Warner Directors’ Series: Stanley Kubrick

Back in 1999 when Warner Bros. released the first DVD set of Stanley Kubrick’s legendary film canon, there was a definite buzz amongst the film geek crowd of covetous delight. My buddy Mark, fresh out of film school, was one of the first to run out and snap up the set; me, I was surprisingly indifferent. “You’re gonna regret it later,” Mark would taunt, “You know you want it!” Of course I wanted it! – who wouldn’t want a petite library of movie history, of one of cinema’s true masters? But even then the possibility of the medium meant there were superior examples of discs with commentaries, hours of bonus footage… none of which appeared on that first Kubrick box. Though the bare-bones package was tempting, and later went out of print, I resisted… and I get the last laugh.

This week Warner kicks out the first box in its new Directors’ Series and lo and behold, it’s a smorgasbord of Stanley Kubrick special editions. Granted, not all of the titles in his short but staggering CV are represented – Lolita is missing for example, and so is Barry Lyndon (Dr. Strangelove, of course, has been released by Columbia as a special edition a few times by now) – yet this is exactly what us holdouts have been waiting so patiently for. And the wait is worth it: five films plus the exceptional “Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures” documentary, all remastered with optimal sound and picture quality that does justice to Kubrick’s staggering genius. Most importantly, we get a righteous display of extras which accurately reflect the lasting legacy of his unpredictable – except in its excellence - body of work.

Crank up the 5.1, then, and enjoy 2001: A Space Odyssey, with commentary from Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, or listen to Malcolm McDowell’s thoughtful reflections on A Clockwork Orange; follow up The Shining with Kubrick’s daughter Vivian’s remarkably candid making-of, presented here for the first time with her own commentary track. Delve into superb interviews with Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and the crew of Full Metal Jacket, and re-examine Eyes Wide Shut’s place as Kubrick’s swan song and see if the Cruise-Kidman blue movie still feels as underwhelming as it did the first time you saw it. (It doesn’t to me – sometimes, you just need a little distance from the hype…) And enjoy a running string of ruminations throughout the discs from a stunning assembly of filmmakers – directors such as Spielberg, Pollack and Friedkin, cinematographers like Caleb Deschanel and Ernest Dickerson – all solidifying Kubrick’s lynchpin status as one of the most influential artists in any medium, for all times. Most impressive; good things really do come to those who wait.

Also recommended this week: The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones; The Battleship Potemkin: Special Edition; Mario Bava Collection, Vol. 2; Breathless: Criterion Collection; A Christmas Carol: UE; The Company; Days of Heaven: Criterion Collection; Hellraiser: 20th Anniversary Edition; I Love Lucy: The Complete Series; O Lucky Man!; The Sopranos: Season 6.2; Under The Volcano: Criterion Collection; Veronica Mars: Season 3

— Nicole Campos

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 25th, 2007 at 3:41 pm and is filed under DVD New Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.