VIDEO; 'EYES' RATES A CLOSER LOOK.

Byline: Rob Lowman Entertainment Editor

Confronted with an often visually alluring but removed tale of sexual jealousy and obsession, reviewers of Stanley Kubrick's ``Eyes Wide Shut'' for the most part offered assessments that tread a fine line between expressing disappointment while not questioning Kubrick's ``genius.''

There is something ironic in critics offering essentially snap judgments on a work of art that Kubrick labored for years to produce, but the filmmaker often got early mixed reviews on his films only to have them end up on all-time-best lists. Now with the release of ``Eyes Wide Shut'' on DVD, everyone has a chance to give the film the look it deserves - without the hype about sexual titillation or its married stars, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

(The film originally received an NC-17 rating, but Kubrick had a couple of digital figures inserted to hide the offending actions and placate the ratings board. The original version played in Europe but is not part of the new disc.)

The DVD release coincided with the one-year anniversary of Kubrick's death and contains interviews with Cruise, Kidman and director Steven Spielberg, who was a friend of Kubrick's. The Cruise and Kidman segments predictably go over Kubrick's obsession for retakes, which the pair confirms. (Under the interviewer's ineffectual questioning, we're lucky we learn anything.)

Kidman, in defense of Kubrick, offers: ``Stanley was always waiting for something to happen. Always looking for something that surprised him or piqued his interest. It was about exploring all facets of it so he could go into the editing room.''

Couple that observation with a story that Spielberg told about a conversation he had with Kubrick, who was asking what Spielberg thought of the 1980 film ``The Shining,'' starring Jack Nicholson. Spielberg, who at the time did not much care for the film, notes that Kubrick immediately saw through his hemming and hawing, and asked him what he thought was wrong. Spielberg pointed to Nicholson's performance, which he thought was over the top. Kubrick then asked him to name his five favorite actors, and Spielberg reeled off names like Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart. But when his list didn't include James Cagney, Kubrick pointed out that that was the difference between them. He considered Cagney, who was known for his larger-than-life performances, a great actor.

And when you watch ``Eyes Wide Shut'' a second time and are able to savor Kidman's out-there performance, stop watching the naked people (and there are lots of them) and watch the unique way that Kubrick tells a story, the film takes on a new life.

Spielberg notes that ``The Shining'' is now one of his favorite films and he has watched it 25 times, which reminds us that snap judgments aren't always right. That isn't to say that ``Eyes'' is perfect, but as Spielberg says, ``Nobody could shoot a picture better in history.''

Which means that in the future, ``Eyes'' might be more highly regarded than it was last summer.

``Eyes Wide Shut'' from Warner Bros., including interviews with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg, is $24.98 on DVD.

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Photo: Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise star in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut," now available on DVD.