New Kubrick SE's

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Perhaps. And if R rated, they could have slapped this 'minimalist' artwork from The Shining onto the cover to make for a matched set.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

TravisR, I realize it's only packaging but for some of us out here this is a subject we may obsess about at times.

I was a Graphic Designer some years ago and I can't tell you how much I groan when I see the weak and truly uninspired design coming out of Hollywood. This has been true for years. I realize the reasons given but that doesn't make it any better for me. I just put up with it.

It makes me all the more happy when a really smart, well executed title comes along. I loved what they did with the LOTR Extended Editions. They looked like old books - clever and classy! It is somewhat rare that a studio's video division tries for such a different approach unless it's part of a Collector's or "Ultimate" Edition (note the Bladerunner editions coming).

If they were just going to box a set of straight forward keep cases as they did here, leaving the general release artwork was the proper approach in my view. Thankfully, I didn't find the final results that objectionable, just extra effort that didn't pan out that well that could have been focused elsewhere.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Wow, I concede my memory was somewhat faulty, and appreciate the broader support of my contributions to this forum.


Yes, The Shining for me is the only one that sticks out. Surely Kubrick wouldn't of approved! :-P

But really to me cover art runs a far second to the quality of the transfers and extra features. I like the widescreen transfers, so I've put my old editions on ebay.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I will concede this point. Video and Audio transfer is critical to me also. If a newer "remastering" is deemed about the same as a prior release in reviews, and this happens often, then the extras take on more importance for me. The packaging ultimately does not influence my buying decision.

I wonder about those people for whom it does. You would this is all about the movie in the final analysis. I just wanted to get my opinions out there as I felt this release's artwork took an odd and slightly ill conceived direction.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

---
The covers are not great but the content certainly is.

Im willing to bet that with TWO editions of each film with the same poster art floating about, they wanted to differentiate the new set for people who might pass it up out of familiarity, with just a glance.
And they probably didnt have a large cover art budget in todays economy of $3.50/gal gas-and the dollar slowly dropping in parity to the level of the Peso. ;-)

Its a head scratcher as to why LOLITA and BARRY LYNDON were not at least
given the enhanced treatment and added to the box.

Orphaned.


Since they do exist, having seen both of them, for consistancy, I would like to have them for my set.
Im sure Warner could be persuaded to reward the box-set buyers with this small favor, since they are already printed. They may have put together TS disc set last, and couldnt wait for the 'redrum' covers.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

You would lose that bet because there is nothing to glance at. You can't see the cover art when you buy the boxset, only after you open it up.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I'm not as disappointed in the covers as much as the flimsy box the collection came in. I'll probably dispose of the box at some point.

Now, Warner: just give me 16x9 Barry Lyndon and I will be at peace with my Kubrick library.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I think the minimalist designs are OK, the box art uninspired, wish I could have a consistent "Shining" cover but most of all I'm actually a little relieved that I'm not the only one who received a set looking like this. ;-)

There's something else I wonder about, though: I've read quite a few reviews and a few discussion threads, but I haven't seen that anyone has noticed the weird audio glitches in the "2001: Making of a Myth" documentary – most of them appearing in the voiceover (for example, in the beginning, to the images of Gagarin I think, one sentence inexplicably begins with the words "90 minutes", and no following explanation).

Actually, I found the original documentary on YouTube – and it seems it's been edited for the DVD, from a full hour down to 43 minutes (also, there is a proper orchestrated "Blue Danube" in the beginning of the original, not a weird synth sound-alike).

I suppose there might be good reasons for shortening the documentary, but not in such a sloppy way. I also found it a wee bit strange that the reviews I've seen so far have been so very good for this documentary, which was – well, sure it was good and interesting, but in the latter half or so it became oddly... disjointed and confused. I'd say it's a good bet this is because of the quarter of an hour taken out of the film without even covering the tracks. I'll have to take a closer look at the youtube version ta make sure...

