BARRY LYNDON, LOLITA on Blu-Ray 2011

[AndyDursin]

Just a rumor but I know many will be excited by this news (Paul are you there?? lol).

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5024

[Paul MacLean]

Well it's about time! Barry Lyndon should have been among the FIRST films offered in BD, but I'm happy nonetheless. I consider it Kubrick's finest film, and certainly it reshaped the way films (not just period pieces) were shot and designed.

[Paul MacLean]

So...any more news about these? (Domestic releases I mean.)

The only reason I bought a Blu-ray player was to watch movies like Barry Lyndon (not Salt or I Spit On Your Grave).

[AndyDursin]

No news, if they're being prepped as part of a box set I'd bet we won't see that until the later stages of 2011. Most all of the big home video releases are Q3 or Q4 -- you don't typically see anything major being released at this time of year.

[AndyDursin]

In June, Warner will be releasing a limited edition Kubrick box with BARRY LYNDON and LOLITA, along with the new "Clockwork Orange" Blu-Ray and all the previously released Kubrick BDs (these will be exactly the same as the pre-existing BDs) --

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5887

No word on standalone releases for BARRY or LOLITA yet -- I guarantee you that they eventually will happen, though perhaps not for a few months (and then perhaps as retailer exclusives).

There's also the chance they show up individually internationally...we'll have to wait and see. But if you just want BARRY LYNDON or LOLITA, plan on waiting a bit.

[Eric W.]

http://hd.engadget.com/2011/02/15/warne ... -on-blu-r/

Another take on the subject.

If trends hold, eventually all of those movies will get single releases as well.

[AndyDursin]

The thing is -- virtually every one of those movies is already available on its own. If you've already bought one or several of them, it's not that appealing a package because the discs are all the same, and the only one that's new (Clockwork Orange) will be available separately.

So it's like you're going to have to spend a fortune for just BARRY LYNDON and LOLITA. I think a lot of folks are going to wait until standalone releases show up.

[DavidBanner]

Andy, I completely agree.

I already have Blu-rays of:

Paths of Glory (Criterion)
Spartacus (Universal 2010 Release with the transfer issues)
Dr. Strangelove (Loaded Anniversary Edition)
2001 (Loaded SE)
A Clockwork Orange (SE)
The Shining (SE)
Full Metal Jacket (revised Blu-ray SE release - with great extras)
Eyes Wide Shut (SE)

As I understand it, the WB titles in the new box set are simply the existing Blu-rays in a new package. Even the new 40th Anniversary Clockwork Orange is the same transfer with a new featurette added in.

It sounds like WB licensed just the HD master of Dr. Strangelove from Sony, and the HD master of Spartacus from Universal. It doesn't sound like the plentiful extras for the former or the sparse extras for the latter have been included here at all. And if this is the same Spartacus transfer as last year, then we're really learning nothing new.

So far, WB has not announced any extras for Lolita or Barry Lyndon - just new HD transfers. I wouldn't be surprised if some new extras were provided for both titles, but there's still another 3 months before the release in any case.

Either way, I see no reason to spend a large chunk of change to double-dip on 7 Blu-rays just to get 2 more movies that will be available on their own in due time.

It's nice that they included the "A Life in Pictures" documentary, but I already have a DVD of this, and I can't imagine it needing an HD transfer, since it's pretty much just a series of interviews and film snippets.

I still think it would be a good idea to have Criterion do a proper upgrade of Spartacus from their earlier DVD/laserdisc edition. Since they already have some great extras - particularly the commentary and the Ustinov interview, this would just be a matter of them doing a good HD transfer.

[Paul MacLean]

So it's like you're going to have to spend a fortune for just BARRY LYNDON and LOLITA. I think a lot of folks are going to wait until standalone releases show up.

I will. I already have 2001 on DVD, Blu-ray -- and HD-DVD. I'm not buying it again.

I have Paths of Glory and Dr. Strangelove on DVD and don't feel a great urge to have them on Blu-ray (at least now). I'm not a fan or Full Metal Jacket or Eyes Wide Shut, and don't foresee wanting them on video.

[DavidBanner]

The Digital Bits has some musings by Bill Hunt about the various anniversaries of Kubrick films over the next few years. He believes that WHV may well repackage the Blus of these titles with some additional extras and then put them back on the store shelves. (Like in Digibook or that sort of thing)

I truly hope he's mistaken. Unless they've come up with something really, really interesting, I can't see buying the movies yet another time.

I mean, if they found the original ending of The Shining, that might be something, but I don't know that even that would be worth spending another 20 bucks.

At some point, this really gets to a point of too much.

It's akin to Universal's repeated DVD releases of the John Hughes movies.

First, they put Breakfast Club, Weird Science and Sixteen Candles out on DVD.
Then they re-released them - I believe with anamorphic enhancement.
Then they did a new packaging and re-released them again.
Then they did it again, this time adding in a few featurettes and a single commentary.
And now they've put Breakfast Club on Blu with the same extras as the last DVD.
When that last DVD set of Hughes movies came out (in the red locker container), the sales weren't much. They'd gone to the well a few too many times.

Maybe WHV will be able to get more juice out of the Kubrick films - but I'm quite happy with what they've already released on Blu. That is, with the exception of Spartacus, which I do hope Criterion will finally get to bring to Blu in the proper manner.

[AndyDursin]

BARRY LYNDON and LOLITA coming out separately in Germany -- surely other territories to follow...