126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

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Gregor Samsa
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126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#1 Post by Gregor Samsa » Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:35 am

Fear and Desire

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Independently financed with contributions from Stanley Kubrick's family and friends in an era when an "independent cinema" was still far from the norm, Fear and Desire first saw release in 1953 at the Guild Theater in New York, thanks to the enterprising distributor Joseph Burstyn. Now, with this new restoration carried out in 2012 by The Library of Congress, a film that for decades has remained nearly impossible to see will at last appear in a proper release in the United Kingdom.

Kubrick's debut feature tells the story of a war waged (in the present? in the future?) between two forces. In the midst of the conflict, a plane carrying four soldiers crashes behind enemy lines. From here out, it is kill or be killed: a female hostage is taken on account of being a potential informer; an enemy general and his aide are discovered during a scouting mission… What lies in store for this ragtag group of killers, between their perilous landing in the forest, and the final raft-float downstream… all this constitutes the tale of Kubrick's precocious entry into feature filmmaking.

Bringing into focus for the first time the same thematic concerns that would obsess the director in such masterworks as Paths of Glory, Dr. Strangelove, and Full Metal Jacket, Fear and Desire marks the outset of the dazzling career and near-complete artistic freedom which to this day remains unparalleled in the annals of Hollywood history. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Stanley Kubrick's Fear and Desire in its gorgeous new restoration on both Blu-ray and DVD.

SPECIAL BLU-RAY AND DVD EDITIONS

• New HD restoration of the film by The Library of Congress, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Stanley Kubrick’s early short films, completing the totality of Kubrick’s films at last available on home video: Day of the Fight (1951) / Flying Padre (1951) / The Seafarers (1953) which appears here in a new 1080p HD restoration
• New and exclusive video discussion of the film by critic and Stanley Kubrick author Bill Krohn
• Substantial booklet containing a massive essay on Fear and Desire and the early shorts by critic and Kubrick scholar James Naremore; vintage excerpts; and rare archival imagery

evillights
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Re: MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist and Random Speculation

#2 Post by evillights » Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:12 am

Gregor Samsa wrote:So this was just posted on the MoC facebook page....
Stanley Kubrick’s rarely-seen first feature film, FEAR & DESIRE is set to join Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series

Eureka Entertainment announced today for release as part of its world-renowned and award-winning Masters of Cinema Series a glorious presentation of Stanley Kubrick's rarely-seen first feature film, FEAR AND DESIRE, in a new restoration carried out by The Library of Congress in conjunction with Kino Lorber, Inc. This is the first time the film will officially appear on home video in the United Kingdom, and will be released in Blu-ray and DVD editions in late January 2013.

This edition will mark the first wide-release of the only other Stanley Kubrick film which has remained nearly impossible to see in the United Kingdom — since the 1999 re-release of the notorious A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, following the director's death.

The film tells the story of a war waged (in the present? in the future?) between two forces... In the midst of the conflict, a plane carrying four soldiers has crashed behind enemy lines. From here out, it is kill or be killed: a female hostage is taken on account of being a potential informer; an enemy general and his aide are discovered during a scouting mission... What lies in store for this ragtag group of killers, between their perilous landing in the forest, and the final raft-float downstream... this is the tale of Kubrick's extraordinary picture.

Pre-order now on DVD http://amzn.to/PmaLIL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pre-order now on blu-ray http://amzn.to/QgLIo8" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Hi all —

Here's our full-length press release announcement on Kubrick's FEAR AND DESIRE, if you're interested —

===

Eureka Entertainment announced today for release as part of its world-renowned and award-winning Masters of Cinema Series a glorious presentation of Stanley Kubrick's rarely-seen first feature film, FEAR AND DESIRE, in a new restoration carried out by The Library of Congress in conjunction with Kino Lorber, Inc. This is the first time the film will officially appear on home video in the United Kingdom, and will be released in Blu-ray and DVD editions in the first quarter of 2013.

This edition will mark the first wide-release of the only other Stanley Kubrick film which has remained nearly impossible to see in the United Kingdom — since the 1999 re-release of the notorious A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, following the director's death.

