Audio Video News

Last week, Warner Home Video, in partnership with Columbia TriStar Home Video and MGM Home Entertainment, announced the June 29 release of The Stanley Kubrick Collection, a compilation of nine of the legendary director's most powerful films. The collection will be available on both VHS and DVD two weeks before the theatrical debut of Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's final feature. Warner says the collection is the first extensive review of Kubrick's major works in a format and package design approved by the late director, which guarantees a faithful presentation of his exacting vision.

The six Warner Bros. releases are: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick's allegorical puzzle about the evolution of humanity and an American Film Institute Top 100 film; Lolita, the classic tale of doomed sexual obsession; A Clockwork Orange, the AFI Top 100 film featuring Malcolm McDowell as the personification of society gone bad; Barry Lyndon, a rendering of 18th-century war and class distinction; The Shining, an epic tale of a man descending into murderous delusions in a snowbound hotel; and Full Metal Jacket, a scathing indictment of the Vietnam conflict and a seminal war movie.

In addition to the Warner Bros. titles, Columbia TriStar Home Video is offering Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, Kubrick's hysteria-driven commentary on Cold War politics. MGM is delivering two titles: Paths of Glory, a timeless tale of moral dilemmas that arise during war; and The Killing, Kubrick's taut debut, about a racetrack heist gone bad.

All nine titles have been repackaged, and each contains a miniature reproduction of the original theatrical poster. In addition, the six Warner Bros. titles will include the original theatrical trailers in both VHS and DVD versions. The Shining also includes The Making of The Shining, a 30-minute documentary by Vivian Kubrick, the director's daughter. The DVD release of 2001: A Space Odyssey is supplemented by a rare interview with Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kubrick.

Thomas F. Lesinski, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Warner Home Video, states that "The Stanley Kubrick Collection is the first comprehensive collection of these brilliant films, and it represents a lasting tribute to one of the most respected directors in the history of cinema. The DVD version of the collection offers the first-time viewer and the collector a great viewing experience of these works in their most pristine format."