Customer Reviews

Stanley Kubrick: Visionary Filmmaker Collection [Blu-ray] [1962] [Region Free]

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The films are all unique and brilliant. These are the films which all sit inside the top 100 films ever made. The quality of these blu ray releases is wonderful. 2001 is the film to show to mates when they are umming and ahhing about upgrading to blu ray. the picture is sharp enough to cut the eyeballs and is truly breathtaking. Also, Lolita and Barry Lyndon were previously unavailable on blu and make their debut here. Barry Lyndon is one of my very favorite films (it also has my favorite cinematography of any Kubrick film) so I was very pleased about this, it often gets overlooked but I would personally put it a nose ahead of full metal jacket and EWS. The extras are more than enough on the discs but also included is a whole documentary which is in depth about Kubrick on disc 8. At triple the asking price it would still be a reasonable buy but at this price it is literally a steal - about �3 a film. I have many of these on DVD but at this price I just had to upgrade. If you are even slightly into Kubrick you will without a doubt come back to these films again and again. I'm not wishing to be dramatic but its a price so low its almost criminal. I saw The Shining for sale in a well known entertainment outlet last week and it was �14.99 on normal DVD with all the extras included here, that is two thirds the price of this collection which has 6 times as many films (all in High definition), a documentary and a small book!!!! Buying this at the current price is a steal and even if somehow you haven't seen all the films included just go ahead and buy it I swear you won't be disappointed. So amazed by the price was I that I researched the Blu ray releases to make sure they were not really poor restorations and transfers but this is far from the case = all are known to be good while a few (2001 & The Shining) are noted as being outstanding eye popping transfers. In summary get your hands on this before they sell out and then put the price back up to a reasonable amount, which should surely be about �10 a film. Get it .... Quick !!!

I bought this set just for 2001. For the price, that alone on Blu Ray would be a bargain. Those that complain that we don't get as much as the USA are missing the point. It's still an absolute and unmissable banging bargain!

Despite the and the quality of the movies, and the good price of this product, after all 20 pounds for 8 BD's is a budget, amazon displays pictures of one edition with a book to follow, but send us home a new one without it. And this is not correct. That is called cheating customers. And that's not good. Correct the images to not induce error other customers. That's why I give lonely star. All expect better consideration.

Could have lost both Barry Lyndon and Lolita and slipped in Doctor Strangelove to suit my needs better but that aside, this set is a total bargain for the Kubrick Fan and the 'life in pictures' and 'o lucky malcolm' documentaries make it even more so! Red Rum, Red Rum RED RUM RED RUM!!! A Shining example of a box set!

You are getting not only Kubrick's finest, but some of the greatest films ever made in high definition and at a very reasonable price (sometimes it drops to �18, or even �15)

The highlight in terms of picture quality is '2001' - which is by far the most well-restored of the entire set. The rest are above-average. Kubrick's vivid colours and flowing cinematography are given the justice they deserve: The zooms in 'Barry Lyndon', the steady-cam shots in 'The Shining', the harsh palette of 'A Clockwork Orange', and the Christmas lights in 'Eyes Wide Shut' have never looked better. I suppose one could argue that the grain and occasional murk present in a few of the films adds to the overall effect - indeed, I much prefer a grainy film to one that's been murdered by DNR.

The packaging is not perfect. For a start, whilst the discs are well protected, they are extremely difficult to extract from the case. 'Lolita' and the bonus documentaries particularly are a struggle, and I'm actually reluctant to watch these two again simply because I'm worried about snapping the discs in two when taking them out. I've seen this kind of packaging done much better before, but I prefer it to the US version which simply slots the discs into a cardboard sleeve (which is very likely to cause long-term damage to the discs). Also, I was lucky to pick this collection up back when it came with the booklet. If you own any literature regarding Kubrick then your not missing that much, but I can see why some are disappointed that its no longer included.

The reason why Dr Strangelove [Blu-ray] [2010][Region Free] or Spartacus [Blu-ray] [1960] are not included in this version of the box-set is because Sony owns the UK-rights to 'Dr Strangelove', and 'Spartacus' similarly is owned by Universal. Both of these films are available on Blu-Ray separately in the UK, so its not the end of the world - and there is more than enough content in this box-set to still be worth your money. However, the US version of 'The Shining' is not included (which I've been told is superior). This is the only in-excusable omission from the box-set: since Warner Bros owns both the European and US versions. Its really not hard to have a menu pop up before the film starts asking if you would like to view the US or European version, Warner Bros...

The US version of this Box-Set has its pros and cons as well. The packaging is much worse, but if your really picky about having 'Dr Strangelove' and 'Spartacus' (again, both are available separately in the UK), and you want the US version of 'The Shining' (although, you won't get the European version) then as long as your not too worried about the packaging, get the US version if you happen to come across it at an OK price. All Warner Bros Blu-Ray's are Region-Free (something ALL companies including Criterion should do), so if you think its a worthy investment then go for it. Otherwise, you should be happy with this cheaper, more convenient option.

