Kubrick's archive box turned into a 30-disc set of complete works

Kubrick once customized a storage box for his huge archives, with his name printed on the outside.In 2008, Jon Ronson even made a documentary about these boxes - Stanley Kubrick's Boxes.Now, this archival box has become the starting point for the packaging of Criterion's new set - The Complete Kubrick.

Launched on October 20, the 30-disc set includes 13 feature films and 3 short films directed by him in one collection for the first time, plus more than 25 hours of interviews, documentaries and behind-the-scenes content.It was not originally produced on such a large scale.

At the end of 2024, Michael Chaiken was sorting out the archives of director Paul Morrissey, who had collaborated with Andy Warhol.Criterion executive producer Kim Hendrickson called and wanted to do a Kubrick project, starting with a 4K restoration of Eyes Wide Shut, which had not received the 4K treatment before.Chaiken, who has been working with Criterion for about ten years, immediately agreed: “ without hesitation.”As the work progressed, the two parties gradually talked about a complete director's portfolio.Criterion maintains relationships with studios that hold the rights to different films, and has also worked directly with Kubrick to release laserdiscs. These relationships provided the conditions for the project.

Early shorts and his 1953 debut feature, Fear and Desire, were more difficult.They are independently produced, and the copyright ownership and the location of the original film materials have yet to be clarified.Caiken said that he was not sure at first whether it would be completed.

《Fear and Desire》is a roughly 70-minute anti-war film that Kubrick once pulled from circulation.Since then, there have been pirated copies on the market, and Kino has also released versions, but according to Chaiken, this is the first release authorized by the estate administrator.The family finally agreed that if it was not included, the meaning of “全集” would not be established.

Chaiken, who served as co-producer, worked with Kubrick's daughter Katarina and brother-in-law Jan Harland to obtain permission to use the archive.Among the newly revealed material are images of James Mason and Sue Lane auditioning for Lolita.He also received permission from the estate of artist Philip Castle to recreate an unused airbrushed poster design called Full Metal Jacket.Theatrical posters, rare photos and documents full of Kubrick's handwritten annotations are also included in the packaging and information book.

“It is very orderly and messy at the same time,” Chaiken described the archives in this way, and also described the suits inspired by the archives. There are traces of him everywhere.Graphic designer Drucilla Adeline suggested looking to Ronson's documentary for packaging direction; she liked the military-surplus vibe of the boxes.

The restoration did not treat every film the same way.Some titles already have studio restorations, others require new masters.Criterion also worked with Warner Bros. to make minor adjustments to The Shining, Full Metal Jacket and 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the estate's approval, and to restore Kubrick's original mono soundtracks.Chaiken believes the changes are minor, but viewers familiar with these films should be able to detect them.

Extras include new commentary tracks by director Lee Unkrich and writer Michael Benson, archival interviews with collaborators including Kirk Douglas and Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) actor Peter Sellers, and Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures, directed by Harlan and narrated by Tom Cruise.

《The Shining》includes the international version. Vivian Kubrick's behind-the-scenes documentary of the film has been newly remastered, and her behind-the-scenes footage of Full Metal Jacket is also included.Chaiken also agreed with Vivian’s previous denial of the claim that 20 minutes of Eyes Wide Shut were missing: He spent a lot of time studying the archives and did not believe there was some kind of grand conspiracy to connect the film with news related to Jeffrey Epstein.

The set is priced at $599.95, and Criterion sells it for $479.96.The auditions, notes and unused designs certainly make collectors excited, but why they need to buy another copy of The Shining at home, I’m afraid they have to figure out how to explain it first.