I won't review the films themselves. I have done so elsewhere, and if you are reading this, you probably are a Kubrick fan, anyway. My set arrived yesterday and I have spent some quality time with it, though I have obviously not had a chance to watch every disk all the way through, yet.On one user's negative review with respect to the "destructive" packaging: all I can say is, if you stop and think about it before wailing on the disks trying to get them out of their sleeves, you'll be FINE. The sleeves, are indeed, engineered to keep the disks in, so they don't fall on the floor if you tip the package the wrong way. A moment's thought will tell you that a thumb on the label side of the disk, a forefinger on the edge, and some firm but gentle pulling while rotating a little is all you need to get the disks out without a hint of damage. The sleeve will release its grip and all will be well. Believe me, you'll be glad for the snugness of the fit when you realize how well it protects the disks when you're not watching them.
On the continuing Aspect Ratio controversy: I could be wrong about this, but I think the esteemed Mr. Kubrick would be fine with the 16x9 cropping of The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. It's true that Kubrick initially only wanted videos of his films released "full frame", i.e. with the whole negative image showing unmasked, because he hated pan-scan, and thought letterboxing distracting. After Barry Lyndon, he shot 35mm without a hard matte, but composed for 1.85:1 precisely because he knew some theaters would project it 1.85:1 while others would go for 1.66:1, and still others would have their own "custom" aspect ratio i.e. funky screen size based more on the way larger theaters were being chopped up into multiplexes at the time, than on the needs of the films being shown. But newer 16x9 HD TVs, which became popular after his death, largely obviated the need for near full-negative cropping, as far as video is concerned. Kubrick's visual compositions are just slightly roomy in 16x9, without the oddly empty quality of some of his shots when viewed in full-frame on a 4x3 TV. There are purists who get almost violent when discussing the "proper" aspect ratios of Kubrick's *oeuvre* on video, and who insist we should be watching them in 4x3 even now, because "that's what he intended." I am not among them. His original reasoning made sense when TVs were all squarish, but I think he would have accommodated 16x9 home theatre TVs, had he lived into the Blu-ray era. Such TVs existed in his lifetime, but they were not the norm the way they are now. If you read his interviews carefully, he was a surprisingly practical guy, for being such a perfectionist.
The transfers appear, in most cases, to be the same ones used for the last release of the collection, but in a format closer to their native 4k resolution. They are thank God NOT over-enhanced the way so many mass-market "popular" films seem to be when released on Blu-ray, these days. While they are sharp and detailed, they don't have those artificially "cut out" looking edges, either. I'm not a videophile, but I like what I see and hear.
But value aside, the transfers are mostly fantastic, especially the transfer on my favorite of Kubrick's films, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The colors are crisp and the details are fantastic, especially the black and white on Lolita. I am so glad that this film had finally achieved a release on Blu Ray.
My only complaint is the lack of new features on the previously released discs and the lack of ANY FEATURES on Lolita and Barry Lyndon. Fans have been waiting years for these releases and we now only get half of a release (the other half should have contained a commentary by an expert AT LEAST). But the transfers are fantastic, making it a satisfying purchase.
Overall, I am especially happy with this release, save for the complaints that I have previously listed. I'd give the box set a four out of five.I was able to get the discs out easily without damage. They stick slightly but i just used my shirt and wedged them out. no scratches and no finger prints. They play fine. i did put them in jewel cases so i don"t have to worry about someone else having trouble. i wouldn't let the negative reviews turn you off to this box. They made it sound a lot worse than it is.This is regarding the non-blu-ray version:
GENERAL: If you are a fan of Stanley Kubrick, you probably own all or most of these movies. The versions on these discs are the most recent versions released on DVD, just re-ripped to these colorful discs to make a snazzy package. In other words, there are no new extras. (For example: Clockwork Orange just has audio commentary and theatrical trailer, just like the version in the last Kubrick collection.)
ASPECT RATIOS: These are fine. (I mean for goodness' sake, people, get a grip...) As with all of the other releases that I've seen (again... for goodness' sake, people, get a grip...) these all have the varying aspect ratios intended by Kubrick. For example, Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon are 1.66 to 1. Space Odyssey is 2.35 to 1. These are honestly the only three I checked.
(As a matter of fact, Clockwork is the first DVD with a 1.66 to 1 ratio that my DVD player actually reads properly! With Barry Lyndon which is on this set and Nightmare Before Christmas, I have to mess around with my DVD player and my TV to get it the movies to not be stretched out.)
THE PACKAGING: One early reviewer had a problem with the DVDs coming in cardboard casings that scuffed the discs. The package I received from amazon does not use this type of casing for the discs. The discs are cased in a beautifully practical plastic binding. Each disc is on its own "page" in the binding, stuck into a spindle. Works great.
NOTE: Watched Spartacus. Actually looks pretty awful, considering. One scene opens focused a line of people about 20 feet from the camera, and their faces are just total blurs. Also, there are little black film blemishes that come up sometimes. That said, who was really buying this set to see Spartacus?This is an absolutely amazing set in terms of the films and their respective transfers but the packaging is seriously atrocious. In terms of content I must advise anyone who is interested in Stanley Kubrick's films to buy this set but be forewarned, the packaging is really irritating. It's not because of how hard it is to remove the discs (that's not an issue for me), it's because of the smudges and scratches that may result from said removal. My advice: buy the set and some cheap plastic DVD cases, remove the discs and house them in the cases instead of the collection booklet.
Otherwise, I love this set. I've never seen Barry Lyndon look this beautiful!
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