One year on from their Wes Anderson set, the Criterion Collection will debut arguably their most ambitious release this decade: a career-spanning, all-4K Stanley Kubrick retrospective arriving on October 20. Comprising 30—yes, thirty—discs across UHD and Blu-ray editions, it collates previously issued editions of Eyes Wide Shut and Barry Lyndon; upgrades Paths of Glory, The Killing, and a very old release, Spartacus; and represents debuts (at least since the LaserDisc days) of 2001, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, and all the rest, down to The Seafarers, Flying Padre, and (in two versions) Day of the Fight.
More than 25 hours of supplements are housed inside packaging that, per Criterion, is “inspired by the director’s legendary archive” and “illustrated with rare photographs, artwork, and documents annotated by Kubrick himself.” The front cover by Drusilla Adeline/Sister Hyde Design seeks a line between bold and austere. Nobody can have a normal opinion on Criterion art nowadays, but this writer appreciates their design striking something ever so academic—think an old book found in a college library—and initial photos only suggest the tip of the iceberg.
Said Michael Chaiken, release producer, ““The Complete Kubrick took two years to achieve, but as Kubrick fans know, one’s relationship with his films never truly ends. It was an honor to be asked to produce this set and an enormous responsibility: to the fans, to the Kubrick estate, and ultimately to Kubrick himself, whose commitment to the presentation of his work remained constant throughout his life. To that end, Criterion consulted Kubrick’s closest collaborators, archival experts, and the studios that have stewarded his films across generations, ensuring that these works look and sound better than they ever have on home video. As the set’s many interviews and documentaries reveal, behind Kubrick’s darkly comic vision is a world of family, friends, and enduring creative relationships that speak to the humanist center of this singular body of work.”
See cover art below, including a gallery of all individual film covers, plus a trailer, and more at Criterion.
