Barry Lyndon won't have a SE. Is that confirmed? (1 Viewer)

I heard Warner announced that only Eyes wide shut, The shining, 2001 and Clockwork Orange will have a SE released. Is that confirmed? I want to know if Barry Lyndon will have a SE or not, cause if not i'm going to buy the version available anyway instead of waiting for a SE that might not be released.

It would also be good to know if there are any rumors of SEs for the other Warner Kubrick titles - Lolita and Full Metal Jacket.

I think it's pretty reasonable to expect a second wave of Kubrick SE's from Warners. If you throw in "Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures" they could release two groups of four.

I am hoping that since MGM/UA is now under the control of Sony, that we can HOPEFULLY get SE's for The Killing (This is the 50th anniversary btw) and Paths of Glory. I remember that Dr. Strangelove (Sony) was included in the Warner box set, so with some luck, maybe we can finally have a complete Kubrick collection (sans the Criterion Spartacus). As far as the other Warner Kubrick titles(Lolita, FMJ, and Barry Lyndon) go, I'm guessing we'll probably see those in 07.

Anyone have a link to a special features rundown?

More importantly what the aspect ratios will be?

There was a piece up this past week by Bill Hunt over at The Digital Bits, where he briefly discussed most or all of these issues...have to dig it out, sometime.

I'd like to see Sony just do a 3-film box with Kubrick's three United Artists films.

Paths of Glory was recently restored and would be 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen on a new remaster.

Paths of Glory has been airing on HDnet this month, and I assume this is the new remaster.

It aired in 1.33:1 though, not 1.66:1.

To get a 1.66:1 ratio for this film would mattes just be applied, or is that the OAR?

I agree Patrick.

Sony could give us their own Kubrick Collection with SE's of all three of the MGM/UA titles. The discussion had been so heavy for the Warner Kubrick titles as of late, I guess no one cared to mention that the status had changed for the three MGM/UA titles previously released as bare bone titles. It would be nice to have Kirk Douglas interview for "Paths" and maybe a James B. Harris/Kristiane Kubrick (Kubrick met his future wife during filming) commentary along with a new documentary.

looking forward to Barry Lyndon hitting an HD format. The films rich production design, painterly landscapes, and naturally lit interiors deserve the highest possible resolution.

K U B R I C K S.E's

killers kiss- with commentary by Jamie Smith Chris Chase

The Killing- w/Extras done by Quentin Tarantino w/comparison to Reservoir Dogs and a doc on maverick film actor Sterling Hayden

paths of glory- with commentary by Kirk Douglass and Christiane Kubrick


to match Dr. Strangelove, this is a no brainier.
this was something that i had in the request area, but if we are talking in HD or preferably BD the Sony has 4 that it could do, plus the to sets from WB.
www.thedigitalbits.com/mytwocentsa115.html#warcat has that article

Barry Lyndon remains the most beautiful film I've ever seen. I saw it many times on the big screen when it was new and recently I've been watching the DVD. Kubrick was a master lensman like no other director before or since. How did he achieve the look of Barry Lyndon?

Because of the unique way it was filmed, if the DVD were to have a commentary, I think it should be technical and shot-specific. I want to know what Kubricks's decisions were, and his reasoning. Was the film shot entirely with natural light or did they give it a little help now and then? If they gave it help, how extensive -- a sun gun here and there, or was it limited to bounce, flags, scrims, diffusion etc. Which raw stock was used? What was the ASA? What were the focal lengths -- or was there just one focal length? I even want to know the lens opening and shutter speed for those candle-lit interiors. Some of the camera crew are still with us, WB should round them up for the first truly technical commentary.

What's the lab history of the film? Let's break down Kubrick's methods for processing and color-timing Barry Lyndon in the technical commentary. Labs do keep records.

Many of the actors are alive and well, including Ryan O'Neal and Marisa Berenson. Considering the importance of Barry Lyndon, WB should solicit them for a commentary as well.

No other film in history merits a truly technical commentary like Barry Lyndon does.

"Barry Lyndon" aired in high def last year (on either HD Net or INHD) and looked glorious. I agree that this would be a definite purchase when released in HD format.

Good luck with that. Quentin Tarantino said "Fuck Kubrick" on the "Reservoir Dogs" DVD and when he does cite "The Killing" as an influence he maintains that it was the writing and source material that inspired him as opposed to Kubrick's direction.

Quentin also does not seem to be too wild about Orson Welles either. Just a guess....he's probably not too crazy about director's like Lean, DeMille, Eisenstein, or Terence Malick to give some examples. He seems to have some sort of peeve for "grand scale" filmmaking. Btw, I do think the Sterling Hayden doc would be great though! As far as Kirk Douglas doing a commentary for "Paths," I didn't mention him because I don't remember him doing any recent Commentary tracks for other dvd's, just video interviews. A Commentary by Kirk would certainly be a welcome addition though! I just thought that James B. Harris would be great since he was Kubrick's right hand man back then, as well as being the films producer.

Both Paths of Glory and The Killing on DVD appear to be open matte transfers, as the framing appears to be fine when the picture is zoomed in.

Richard W - I couldn't agree more. Barry Lyndon is my favorite Kubrick film and the photography, reminiscent of Old Master paintings is magnificent. I would, as you say, love to have a special edition of the film with a detailed technical commentary track.

Don't know if this adds anything to the discussion, but I do remember that when Warner's original announcement went out, it said that it was looking at producing SEs of some of the Stanley Kubrick titles. "Some" means some, not all. But too bad: Barry Lyndon, as noted, is a painterly masterpiece, with some of the most beautifully realized framing ever in a film. When I was first enjoying it back in 1975, my jaw dropped at how gorgeous the film is.

There are many beautifully photographed films, but only Barry Lyndon is majesterial in its cinematography.


A lot of people feel as we do about Barry Lyndon.

Forget all these redundant ego-trip self-congratulating documentaries on CGI. They add up to promotion and nothing more. They bore me. What Kubrick did was true, ground-breaking cinematography. I'm surprised people aren't talking more about it.

There's a reason the film looks the way it does. No other film in the history of films was photographed using a specialized lens designed for satellites and spacecraft, or using candles instead of artificial light. The documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures talks about this, but not in any detail. Kubrick was interested in how natural light is captured to show us a quality we haven't seen before; the light in Barry Lyndon is diferent from any other film. I mean, the very idea of it is so radical nobody but Kubrick would think of it, let alone consider shooting an entire film that way, let alone making it happen. His method and application demands a nuts-and-bolts, scene-by-scene, shot-by-shot instructive, technical commentary from the camera crew.

If the cost of a special edition isn't justified by its sales, the importance of this film is reason enough to do it. Maybe if WB promote Barry Lyndon as a masterpiece and aim the DVD at film makers and film buffs, it would sell well.