The film tells the story of a war waged (in the present? in the future?) between two forces... In the midst of the conflict, a plane carrying four soldiers has crashed behind enemy lines. From here out, it is kill or be killed: a female hostage is taken on account of being a potential informer; an enemy general and his aide are discovered during a scouting mission... What lies in store for this ragtag group of killers, between their perilous landing in the forest, and the final raft-float downstream... this is the tale of Kubrick's extraordinary picture.

Ron Benson, Managing Director of Eureka Entertainment stated, "It is an unbelievable privilege to be able to make this thrilling film available in such an extraordinary restoration as carried out by Kino Lorber and the Library of Congress, and to present it in a form which will 'do right' by Kubrick — that director whose exacting standards, more than any other, warrant a conscientious and superb presentation."

Independently financed with contributions from Kubrick's family and friends in an era when an "independent cinema" was still far from the norm, FEAR AND DESIRE first saw release in 1953 at the Guild Theater in New York thanks to the enterprising distributor Joseph Burstyn. Its exhibition led Kubrick to the dazzling career and near-complete artistic freedom which to this day remains unparalleled in the annals of Hollywood history.

Stanley Kubrick said of FEAR AND DESIRE: "The entire crew [...] consisted of myself as director, lighting cameraman, operator, administrator, make-up man, wardrobe, hairdresser, prop man, unit chauffeur, et cetera. The rest of the crew consisted of a friend of mine, Steve Hahn, who was an executive at Union Carbide and who took his holidays with us and knew something about electricity; another friend, Bob Dierks, who was the studio assistant at LOOK Magazine, helped me set up the equipment and put it away, and did a thousand other jobs; my first wife, Toba, who tried to cope with all the paperwork and minor administration; and three Mexican labourers who carried the cases around. Particularly in those days, before the advent of film schools, Nagra [sound-recorders], and lightweight portable equipment, it was very important to have this experience and to see with what little facilities and personnel one could actually make a film. Today, I think that if someone stood around watching even a smallish film unit, he would get the impression of vast technical and logistical magnitude. He would probably be intimidated by this and assume that something close to this was necessary in order to achieve more or less professional results. This experience and the one that followed with KILLER'S KISS, which was on a slightly more cushy basis, freed me from any concern again about the technical or logistical aspects of filmmaking."

"The time has come for Kubrick's first film to be seen by the movie public at large. This gorgeous restoration, which can at last be widely circulated, stands as a forceful affirmation of the picture's qualities and historical importance. All of Kubrick is already present, even in nascent form, in FEAR AND DESIRE. It's a film that will electrify Stanley Kubrick's millions of fans who are likely to find it of a piece with his astonishing body of work, even as it throws down the gauntlet for young filmmakers in its demonstration of everything that might be achieved at the service of a unique artistic vision and determination against all logistical odds. It is an honour to be involved in producing an edition of this debut feature by Kubrick, the master — a filmmaker who has counted among my greatest heroes in the cinema art-form, from the time I first saw 2001 as a teenager, up through the projection on its opening day in 1999 of his soul-shaking final masterpiece EYES WIDE SHUT. Perhaps more than any other director, Kubrick achieved a perfection that is as ruthless as it is open-ended — and endlessly rich. FEAR AND DESIRE is at the entrance to his vision." — Craig Keller, Producer of The Masters of Cinema Series

rwaits
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Re: MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist and Random Speculation

#3 Post by rwaits » Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:39 am

Excellent! Will the extras on the MoC be essentially the same as the Kino?

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Emak-Bakia
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Re: MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist and Random Speculation

#4 Post by Emak-Bakia » Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:47 am

This is great news. The upcoming Kino blu ray was one of few releases that I felt I had to have as soon as it came out, but leave it to Masters of Cinema to make me rethink that. If The Seafarers is included, then I will definitely choose the MoC edition, since it will no doubt have a lavish booklet.

