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A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orange (1971) poster
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A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Science Fiction, Crime • 2h 17m

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Letterboxd
IMDbThe Movie Database (TMDB)

WB 4K Blu-ray

UHD Blu-ray

Best English-friendly release · updated 3 months ago

Upcoming

Criterion Box Set

UHD tiers

Overview

In a near-future Britain, young Alexander DeLarge and his pals get their kicks beating and raping anyone they please. When not destroying the lives of others, Alex swoons to the music of Beethoven. The state, eager to crack down on juvenile crime, gives an incarcerated Alex the option to undergo an invasive procedure that'll rob him of all personal agency. In a time when conscience is a commodity, can Alex change his tune?

Release details

Best Video Release
Best Audio Release

WB 4K 5.1: a remix but has higher fidelity

Mono: 4K Blu-ray/1999 DVD

Featured Lists
Perfect Release

*At Risk
- The mono sound track is from the old restoration, not ideal.

National Film Registry

Year of Induction: 2020

TSPDT
2026: #105
2025: #105
2024: #106
2023: #104
2022: #104
Length
137 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in National Film Registry

See more →
The Thing (1982)

Director: John Carpenter

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray. Maybe Turbine Blu-ray instead for better audio?

Best Audio:
The Thin Man (1934)

Director: W.S. Van Dyke

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray, 4k scan

The Terminator (1984)

Director: James Cameron

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Steelbook and Mediabook announced for 2026

Best Video:

2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Best Audio:

1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix

Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.

Taxi Driver (1976)

Director: Martin Scorsese

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook

Best Video:

2024 Sony 4K Blu-ray Steelbook fixes duplicate shot seen on the previous Columbia Classics release and has better encoding

Best Audio:

Original mono mix: 1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1991 Columbia LaserDisc
The 4K Blu-ray mono is only minimally worse (see blah-ray).

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray

Swing Time (1936)

Director: George Stevens

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray, 2K restoration

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Director: Alexander Mackendrick

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion or Arrow Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion = Arrow, not sure about France

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Alien (1979)

Director: Ridley Scott

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Theatrical Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray 

2003 Directors Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray 

Best Video:

Theatrical Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray 

2003 Directors Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray  (additional scenes appear to be upscaled)

Best Audio:

Original Theatrical 70mm 6-Track Stereo: Fox 4K Blu-ray (DTS-HD MA 4.1)

Original Theatrical 35mm Matrixed Dolby Stereo: 1999 DVD? (2.0 mix on the UHD is a downmix)

2003 Directors Cut: Fox 4K Blu-ray, Fox Blu-ray (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Out of the Past (1947)

Director: Jacques Tourneur

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Director: Billy Wilder

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray or Blu-ray

Best Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray. See caps
HDR/grading: nice, but some blown out
Encoding: inconsistent, smeared motion
DNR: inconsistent, frozen
Old Paramount Blu-ray is arguably a solid alternative choice

Best Audio:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.

Additional Info:

The 5.1 remix on the 4K Blu-ray is an appalling remix done by going wild with artificially generated stems from Park Road Post who were given the surviving mono to separate. The experience is jarring and fidelity to original mix in terms of level balance, directionality and impact is nonexistent. Not only does this sound painfully weird, but the Paramount mixers then did whatever they wanted in terms of LFE, sound pans and effect changes.
The original mono mix was not restored and still needs it badly. The 4K master is filled with frozen grain examples coming and going plus some HDR issues in addition to the usual Paramount problems. It is simultaneously better and worse than the Blu-ray master.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Director: Elia Kazan

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB Blu-ray

More from Stanley Kubrick

See more →
The Shining (1980)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray

International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Video:

US Cut: WB 4K Blu-ray

International Cut: Old 2007 Europe Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1999 WB DVD

Additional Info:

No Blu-ray or DVD release has presented the movie in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 for the US cut or 1.66:1 for the International cut.

The packaging on the back of the 4K Blu-ray incorrectly states it as 1.85:1 when the movie is actually 1.78:1 as is the original Blu-ray

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray FiM encode Caps

UK Warner Bros Steelbook 4K Blu-ray is slightly worse in encoding compared to FiM but otherwise excellent see caps

Best Audio:

Uncensored: Cinema DTS
Censored: Criterion
Comparison

Additional Info:

Old WB Blu-ray has exclusive extras

Fear and Desire (1953)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

1080p Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray worse than Blu-ray with poor encoding (review)

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1999 WB R1 DVD

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray (early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)

Best Audio:

1997 MGM LaserDisc, 1998 MGM DVD

Spartacus (1960)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Audio:

4K Blu-ray DTS:X mix most closely approximates original surround mix

Additional Info:

Criterion DVD has additional features not found on the 4K Blu-ray

Lolita (1962)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Video:

WB Blu-ray but waiting for 4k

The Killing (1956)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Best Audio:

MGM DVD mono

Killer's Kiss (1955)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set

Barry Lyndon (1975)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Criterion 4K Blu-ray > International WB 4K Blu-ray see caps. While WB has better highlights, Criterion resolves grains better and is believed to have a more accurate color grading.

For Criterion 4K Blu-ray: The better resolution and the subtly adjusted grading paired with HDR makes for a more rounded, fine-tuned experience. The encoding is a leap forward from the Blu-ray as darker shots are no longer a macroblocking mess on the 4K.

Source:

More from Criterion

See more →
The Third Man (1949)

Director: Carol Reed

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray or Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray/Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray (shared encode); slight improvement over the 2015 StudioCanal Blu-ray

Best Audio:

StudioCanal/LG UHDs port the 1999 Criterion DVD, considered the best source

Additional Info:

StudioCanal has a remastered Blu-ray, Lionsgate only a 4K Blu-ray

Tampopo (1985)

Director: Jūzō Itami

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Japan Toho Blu-ray

The Secret Agent (2025)

Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is slightly better than French 4K Blu-ray see caps

Summer Interlude (1951)

Director: Ingmar Bergman

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI Blu-ray > 2018 Boxset Criterion (slightly). 2012 Standalone Criterion significantly worse.

Best Audio:

2004 R2 Tartan DVD

Wild at Heart (1990)

Director: David Lynch

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Upcoming Release:

2026 Criterion 4K Blu-ray, confirmed to be uncut

Best Video:

Censored US version: Shout! Factory or Twilight Time Blu-ray

Uncensored version: old DVD

Sentimental Value (2025)

Director: Joachim Trier

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

MUBI 4K Blu-ray has zero extras

Mulholland Drive (2001)

Director: David Lynch

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray

StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray is encoded by FiM and doesn’t have the low-pass filter the Criterion 4K Blu-ray has.

Best Audio:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray is closer to the original DVDs than the 2015 Criterion release, not sure about whether the StudioCanal 4K is like the Criterion 4K/original DVD

Additional Info:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray has FEL Dolby Vision, StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has MEL

Raging Bull (1980)

Director: Martin Scorsese

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K announced for 2026

Best Video:

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.

The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review

Best Audio:

1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html

Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:

I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.

Nashville (1975)

Director: Robert Altman

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray scheduled for Dec 2026 release

Best Video:

Paramount Blu-ray

Before Sunset (2004)

Director: Richard Linklater

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray/ Germany Warner Bros Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray/Germany Warner Bros Blu-ray both basically the same see caps

Additional Info:

Germany Blu-ray has English audio 

Germany Blu-ray is part of a 3-film box set like the Criterion but by StudioCanal 

Edit History

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Researched and maintained by

M_ADISKANBGR8vanshadycbcAdamANegativescans

· last reviewed 3 months ago

Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.