Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12230 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-10
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 9
• Running time: 999 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
This superb nine-disc Stanley Kubrick Box Set contains all the late director's work from 1962's Lolita to Kubrick's final film, the highly controversial Eyes Wide Shut (1999). There's also the excellent and highly informative two-hour documentary: Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, narrated (a little drably) by Tom Cruise. It isn't exactly a warts-and-all portrait of Stan the Man, which is not surprising, really, given that it's directed and produced by Kubrick's brother-in-law Jan Harlan, and that Kubrick's widow Christine was closely involved in the making of it. But it does give a detailed and revealing portrait of a brilliant, demanding and often infuriating man, airing rare footage that goes right back to his earliest years as a brash youngster in the Bronx, already playing to camera with a frightening degree of self-awareness.

Six of the eight movies (all but Dr Strangelove and Eyes Wide Shut) have been digitally restored and remastered, and almost all (barring Strangelove again and Lolita) now boast Dolby Digital 5.1 stereo sound remixes. For some bizarre reason, Kubrick insisted on mono sound for the 1999 set, which he approved shortly before his death. Visually the improvement over the often grainy, scratchy prints previously on offer--The Shining (1980) was notoriously messy--is immense. All the features are presented in their original ratios, which in the case of Strangelove means the changing ratios in which it was originally shot, and for 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) the full glorious 2.21:1 expanse of the Cinerama screen.

So what don't you get? Essentially, the early Kubrick--the work of the young, hungry director before he moved to England and started to gather all the controlling strings into his own hand: most notably the tough, taut thriller The Killing (1956) and the icily furious war film Paths of Glory (1957). Too bad Warners couldn't have negotiated the rights for those too. But what we have here is the culminating phase of Kubrick's filmmaking career--the final 27 years of one of the great masters of cinema.

On the DVDs: Besides the visual and sonic improvements mentioned above, each of the eight features includes the original theatrical trailer and multiple-language subtitles. The DVD of Dr Strangelove also gives us filmographies of the principal players, plus theatrical posters and a photo gallery, while Eyes Wide Shut includes interviews (taped after Kubrick's death) with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Steven Spielberg, plus a couple of 30-second TV spots. And with The Shining we get a fascinating 34-minute documentary made by Kubrick's then 17-year-old daughter Vivian, plus--just to add a further layer--Vivian's present-day voice-over commentary on her film. --Philip Kemp

Video Description
This nine-disc box set contains:

2001: A Space Odyssey
Full Metal Jacket
The Shining
Lolita
Barry Lyndon
Clockwork Orange
Eyes Wide Shut
Dr Strangelove
Plus documentary disc: "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures" narrated by Tom Cruise

Synopsis
This boxed set represents a full selection of master director Stanley Kubrick's greatest and most famous films, from his early days to his final movie. The collection includes: LOLITA (1962), DR. STRANGELOVE (1964). 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968), A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971), BARRY LYNDON (1975), THE SHINING (1980), FULL METAL JACKET (1987), and EYES WIDE SHUT (1999). See individual titles for descriptions and technical details.
The release also features the documentary STANLEY KUBRICK: A LIFE IN PICTURES, a vastly entertaining look at Kubrick, made by the people who loved him most and knew him best. Jan Harlan, who worked with Kubrick for more than 30 years, put the film together with the help of his widow, Christiane Kubrick, so it includes fabulous home movies of Kubrick as a young boy, as well as shots of the photographs he took when he worked for Look magazine before beginning his stellar film career. The film examines each of Kubrick's films, from the early short DAY OF THE FIGHT and FEAR AND DESIRE through FULL METAL JACKET and EYES WIDE SHUT, interviewing people associated with each project. Harlan also sheds light on some of Kubrick's unfinished works, including ARYAN PAPERS, NAPOLEON, and A.I., which Kubrick wanted Steven Spielberg to direct--and after Stanley's death, Spielberg did indeed make the film, with Harlan serving as a producer. Clips are shown from each film, along with behind-the-scenes footage, both as stills and live action, showing Kubrick on the job, illuminating his work process and revealing him to be more of a much-loved friend and colleague than a reclusive tyrant.

