe the flares are intentional especially since Kubrick commonly did 20-40 takes of each scene. And the rainbow is of course the major dream clue in the film, repeated again and again so it’s obvious to everyone this is a dream just like Dorothy in the wizard of oz who desired nothing more than to find what she thought she was missing over the rainbow only to realize there’s danger there, it’s more nightmare than dream and there’s no place like home. How awesome to reference a “children’s story” in a film about sexuality and it adds to the odd naïveté of Bill. And I now I choose to end my wizard of oz references I’ll save those for another day lol
I believe the rainbow is a MK-ultra reference.
All seeing eye on bills back when he returns from Somerton, entering his apartment. Very unsettling.
Dude, it's true, for a split second you see a big eye on his back. Good find!
The towel on the left also is reminisced of a rainbow.
The rainbow represents the energy that the matter of our universe is composed of. "Where the rainbow ends" is the void of chaos outside of us where the dark intelligence resides (The Dark Tower is another version of the same concept, as well as the world's first weed church in Denver). That's why the entire movie is literally covered in rainbows except for when he enters the ritual, walking into the mansion is where the rainbow ends and he enters the world of the dark chaos magick. The first thing he witnesses is a Saturn ritual followed by an orgy. It's speculation at this point but considering Kubrick was murdered and the film was modified, it's not too grand of a leap to assume that this scene also included ritual child sacrifice and prostitution. Remember when the young girl whispered in his ear exactly what kind of cloak to wear or the magic circle game at the end of the film when their daughter was being abducted? Not to mention I get the strong feeling that the pool table explanation scene was slapped together after Kubrick was taken out and the daughter being kidnapped wasn't actually the ending but more likely meant for the 3/4 of the film. Again, just my speculation but at the same time kinda obvious.
I noticed them too the first time I saw them. I was looking for subliminals of course. But the photographer who told you he has never seen these kind of flares? Man, have you guys seen Die Hard? There's tons of rainbow flares in that film. I just googled the camera used for Die Hard. Panavision Panaflex Gold, Panavision C-, E-Series, Ultra Speed Golden and Cooke Varotal Lenses. There's even a scene where a music jingle is used to match with a lens flare to make the scene suspensful. Tho of course Die Hard is just a surface level action flick for enjoyment. But good movie.
Rob this video just made me realize; You would be a big fan of Hideo Kojima's stories. In his most recent game Death Stranding, many people are saying it mirrors the story of 2001 a space oddysey. There is even a rainbow lense flair, but the color blue is always missing from the rainbow. It's really interesting, I think you'd like it. The writer / creator is very fixated on human evolution, and refers to us now as "Homo-Ludens". Kojima Productions entire logo is like a big giant nod to Kubrick, Nasa, Space, and mankind. Thanks for showing me Rob!
Great as always Rob! Just a question I’m from the US so if I buy videos on your website is there any extra fee I’d be charged ?
Is there Kubrick script of EWS somewhere?
He was a genius with lights.
It's a fake flare. I don't think you can make the arc so spot on with the camera moving along with people walking. If it's from a real light on set it is mounted on the camera equipment, but my money would be on CGI add on.