Fake ID
It's a measure of Stanley Kubrick's exactitude that he had this New York State driver's license made up for Tom Cruise's William Harford character, which might have conceivably been used for an insert shot in Eyes Wide Shot. (No such shot turned up in the final cut.) Except if Kubrick was really a detail freak, he'd have made the expiration date on the license the same year as EWS's expected release date (i.e., 1999) or beyond, and not October 1997.
And the fact that license says Harford's height is 5'10" while most celebrity height sites put Cruise's stature at around 5'7" tells you Kubrick was not above sacrificing reality on the altar of flattery.
The Harford license is one of the hundreds of items in the currently viewable Kubrick Archives in London.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 16, 2008 at 10:40 AM
comment #1
VoiceOfReason
says ...
The same thing happens in Minority Report when the precogs finger his character as a suspect and give out his physical description. I laughed out loud when they said five foot ten. Must be a contractual thing with Cruise
Posted by VoiceOfReason
at July 16, 2008 10:59 AM
comment #2
DavidF
says ...
re: the date - wasn't EWS riddiculously delayed? Isn't that why Keitel pulled out?
I forget the timeline now but did it take so long that it was supposed to come out in 1997??
Posted by DavidF
at July 16, 2008 11:00 AM
comment #3
cinefan
says ...
When I got my first driver's license, I did add two inches to my height (I think I perhaps wished I was taller than I actually was). I wonder if many men, particularly those like Cruise who are of a shorter stature, would add a few inches to their height on the driver's license application.
Posted by cinefan
at July 16, 2008 11:01 AM
comment #4
Mark
says ...
isn't that the actual photo from Ethan Hunt's file in the original Mission Impossible? Couldn't someone take a current polaroid?
Posted by Mark
at July 16, 2008 11:05 AM
comment #5
jackfly11
says ...
My understanding is that Tom Cruise was playing a character who was 5' 10". And older.
Posted by jackfly11
at July 16, 2008 11:17 AM
comment #6
Joel
says ...
Good catch, Mark.
Posted by Joel
at July 16, 2008 12:06 PM
comment #7
Doug Pratt
says ...
re:the expiration date.
Remember, the film came in about 2 years over schedule
Posted by Doug Pratt
at July 16, 2008 12:09 PM
comment #8
ZayTonday
says ...
lololololol 5'10"...
But really, I think 5'7 is a bit too generous as well. That guy is SHORT.
Posted by ZayTonday
at July 16, 2008 12:13 PM
comment #9
BurmaShave
says ...
Mark I imagine that was something of an inside joke. Kubrick was too meticulous to be that lazy.
Posted by BurmaShave
at July 16, 2008 12:27 PM
comment #10
JeffGP
says ...
Re: Mark and Joe...
The picture wouldn't be up to date... if anything, considering the license's date of issue (1994), Ethan Hunt would be TOO RECENT a photo. Lord knows my driver's license does not have a photo from 2011 on it.
Posted by JeffGP
at July 16, 2008 12:28 PM
comment #11
joncro
says ...
celebrity height sites?
good lord
Posted by joncro
at July 16, 2008 1:49 PM
comment #12
otakuhouse
says ...
Give some respect to the props people who actually fabricate such items.
Posted by otakuhouse
at July 16, 2008 2:19 PM
comment #13
Edward
says ...
Not enough respect goes to the behind the scenes people. I love acting, but one of my fondest memories is being a carpenter for a production of Eugene O'Neill's, "Ah, Wilderness!" and getting applause for the set.
Posted by Edward
at July 16, 2008 3:03 PM
comment #14
DarthCorleone
says ...
Maybe Dr. Harsford just postponed renewing his license. He lives in New York; does the character actually drive in the movie?
Posted by DarthCorleone
at July 16, 2008 6:16 PM
comment #15
dd
says ...
wonder if many men, particularly those like Cruise who are of a shorter stature, would add a few inches to their height on the driver's license application.
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