Customer Reviews

The Master in One Handy Box
Want to see exactly how to make 'quality movies'? Kubrick has proved his worth over and over again with classics such as 2001: a space odyssey (the definitive science fiction film), The Shining (perhaps the only true horror EPIC, taking a fabulous if fairly pedestrian horror story and spinning it into an assault on the senses), Dr. Stangelove (black comedy at it's finest), A Clockwork Orange (the stuff that cults are made of) and Full Metal Jacket (the only flaw being that it's not long enough!).

This set includes all his movies from Lolita onwards plus a bonus disc with a superb documentary which does exactly what it should do: make you want to rush off and watch the films again!

There are only two flaws in this set. One is the lack of extras. True, The Making of The Shining is superb, but where is the Arthur C. Clarke press conference included on the previous region 1 release of 2001? The other flaw is that the final three films (The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut) are presented in full screen at the request of Kubrick himself. However, this might not be so bad if we presume that the 35mm frames were opened up, in which case you can just view these films on a widescreen TV with the top and bottom of the image cut off and still get the true widescreen picture.

All in all, Kubrick was not exactly prolific, with only 12 films to his name but, as we all know, it's not size that matters!

Gone but never to be forgotten. SK R.I.P.!

The works of a master - in one box!
The Stanley Kubrick collection is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest directors of the 20th Century. As a film maker who constantly pushed the boundaries of both the way the films are made and the cencorship that surrounds them, Kubrick made some of the classic films of are time. Now in all their glory are eight of his best: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lyndon, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. Every single film is a joy to watch, with each one showing something original and as an added bonus, all films have been been given the digital treatment they deserve although not every single DVD shows off the capabilities of the format completely. Finally, as a final bow, this box set also contains a full length documentary on Kubrick: A Life In Pictures. The only problem with the collection is the absense of some films. Whose idea was it to leave out Paths of Glory and The Killing? Still though, what we have here is undoutably the perfect gift for the Kubrick fan.

One man's unique vision, that will never be matched
OK, quick admission first - Kubrick is my favourite filmmaker bar none. Here, then, is a collection of 8 masterly films, each so different in construction, subject and appearance that it would be hard to believe that they had all been made by the same man if we didn't know otherwise. There are links however - all share an ambiguity in meaning, and in all of them, the filmmaker detaches the audience from the characters and the actions, leaving us almost voyeurs to what goes on before us, and in all of them, the casts give magnificent, often career defining performances.

Everybody knows all about 2001 : A Space Odyssey, and it is the central film in Kubrick's output. It is also one of the most obtuse and ambiguous films Hollywood has ever made and improves with repeated viewing. The lush and beautiful Lolita and the manic Dr. Strangelove predate 2001 and have survived the test of time fairly well, although Kubrick himself is upstaged by Peter Sellers in Strangelove.

A Clockwork Orange has aged badly but remains powerful and vitriolic. Barry Lyndon, savaged on release by critics, now looks achingly beautiful and unlike any other film ever made; in many ways the narrative takes second place to the visuals. The Shining (my personal favourite) builds tension through mundanity, and is so cleverly lit you find yourself watching the hotel rather than the stars, with an understated grand finale that fits the film perfectly. The first half of Full Metal Jacket (the boot camp section) is as important a film as has been made about war, although the second half suffers from being filmed in the UK instead of Vietnam. Eyes Wide Shut, again mauled by the critics, will be due it's reappraisal shortly and is still better than 99% of Hollywood's output over the last decade.

This is an essential collection for anybody who likes good films, for anybody interested in the history of cinema and for anybody intrigued by the human condition, which is dissected by Kubrick's masterful film-making.

Some quick footnotes - I have had no problems with my DVDs (unlike one of the other reviewers) and neither The Killing or Paths of Glory are as good as anything in this box set - their main interest lies in watching someone learn his craft. And for anybody still uncertain about Kubrick's importance and influence - just count the number of scenes from his films that have been parodied in The Simpsons. You know you've made it when Bart and Homer make fun of you week in and week out.