Press Release WHV Press Release: A Clockwork Orange (1971) (4k UHD) (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

Best Buy Exclusive

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/a-clockwork-orange-steelbook-digital-copy-4k-ultra-hd-blu-ray-blu-ray-only--best-buy-1971/6470857.p?skuId=6470857

STANLEY KUBRICK’S A CLOCKWORK ORANGE COMES TO 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAYTM COMBO PACK AND DIGITAL FROM WARNER BROS. HOME ENTERTAINMENT THE RENOWNED DIRECTOR’S INFLUENTIAL FILM WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 4K RESOLUTION WITH HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE (HDR)​ Own it September 21st on 4K Ultra HD and Digital​

BURBANK, CA, August 3, 2021 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that A Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic dystopian film, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and Digital on September 21. Adapted from Anthony Burgess’s 1962 decline-of-civilization novel, A Clockwork Orange received four Academy Award® nominations; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Based on Material from Another Medium) and Best Film Editing. Directed, written and produced by Kubrick, the film stars Malcolm McDowell as Alex DeLarge, Warren Clarke, James Marcus and Michael Tarn as his droogs, Patrick Magee and Michael Bates. In 2020, the United States Library of Congress selected A Clockwork Orangefor preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." The 4K restoration was conducted by Warner Bros.’ Motion Picture Imaging (MPI). Kubrick’s former right-hand man Leon Vitali and the Kubrick Estate worked closely with the team at Warner Bros. during the mastering process. Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home entertainment viewing experience like never before. A Clockwork Orange will be available on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack for $24.99 ERP and includes an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature film in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc with the feature film and special features. Fans can also own A Clockwork Orange in 4K Ultra HD via purchase from select digital retailers beginning September 21. About the Film: In an England of the future, Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his "Droogs" spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultraviolence," while jauntily warbling "Singin' in the Rain." After he's jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady to death, Alex submits to a behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims. Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Elements A Clockwork OrangeUltra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features: Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and Nick Redman Still Tickin': The Return of Clockwork Orange [2000 Channel 4 Documentary] Great Bolshy Yarblockos! Making A Clockwork Orange Turning Like Clockwork Malcolm McDowell Looks Back O Lucky Malcolm! DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION ELEMENTS On September 21, A Clockwork Orange 4K UHD will be available to own for streaming and download to watch anywhere in high definition and standard definition on favorite devices from select digital retailers including GooglePlay, Vudu, Xbox and others, and will be made available digitally on Video On Demand services from cable and satellite providers, and on select gaming consoles. ABOUT DIGITAL *Digital movies or TV episodes allow fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital movies or TV episodes are included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. With digital, consumers are able to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones through retail services like CinemaNow, Flixster Video, Vudu and more. For more information on compatible devices and services go to wb.com/digitalmoviefaq. Consult a digital retailer for details and requirements and for a list of digital-compatible devices. BASICS PRODUCT ERP Ultra HD Blu-ray $24.99* Standard Street Date: 9/21/2021 EST Street Date: 9/21/2021 Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French Run Time: 136 Minutes Rated: R

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases

 

[Robert Crawford]

Why of all titles this should be a BB exclusive? It doesn't make any sense to me that they would restrict purchasing options for this particular title.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Why of all titles this should be a BB exclusive? It doesn't make any sense to me that they would restrict purchasing options for this particular title.

Robert, the gist I get is that the Steelbook is a BB exclusive. The regular version should go on sale via Amazon.

At least that is my best guess as to what is going on here.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Robert, the gist I get is that the Steelbook is a BB exclusive. The regular version should go on sale via Amazon.

At least that is my best guess as to what is going on here.

I wouldn’t bet against that - seems to be the status quo these days with a lot of steelbook releases.

For me (and some others I’m sure), the $64,000 question is whether the included BD is also sourced from the new master (as was the case with 2001 and The Shining) or whether it’s a repressing of the ancient BD edition from 2007 (which was the case with Full Metal Jacket).

 

[Jeffrey D]

I sure hope this UHD will be a vast improvement over the current BluRay
(monochromatic mush).

