Barry Lyndon and Lolita - show your support here. - Page 4

Thanks Brandon!

What about The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut? Was everyone happy with them? I debuted them, as I mentioned on my previous 50Hz LCD and they looked strange, but now I have a full 100Hz Plasma, I should try them again...

The biggest complaints about those releases were the fact that they showed the theatrical aspect ratio instead of the open matted version of the earlier dvds. And perhaps the altering of the 'Warner Communications' logo of The Shining, or the fact that Warner didn't include the audio commentary by Sydney Pollack that was listed on press releases.
But the releases themselves were quite good. I thought they looked amazing, especially Eyes Wide Shut (amazing cinematography).

With Barry Lyndon and Lolita in my wants to be on Blu-ray, what about Paths of Glory, Spartacus and The Killing? Already in my collection I have all Kubrick movies on this newest format.

Has anyone seen this article?

http://www.theauteurs.com/topics/4494

It's all good news -- but still no release date.

That doesn't explain Lolita, though. I wouldn't think transferring that to HD would be the cause of many problems. I just hope that both titles, when they're finally released on Blu-ray, look and sound the best they can. So no digital tinkering to 'improve' the image, especially in the case of Barry Lyndon.

Thanks for bringing them to Blu-ray WB. Thanks for nothing for making them exclusive to a 9-Disc box set where I already have the content in the same quality for 7 of the discs.

 

Dick move, WB. You better make these available separately ASAP.

I'd definitely get LOLITA and BARRY LYNDON on blu.  But not if I have to buy an expensive box that mostly duplicates stuff I've already got.

 

The classy thing to do would be to make the box available in a "previous owners" set--with all content except with blank cases where the existing blu discs would go.  Heck, they can even count the CLOCKWORK ORANGE set as "new" since it definitely has new extras. 

 

WB did this with the Fred and Ginger discs.  When the second set of films came out, Amazon sold an exclusive version with blank cases for the existing discs so those who already had those could upgrade and have the whole set and box contents.

Both LOLITA and BARRY LYNDON in Blu are available for preorder from amazon.de (Germany) and both are listed as Region Free on DVDBeaver.com:

 

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004NRS7QA/ref=nosim?tag=dvdbeaver0c-21&link_code=as2&creativeASIN=B004NRS7QA&creative=374929&camp=211189  and

 

http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004NRS828/ref=nosim?tag=dvdbeaver0c-21&link_code=as2&creativeASIN=B004NRS828&creative=374929&camp=211189

 

This is a less expensive option that a re-purchase of all the other titles.  I imagine there will also be a French release of these titles individually, as well as (perhaps) a British.  I have purchased from amazon.de and have experienced no problems (the site works just like the American and has all of your information on file), expect that it does take a couple of weeks for stuff to arrive at my door. 

Quote:

I agree with John. I took advantage of the Fred & Ginger box upgrade from Amazon, and I'm surprised it hasn't been repeated when situations like these arise. I can only guess it was an experiment between Warner and Amazon, and didn't generate enough sales to justify repeating.

The Digital Bits reports A CLOCKWORK ORANGE will be the same master used last time for the Blu-ray, and all of the rest of Kubrick's previously released Blus will be the same as well - plus the same PCM lossless audio will be used once again . . . BARRY LYNDON and LOLITA will have 5.1 DTS-HD . . . the more I find out about this new release the less worthwhile it seems . . . I suppose either go for the European releases (once the Region Freeness is confirmed - although European Warner stuff has always been Region Free, to my knowledge), or wait for Warner U.S.A. to release these titles individually as they seem to be doing in quite a few other places around the world - wonder what makes us so special . . .      

Edited by Wade Sowers - 2/17/11 at 4:00pm

According to the news posted in the previous post this is without a doubt the laziest Blu-ray release ever. Besides having a handsome Digibook release for A Clockwork Orange, no more thought to the film lover has gone into these film re-issues.

No sale, I may import Barry Lyndon, and Lolita from Europe. Meaning they will see a lot of sales of the titles being imported to the US.

now i am not comparing apples and oranges,  but two years or so ago WB was doing so great with just about everthing GWTH,WoO, and now with this "Major" release as stated it's like taking the cheap way and looking to see if it will work, for god sake it's Kubrick, his following is rabid, so you cant just halfass it, but that is sort of what is happening here.Criterion did there own transfer of Easy Rider for the BBS box set, so WB couldn't readress Spartacus? would it have been that difficult to hold out on this till everything was perfect, and that means, all in HD including the supplementals. 

