Search - Stanley Kubrick Collection (2001: A Space Odyssey / Dr. Strangelove / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining / Lolita / Barry Lyndon / Full Metal Jacket / Eyes Wide Shut) on DVD

Warner Brothers Cleans Up Its Act - Literally.

The Groove | Boston, MA | 03/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're reading this, chances are you've already seen many (if not all) of these movies and understand their significance in modern cinema. So, a review of the films themselves is fairly pointless. What I will discuss are the technical aspects of these DVDs as well as the bonus documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures." Like many of you, I bought some of the original Stanley Kubrick DVDs, and I can testify that they were shameful presentations of the director's work. "The Shining" had scratches, lines, and dirt all over the film. "A Clockwork Orange" looked woefully drab and washed out. But the worst offense was "Barry Lyndon." Not only did this picture suffer from print flaws, but the image, at one point, WOBBLED. Warner Brothers knew they had a turkey on their hands, so they discontinued these films and re-released them with digitally remastered picture and 5.1 sound. The improvements are noticeable, to say the least. The opening credits of "The Shining," which feature the steadicam roaming through the beautiful vistas of Colorado, is wonderfully crisp and clear. "Barry Lyndon," a visually stunning picture to begin with, is even more breathtaking with its sharp, rich colors. And "Full Metal Jacket," looks much better without the grain. Also, in place of the mono soundtrack that Kubrick allegedly preferred, we get remixed 5.1 audio ("Lolita" and "Dr. Strangelove," however, are still in mono). Simply put, Warners literally cleaned up its act by re-doing these films and presenting them the way they were meant to be shown. The fun doesn't stop there. Unlike the original Kubrick box set, this edition has a bonus documentary narrated by Tom Cruise: "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures." This hugely entertaining film covers Kubrick's entire filmography, featuring interviews with crew members, friends, and cast including Malcolm McDowell, Jack Nicholson, Matthew Modine, Shelley Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Sidney Pollack, and Cruise himself. Woody Allen, Martin Scorcese, and Steven Speilberg also get to throw in their $.02. While they do praise Kubrick to high heaven, some predictably admit that he was very challenging to work with (he allegedly forced many of his actors to do dozens of takes while filming). Granted, this documentary doesn't exactly get us any closer to the director himself, but it does provide a fairly intimate and thorough look at his work. I've witnessed the price on this box set go down over the last couple years, so if you've been wanting to get your hands on it (and many movie buffs do), now is the time to do so."

Greatest Director finally gets great treatment

millskube | Toronto, Canada | 06/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I worship the films of Stanley Kubrick. I view them as the greatest canon of work by any artist of the twentieth century. Kubrick had an eye like nobody else, he knew where to put the camera, how to move it and his films even the slower ones are a masterful example of film structure and pacing. Everything in his films adds up to an even equation - because of this + that = the outcome (Bill being called gay as he walks through the streets, leads him to the prostitue's house). I hope by now it is clear that I am passionate about his body of work. It is thus no suprise that I bought the Stanley Kubrick Collection two years ago. I was however disappointed with the transfers of several films (especially The Shining and 2001). I was aggrivated when I learned of the new box having already owned the previous one and having purchased Eyes Wide Shut and the Special Edition Dr. Strangelove. However, being the fan that I am, I hawked them and purchased the new set. I immediately watched the 140 minute documentary about Kubrick which flew by. My admiration for him and his films grew, here are my second, third and fourth favorite directors (Allen, Scorsese & Spielberg) talking about my favorite director. The film is incredible, it moves quickly like a Kubrick film, but isn't afraid to slow down. It gives insight into areas I had never known before. In short I woke up the next morning with a montage of Kubrick image in my mind. I then looked at some specific scenes from various films to see how they looked and sounded. The Stargate scene from 2001 is stunning. The steadicam work through the halls in The Shining are ferocius and Slim Pikins ridin' that bomb has never looked cleaner. I think Kubrick would want his films to be seen as clearly as possible and finally there is a collection that does him justice."