The fact that the films are re-mastered and presented for the first time in their original widescreen format is justification enough for the set.
For whatever reason (probably due to the limited size of most TV screens in the past) Kubrick had always insisted that his films be only available in “full-screen” format. Now with the increasing popularity of widescreen televisions, his old concern for cropping images is no longer necessary.
Included in the set are: 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut. Also included is the comprehensive documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. Except for Full Metal Jacket, the films are also available individually.
A treasure trove of extra features – including several making-of documentaries and critical analysis featurettes – accompany each film, and in most cases, come on their own supplemental disc. Highlights include Kubrick’s 1998 D.W. Griffith Award acceptance speech and a segment on the unfinished films he was working on up until his death (one of which later became Steven Speilberg’s A.I.)
That’s the good news. The bad news: Lolita, Dr. Strangelove and Barry Lyndon are not included in the set as they were with its previous incarnation. Why? Who knows.
For the Kubrick enthusiast, each of his films is essential. After all, the man only made 12 in his entire career. How do you exclude any one film from the list of his work, let alone three?
What’s more, if any film in the Kubrick canon could benefit from a re-mastered widescreen reissue, it’s the often-neglected Barry Lyndon, his beautiful, 18th century period film, shot to resemble the paintings of the time using only candles for interior lighting.
Ultimately, the set’s excellent treatment of the films included in the set outweighs the mistake of excluding the master’s other films.
Grade: A-
Stanley Kubrick: Warner Home Video Directors Series is currently available.
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