Rating: 
Summary: Horrorshow
Review: Warner Bros. has really shamed themselves by foisting this farce upon the public. If there is one director who deserves five-star treatment, it is Kubrick. I simply refuse to believe the Warner Bros. company line that Kubrick oversaw every detail of these DVDs. And on the very unlikely chance he did, ol' Stan must have really been losing the plot. The quality of the transfers are basically glorified VHS -- I was shocked by the soft, substandard video and dull, tinny mono sound. This is really a Warner's budget line series, and all of the DVDs should be priced as such -- in the $10 to $15 range, not a red cent more. After seeing how such classics as "Taxi Driver" and "Alien" recently got the pristine DVD treatment they deserved, this is an outrage for film buffs everywhere. We've all been had.
Rating: 
Summary: Kubrick's wishes?
Review: I want the DVD edition of a movie to look as good as it possibly can. I'm dismayed that FULL METAL JACKET and THE SHINING are in full-screen format, supposedly as the director wished. [Had he lived, might he later have ordered widescreen editions once DVD had caught on with the masses? We'll never know.] I distinctly remember wonderful horizontal compositions in both films. Kubrick's trademark wide-angle dolly and Steadicam shots definitely lose something in the translation. Therefore [the films are phenomenal, don't get me wrong], the set gets only three stars from me. It was one last stunning surprise from Mr. Kubrick, just not in my mind a pleasant one.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful films, horrible transfers
Review: Well, alas, to just get it out of the way, this long-awaited collection just about fails on all counts. Though analyses of Kubrick's work is not the focus here, a basic perusing of the set as a whole reveals a surprising, even shocking, lack of effort expended. The transfers are dated, the sound mixes unexceptional, and the menus bland. The packaging is sparse, though director-approved. Aside from the usual theatrical trailers and a very nice documentary on The Shining (which offers a glimpse of what could have been), there isn't a single meaningful supplement. There isn't even any exciting booklets or extensive text celebrating the work. Just a few "Collector's Cards" of the poster art. Last but not least, there is not a single anamorphic transfer is present in the bunch, with some discs even presented full frame, and the two reissues of previously released Kubrick discs are insulting. (from www.dvdfile.com review site)
Rating: 
Summary: Kubrick is a genius
Review: Just got the Stanley Kubrick Collection in the mail. Straight into the DVD player went THE SHINING. Let's see what the audio format is . . . mono? Are you kidding? No re-master to 5.1? Ok, well, I can deal with that. At least they're not taking anything away from the original, right? Wait a minute, what's this? Standard version formatted to fit my screen? No letterbox option? You have got to be kidding. Somebody should be shot. Amazon.com advertised "widescreen letterbox format" for this collection. I guess they left out the part about THE SHINING and FULL METAL JACKET being chopped to shreads. I'm no expert on film, but I do know what I like and the cinematography in THE SHINING is the best I've ever seen bar none. To chop off the ends of the picture so it fits my T.V. is on a par with beheading the mona lisa so she fits in that cool new picture frame.
Rating:
Summary: Great films, bad DVDs
Review: Did somebody think that Warner would do differently than this? Dr Strangelove and 2001 are exactly the same (bad) DVDs that were issued by MGM. The others have almost the same quality of the Laserdiscs previously issued. No place here for a decent remastering process. The Shining DVD is worth for the documentary "Making of The Shining" and the trailer. A sad release for those who love Kubrick's work. I imagine the "Dilbert"-like reunions of Warner's staff responsible for this... pathetic
Rating:
Summary: Do not buy this set
Review: Like the last reviewer said, Warner really pushed these out the door, obviously to coincide with the publicity of Eyes Wide Shut, and the master's death. What a waste. Extremely low quality DVDs. I never thought I'd recommend Ghostbusters over Stanley Kubrick, but the difference in quality of features and presentation is striking. It's like having a Monet exhibit shown in a crummy high school in dirty plastic frames.Do not buy any of these movies. Wait for Warner to rerelease them with features and better transfers.
Rating:
Summary: SHAME! SHAME! SHAME!
Review: The transfers are dated, the sound mixes unexceptional, and the menus bland. This "collection" is an insult to Kubrick's work.
Rating:
Summary: Stanley Kubrick, not just a director, an artist!!
Review: Stanley Kubrick was arguably one of the most important directors of our time. He took film making to a level of artistry, in my opinion, unmatched by any other director. This collection is an absolute must have for any movie buff. Watch any one of the seven movies and you will be a Stanley Kubrick fan. The DVD versions will be, simply put, awesome. If you like Ridley Scott you'll love Stanley Kubrick.
Rating:
Summary: Get The New Box Set!
Review: These DVDs are the reason I bought a DVD player. Each film in this collection (with the possible exception of Lolita) is a masterpiece. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered the lack of care and effort that went into these DVDs. The transfers are poor and unrestored, the audio is plain old vanilla stereo, a few films are pan-and-scanned, and not a single special feature of note to be found. This could have been a 4-year film school in a box. It isn't anywhere close.
Rating: 
Summary: The Kubrickian Universe
Review: Stanley Kubrick is my favorite director. I have never known a universe without Kubrick. On the day it was released, I bought the Stanley Kubrick Collection, a box of 7 DVDs that span his entire career from Lolita to Full Metal Jacket. Oddly enough I have never owned a single video tape or laser disc or DVD of his work. I suppose I was waiting for the definitive collection and I thought this was it. But I hesitate to give this box of 5 star movies a complete 5-star rating for two reasons. One is that I'm very disappointed with the packaging. It is overly sparse and lacking in some of the extras that would enhance such a retrospective, like a booklet with rare photos, a bio of Stanley, some bits about each film and an extra CD with featurettes and interviews. We do get the legendary making-of documentary about THE SHINING, filmed by one of Kubrick's daughters, in which we get the bizarre image of Kubrick, Jack Nicholson and Kubrick's mother sitting at the table together discussing the script. For this short documentary alone, for the privilage of finally getting to hear the man's voice and seeing him move (he walks! he talks! he directs! he yells at Shelly Duvall!), I praise the box and encourage others to check out this rare but tragically brief glimpse into the working methods of SK. The second reason I have for downgrading a star is that some of the prints are sloppy. I've spotted scratches in the film, blurriness in some of the color and a lack of letter-boxing on some of the films. I would have guessed that Kubrick, a man who hand-photographed every frame of Dr. Strangelove a few years back in order to preserve it in its original quality, would have put more care and time into the quality of the presentations in this box. But then again, while this box was being produced, Kubrick was busy with EYES WIDE SHUT and then he passed away. For those who are being introduced to Kubrick for the first time, this is my advice. Take each film one at a time. Don't rush. Watch them in order and in between imagine waiting seven to ten years before watching the next. Take the time to digest them. Perhaps watch them several times each. There is no rush. You have the rest of your life and there will be no more new ones. Pass these DVDs down to your grandchildren so they can understand what exactly we did when we walked the earth before them. Be prepared to be blown away.
|
