Meet Bill George VFX Supervisor on "I Am Number Four"

BILL GEORGE - Visual Effects Supervisor "I Am Number Four"

Bill George joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1981. Since then, he has worked as model shop supervisor, art director, matte painter, commercial director, and visual effects supervisor.

Some highlights of his career include miniature construction and design on Blade Runner, art direction and design for five of the Star Trek films, directing over 30 commercials at ILM and overseeing model construction on Ghostbusters 2 and Alive. In 1988, he received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for his work on Innerspace. In 2002, director Steven Spielberg entrusted George to update the beloved character E.T. using digital character animation for the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

George has gone on to earn nominations by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy and the Visual Effects Society for work on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as well as an additional VES nomination for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

ILM CREDITS
Feature Films
2011 I AM NUMBER FOUR – Visual Effects Supervisor
2011 STAR TOURS II – Visual Effects Supervisor
2008 TWILIGHT – Visual Effects Supervisor
2007 EVAN ALMIGHTY – Visual Effects Supervisor

2006 PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST – Additional Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award – Best Visual Effects
British Academy Award – Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Visual Effects Society Award – Best Single Visual Effects of the Year

2004 HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN – Visual Effects Supervisor
Academy Award Nomination – Best Visual Effects
British Academy Award Nomination – Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Visual Effects Society Award Nomination – Best Single Visual Effects of the Year

2003 STUCK ON YOU – Visual Effects Supervisor

2002 HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS - Visual Effects Supervisor
British Academy Award Nomination – Best Achievement in Visual Effects

2002 E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 20th Anniversary Edition - Visual Effects Supervisor
2001 PLANET OF THE APES - Visual Effects Supervisor
1999 GALAXY QUEST - Visual Effects Supervisor
1999 STAR WARS: EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace - Matte Painter
1998 DEEP IMPACT - Co-Visual Effects Supervisor
1994 STAR TREK: GENERATIONS - Art Director
1992 ALIVE - Art Director/Landscape Model Construction
1991 STAR TREK VI - Spacecraft/Prop Design & Construction
1990 JOE VS. THE VOLCANO - Large Scale Miniature Boats & Realistic Set Pieces
1989 ALWAYS - Miniatures, Flying Rig, & Practical Effects
1989 GHOSTBUSTERS II - Models & Effects
1989 THE 'BURBS (Opening Sequence)- Combined Motion Control, Matte Paintings & Models
1988 CADDYSHACK II (Gopher Puppet Sequence) - Art Direction & Design

1987 INNERSPACE - Design & Construction of Miniature Submarines & Interior Body Sets
Recipient of Academy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects

1987 STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (Television Series) - Model Construction
“Journey to Farpoint” Episode

1985 EWOKS: THE BATTLE FOR ENDOR (Two Hour TV Movie) - Production Art Direction
Recipient of Emmy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects

1984 STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK - Spacecraft/Prop Design & Construction

1984 THE EWOK ADVENTURE (Two Hour TV Movie)- Production Art Direction
Recipient of Emmy Award for Best Achievement in Visual Effects

1983 RETURN OF THE JEDI - Spacecraft Design & Construction

Commercials
1997 BERGER BANK “Smiley Face,””Irish Ball” - Director
1997 DORITOS “Thrilling” - Director
1996 NORTHROP “Shadows II” - Director
1996 BERGER BANK “Ball” - Director
1996 US WEST “Fireworks,” “Stars” - Director
1995 VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRLINES “Nose” - Director
1995 PETER PAN PEANUT BUTTER "Evolution" - Director
1995 SOUTHERN BELL “Man in Chair,” “Woman in Chair” - Director
1995 INTEL “Mobile” - Director
1995 HEWLETT PACKARD “Small Business” - Director
1995 INTEL “Samba” - Director
1995 HUNT-WESSON JUICY GELS “Cartoons” - Director
1994 INTEL “I Want,” “Warp Power” - Director
1993 CARVEL ICE CREAM “Ice Creamation” - Director
1993 PEPSI “Chorus,” “International,” “Gliding Bottle” - Director
1993 INTEL “Windows” - Art Director
1992 TIMEX “Firefly,” “Crickets,” “Lightbulb” - Director
1992 AIR MILES “Fliers” - Director
1991 LIQUID IVORY SOAP “Stork” - Director
1991 KELLOGG'S “Double Dip Crunch” - Director
1991 HEINZ “Catapult” - Art Director
1990 CALIF. MILK ADVISORY BOARD “Real Cheese” - Director
1990 NEC “Turbografx” (Tag) - Director
1990 MATTEL - CORPORATE IMAGE “Echoes” - Direc­tor
1990 CEDAR POINT (Amusement Park) “Disaster Teaser” - Visual Effects Supervisor

