Product Details

• Actors: Don Hollenbeck
• Directors: Stanley Kubrick
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Indian Relay Films, LLC
• DVD Release Date: September 17, 2008
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001FAZBLC
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,633 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Seafarers by Stanley Kubrick" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

About the Director

Stanley Kubrick was born in the Bronx, NY (died '99). He had three films listed in the recent American Film Institute's '100 Best Films of all Time' list, including A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr. Strangelove.

Still the only film director to have received four consecutive Oscar nominations for his films, starting with Dr. Strangelove and ending with Barry Lyndon.

Surprisingly, he never one a directing Oscar, but received one for his special FX work on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Product Description

Special features on this DVD include: State of the art menu's, filmography and jacket art; DVD director commentary from Roger Avary (Pulp Fiction co-screenwriter and director of Rules of Attraction) and Keith Gordon (Mother Night, Waking the Dead and TV's 'Dexter') as well as interviews with Kubrick's daughter, Katharina and Roger Avary.

FAQ: What is The Seafarers?

In 1951, a twenty-three year old New Yorker, Stanley Kubrick, began his film career by directing and filming the black and white RKO newsreels Day of the Fight and The Flying Padre. These short films brought the autodidact director little notoriety, but they proved essential to developing his technique and securing financing for his feature length film, the ill-fated Fear & Desire in 1953.

That same year, Kubrick was commissioned by the Seafarers International Union to film a documentary extolling the benefits of membership to the union. The film would also mark his first exploration into color cinematography. Kubrick provided his own sound and camera equiptment and marshaled the Seafarers Log editorial staff as his crew.

The film's design was to showcase the Seafarers Union service to its members and to recruit young men into a life at sea by explaining the benefits and job security of being part of a union.

In the decades that followed, aspiring directors would hone their technique in specialized film schools, but for the young Kubrick, the short documentaries he made were his film school .

Although the film is an oddity and a departure from what students expect from Stanley Kubrick, it is an essential part of the Kubrick acumen. Just four years after completing The Seafarers, titan auteur Orson Welles, upon viewing Paths of Glory, referred to Kubrick as a "giant" amongst his contemporaries.

Other films directed by Kubrick include: Full Metal Jacket, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dr. Strangelove, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, Lolita (1962), Barry Lyndon, The Killing and Spartacus. His long-awaited sci-fi epic, A.I. Articificial Intelligence was eventually directed by his colleague, Steven Spielberg.

Released through Victory Multimedia in 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kubrick rarity brought back to life!, November 23, 2008

By	S. Youngs (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This early Stanley Kubrick documentary was fascinating to watch. As many of us have watched Kubrick's films over and over it is with an educated eye that you will likely view this for the first time. Can you see the future Kubrick director style? Yes, I believe so. There are several clever shots you'll appreciate.

I also must recommend playing the secondary audio track- narration by directors Roger Avary & Keith Gordon (Dexter, Waking the Dead) They have a really much more insightful, amusing dialog than I imagined. Definitely play the second track after watching the original audio. They wander off topic a lot, but it is with amusing consequences.

Nice slice of the Kubrick world for us to finally watch. My collection is complete now- This is actually a cool DVD, the packaging and production values are really slick - nice artwork.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great addition to complete ones Kubrick collection., December 16, 2008

By	Deckard5254 "Lee" (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This is a high-quality DVD with nice menus and some great extras. The audio-commentary alone is worth the purchase price. Directors Roger Avary and Keith Gordon are funny, intelligent and insightful. The film itself has some very typical Kubrick shots that you'll appreciate. There some images that look like scenes from The Killing and 2001. There are also some tracking shots that Kubrick would become famous for. Its a fun DVD to own and I'm thrilled to finally own it and have it in my Kubrick collection.

4.0 out of 5 stars Kubrick's best work! Beats 2001 by miles! Not really, but worth watching and suprisingly fascinating..., October 1, 2009

By	Grigory's Girl "Grigory's Girl" (NYC) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

When I found out this film was on DVD, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting any revelatory findings, but this film (a short documentary that Kubrick shot in his salad days) is good for what it is. It's essentially a corporate video type documentary, detailing the history, membership, and mission of the Seafarers Union. It's a fascinating time capsule, not only for Kubrick's work, but for NYC in 1953. It's only a half hour long, and it's surprisingly fascinating and there are some memorable camera shots. The shots of New York City's harbors are very cool to look at, there's a long tracking shot in a cafeteria (it looks better than the food they're serving), there are well composed shots of the Seafarers' meetings, and overall, it's very watchable. It's not 2001, but it isn't meant to be, and I actually liked this film as much as Killer's Kiss (my least favorite Kubrick film).

The DVD is pretty barebones, and the transfer of the actual film isn't that good. But in defense of the DVD company, this film doesn't really require a great transfer. It's just good to watch for historical purposes. If you're a Kubrick fan, check it out. It's only 28 minutes, so it's not a lot of your time, and it's worth it.