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Can't say at this point,, as I haven't opened my set up yet,,

If you hadn't reported on Youtube having this full verison I would have said that the edited documentary was all they had as this version of 2001 on DVD is now the third reprint and updated quality., and maybe that was the reason it was never used before..

BTW for Youtube what search words did you use to find that??

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I just bought the old Barry Lyndon snapper.

If you take out the 'Life in Pictures' case, I wonder if the BL snapper could fit in the boxset shell.

My boxset is unopened.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I was disappointed in the artwork on the individual covers, as well, but WOW do I love the content, so all is forgiven. I mean the documentaries on Malcolm McDowell and the British re-release on the "Clockwork Orange" disc are worth the price alone if you're a fan of this particular masterpiece. Before, we had NOTHING. This is Kubrick film-lover's nirvana.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

widescreenforever,
"2001 the making of a myth" will do just fine. :-) Available in a full version as well as in several parts, although I haven't checked them all out...

Re: New Kubrick SE's

is there a reason the box set is impossible to find right now?

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I'll be buying the R2 versions of 201, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket and possibly The Shining too. These all come out in March.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Yeah stig_j...I got the boxset for Xmas, and am just now getting around to devouring it. I thought I was going mad when watching the "making of a myth" docu...I kept rewinding bits, thinking I was nuts and imagining audio glitches. A pretty poor edit job, if you ask me.

Not that the initial product was anything immaculate...I couldn't believe how poor the "making of a myth" documentary was. I felt like it kept trying to be impressive, distracting the viewer with bells and whistles ("Look! Here's Kier Dullea recreating the final scene of the film while answering a question!"). I wish it had just relayed the information and interviews in a less annoying manner...it's a shame, because there is a lot of interesting material in it.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I apologize if this comment has already been made - I don't have time to wade through all thirteen pages in the thread.

2001, on my 27" 4x3 t.v., exhibits a LOT of aliasing, especially in vertical pans of the moon's surface, or when spaceships cross the screen diagonally. To my eye this is almost as distracting at MGM's earlier release of JEAN DE FLORETTE and EXODUS. Is this likely to vanish if I buy a widescreen LCD capable of playing back anamorphic? Or, any of you who own the BluRay edition, does high def eliminate this very annoying problem?

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Had to figure out what that word 'aliasing ' meant.. so dictionary.com helped out:

aliasing (ā'lē-ə-sĭng) Pronunciation Key

1.Jagged distortions in curves and diagonal lines in computer graphics caused by limited or diminished screen resolution. Compare antialiasing.
2.Distortion in a reproduced sound wave caused by a low sampling rate during the recording of the sound signal as digital information.
3.When several different identifiers refer to the same object. The term is very general and is used in many contexts.
See alias, aliasing bug, anti-aliasing.
4. (Or "shadowing") Where a hardware device responds at multiple addresses because it only decodes a subset of the address lines, so different values on the other lines are ignored.
5.The appearance of jagged distortions in curves and diagonal lines in computer graphics because the resolution is limited or diminished.
6.The static distortion in digital sound caused by a low sampling rate.

I'd definately say it is your TV set., Maybe take the DVD down to your electronics and have them run it on various television screens.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

That sounds like exactly the sort of artifact you'd see when watching a 16:9-enhanced DVD downconverted for display on a 4:3 television, especially the part about vertical pans. But if 2001 is the only movie that exhibits this problem, that's a little unusual. My guess is that it's either your DVD doing a poor downconversion job or some quirk of the 2001 video tranfer which doesn't lend itself well to downconverison. In either case, I would expect a 16:9 display to remedy the problem, since no downconversion would be employed. But perhaps someone more familiar with this particular disc can comment on how it appears on their own display?

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I have both the latest SD DVD and the Blu-Ray edition. For the SD DVD, I have not noticed any significant aliasing when viewing with my 16:9 LCD projector or my 480i tube TV with a 16:9 mode. As an experiment, you may want to switch your DVD player to 16:9 mode to see if the aliasing still occurs when your player is not downconverting the image for 4:3 letterbox.