OTHER CREDITS
1990 CONTROL “Trixie & Alice” - Visual Effects Director
1990 CHANNEL 4 NEWS (KRON-TV/SF) “Bring it Home” - Model Director
1986 ATARI GAMES “Rasteroids” - Game Designer
1981 BLADERUNNER - Model Design & Construction
1981 ONE FROM THE HEART - Miniature Neon Signs & Street Set

"I am Number Four" on DVD and Blu-ray Today

FROM THE DIRECTOR OF DISTURBIA AND PRODUCER MICHAEL BAY

I AM NUMBER FOUR

On Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, Movie Download And On-Demand May 24th

Disc Extras Include Never-Before-Seen Bonus Features, Six Jaw-Dropping Deleted Scenes, Special Featurette on “Becoming Number 6”, Bloopers And More!

Just in time for summer break comes the ultimate action-packed, thriller I AM NUMBER FOUR, on Blu-ray, DVD, Movie Download and On-Demand May 24th. Starring sensation Dianna Agron (TV’s “Glee”) and heartthrobs Alex Pettyfer (Beastly) and Timothy Olyphant (TV’s “Justified”), I AM NUMBER FOUR will be available to own as either a 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), a 1-Disc Blu-ray, and/or 1-Disc DVD that comes packaged complete with never-before-seen bonus features, including deleted scenes, a special featurette, bloopers and more.

From mega-producer Michael Bay (Transformers franchise) and the director of Disturbia, D.J. Caruso, I AM NUMBER FOUR takes viewers on a suspense-filled ride that keeps them on the edge of their seat as they follow the extraordinary story of a young man who is hiding his true identity to evade a deadly enemy that seeks to destroy him.

Bonus Features:
DVD:
· “Becoming Number 6” Featurette
· Bloopers

Blu-ray:
Everything on the DVD plus…
· 6 Deleted Scenes with Introductions by Director D.J. Caruso
o “Strangers in Paradise” (Extended)
o “Sam’s Mom”
o “Worth Mentioning”
o “Power Prank”
o “Trying to Connect”
o “Extended Warsaw Basement”

Movie Download:
Everything on the DVD plus…
· 1 Deleted Scene: “Power Prank”


About The Film:
Three are dead. Who is Number Four? From director D.J. Caruso (Disturbia), producer Michael Bay (Transformers) and the writers of TV’s Smallville, comes this gripping, action-packed thriller. John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian (Timothy Olyphant) in the small town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events — his first love (Dianna Agron, TV’s Glee), powerful new abilities and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny. Complete with deleted scenes and more, I Am Number Four is an explosive, suspense-filled ride that will take you to the edge of your seat and beyond.

About DreamWorks Studios:
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil DhirubhaiAmbani Group. Upcoming releases include Cowboys & Aliens, The Help, Fright Night, Real Steeland War Horse.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.


I Am Number Four (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy)

Terrence Malick's "Tree of Life" Wins Palme d'Or.

The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival closed yesterday, Sunday, May 22, 2011. Below is a list of winners in the category “In Competition,” the 20 films competing for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or.

IN COMPETITION winners:

Palme D’Or: The Tree of Life by Terrence Malick

Grand Prix: Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon A Time In Anatolia) by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and The Kid With a Bike by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne

Award for Best Director: Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

Jury Prize: Poliss by Maiwenn

Award for Best Actor: Jean Dujardin in The Artist

Award for Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia

Award for Best Screenplay: Joseph Cedar for Footnote

Film School Rejects offers commentary and has a complete list of winners.

