Stanley Kubrick’s final film, Eyes Wide Shut, has been released on 4k and blu-ray by the Criterion Collection (no. 1290), in a new transfer scanned from the original negative. The most striking feature of the Criterion version is its high grain level, which is an accurate representation of the theatrical 35mm prints. Previous DVD, blu-ray, and HD-DVD editions from Warner Bros. had removed much of the grain, resulting in an inappropriately smooth image.
As is typical for Criterion Collection releases, they have supplemented Eyes Wide Shut with plenty of bonus features, including the short documentaries Tracing Eyes Wide Shut: Inside the Stanley Kubrick Archive and Never Just a Dream: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut. The teaser clip shown at the ShoWest trade fair — the only Eyes Wide Shut publicity material prepared by Kubrick before his death — is also included, making its first appearance on video.
Some of the bonus features from the previous Warner Bros. editions are not present on the Criterion releases, most notably the documentary The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut. (There is also a new Eyes Wide Shut documentary, SK13, which hasn’t been released on video.)
Eyes Wide Shut was censored on its US theatrical release, to obtain an ‘R’ rating, though the Criterion transfer is from the uncensored international version. There were two alterations made to all video releases: the digital removal of an accidental reflection of a crew member, and the replacement of Jocelyn Pook’s Meditations from the soundtrack (as it featured a recital from the Bhagavad Gita). Unfortunately, these changes are replicated in the Criterion transfer.
Most of Kubrick’s films were originally released on video in open matte format (as opposed to widescreen), and this also applied to the Eyes Wide Shut DVDs from Warner Bros. The Criterion transfer, on the other hand, is matted to preserve the film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio.
Eyes Wide Shut is the ninth Kubrick film to be released as part of the Criterion Collection, on a variety of video formats. Criterion previously issued The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, and 2001 on laserdisc, and Spartacus on DVD. They have released The Killing, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, and Barry Lyndon on blu-ray, with Barry Lyndon also on 4k. The blu-ray of The Killing also included Killer’s Kiss.
As is typical for Criterion Collection releases, they have supplemented Eyes Wide Shut with plenty of bonus features, including the short documentaries Tracing Eyes Wide Shut: Inside the Stanley Kubrick Archive and Never Just a Dream: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut. The teaser clip shown at the ShoWest trade fair — the only Eyes Wide Shut publicity material prepared by Kubrick before his death — is also included, making its first appearance on video.
Some of the bonus features from the previous Warner Bros. editions are not present on the Criterion releases, most notably the documentary The Last Movie: Stanley Kubrick and Eyes Wide Shut. (There is also a new Eyes Wide Shut documentary, SK13, which hasn’t been released on video.)
Eyes Wide Shut was censored on its US theatrical release, to obtain an ‘R’ rating, though the Criterion transfer is from the uncensored international version. There were two alterations made to all video releases: the digital removal of an accidental reflection of a crew member, and the replacement of Jocelyn Pook’s Meditations from the soundtrack (as it featured a recital from the Bhagavad Gita). Unfortunately, these changes are replicated in the Criterion transfer.
Most of Kubrick’s films were originally released on video in open matte format (as opposed to widescreen), and this also applied to the Eyes Wide Shut DVDs from Warner Bros. The Criterion transfer, on the other hand, is matted to preserve the film’s 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio.
Eyes Wide Shut is the ninth Kubrick film to be released as part of the Criterion Collection, on a variety of video formats. Criterion previously issued The Killing, Paths of Glory, Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. Strangelove, and 2001 on laserdisc, and Spartacus on DVD. They have released The Killing, Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, and Barry Lyndon on blu-ray, with Barry Lyndon also on 4k. The blu-ray of The Killing also included Killer’s Kiss.