Regards,

Re: New Kubrick SE's

How nice.
France gets a 12 disc set with the inclusion of LOLITA and BARRY LYNDON.
they are still 4:3 letterbox but I get the impression BL was remastered.
My French isnt any better than Babblefish. $83 euro -VAT but shipping is a horror (Amazon.fr).

Amazon.fr*: Coffret 2007 Stanley Kubrick Box 12 disc set, includes The Shining - Lolita - Full Metal Jacket - Barry Lyndon - Eyes Wide Shut - Clockwork Orange - 2001: A Space Odyssey + Documentary-Stanley Kubrick-A life in Pictures


I dont understand why WB didnt go the extra half-mile-BARRY LYNDON screams out for 16x9 enhancement and now that the myth that SK prefers FF is debunked, the awkward square frame would look somewhat more like a painting in 1:75 -which Stanley strove for the film to look like

Re: New Kubrick SE's

The '01 Barry Lyndon DVD looks fantastic. The only problem is the lack of 16x9 enhancement. That's the only flaw. The previous '99 is supposed to be pretty awful, though.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Today, I "double dipped". In Munich I bought at "Muellers" the following all for 7.99 Euros which is about $12 each.

Full Metal Jacket; Shining; 2001; Eye Wide Shut; Clockwork Orange.

All are 2 DVDs and widescreen 16.9

1.78: Shining; FMJ; EWS
2.20 2001
1.66 Clockwork

I also noticed as a single DVD with the original cover Barry Lyndon also as wide screen 1.59. Perhaps I misread this thread, I was under the impression that it was still 4:3.

For EWS, which was cut and now restored, where in the film was this done? Please give chapter and time.

As for the covers, other forums such as GAC have complained about "ugly" covers! Who cares! it is what is on the DVD that counts.

I have Shining both R2 and R1. If I remember the scene between the mother and the son was not on the R2 version. Does anyone have a list of the differences? Perhaps given time (!) I might do that sometime.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Regarding the censorship of Eyes Wide Shut: there was nothing cut, per se, but during the orgy sequence digital figures were strategically placed to block "thrusting." If you watch the sequence it will be clear where the figures were added.

Regarding the differences between the U.S. and European cut of The Shining: I've "cut and pasted" the following from imdb--

The full-length version runs approx. 145 minutes and is the U.S. theatrical version, available in the USA on VHS, DVD and laserdisc. All the other versions, however, run just under two hours (115), omitting about half an hour of footage. This is beacuse Kubrick cut some scenes from his film, which he thought were unnecessary. British television network ITV screened the full US version of The Shining during the late eighties. The following is a list of all the scenes or parts of scenes not present in the other versions of The Shining.