Quote:

Did they?  Columbia's Grover Crisp had just recently completed a gorgeous transfer.  As to Spartacus, it isn't a WB title, and the cost to prepare a proper transfer

would be prohibitive to this project.

 

RAH

Mr Harris,

  i will defer to your statement, while i truly love that film, part of that is in due to your work in the restoration of it, one of the fond memories of my ex-wife, was that she surprised me with tickets. So i have a fondness for that film, especially; and i stand corrected.

 

 

But going from the posting at Criterion

 

•  New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography László Kovács (with uncompressed monaural soundtrack and optional DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition)

•  

• slight variances make me assume that it is a different transfer

I think Criterion did some minor increases in bitrate and maybe some minor extra digital tinkering on Easy Rider for their release. Nothing so substantial to do more than split hairs over, IMO.

Robert,  just re-read your statement five times and was completely floored, by two words "Proper Transfer"

You can make that "proper, easy transfer, that would not be cost prohibitive."  The film element is ready and waiting for scanning.  All it needs is digital clean-up, color and density.

 

The cost would be a pittance based upon income from all sources world-wide.

 

RAH

I could see this box being worth it if all the titles got new book packaging (for consistency), even with existing discs, but simply boxing what has already been available for ages does seem more than a bit lazy. Hopefully BL and Lolita get an individual release shortly after this box if not concurrently with it. Unfortunately WB did this set the wrong way around, having it released first with individual titles following would be understandable, but bundling existing titles with a couple of of new ones isn't going to go over well.

Individual releases now up for pre-order at amazon.com!

 

Lolita - http://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Blu-ray-James-Mason/dp/B001AQMBJG

 

Barry Lyndon - http://www.amazon.com/Barry-Lyndon-Blu-ray-Ryan-ONeal/dp/B001AQT0OU

 

No release date yet, so I can see an exclusive window for the box set prior to these releases, but kudos to Warner for listening to the complaints and releasing these individually. This is the right move.

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!

I am very happy to read about the individual releases. Now all we need is a street date.

Great news

The back cover artwork is up on Amazon and it appears that there are no extras apart from the trailer, which is very disappointing.

 

I was hoping they'd include the Channel 4 documentary "Stanley Kubrick's Boxes" as an extra but even if they couldn't, there's still material they could've used without having to create new extras. Specifically, there are additional interviews from the "A Life in Pictures" documentary (and I recall reading that Marisa Berenson's interview was cut for time).

What's more troubling to me is that the back cover art says that Barry Lyndon will be 1.85:1 when even Warner Brothers' own Kubrick FAQs say that the correct aspect ratio of this is 1.66:1. This is one film where the extra height is very important and clearly intended.

Interesting.

Edited by Brandon Conway - 3/29/11 at 1:01pm

Not that I've done a scientific poll but it seems to me that most studios just say 2.35 or 1.85 even if it's 2.25 or 1.78, etc.

Warner generally releases 1.85:1 films as 1.78:1. This is a minimal enough difference that no one bats an eye. However, 1.78:1 vs. 1.66:1 is a notable enough difference that it does matter. A Clockwork Orange is properly 1.66:1, as is (apparently) the upcoming release of Lolita. It's possible that Barry Lyndon was shot to accommodate both the UK 1.66:1 and US 1.85:1, but since the DVD is 1.66:1 it's a bit odd to have it be 1.85:1 on the BD (if true). Of course, The Shining is definitely 1.85:1 and that was made just five years later, so Barry Lyndon is kinda right there between A Clockwork Orange and The Shining and may have been OK'd for both.

Here's the link to Warner's Kubrick FAQs I mentioned above.

 

http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com/faq/general_faq.html

 

Note the section about aspect ratios:

 

 

This makes absolutely no sense what so ever, who at WB is making this mistake? Especially when there own site states plainly what the correct aspect ratio is. For years they have been so good at promoting and keeping true to Kubrick’s' legacy. How are they going to handle the rabid fan base that complains that Barry Lyndon is framed incorrectly? Has something changed at WB, they used to be consistently outstanding with regards to there catalog titles. But then I am reminded that Horror of Dracula DVD was improperly framed.

Prior to the release this should be fix correctly, it should not become and issue of sending out a replacement disc because enough people complain that the framing is wrong.