The Eyes Wide Shut conspiracy theory: did someone cut a crucial 20 minutes from Kubrick's ...

Theory Briefing

• Kubrick died only days after showing Warner Bros. his final cut, leaving no one to confirm what the original version contained.
• The conspiracy holds that 20 minutes were removed from the film before release, possibly to soften its portrayal of elite secret rituals.
• Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in a film whose central orgy-ritual scene already drew heavy scrutiny and digital censorship on release.
• The theory hinges on whether a studio would alter a dead director's vision — and whether anyone with motive had the opportunity.