* The last line of dialogue (spoken by Wendy) in the kitchen scene, the subsequent dissolve, Bill Watson's arrival to the interview (and all his dialogue), Jack recounting his previous jobs and the reason for shutting the Overlook in winter.
* After Danny's vision in the bathroom, the entire Doctor scene is removed (making Anne Jackson's name in the opening credits a mystery), where Danny discusses "Tony" and we discover Jack dislocated Danny's shoulder in a moment of drunken rage, and joined the wagon afterwards.
* The scenes where Mr. Ullman shows Jack and Wendy around the Colorado Lounge, when they walk outside the maze and when Dick Halloran shows Wendy and Danny round the kitchens have been shortened, but not removed completely.
* The scene where Jack, Wendy and the hotel managers first enter the Gold Room and are introduced to Dick Halloran, the subsequent dissolve, a line of dialogue between Halloran and Wendy about the woman's name.
* The first shot of Wendy wheeling the breakfast trolley.
* The second half of Wendy and Jack's breakfast conversation where Jack says how he feels he's been to the Overlook before.
* A shot from behind of Jack throwing the ball against the wall, the subsequent dissolve and the line "Loser has to keep America clean, how's that?" (8 seconds in all!)
* Wendy seeing the news and weather report on television in the kitchen while preparing food.
* The title card "Thursday" and part of Wendy and Danny's snowfight.
* Wendy and Danny watching television in the Colorado Lounge.
* Some lines of dialogue between Jack and Lloyd during their first encounter.
* A line of dialogue spoken by Jack after the encounter with the old woman, referring to Danny's vision of the blood.
* The scene where Wendy goes over her plan to leave the Overlook verbally in their room and Danny gets possessed (?) by "Tony", sitting bolt upright in bed.
* Halloran's third attempt at trying to contact them via the telephone and County Office.
* The 8am title card.
* Halloran's question to the stewardess on the plane.
* A long shot from behind of Jack at the typewriter.
* Halloran's plane touching down and phoning his friend Larry to arrange the rental of a Sno-cat.
* The scene where Danny watches Roadrunner (not actually on screen) and Wendy goes to find Jack, taking a baseball bat, just before she goes to find his manuscript.
* Wendy seeing skeletons in the hotel lobby.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Seems like a good post here to jump in to say:
I bought the HDD of 2001, as well as I had bought the Kubrick box set last fall., Since 2001 is one of my five most favourite films of all time, I had to have the HDD of that film in my DVD library., Since I don't have two HDD players, I wanted to compare the 2 discs (on my 46" LCD Sony Projection,) and found the HDD disc a little disappointing in the fact that I was SO IMPRESSED with the regular 2001 disc being 'up-converted' (from my Toshiba A3) to my TV set, the colours and detail of the film vastly blew away any of the two previous Dvds of 2001.,
so in comparing the two: I had the regular DVD on my everyday ''Non HD' Sony DVD player sending the video signal thru an SVHS wire to the TV, (480i )
( no HDMI on the player), and the HDD Toshiba A3 (with HDMI) sending the signal (1080i) to the TV on another input.
So by toggling back and forth I 'could not see any improvement' on color or detail., even the Bathroom instructions looked the same strength in lettering..
I either have an exceptional Sony with SVHS, or a disappointing HDD disc..

Re: New Kubrick SE's

Funny, most reviews indicated that 2001 HD was revelatory and reference quality.

However, most of the other Kubrick movies were shot in different lighting and OARs that made the HD versions somewhat less...essential.

I bought the new Kubrick DVD boxset week one and then a used copy of BL, when a used copy of 2001 HD came along later I upgrade that without even watching the new DVD.

At this point, I think I'm covered.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I am not sure what is meant by "lack of 16x9 enhancement". Does that mean it is not in 16x9 but 4:3? I looked at my DVDs in a (PAL) box of Kubrick that I bought a few years ago - all having snapper boxes and saw that "Barry Lyndon" was also wide screen then (16:9 1.59:1).

Regarding the price I paid in a post above, I paid 7.99 Euros and I have seen on Amazon.de & JPC.de that the normal price is circa 20 Euros. Also, in Germany, according to Amazon.de - the Kubrick special editions came out beginning of December. I have not seen any box sets here. The DVDs bought in German have English/German/Spanish languages plus subtitles Eng, Ger, plus a number of other.

Regarding Eyes Wide Shut - the current and the version I bought in the box a few years ago appear to be not censured like the previous R1 version. How could this film be shown on TV thinking of the "costume failure" at halftime of the Super Bowl.

The version of Shining here is the 115 minute version

Re: New Kubrick SE's

The most current R1 of Barry Lyndon is UPC 085392114825 (June 2001, Kubrick Collection ) and it not 16x9 enhancment only 1.66:1 widescreen..

DVD Authority | Standard DVD review of "Barry Lyndon"

Re: New Kubrick SE's

I think you meant 'Shown' instead of 'sure',
and 115 minute verison of the Shining ??????
There is no such edition of that length..
All copies of the Shining ( three in total 1999/ 2001/ 2007 ) are all 144 minutes in length.

Re: New Kubrick SE's

He's talking about the (German) R2 version of The Shining which runs 115 min (including PAL Speed-up).

Re: New Kubrick SE's

The 144 minute version is the only version of "The Shining" ever released in the US, but the 115 minute version is what is available in most of the rest of the world. Differences detailed at the IMDB: The Shining (1980) - Alternate versions

Regards,