MovieChat Forums > Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Discussion > I don't buy the daughter theory...

I don't buy the daughter theory...

posted 3 months ago by jcdugger (395)
2 replies | jump to latest

...The theory in which Bill and Alice leave their child with those guys at the mall. It doesn't pass the smell test to me.

For one, if you're going to give your kid away to strangers, I'd imagine you wouldn't do it at the most public place possible, a mall in the 90's at Christmas-time! All the kid has to do is start kicking and screaming and a huge scene would be created. You'd do this in an empty parking lot, not in a place packed full of potential witnesses and hero's. Secondly, while shopping, Alice cringed when she looked at a price tag on an item the kid wanted. Like you'd care what the price is of something you have no intention of buying. Lastly, people point to the "We have to do one thing immediately...F" line as some sort of clue that they're going to replace the child with a new one. Sorry but your mind is going to be on "How in the F do we explain a missing daughter to the local authorities, assuredly soon the FBI, and our families?!" rather than sex at that point. Alice was obviously referring to the fact that Bill was out trying to get laid and she was fantasizing about other men as a reason why they needed to F to get their marriage back on track, get back to normal. Simply getting pregnant and having a new kid doesn't hide the fact that you already had a kid and it's missing! Coming from a rich NY doctor's family, the FBI would assuredly get involved in the case. It would be risky on the Illuminati's part as well, knowing the FBI will soon be putting pressure on someone who knows the location of two of their home residences and the identity of at least one member of their group.

Also, I've known a lot of women in my days...if I were married to one of them and my actions led to us having to give our only child away to gangsters, I'm quite sure her reaction, immediately upon giving away the child, wouldn't be "Ok, let's go home and screw, get me pregnant!"

I don't buy it.

[–] pazuzu9 (407) 3 months ago

Yeah, it's nonsense. The movie is based on Arthur Schnitzler's Dream Story. The movie movie shouldn't be taken literally in any way.

[–] christomacin (4729) 3 months ago

Some people are trying to remake EWS into the film THEY wanted to see, rather than the film that it is. In other words, they want a lurid "thriller" ending. I DO think there actually is some symbolism going on with the daughter in the toy shop, but it's much more subtle and interesting than a kidnapping subplot.

First of all, I don't get anyone would claim we are seeing a literal kidnapping, just from a common sense point of view, Helena is FOLLOWING the two bald men away from her parents. They are "following" her and aren't even looking at her at all. The fact that the two old bald men and the young long-haired waiter we see at Zeigler's in the beginning show up again at the end is interesting, how ever.

Two points need to be made, the first being her name Helena is a variation on the name of Zeigler's wife, which is Ilena, both of which are derived from the name Helena. The second is the scene where Alice is helping Helena with her homework, which is a math problem figuring out "which man has more money".

The significance of the name, I believe, is a reference to the story of Helen of Troy. Helen left her husband and family and ran of with Paris. In some versions she goes willingly, in others, she is abducted. In any case, this story is reminiscent of Alice's story of running off with the naval officer.

The significance of the math problem is that it's almost as if Helena is being iscbll being trained and groomed from an early age to make a "good match" with a wealthy man.

So, Helena being "abducted", or at the very least lured into following after the wealthy bald old men, is symbolic of the potential life path Helena might take in the future. Will she end up a kept trophy wife like Zeigler's wife and namesake Ilena, perfectly aware of her husband infidelity and perhaps even complicit in his orgies and other corrupt activities?