"Gnomeo and Juliet" Arrives on Disney DVD and Blu-ray May 24th

This coming summer to the U.S., don’t miss the chance to bring home GNOMEO & JULIET - the hilarious twist on William Shakespeare’s legendary tale Romeo & Juliet as you’ve never seen it before, perfect for the whole family. Enter the secret world of garden gnomes and meet two adorable gnomes from completely different worlds who fight the odds to be together. From a director of Shrek 2, and featuring fun, all-new music by Sir Elton John, the out-of-the-ordinary animated comedy GNOMEO & JULIET releases on Blu-ray™, Blu-ray 3D™, DVD, Movie Download and On-Demand – May 24, 2011.

Uniquely packaged with families’ top of mind, GNOMEO & JULIET will be made available for purchase by Walt Disney Studios as either a 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray 3D + DVD with Digital Copy), a 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray 2D + DVD) and/or a 1-Disc DVD. Disney Blu-ray Combo Packs provide families with an enhanced entertainment experience – with the value and flexibility to enjoy your favorite movies on a variety of platforms of choice.

And for those who enjoy to learn more about the making of the film, GNOMEO & JULIET discs come enclosed with never-before-seen bonus features including “Elton Builds A Garden,” “Frog talk with Ashley Jensen,”, “Crocodile Rock Music Video featuring Elton John and Nelly Furtado.” And for those who purchase the Blu-ray Disc, it includes hours of extra exclusive bonus features including alternate endings, deleted scenes and more.

GNOMEO & JULIET is brought to life by the extraordinary voices of Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) as Gnomeo; Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) as Juliet; Academy Award winner Michael Caine (Inception) as Lord Redbrick; Jason Statham (The Trasnsporter franchise) as Tybalt; Ashley Jensen (TV’s Ugly Betty) as Nanette; Patrick Stewart (X-Men franchise) as William Shakespeare; Ozzy Osbourne (TV’s The Osbournes) as Fawn and Maggie Smith (Harry Potter franchise) as Lady Blueberry.

Bonus Features:
DVD & Movie Download:
• Elton Builds a Garden
• Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen
• “Crocodile Rock” Music Video, featuring Elton John and Nelly Furtado

Blu-ray:
• DVD Bonus plus:
• 2 Alternate Endings with Filmmaker Introductions
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes with Filmmaker Introductions, including: 1 Alternate Opening, 1 Alternate Scene and 6 Deleted Scenes
• The Fawn of Darkness, featuring Ozzy Osbourne

Film Synopsis:
From a director of Shrek 2 comes your chance to step into the secret world of garden gnomes — Gnomeo & Juliet. Perfect for the whole family, this fresh and funny makeover of one of the world’s most timeless stories features music from Sir Elton John, and the voice talents of Emily Blunt, James McAvoy and Sir Michael Caine. Caught up in a feud between neighbors, Gnomeo and Juliet must overcome as many obstacles as their namesakes. But with flamboyant pink flamingos and epic lawnmower races, can this young couple find lasting happiness? Complete with hilarious never-before-seen bonus features, Gnomeo & Juliet is an out-of-the-ordinary animated comedy your entire family will love. We just gnome it!


Gnomeo and Juliet (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)

Review: Portman and Aronofsky Give "Black Swan" Its Wings

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 42 (of 2011) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Swan (2010)
Running time: 108 minutes (1 hour, 48 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some drug use
DIRECTOR: Darren Aronofsky
WRITERS: Mark Heyman, Andrés Heinz, and John McLaughlin; from a story by Andrés Heinz
PRODUCERS: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, and Brian Oliver
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Matthew Libatique (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Andrew Weisblum
COMPOSER: Clint Mansell
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/THRILLER

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder, and Benjamin Millepied

Black Swan in an Oscar-winning psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky. It is the story of a ballerina descending into delusion and paranoia as opening night nears and the pressure to be perfect builds. Black Swan isn’t entirely satisfying, except for the dark and gleaming magic director Darren Aronofsky and star Natalie Portman make.

Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a ballerina in a prestigious New York City ballet company. Her life is completely consumed with dance, and she lives with her obsessive mother, the former ballerina Erica Sayers (Barbara Hershey), who exerts a suffocating control over her daughter. Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel), the artistic director of her ballet company, decides to make Swan Lake the opening production of their new ballet season. Thomas wants to replace prima ballerina, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder), and needs to cast a new principal dancer. But this new lead must be able to portray both the innocent and fragile White Swan and her sensual evil twin, the Black Swan.