 

[Robert Crawford]

Amazon has a 4K disc link that hasn’t gone live yet.

 

[Dave H]

I've been waiting on this one for a long time. That older Blu-ray is pretty ragged.

 

[david hare]

street date in Australua for UHD disc bare bones is September 24.

 

[titch]

I sure hope this UHD will be a vast improvement over the current BluRay
(monochromatic mush).

All of the Leon Vitali-supervised 4K UHD Kubrick transfers for Warner are in the upper echelons for what an old film can look like at home, played from a little silver disc. I wouldn't expect this to be different.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Thank you for supporting HTF when you preorder using the link below. If you are using an adblocker you will not see link. As an Amazon Associate HTF earns from qualifying purchases

 

[JoshZ]

All of the Leon Vitali-supervised 4K UHD Kubrick transfers for Warner are in the upper echelons for what an old film can look like at home, played from a little silver disc. I wouldn't expect this to be different.

I'm not comfortable giving Vitale credit for that. He's the guy who insisted for many years, despite written documentation from Kubrick himself, that Stanley composed all of his movies only for 4:3.

I'm sure the Vitale "supervision" is mostly an honorary credit.

 

[Lord Dalek]

I'm not comfortable giving Vitale credit for that. He's the guy who insisted for many years, despite written documentation from Kubrick himself, that Stanley composed all of his movies only for 4:3.

I'm sure the Vitale "supervision" is mostly an honorary credit.

The 4:3 thing never applied to A Clockwork Orange anyway. The film was shot 1.66:1 hard matte and every disc has it represented that way (even the first two non-anamorphic ones).

 

[JoshZ]

The 4:3 thing never applied to A Clockwork Orange anyway. The film was shot 1.66:1 hard matte and every disc has it represented that way (even the first two non-anamorphic ones).

Nevertheless, Vitale has proven to be an unreliable source of information when it comes to technical matters and home video transfers.

 

[darkrock17]

I don't usually care for steelbooks, but this one is 100 times better than the regular 4K cover.

 

[Carl David]

I'm not comfortable giving Vitale credit for that. He's the guy who insisted for many years, despite written documentation from Kubrick himself, that Stanley composed all of his movies only for 4:3.

I'm sure the Vitale "supervision" is mostly an honorary credit.

I would argue he probably does deserve the credit.

Leon knows his stuff when it comes to film. He did colour timing and video transfers on Stanley's films to name two of the many processes he was trusted to do by Stanley.

He checked the prints with Stanley and then directed the labs on Stanley's instructions.

I am of the opinion he could hold his own with anyone doing the necessary work to put Stanley's oeuvre on UHD or any other format.

He's probably the authority on his films. I would be surprised if anyone is more knowledgeable on Stanley's films than Leon.

Maybe there could be an argument on whether he knows much on some of the modern processes such as Dolby Vision etc.

 

[Dennis Gallagher]

Nevertheless, Vitale has proven to be an unreliable source of information when it comes to technical matters and home video transfers.

"Film Worker" - the documentary about Vitali and his incredible service to the Kubrick vision - is definitely worth watching. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6851066/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

 

[JoshZ]

I would argue he probably does deserve the credit.

Leon knows his stuff when it comes to film. He did colour timing and video transfers on Stanley's films to name two of the many processes he was trusted to do by Stanley.

He checked the prints with Stanley and then directed the labs on Stanley's instructions.

I am of the opinion he could hold his own with anyone doing the necessary work to put Stanley's oeuvre on UHD or any other format.

He's probably the authority on his films. I would be surprised if anyone is more knowledgeable on Stanley's films than Leon.

Maybe there could be an argument on whether he knows much on some of the modern processes such as Dolby Vision etc.

I've watched the Filmworker documentary. I have sympathy for Vitale as a person. It sounds like Kubrick was a real slave-driver who made his life miserable.

At the same time, that documentary is filled with quite a lot of self-aggrandizement to prop up Vitale's assertion that he is the supreme authority on Kubrick's films. In reality, Vitale has a long history of demonstrating poor knowledge of technical matters.

