Stanley Kubrick Special Editions Box Set
Reviewer: Jordan Brown
Issue 101 March 2008
(4 votes, average: 9.25 out of 10)
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Stan’s still the man.
The Lowdown: In celebration of what would have been Stanley Kubrick’s 80th birthday, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut have been given the two-disc treatment. Released in this lavish box set, these five masterpieces showcase the versatility of one of the greatest directors the world has ever known.
Review: A notorious perfectionist, Stanley Kubrick has been renowned for making some of the greatest films ever to grace cinema. Putting heart and soul into each and every piece, the scrupulous director’s films were initially given underwhelming releases on DVD. It’s a relief then to see that a bunch of his films have been re-released individually as special editions (£15.99 each) as well as in this box set. While some have had a significant upgrade, other titles haven’t had as much of a tune-up.
First up, 2001: A Space Odyssey finally gets the attention it deserves on DVD. Mesmerising film fans the world over, the groundbreaking tale sees a group of astronauts journey to Jupiter to investigate an alien signal sent there from the moon. As the mission goes awry, the crew find themselves at the mercy the ship’s supercomputer HAL.
Alluding to the future of mankind, the stunning saga of man versus machine has left audiences endlessly debating the movie’s ambiguous ending since its release. As such, it was a criminal injustice that DVD releases of the flick have, up until now, featured sod all in the way of extras. For the new release however, the sci-fi masterpiece has been given a new transfer and a yack-track from stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. With a second disc boasting a Channel 4 documentary and some heavyweight featurettes, it makes a comprehensive package that does ample justice to one of the most widely interpreted films to ever grace the silver screen.
Also getting a worthwhile re-release is A Clockwork Orange – Kubrick’s controversial look at the morality of aversion therapy. When ultraviolent rapist and Beethoven enthusiast Alex DeLarge is jailed for murder, he finds himself the subject of a radical program that could see his psychotic tendencies curbed permanently. No longer posing a threat, Alex is released back into society where his treatment has left him nauseous at the thought of sex, repulsed by his beloved Beethoven and, more importantly, defenceless to physical attack.
Making a star out of Malcolm McDowell, A Clockwork Orange stands as a devastating look at a bizarre dystopian future. With its iconic soundtrack, superb acting and thought-provoking themes, it’s a movie that truly deserves a two-disc package. Trumping the previous edition that only had a trailer, this features a commentary from McDowell as well a stunning retrospective documentary. It’s just a shame that they haven’t given the picture a bit of spit and polish. Regardless, it’s still a fantastic re-issue. Unfortunately, that’s more than can be said for The Shining’s re-release.
Adapted from the bestselling Stephen King novel, the movie sees ex-alcoholic Jack Torrance as winter caretaker of the remote Overlook Hotel. Snowed into the resort with his family, Jack eventually succumbs to madness and rounds on his wife and son with murderous intent. Is the cause for his psychotic descent the result of cabin fever or is it the work of malevolent spirits roaming the hotel’s vacant halls?
Even after 28 years, Kubrick’s haunted house yarn carries an inimitable sense of foreboding dread that has been unrivalled by any horror since. With its ethereal score giving the luxurious resort an otherworldly eeriness, it’s no surprise that many see it as the finest horror movie of all time. It’s therefore more than slightly irritating to see that the two-discer offers little on top of the standard DVD version. On top of Vivian Kubrick’s superb ‘making of…’ documentary and trailer, which both featured in the old edition, this package has been fattened up with a few new featurettes. The longer American version of the film (or at least the deleted scenes that were snipped out of the Brit version), is notably absent. Still, if you don’t already own the film, it’s still a must have title.
‘Nam classic Full Metal Jacket is another disc that’s been subject to an unworthy upgrade. As a group of Marine recruits are put through a rigorous and dehumanising training regime, the constant abuse of Drill Sergeant Hartman finally culminates in a devastating episode that sees Private Joker’s views of conflict drastically altered. Later, as a pacifist reporter for military newspaper Stars and Stripes, Joker finds himself forced to rely on his animalistic training when he’s thrust into the heart of the Vietnam War.
A mind-blowing look into the brutal transformation from fresh-faced recruit to mindless grunt, Full Metal Jacket has been given a spruce-up that’s less than fitting to a film of this calibre. On top of the trailer that was already on the original disc, this release features a neat new featurette and a cracking chat-track from the entire main cast (bar Matthew Modine). As good as the new extras are, they’re hardly enough to warrant the application of the ’special edition’ label.
And that brings us finally to Eyes Wide Shut. Stan’s final film before he shuffled off this mortal coil is an unyielding look at marriage and sex. When Dr. Bill Harford learns of his wife’s yearning to have an affair, he delves into New York’s exclusive nookie-ridden underbelly. When he’s caught infiltrating an exclusive sex cult, it appears his curiosity could have dire consequences.
Sure, it was his last movie but with the likes of Lolita and Barry Lyndon notably absent, it’s a mystery exactly as to why this slow-paced and tepid thriller beat such heavy competition to get into the set. That said, its inclusion has been justified with a bulky amount of quality features, such as Kubrick’s acceptance speech from when he received the D.W. Griffith Award back in 1998.
Despite getting short-changed on the extras front with some titles, those who buy the box set get a bit of compensation in an extra disc featuring the documentary, Stanley Kubrick – A Life In Pictures. Although it’s great viewing, it’s nowhere near worth splashing out 50 quid if you already own a few of the titles featured (especially as the documentary was already an exclusive feature in the previous non-Special Editions Kubrick box set). If you don’t though, getting yourself this collection is a must.
FILM: 9 EXTRAS: 7
DVD Info:
Certificate: 18
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, Jack Nicholson, Shelly Duvall, Vincent D’Onofrio, Matthew Modine, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman
Directed By: Stanley Kubrick, 1968-1999
Distributor: Warner Home Video
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Visuals: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
Running Time: 682 mins
Price: £49.99 (£15.99 each individually)
Film supplied by: Noble PR
Special Features:
‘Life In Pictures’ Documentary
2001: A Space Odyssey:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Keir Dullea & Gary Lockwood
Theatrical Trailer
‘2001: The Making Of A Myth’ Documentary
‘Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001’ Featurette
‘Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001’ Featurette
‘2001: A Space Odyssey – A Look Behind the Future’ Featurette
‘2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork’ Featurette
‘Look: Stanley Kubrick!’ Featurette
‘What Is Out There?’ Featurette
A Clockwork Orange:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Malcolm McDowell and Film Historian Nick Redman
Theatrical Trailer
‘Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange’ Documentary
‘Great Bolshy Yarblockos!’ Featurette
‘O Lucky Malcolm!’ Malcolm McDowell Career Profile
The Shining:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Steadicam Operator Garrett Brown & Biographer John Baxter
Theatrical Trailer
‘Making Of’ Documentary With Optional Audio Commentary With Director Vivian Kubrick
‘View From The Overlook: Crafting The Shining’ Featurette
‘The Visions Of Stanley Kubrick’ Featurette
‘Wendy Carlos, Composer’ Featurette
Full Metal Jacket:
Scene Selection
Audio Commentary With Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey and Jay Cocks
‘Full Metal Jacket: Between Good and Evil’ Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Eyes Wide Shut:
Scene Selection
Scene Specific Audio Commentary With Sydney Pollack & Film Historian Peter Loewenberg
TV Spots
Theatrical Trailer
‘The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut’ Documentary
‘Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick’ Featurette
Kubrick’s 1998 DGA D.W Griffith Award Acceptance Speech
Interview Gallery