I wonder if there’s a chance that Eureka could have better luck getting the rights to the other shorts?
Last edited by Emak-Bakia on Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Calvin
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Re: Forthcoming: Fear and Desire

#5 Post by Calvin » Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:15 pm

This is great news! Hopefully, MoC can manage to get all of Kubrick's shorts on there.

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The Fanciful Norwegian
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Re: Forthcoming: Fear and Desire

#6 Post by The Fanciful Norwegian » Wed Sep 12, 2012 5:38 am

According to this post from 2006, Day of the Fight and The Flying Padre should've ended up with an outfit called "J.E.D. Productions Corp." The Jackson Dube mentioned in the post died in 2002 and I can't find any online information about the company beyond his Variety obit and some old IMDb credits, but his son has a website and is apparently still involved with the company. Unfortunately the only contact option is a web-based form -- not a good sign in my experience -- and a Whois search provides no useful info. My hunch is that Kino and MOC have already looked into this, but I figured I'd bring it up just in case.

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swo17
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Re: MoC Forthcoming, Wishlist and Random Speculation

#7 Post by swo17 » Fri Sep 14, 2012 4:19 pm

Emak-Bakia wrote:If The Seafarers is included, then I will definitely choose the MoC edition, since it will no doubt have a lavish booklet.

I wonder if there’s a chance that Eureka could have better luck getting the rights to the other shorts?
MoC Twitter wrote:THE SEAFARERS will be on our release.
No word yet on any other shorts.

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eerik
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Re: BD 51 Fear and Desire

#8 Post by eerik » Mon Oct 08, 2012 8:28 am

• New HD restoration of the film by The Library of Congress, presented in 1080p on the Blu-ray.
• Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
• Stanley Kubrick’s early short film, The Seafarers, in a new HD restoration.
• New and exclusive video discussion of the film by critic and Stanley Kubrick author Bill Krohn.
• Substantial booklet containing writing on the film, vintage excerpts, and rare archival imagery.
• More features to be announced closer to the release date!

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swo17
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Re: BD 51 Fear and Desire

#9 Post by swo17 » Mon Oct 08, 2012 11:15 am

Coming January 28th.

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rockysds
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#10 Post by rockysds » Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:44 am

MoC on Twitter wrote:Our edition of Stanley Kubrick's FEAR AND DESIRE will contain the complete early shorts: DAY OF THE FIGHT / FLYING PADRE / THE SEAFARERS.
It will also contain the previously announced new video introduction with Bill Krohn, shot this month in LA.
It will also come with a booklet with a new 3000-word essay on FEAR AND DESIRE and the shorts, written by James Naremore.
THE SEAFARERS, as previously announced, appears in a new HD 1080p restoration.
There will also be optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing on all of the films.
Our release is out on Blu-ray + DVD, 28 Jan. This marks the completion of all of Kubrick's films available on home video. Happy pre-order!

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#11 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:19 am

I've just checked with Eureka, and am delighted to confirm that all three shorts will be presented in HD (but see the post immediately below this one...)
Last edited by MichaelB on Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#12 Post by evillights » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:24 am

MichaelB wrote:I've just checked with Eureka, and am delighted to confirm that all three shorts will be presented in HD.

Which means that by the end of January the totality of Kubrick's output will be available in 1080p transfers.
DAY OF THE FIGHT and FLYING PADRE are up-res'd to HD; THE SEAFARERS solely will be presented in native 1080p HD. Sorry for any confusion...

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#13 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:36 am

evillights wrote:DAY OF THE FIGHT and FLYING PADRE are up-res'd to HD; THE SEAFARERS solely will be presented in 1080p HD. Sorry for any confusion...
The confusion originated on Eureka's Facebook page, though I've added an explanatory comment.

I can't say I'm especially surprised - from a recent chat with one of your colleagues I got the distinct impression that merely tracking down the UK rightsholder involved some pretty heavy-duty detective work.

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Emak-Bakia
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#14 Post by Emak-Bakia » Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:43 am

So glad I held off on the Kino release! Now I just have to wait for it to be available for pre-order straight from Eureka.