Nina is Thomas’ first choice to play the coveted role of the Swan Queen, but Nina has competition. A new dancer named Lily (Mila Kunis) impresses Thomas as well. Swan Lake requires a dancer who can play the White Swan with innocence and grace and also capture the guile and sensuality of the Black Swan. Nina is a perfect fit for the White Swan, but bad girl Lily is the personification of the Black Swan. The two young dancers become friends, but as opening night approaches, that friendship twists into a treacherous rivalry. Nina struggles to access the dark side within her that will allow her to depict the Black Swan with perfection, but her new reckless behavior threatens to destroy her.

Black Swan is indeed a good movie; in fact, it is sometimes riveting, but not because of the writing. The script is shallow, and the screenwriters put the onus on the viewers to accept the great leaps of faith the writers make with the development of Nina Sayers. The depictions of her delusions and paranoia often seem contrived, but the writers handle Nina better than they do the other characters.

Vincent Cassel’s Thomas Leroy is such a stereotype that you can see Cassel fighting onscreen to make his character real or tangible rather than just be a type. Barbara Hershey is more successful in making Erica Sayers a character that electrifies the story every time she appears, but Erica is really a tired stage mother type. Mila Kunis is blood sugar sex magic as Lily, but I get the feeling that the screenwriters were afraid of where this character could take the story. Lily often seems like spicy seasoning overused in some places and woefully underutilized in others.

Black Swan’s success is in Natalie Portman and in the way Darren Aronofsky uses the camera to drink in every bit of Portman’s virtuoso performance. This duo makes Black Swan wonderfully creepy, almost always managing to stop whenever the entire thing seems on the verge of turning campy. Portman is passionate when being passionate is better than being intense. Black Swan looks good under Aronofsky’s bold direction. Watching this film, I believed that I could see him with a handheld camera just outside the picture frame gliding behind Portman.

Perhaps it is Aronofsky chasing Portman that makes this movie feel so wildly melodramatic. Everything that is so attractively lurid, sensational, and bracing about Black Swan is because of this director-star pairing made in heaven.

8 of 10
A

NOTES:
2011 Academy Awards: 1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Natalie Portman); 1 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver, and Scott Franklin), “Best Achievement in Cinematography” (Matthew Libatique), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Darren Aronofsky), and “Best Achievement in Editing” (Andrew Weisblum)

2011 BAFTA Awards: 1 win: “Best Actress” (Natalie Portman); 11 nominations: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects,” “Best Cinematography” (Matthew Libatique), “Best Costume Design” (Amy Westcott), “Best Editing” (Andrew Weisblum), “Best Film,” “Best Make Up/Hair,” “Best Production Design” (Thérèse DePrez and Tora Peterson), “Best Screenplay-Original” (Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John J. McLaughlin), “Best Sound,” “Best Supporting Actress” (Barbara Hershey), and “David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction” (Darren Aronofsky)

2011 Golden Globes: 1 win “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Natalie Portman); 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Darren Aronofsky), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” and “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Mila Kunis)

Sunday, May 22, 2011

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"A Clockwork Orange" Arrives on Blue-ray May 31st

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION ON BLU-RAY™ MAY 31

Star Malcolm McDowell Feted Worldwide

Special Anniversary Screenings at Cannes Film Festival and New York’s The Museum of Modern Art

Burbank, Calif., March 31, 2011 – Stanley Kubrick was one of the great filmmakers of our time and his profound influence on motion pictures continues to this day. His 1971 film, A Clockwork Orange, starring Malcolm McDowell, portrayed an oppressive lawless society where man was reduced to little more than a machine. The film introduced into popular culture the concept of “ultra-violence,” as singing, tap-dancing, derby-topped hooligan Alex (McDowell) has a “good time” – at the tragic expense of others. His journey from amoral punk to brainwashed proper citizen and back again forms the dynamic arc of Kubrick’s future-shock vision of Anthony Burgess’ novel.

This was a powerful film made by a director at the height of his artistry and its impact generated worldwide controversy. Forty years later, the world is a different place but the film’s power still entices, shocks and mesmerizes today.