- It was Vitale who insisted that Kubrick composed The Shining and Full Metal Jacket for 4:3 and only wanted them presented at that ratio, despite storyboards from The Shining explicitly notating that the photography would be composed for 1.85:1.
- It was Vitale who convinced Warner Bros. to recycle decades-old full-frame VHS masters for the initial DVD releases of Kubrick's films rather than remaster them, because "that's what Stanley wanted."
- It was Vitale who convinced WB to encode the DVD edition of Clockwork Orange (as previously noted, the film was hard-matted to 1.66:1 in camera) in non-anamorphic letterbox format because he didn't understand what anamorphic enhancement was and believed it was somehow akin to changing the camera lens after the movie was finished.
- It was Vitale who insisted that the one and only correct aspect ratio for Barry Lyndon was 1.77:1, and stuck to his guns on this story even after presented with a letter Kubrick sent to theaters unambiguously instructing that the movie was to be projected at 1.66:1.

Over the years, Warner Bros. has continued to allow Vitale to "approve" the home video editions of Kubrick's films as a courtesy, but has moved away from following all of his directions. I seriously doubt that Vitale was in the room making decisions during the 4K remastering for Clockwork Orange. More likely, WB did all the work and only allowed him to screen the master after it was finalized and locked.

 

[Carl David]

I've watched the Filmworker documentary. I have sympathy for Vitale as a person. It sounds like Kubrick was a real slave-driver who made his life miserable.

At the same time, that documentary is filled with quite a lot of self-aggrandizement to prop up Vitale's assertion that he is the supreme authority on Kubrick's films. In reality, Vitale has a long history of demonstrating poor knowledge of technical matters.

- It was Vitale who insisted that Kubrick composed The Shining and Full Metal Jacket for 4:3 and only wanted them presented at that ratio, despite storyboards from The Shining explicitly notating that the photography would be composed for 1.85:1.
- It was Vitale who convinced Warner Bros. to recycle decades-old full-frame VHS masters for the initial DVD releases of Kubrick's films rather than remaster them, because "that's what Stanley wanted."
- It was Vitale who convinced WB to encode the DVD edition of Clockwork Orange (as previously noted, the film was hard-matted to 1.66:1 in camera) in non-anamorphic letterbox format because he didn't understand what anamorphic enhancement was and believed it was somehow akin to changing the camera lens after the movie was finished.
- It was Vitale who insisted that the one and only correct aspect ratio for Barry Lyndon was 1.77:1, and stuck to his guns on this story even after presented with a letter Kubrick sent to theaters unambiguously instructing that the movie was to be projected at 1.66:1.

Over the years, Warner Bros. has continued to allow Vitale to "approve" the home video editions of Kubrick's films as a courtesy, but has moved away from following all of his directions. I seriously doubt that Vitale was in the room making decisions during the 4K remastering for Clockwork Orange. More likely, WB did all the work and only allowed him to screen the master after it was finalized and locked.

Maybe you interpreted Filmworker differently to how I did.

Leon came across as quite humble and did not appear to show any "self-aggrandizement" from my perspective.

On the contrary, he did not appear to boast or comment on the respect he was given by professionals such as the VP of restoration at Warner Bros. Ned Price who commented on how Leon knew how to look at the negatives and sung his praises etc.

Are you claiming these professionals were influenced by Leon to say these things? Or just doing it out of courtesy?

If so, I would like to see information to supports this.

He might not have been in the room making the decisions but he wouldn't have to be.

He would have the reference prints to go by and would check all Warner Bros. work against them and instruct personnel on any issues that might arise unless he has given all those over to Warner Bros. in which case then he wouldn't then need to be consulted and then that might support your views.

If he still has the reference prints then it stands to reason he would have been consulted throughout the process.

 

[moviepas]

ZAVVI also have a Special Edition available for Pre-order for those that Amazon don't ship to anymore outside their boundaries.

 

[JoshZ]

Maybe you interpreted Filmworker differently to how I did.

Leon came across as quite humble and did not appear to show any "self-aggrandizement" from my perspective.

I don't have a time-code, but there is a section in the documentary where Vitale superficially addresses some of the controversies above, shrugging them off with the suggestion that he was right all along and everybody else was just being a jerk for no reason.