Fear and Desire - 4K Blu-Ray [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]

Fear and Desire is the ambitious first feature film by legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick (Paths of Glory, Full Metal Jacket). In this existential drama which has the feeling of a waking dream rather than a conventional war film four soldiers return to their senses after crash-landing in a forest behind enemy lines. Blindly navigating their way back to their unit, they attack an isolated cabin occupied by enemy soldiers, then apprehend a peasant woman who is tormented by the deranged young soldier assigned to guard her. On the verge of freedom, they discover an outpost of enemy officers, and must decide whether to slip silently past or stage a violent confrontation with their doppelgangers. Upon It's initial , Kubrick was stung by negative audience reactions and immediately decided to tone down the philosophical aspects of the film. These edits made the film less of a metaphysical experience and more of a conventional war film. For decades, this 62-minute version was all that existed of Fear and Desire, until Library of Congress came into possession of a 35mm element of the original 70-minute cut, which has not been seen since it's interrupted theatrical run in 1953. Now, we can finally see Fear and Desire as the it was first released, and witness the blossoming of a 23-year-old cinematic genius.

In this arresting thriller, Richard Gere is Martin Vail, a slick Chicago attorney defending Aaron Stampler (Edward Norton), a shy, stuttering altar boy accused of killing a prominent Catholic leader. While Vail faces off in court against opposing lawyer and former lover Janet Venable (Laura Linney), he unravels the unsettling mystery tied to his client and the case. With Andre Braugher, Frances McDormand; based on the novel by William Diehl. 130 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles English (SDH), French, Portuguese, Spanish; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers.

Five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, went to Michael Cimino's harrowing indictment of war. The story centers on three Pennsylvania steeltown hunting buddies whose lives are forever changed by their experiences together in squalid POW camps in Vietnam where their captors force them to play rounds of Russian roulette. Robert de Niro, Christopher Walken (who won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), John Savage, John Cazale, and Meryl Streep star. 183 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack English; Subtitles English. Two-disc set.