'Eyes Wide Shut' Vinyl Soundtrack Coming From Mondo This Week

Nothing says the holidays like Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick's psycho-sexual drama set at Christmastime. Kubrick's film – his last, completed right before his death – has become a kind of gonzo alternative holiday movie, and to celebrate this festive season, Mondo is releasing the film's soundtrack on vinyl for the first time ever. The Eyes Wide Shut vinyl soundtrack release was even fully approved by stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and the Kubrick Estate.

I make it a point to include Eyes Wide Shut in my Christmas movie watching every year. Your arguments about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie bore me – let's all talk about Stanley Kubrick's weird, brilliant movie about Tom Cruise roaming around a fake-looking New York on a quest for revenge sex instead! Released in 1999, Eyes Wide Shut was greeted with mostly positive reactions – it was a Kubrick movie, after all. But some people were put off at how cold the whole thing was. And after months and months of hype surrounding all the sexual material in the flick, the end result wasn't very sexy at all. But that's kind of the point. Yes, there's sex in the movie – there's a big orgy with creepy masks and everything – but Kubrick isn't trying to titillate the viewer with his final film. In other words, he wasn't trying to make something you watch late at night on Cinemax, and that confused some people.

Over the years, though, Eyes Wide Shut has developed a healthy following from those who recognize how great the movie is. And the film's Christmastime setting – there's a Christmas tree in almost every scene – has made it the perfect alternative holiday season movie. And now, just in time for holiday shopping, Mondo is releasing the film's eclectic soundtrack on vinyl. Here are some details:

As is typical of a Kubrick score, it features previously existing tracks and classical pieces, but also contains four original pieces recorded especially for the film by composer Jocelyn Pook. These pieces are the centerpiece of the film and are incredibly unsettling and experimental, perfectly complementing the disturbing and ominous visuals.

Artwork was created by Alan Hynes and fully approved by the Kubrick Estate, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. The package is as dark and mysterious as the film itself: two beautiful printed inner sleeves are housed inside a bespoke die cut jacket printed by Stoughton Press.

EYES WIDE SHUT – Music From The Motion Picture 2xLP. Music by George Ligeti, Dmitri Shostakovich, Chris Isaak, The Victor Silvester Orchestra, The Oscar Peterson Trio, Jocelyn Pook, Roy Gerson, Peter Luges Orchestra, Brad Mehldau and Franz Liszt. Artwork by Alan Hynes. Pressed on 2x180g vinyl and housed inside a bespoke die-cut sleeve with obi strip. Expected to ship January 2021. Ships Worldwide. Strictly 2 per person. $40.

I wish they would've had this ready in time to arrive for this Christmas season, but I'm happy the release exists at all. The Eyes Wide Shut vinyl soundtrack will on sale here on Wednesday at noon CST.