Stanley Kubrick Warner Home Video Directors Series: DVD Review (2007)

One of the year’s better new releases is “Stanley Kubrick: Warner Home Video Directors Series,” a swell collection that includes some of Kubrick’s most influential movies.

Included are newly remastered versions of 1968’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” 1971’s “A Clockwork Orange,” 1980’s “The Shining,” 1987’s “Full Metal Jacket” and Kubrick's last film before his death, 1999’s “Eyes Wide Shut.”

While it’s curious that Warner decided to go with “Eyes” rather than with “Dr. Strangelove” or “Lolita,” what comes through is nevertheless important--the collection underscores just how alike Kubrick's movies are in spite of appearing so vastly different on the surface.

Viewing the films again reveals what you remember--a sick sort of edge that's at once fascinating and jarring. Kubrick favored uneasy themes of isolation, estrangement, madness and dehumanization--love isn't just to be denied in his world, it's to be crushed.

He intellectualized his films to the point that they took on an abstract chill that bullied pop culture while also, reluctantly, embracing its underpinnings.

As such, his movies increasingly come off as a sneer, with the director's own internal estrangement stripping his later movies of the dark humor he favored early on.

Beyond the films, the collection's best selling point is Jan Harlan's documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures," which is rife with insight.

Those seeking "Odyssey," "Orange," "The Shining," "Jacket" and "Eyes" on high definition should know that they are just out separately on HD DVD and Blu-ray, with "2001" and "Jacket" easily proving the standouts.

Grade: A-