On May 31, Warner Home Video will honor Kubrick and the film with A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray ($34.99 SRP). The two-disc release includes two newly-produced bonus features: Turning Like Clockwork, a 25-minute documentary about the film’s “ultra-violence” and its cultural impact, and a short documentary where Malcolm McDowell reminiscences on working closely with the legendary director. This two-disc edition will also contain the feature-length documentaries, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures and O Lucky Malcolm! The 40th Anniversary Edition will be packaged in a 40-page Blu-ray book withrare photos and production notes.

McDowell’s Never Apologize will also be released on May 31 for the first time on DVD in the U.S. This spirited documentary pays tribute to British director Lindsay Anderson, who directed the actor in his films If and O Lucky Man and is based on his entertaining London and Edinburgh one-man stage shows. The film weaves McDowell’s experience of working with Anderson as well as tales of Sir Alan Bates, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Laurence Olivier, Bette Davis, Princess Diana, John Ford and Lillian Gish. Never Apologize will sell for $19.97 SRP.

This will be a big year for Malcolm McDowell and A Clockwork Orange. The prestigious Cannes Film Festival will launch the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the release of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece with a special screening of a digitally restored copy of the film, joined by McDowell, Kubrick’s widow Christiane and brother-in-law Jan Harlan, executive producer on several of Kubrick’s films.

Anniversary screenings will continue with a special event May 25 at New York’s The Museum of Modern Art with McDowell participating in a panel discussion. In the early fall, Malcolm McDowell will be feted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences which will include a screening of A Clockwork Orange at AMPAS, Los Angeles.

McDowell stars in the upcoming film Vamps, directed by Amy Heckerling, opening later this year. And Franklin & Bash, the new TNT comedy-drama TV series debuting this summer features McDowell as the head of a buttoned-down law firm joined by two young, fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants street lawyers who cause a seismic culture clash within the firm. He will also be featured in the upcoming film Silent Hill Revelation, the sequel to the 2006 hit Silent Hill.

Continuing the celebration, WHV will also release the Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection on Blu-ray ($148.95 SRP) May 31 -- an unprecedented 9-film, 10-disc collection, which contains every film the director made since1960. The collection features the film and bonus content from A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition, the Blu-ray debuts of Lolita and Barry Lyndon, as well as the feature films Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, and Eyes Wide Shut. The Blu-ray collection will be elegantly boxed in new book-style premium packaging and will include a 40-page hard-cover book that explores the breadth of genres and themes in Kubrick’s work. The same group of films will be available on DVD in Stanley Kubrick: The Essential Collection ($74.92 SRP), which also includes a 40-page book.

A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Edition is also available On Demand and for Download from iTunes™, including bonus iTunes™ extra content. Additionally, Lolita, Barry Lyndon, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining, Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut, and Never Apologize will be available On Demand and for Download.

For further information log onto https://www.facebook.com/StanleyKubrickFilms

A Clockwork Orange 40TH Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray
Causing major controversy when first released, the film garnered four Academy Award® nominations – Best Picture, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Screenplay – and is #4 on AFI’s Top 10 List of Best Science Fiction Films of All Time.

Disc 1:
· Feature Film
· New Bonus Features
o Malcolm McDowell Looks Back: Malcolm McDowell reflects on his experience working with Kubrick on one of the seminal films of the 1970s
o Turning like Clockwork considers the film’s “ultra-violence” and its cultural impact
· Plus
o Commentary by Malcolm McDowell and historian Nick Redman
o Documentary Still Tickin’: The Return of Clockwork Orange
o Great Bolshy Yarblockos!: Making A Clockwork Orange
o Theatrical trailer

Disc 2:
· Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (Produced and directed by Jan Harlan, the brother of Christiane Kubrick, Stanley Kubrick's widow). Kubrick’s career comes into sharp focus in this compelling documentary narrated by Tom Cruise. Fascinating footage glimpses Kubrick in his early years, at work on film sets and at home, augmented by candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family.
· O Lucky Malcolm! Documentary about the life and career of actor Malcolm McDowell produced and directed by Jan Harlan and edited by Katia de Vidas.

A Clockwork Orange 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Book
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$34.99 SRP
Catalog # 1000169336
UPC # 883929157761

Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection (Blu-ray)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$148.95 SRP
Catalog # 1000175414
UPC # 883929165834

Stanley Kubrick: The Essential Collection (DVD)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$74.92 SRP
Catalog # 1000175413
UPC # 883929165827

Never Apologize (DVD)
Street Date: May 31, 2011
$19.97 SRP
UPC # 883929166565

Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.