And, Michael, I'm guessing that you might not be able to share the full details of the "detective work" involved in tracking down the other shorts, but I (and I'm sure others here) would love to hear some of the details, if possible.

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#15 Post by MichaelB » Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:08 am

Emak-Bakia wrote:And, Michael, I'm guessing that you might not be able to share the full details of the "detective work" involved in tracking down the other shorts, but I (and I'm sure others here) would love to hear some of the details, if possible.
That's pretty much all I know - when I last talked to someone at MoC about this, they hadn't tracked them down yet!

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Jeff
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#16 Post by Jeff » Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:36 am

Emak-Bakia wrote:So glad I held off on the Kino release! Now I just have to wait for it to be available for pre-order straight from Eureka.
My sentiments exactly!

Even the completist in me couldn't completely come to terms with shelling out Kino-sized dollars for Fear and Desire. Including all the shorts, the Bill Krohn piece, and the "substantial booklet" is enough contextualization to make this more of an Origins of Stanley Kubrick collection, which now feels absolutely essential. Amazing that every Kubrick film is now available in HD.

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#17 Post by manicsounds » Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:43 am


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The Narrator Returns
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#18 Post by The Narrator Returns » Thu Jan 03, 2013 11:12 am


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Niale
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#19 Post by Niale » Thu Jan 03, 2013 4:48 pm

Well thats disappointing. Here I thought I would have my Kubrick collection completed.
I guess its still a possibility that The Flying Padre and Day of the Fight will be released as supplements,
with criterions Spartacus... But, thats too much of a stretch to believe. Guess I just have to get a region b player.
I see Spartacus as being the only completionist purchase I have made in regard to Kubrick. I think Fear and Desire certainly
has enough strength's and pleasing qualities to recommend itself.

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swo17
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#20 Post by swo17 » Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:06 pm

You must have misread something. All the early shorts are on there.

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Gregory
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#21 Post by Gregory » Thu Jan 03, 2013 5:11 pm

I think Niale was saying that, not having an all region-player, the only other option is to get the Kino release and hope the other two shorts turn up somewhere else, like on "criterions Spartacus... But, thats too much of a stretch to believe."
Good rules to live by, then: Get an all-region player; and when Kino and MoC release the same title, plan to get the MoC.

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zedz
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#22 Post by zedz » Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:20 pm

Wow, what a terrible fucking film. Some nice photography, to be sure, but the script was howlingly pretentious, abysmally acted (and not even consistent in its badness) and clumsily edited (especially when it tried to go all Kindergarten Eisenstein on us). If you're looking for Kubrick archaeology, however, there's quite a bit to go on, with various narrative ideas cropping up in later, better films, and personally, I don't think he ever got over the adolescent sexual politics exhibited in this film, and was never able to effectively corral his actors' performances.

The shorts were indifferent. If you take Kubrick's name out of the equation, I don't think any of them would have made the grade if they'd been under consideration for one of the BFI's many documentary collections.

But, as usual, MoC did a fine job getting this stuff out. The feature transfer is superb.

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#23 Post by greggster59 » Sun Mar 10, 2013 11:58 pm

Kubrick never wanted this released for what are now obvious reasons. It was a student film for him, a lesson in what not to do going forward.
I don't think he would have disagreed with your assessment.

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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#24 Post by MichaelB » Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:02 am

zedz wrote:The shorts were indifferent. If you take Kubrick's name out of the equation, I don't think any of them would have made the grade if they'd been under consideration for one of the BFI's many documentary collections.
Day of the Fight has its moments, but The Seafarers is essentially Kubrick's equivalent of Krzysztof Kieślowski's Principles of Safety and Hygiene in a Copper Mine - a perfectly competent but completely anonymous film made purely for the money. I doubt he'd disagree.

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PianoMan88
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Re: 126 / BD 51 Fear and Desire

#25 Post by PianoMan88 » Sun May 07, 2017 3:51 pm

Is this title OOP at this moment or just awaiting a new print-run? It seems unavailable both on Amazon UK and Eureka's own website. Any info or speculation would be greatly appreciated.

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