Stanley Kubrick : Special Edition 10 Disc Box Set [1968] [DVD]

To date Stanley Kubrick remains one of cinema's most controversial film-maker. This box set highlights some of his greatest work, from the visionary 2001:A Space Odyssey, the violent and highly-debated A Clockwork Orange, the chilling adaptation of The Shining, the acclaimed war drama Full Metal Jacket, to his final piece, the controversial Eyes Wide Shut. And to top it off, the treat of this box set, the fascinating Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures.

Stanley Kubrick was one of the most acclaimed and controversial filmmakers of his generation, but he was also an intensely private man who rarely gave interviews and produced most of his films under a shroud of secrecy, which tended to foster a great deal of rumour and speculation about his working methods. Jan Harlan, who worked as Kubrick's assistant and executive producer on several projects directed this feature-length documentary. Narrated by Tom Cruise, this offers a rare in-depth look into Kubrick's career as a filmmaker, structured around interviews with a number of actors, writers, technicians, composers, friends, and family who speak on the record about his relentless perfectionism, his creative vision, his life both on and off the set, his relationships with actors, his unrealised projects, and his importance and influence as an artist.

Among those who share their thoughts in Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures are actors Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Malcolm McDowell, Peter Ustinov, and Keir Dullea; writers Arthur C. Clarke and Michael Herr; special effects artist Douglas Trumbull; composers Wendy Carlos and Gyorgy Ligeti; filmmakers Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Paul Mazursky, and Sydney Pollack; and Kubrick's spouse Christiane Kubrick.

The choice of titles is undeniably spot on, and the extras really give a sense of who the man was, what his legacy is, and the privilege it was for the people who collaborated with him on his cinematic journey. -- Jennifer Kilchenmann

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 5.1 ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN, SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Collectors Edition, Commentary, Documentary, Interactive Menu, Making Of, Multi-DVD Set, Remastered, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): When a large black monolith is found beneath the surface of the moon, the reaction immediately is that it was intentionally buried. When the point of origin is confirmed as Jupiter, an expedition is sent in hopes of finding the source. When Dr. David Bowman discovers faults in the expeditionary space craft's communications system, he discovers more than he ever wanted to know. A Clockwork Orange (1971): Stomping, whomping, stealing, singing, tap-dancing, violating, Derby-topped teddy-boy hooligan Alex (Malcolm McDowell) has his own way of having a good time. He has it at the tragic expense of others. Alex's journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen forms the dynamic arc of Stanley Kubrick's future-shook vision of Anthony Burgess's novel. Unforgettable images, startling musical counterpoints, the fascinating language used by Alex and his pals - Kubrick shapes them into a shattering whole. The Shining (1980): Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) becomes the caretaker of the Overlook Hotel up in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Jack, being a family man, takes his wife and son to the hotel to keep him company throughout the long and isolated nights. During their stay strange things occur when Jack's son Danny sees gruesome images powered by a force called "The Shining" and Jack is heavily affected by this. Along with writer's block and the demons of the hotel haunting him Jack has a comple...Stanley Kubrick Collection - 10-DVD Box Set ( 2001: A Space Odyssey / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining / Full Metal Jacket / Eyes Wide Shut ) ( Two Thousand and One: A Space Odyssey / EWS )