The Stanley Kubrick Collection (2001)
Heeeerrree's Stanley!
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Buy The Stanley Kubrick Collection on DVD.
How is the new The Stanley Kubrick Collection (Warner Brothers,
$199.92) different from the one released two years ago? The old one
contained only seven discs: Lolita (1962), Dr. Strangelove (1964),
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry
Lyndon (1975), The Shining (1980), and Full Metal Jacket (1987).
This new one now has nine discs, including Kubrick's last and arguably
greatest film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and a new, official documentary
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, directed by Kubrick's longtime
collaborator, Jan Harlan.
In addition, five of the titles have been remastered in Dolby 5.1,
Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacket, The
Shining, and 2001. And most of the pictures have been cleaned up as
well (all except Dr. Strangelove); the images on The Shining,
Lolita, and Barry Lyndon in particular blew me away. Sadly, the
films that were not letterboxed before are still not letterboxed, and
the infamous digital enhancing on Eyes Wide Shut still has not been
removed. I have not seen any of the DVDs from the old, critically-bashed
box set, but as far as I can tell, this new one supercedes it in every
way.
Lolita
Though Vladimir Nabokov adapted his own novel for the Lolita
screenplay, he denounced it later. He was being too harsh. Though the
movie lacks Humbert Humbert's exquisite inner voice, James Mason
portrays him with enough longing and suffering to make up for it. But
the real stunner is Sue Lyon as Lolita (a little older here than in the
book), a callous, sexy temptress, who slowly turns into the world-weary
victim. Peter Sellers steals the film as Claire Quilty, a much bigger
role here than in the book, performing different characters and
different voices as a precursor to his Dr. Strangelove tour-de-force
two years later. Kubrick keeps the elegant black-and-white film big and
luxurious and barren and sustains the cold humor over the entire 2 and a
half hour running time.
Dr. Strangelove
Even now that the Cold War is officially over, Dr. Strangelove is
still one of the funniest movies ever made. That's thanks to Peter
Sellers' brilliant three-way performance, contrasted with Sterling
Hayden's outstanding deadpan Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, who's
trying to protect our "precious bodily fluids" from the "Russkies." Slim
Pickens provides a down-home humor as the pilot of the wandering plane,
and of course George C. Scott brings steam and red meat to his role as
General Turgidson. Kubrick cleverly balances these disparate characters
with wicked, dead-on satire, shot in a gorgeous, deep-focus
black-and-white.
2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey is Kubrick's Citizen Kane. It may not be his
best or most enjoyable work, but it certainly changed the way people
thought about movies. Two grimly metallic humans and a lively,
psychopathic computer, HAL 9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain), journey to
Jupiter to find the origin of a weird monolith and possibly the Meaning
of Life. Strangely enough, Kubrick's special effects in this film strike
me as far more effective than most of today's computerized effects.
Indeed, few films so effectively transport you inside themselves,
worming you in and around its weird colors and sounds.
A Clockwork Orange
A Clockwork Orange may be Kubrick's most flawed film, in that the
first 40 minutes are so alive and so enjoyable. As Alex, the "droog" who
likes a little "ultraviolence," Malcolm McDowell looks and sounds great
as he romps through the night causing all kinds of havoc. After he's
caught and given a special "treatment" which makes him abhor violence,
we realize we preferred him before. It's a very dark message, but maybe
that's why the film caught on as a video cult item in the 80s. (I still
get a kick out of watching Alex raise hell.)
Barry Lyndon
Barry Lyndon strangely resembles Forrest Gump in that its
protagonist is a not-too-bright opportunist (Ryan O'Neal) who rises in
society when he lands in the right place at the right time. The
difference is that Kubrick has the courage to paint his character as a
slightly detestable anti-hero. He's allowed to be flawed, whereas Gump
was horrifyingly portrayed as a hero. Seeing Barry Lyndon a second
time, I found myself charmed by just how funny and lively it is, in an
underplayed way, when it just seemed cold the first time around. I also
appreciated O'Neal's banal portrayal of the title character, perfectly
capturing the scoundrel's inner life. Barry Lyndon also astounds as
one of Kubrick's most visually splendid movies, each shot framed as a
lovely painting, emphasizing the non-action of the period and of Barry
himself. The film's cinematographer John Alcott won nearly every
cinematography award available for his outstanding work.
The Shining
Kubrick's horror film, The Shining (based on the Stephen King novel)
creates some of the most genuine spine chills ever filmed. Taking a job
as a winter caretaker for a giant and remote hotel, Jack Nicholson, his
wife Shelley Duvall, and his son Danny Lloyd, find that the long
hallways and empty rooms contain more than a few ghosts. The film goes
from scary to amusing as Jack slowly turns into a psychopath, taking an
axe to his loved ones. (Why is it that Kubrick's psychos -- McDowell,
Nicholson, and Ermey in Full Metal Jacket -- are so much fun?)
Kubrick's use of space and the eerie steadycam have never been put to
better use, and the great Scatman Crothers provides a great turn as the
hotel's chef. This disc contains a great short documentary shot by
Kubrick's daughter Vivian when she was 17, plus a brand new witty and
wonderful commentary track by her.
Full Metal Jacket
I've come to appreciate Full Metal Jacket more and more since I first
saw it in 1987. I still think the first half, the boot camp sequence, is
much more powerful than the Vietnam War sequences in the second half.
But that first half is jaw-droppingly good, thanks mostly to R. Lee
Ermey's performance as the gruesome drill sergeant. Kubrick's camera is
every bit as regimented as the men's lives, growing ever more out of
control as Private Pyle (Vincent D'Onofrio) does.
Eyes Wide Shut
Perhaps Kubrick's finest film, Eyes Wide Shut represents his most
emotionally mature work to date, though it's been completely
misunderstood by nearly everyone. This is a work that will grow in time
the way Kubrick's other films have. Upon finding out his wife (Nicole
Kidman) once entertained thoughts of an affair, Dr. Bill Harford (Tom
Cruise) goes on a sexual exploration of his own, feeling his way around
his libido, looking for fantasies, and finding danger (or is it the
fantasy of danger?). It's an extraordinary portrait of the constant
building and repairing of a marriage.
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures
Directed by Jan Harlan, a producer on Kubrick's last four films and
brother of Kubrick's widow, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures is the
official documentary on the great filmmaker. It spends most of its
running time looking into his works, but also a decent amount of time
finding out who the man really was. This documentary will be a
revelation for most people, in that most of us didn't even know what
Kubrick looked like until just a few years ago. And back in 1987 when I
saw Full Metal Jacket, I couldn't have even told you if he was
American or European. A Life in Pictures is a most welcome documentary.
"Everyone always acknowledges that Stanley's the
man," Jack Nicholson says, "but I always thought that underrated him."
Date: July 5, 2001
