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With the 1957 release of Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick confirmed his early promise and joined the ranks of world-class filmmakers. The age of the auteur had arrived, and Kubrick was a prime candidate for inclusion in the pantheon of directors later canonized by critic Andrew Sarris in his influential book The American Cinema. Ironically, this was also the period during which Kubrick left his native soil for permanent residence in England, and from that point forward, the Kubrick mystique inflated to legendary proportions. But if Kubrick was no longer bringing himself to the world, he was certainly bringing the world to his films. From the comfort of his rural England estate and locations never far from London, Kubrick would command cinematic odysseys to isolated Colorado (in The Shining), battle-ravaged Vietnam (Full Metal Jacket), upscale New York City (Eyes Wide Shut), and, of course, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite (in 2001: A Space Odyssey). The New Stanley Kubrick Collection includes all eight of Kubrick"s films from Lolita on--a quarter-century of brilliant, challenging cinema. This second edition adds Eyes Wide Shut to the previous collection and remastered sound on five of the films plus a new anamorphic edition of 2001. Purists have complained that Kubrick"s last three films have been released in full-screen format only; this was in compliance with Kubrick"s wishes, and the films do not suffer unduly from full-screen formatting. This set also features a new full-length documentary made by longtime Kubrick assistant Jan Harlan, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. The diversity of Kubrick"s work is truly astonishing, even though the director"s technical precision and steely perspective on humanity may strike uninitiated viewers as cold and even misanthropic. His films almost always received mixed (and sometimes scathingly negative) reviews upon their release, only to benefit from glowing reassessment as they grew entrenched in the public consciousness. Here, in all their glory, are the collected films of a genuine master, ripe for study and appreciation for many years to come. 2001: A Space Odyssey has been newly remastered; A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, also remastered, debut in their original widescreen theatrical aspect ratios. All releases have been created in collaboration with, and approved by, the estate of Stanley Kubrick. Retail is $28.99 SRP each. These Special Editions include commentaries, documentaries, rare interviews with Stanley Kubrick and special new featurettes that offer a rare look into the mind of the master filmmaker. The Eyes Wide Shut Special Edition includes both the Rated and Unrated versions, along with the all-new featurette “Lost Kubrick: The Films That Never Were.” Details follow, though please note AV specs are tentative and subject to change… 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Stanley Kubrick’s dazzling, Academy Award-winning achievement (Special Visual Effects) is an allegorical puzzle on the evolution of man and a compelling drama of man vs. machine. Featuring a stunning meld of music and motion, the film was also Oscar® nominated for Best Director and Best Screenplay. Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke) first visits the prehistoric age-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted space, perhaps even into immortality. Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include: * 1080P 2.20:1 Widescreen * English PCM 5.1 Surround (Blu-ray Disc) * English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround (HD DVD) * English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on Blu-ray, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD) * English, French and Spanish subtitles * Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood * Theatrical trailer * Channel 4 documentary: 2001: The Making of a Myth * Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 * Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 * 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future * 2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork * Look: Stanley Kubrick! * Audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick (1971) Stomping, whopping, stealing, singing, tap-dancing, violating. Derby-topped hooligan Alex (Malcolm McDowell) has a good time – at the tragic expense of others. His journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again forms the dynamic arc of Kubrick’s future-shock vision of Anthony Burgess’ novel. Controversial when first released, the film garnered three Academy Award nominations – Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Its power still entices, shocks and mesmerizes today. Using a single dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and two dual-layer HD DVD discs (HD30s) features include: * 1080P 1.66:1 Widescreen * English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround * English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD) * English, French and Spanish subtitles * Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman * Theatrical trailer * Channel 4 documentary: Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange * New featurette: Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange * Career profile: O Lucky Malcolm! Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Kubrick’s daring and controversial last film is a bracing psychosexual journey through a haunting dreamscape, a riveting suspense tale and a career milestone for stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Cruise plays a doctor who plunges into an erotic foray that threatens his marriage – and may ensnare him in a murder mystery – after his wife’s (Kidman) admission of sexual longings. As the story sweeps from doubt and fear to self-discovery and reconciliation, Kubrick orchestrates it with masterful flourishes. His graceful tracking shots, rich colors and startling images are some of the bravura traits that show Kubrick as a filmmaker for the ages. Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include: * 1080P 1.78: Widescreen * English, French and Spanish subtitles * Scene specific commentary by Sydney Pollack and historian Peter Loewenberg * Theatrical trailer and TV spots * Channel 4 documentary: The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut * Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick * Kubrick’s 1998 DGA D.W Griffith Award acceptance speech * Interview gallery featuring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Steven Spielberg Full Metal Jacket (1987) A superb ensemble falls in for Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant saga about the Vietnam War and the dehumanizing process that turns people into trained killers. The scathing indictment of a film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Screenplay. Joker (Matthew Modine), Animal Mother (Adam Baldwin), Gomer (Vincent D’Onofrio), Eightball (Dorian Harewood) and Cowboy (Arliss Howard) are some of the Marine recruits experiencing boot-camp hell under the punishing command of the foul-mouthed Sergeant Hartman (R. Lee Ermy). The action is savage, the story unsparing, and the dialogue is spiked with scathing humor. Features include: * 1080P 1.78:1 Widescreen * English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround * English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD) * Commentary by Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and Jay Cocks * New Featurette: Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil * Theatrical trailer The Shining (1980) From a script he co-adapted from the Stephen King novel, Kubrick melds vivid performances, menacing settings, dreamlike tracking shots and shock after shock into a milestone of the macabre. The Shining is the director’s epic tale of a man in a snowbound hotel descending into murderous delusions. In a signature role, Jack Nicholson (“Heeeere’s Johnny!”) stars as Jack Torrance, who’s come to the elegant, isolated Overlook Hotel as off-season caretaker with his wife (Shelley Duvall) and son (Danny Lloyd). Using a dual-layer Blu-ray Disc (BD50) and dual-layer HD DVD (HD30) features include: * 1080P 1.78:1 Widescreen * English Dolby True HD 5.1 Surround * English, French and Spanish 5.1 Surround (Dolby Digital on BD, Dolby Digital Plus on HD DVD) * English, French and Spanish subtitles * Commentary by Garrett Brown and John Baxter * Theatrical trailer * Documentary The Making of the Shining, with optional commentary by Vivian Kubrick * Three new featurettes: o View from The Overlook: Crafting the Shining o The Visions of Stanley Kubrick o Wendy Carlos, Composer I was ambivalent about buying this one. I had already plunked down more than a ... on the first release of the collection, then systematically rounded it out with the other films that were available (Killer"s Kiss, The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, and Eyes Wide Shut). I was not sure if it was really worth shelling out MORE money just to get brighter colors and stereo sound. But it was. It was worth every penny. For the following reasons: 1) You really have to SEE the added quality of films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Barry Lyndon to believe it. Every film was digitally re-mastered. It really is like someone wiped years of grime off of them. 2) Making the Shining, daughter Vivian Kubrick’s documentary about the making of her dad’s 1980 horror opus, has been cleaned up, too, and now sports a disarmingly sweet commentary by her. 3) The Dr. Strangelove disc, is, indeed, the newer “Special Edition” version that includes some wonderful extras (documentary and interview material). 4) The controversial Dolby 5.1 remixes were planned by Kubrick, anyway, according to his assistant Leon Vitali, who personally supervised the creation of the new sound tracks from the original elements. Like Kubrick"s original mono tracks, they have clarity and excellent balance. But now they also have great fidelity, and - amazingly - DEPTH. For the first time, you can really find yourself (at least aurally) INSIDE A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket. 5) The included documentary, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, is no slapdash "extra feature" tossed in strictly for marketing. It is a feature-length (142-minute!) tribute to the late master by his friends, family, and admirers (including Martin Scorsese, Stephen Spielberg, and Woody Allen). Kubrick"s widow, his daughters, and many of his closest collaborators share their thoughts. No tabloid stuff, here. It"s all handled with remarkable taste and respect. It has also forced me to rethink a lot of what I thought I knew about the man, and underscored how priceless Stanley Kubrick really was. Comments Please login to post comments or replies.