Hey, love these films to bits and have seen them many times over.If you go to the amazon.com site there are two films missing in this set as the yanks are getting Spartacus and Dr Stangelove - USA 10 Disc set - UK 8 disc??.Yes these are available seperatley but it would have been nice to have them in the UK release..If you also go to amazon.com and check out Mark Twains's review and go to permalink there is a great comment section by maelje which explains why the films in this collection are the correct aspect ratio's - worth checking out!..

I came to this as a Kubrick novice and bought this primarily for Barry Lyndon.it has a great transfer though only a trailer as an extra,glad i took a chance on the boxset as 2001,a clockwork orange and the shining also look and sound great and have lots of extras.the only film that i wouldn't care to watch again is eyes wide shut the rest are all worth a second or even a third look. there are subtitles in about ten languages and a choice of six spoken for watching without them for every film so good value if you can purchase for �25 or less.alas there is no booklet with the set but that's a minor quibble

Kubrick's films are finally given a blu ray set to be proud of. The discs come in a flip style amaray blu-ray case (like the Alien Anthology replacement), and nice hardback book with info on each film, which both slide nicely into a hardback slipcase. The way the discs are stored in an amaray case may seem a bit cheap but is actually not only more protective for the discs but makes them easier and quick to access. This is a better style than the American boxset which may come in a more aesthetically pleasing book style, but to remove the disc for that you need to physically tocuh the bottom shiny side of the disc, and edge it out, which has been reported can lead to scratches.

The set contains the last seven Kubrick films. The American release gets Spartacus and Dr Strangelove aswell, but as Kubrick was brought on as a director without preperations for the former, and the latter film being a satirical comedy and thus not necessarily as deep and artistic as his later work, this is no big problem. The transfers are mostly great, the two best would be 2001 and The Shining.

The special features for each disc are identical to previous releases, with a few new additions here and there. The two blu ray debutees, Lolita and Barry Lyndon, only contain theatrical trailers. However the set does include the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures a two hour chronicle of the incredible filmmaker.

Overall this is an essential purchase for any film or especially Kubrick fan, even more so if you only own a couple of the Kubrick blu-rays and want to experience more great films from this truly visionary filmmaker.

Am a big fan of Kubrick's films. Truth be told, was feeling a bit hesitant when ordering, since I own most of the movies here in previously remastered versions. So I wasn't expecting a lot of new features from this blu ray set because the old ones are pretty good enough already for me. But anyhow I bought this set when I saw the big drop of its price not long after the set was launched. At less than 30 quid, it's a knockout bargain for me. I mean, what can you really buy out there with that kinda money?

Overall, the quality of the blu rays are superb. Unlike the US version, which has received numerous complaints on its book design disc holder, this box set comes in more traditional packaging, the discs are held firmly, individually in a large plastic box. So no worries for people who fancy to buy this version. You can always buy Dr. Strangelove blu ray separately, do don't bother with the 8 discs or 10 discs dilemma.

I was really glad that they have included new documentary on THE LUCKY MALCOM together with Stanley Kubrick documentary on the last disc. Tested a few of the discs, some picture quality are significantly improved, especially Barry Lyndon, but well, if you like, the older version in my dvd collection was simply not good enough for the latest LCD or LED tv anyway. The major attraction of the set is Space Odyssey 2001 for me. The opening landscape footage never look better for me. And I am glad that I bought this new version though somehow so far I have found no new featuers are added into the blu ray version of the movie. But still, the price beats all imperfections.

BUY IT! YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED!

I took down my first review of this product because there was no book included, which was specified on amazon's description at the time of ordering. I penalised the rating of this product for that reason, which I have since regretted.

For the value it is absolutely unbelievable. Arguably the greatest director of all time (my favourite for sure) with the majority of his best films included, all with the special features and all great transfers.

Lolita:

I'll admit, not my favourite Kubrick film but an enjoyable one nonetheless. Good Transfer

2001/ACO:

These films still look AMAZING! After multiple viewings I still find something new, they still excite and surprise me.

Barry Lyndon

Unfortunately, this underrated gem gets ONE extra which is the original trailer. Very annoying.

As for quality, a film has NEVER looked so good. I'm fairly convinced that Barry Lyndon is the best looking film ever made, and it looks even better in this transfer. Compare it with the trailer and notice how much of an improvement there is. Every frame could be a virtuoso's painting. The film, ultimately about determinism and status will seem boring to those who nothing more than a story. Dig deeper, and there's so much to enjoy.

The Shining/Full Metal Jacket/Eyes Wide Shut:

All films which have taken time for me to really love (in fact i'm only just coming around to loving EWS). All 3 look spectacular and are filled with heaps of extras.

All in all the price is amazing compared to other boxsets.

7 films which have so much detail, so much re-watchability, so much meaning it feels like each film is worth 10. To paraphrase Scorsese: It's okay that Kubrick will no longer make another film, because what we have is enough.