Warner Home Video Blu-ray™ Discs offer resolution six times higher than standard definition DVDs, as well as extraordinarily vibrant contrast and color and beautifully crisp sound. The format also provides a higher level of interactivity, with instant access to extra features via a seamless menu bar where viewers can enjoy features without leaving or interrupting the film.


About Warner Home Video
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video's film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) brings together WarnerBros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution, interactive entertainment, technical operations and anti-piracy businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHEG oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHEG distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com.


Stanley Kubrick: Limited Edition Collection [Blu-ray]

Review: Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange" Still Great 40 Years Later

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 145 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Clockwork Orange (1971)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: UK
Running time: 136 minutes (2 hours, 16 minutes)
MPAA – R (original rating – X)
PRODUCER/DIRECTOR: Stanley Kubrick
WRITER: Stanley Kubrick (based upon the novel by Anthony Burgess)
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Alcott
EDITOR: Bill Butler
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/DRAMA

Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Sheila Raynor, Philip Stone, Adrienne Corri, Mariam Karlin, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke, James Marcus, Anthony Sharp, and Godfrey Quigley

The occasion upon which a film surpasses its source material both in terms of quality but in its points, ideas, and implications is indeed rare. That the late Stanley Kubrick’s (1928-1999) A Clockwork Orange is one of those occasions is so astounding because its source material, the novel by the late British novelist and critics, Anthony Burgess (1917-1993), A Clockwork Orange (1962), is itself an important work of fiction.

In a near future, gangs of amoral young boys roam the streets of England beating each other and searching out victims for robbery and rape. Alex de Large (Malcolm McDowell), a teddy-boy hooligan who wears a derby as part of his gang costume, stomps, whomps, steals, sings, and tap-dances while he violates others. A leader of a gang of droogs (his mates), Alex accidentally kills a woman at the beginning of a planned night of violent debauchery, and his droogs turn on him leaving him wounded for the police. While in prison, Alex volunteers for an experimental program that, through drugs and video shock therapy, brainwashes him to feel intense nausea and an urgent need to die, whenever he has ideas about sex and violence – an experiment which raises hard questions in a society rife with criminal violence and political corruption.

In A Clockwork Orange, Kubrick used vivid sets, music, words, and feelings to create a tour de force of pointed social satire. The innovative way of using light and flamboyant color cinematography to heighten the intensity of the violent scenes made A Clock Orange highly controversial when it was first released in 1971. Although the film is marked by good performances, one of them being particularly good, that of Malcolm McDowell as Alex, A Clockwork Orange is completely and totally Stanley Kubrick’s film. His presence, his touch, his demands, his direction, and his will bleed from the pores of every frame.

Kubrick also wrote a great script. Not only are particular words important, but also their placement and context within a given line of speech, how the actor delivers them and when determines the character, setting, and plot down to the smallest details. Words are as brilliantly, visually descriptive as the sets, lighting, and photography. What we hear in the words and how we hear and perceive them are as important as what we see.

The film may be the best English language satirical film ever made. A Clockwork Orange examines the family unit, crime and punishment, how governments often shape law enforcement so that it serves their interests rather than that of the public good, and examines free will among others things. Perhaps, the film saves its most pointed commentary for the struggle between the selfish individual unit and group unit that demands conformity. It’s a war of clumsy skirmishes and bloody battles, but there is no end to this conflict. There aren’t any answers, easy or otherwise. Because Kubrick tackled such ideas about society and individual freedom with such visual originality, A Clockwork Orange remains one of the great works in cinematic history.

10 of 10

NOTES:
1972 Academy Awards: 4 nominations: “Best Picture” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Director” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Film Editing” (Bill Butler), and “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium” (Stanley Kubrick)

1973 BAFTA Awards: 7 nominations: “Best Art Direction” (John Barry), “Best Cinematography” (John Alcott), “Best Direction” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Film,” “Best Film Editing” (Bill Butler), “Best Screenplay” (Stanley Kubrick), and “Best Sound Track” (Brian Blamey, John Jordan, and Bill Rowe)

1972 Golden Globes: 3 nominations: “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Stanley Kubrick), “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” and “Best Motion Picture Actor – Drama” (Malcolm McDowell)

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