The Shining / Full Metal Jacket / Eyes Wide Shut - Transfers

[TheHighRoller]

I own all of Stanley Kubrick's filmography on Blu-ray, so I am well aware of the aspect ratio controversy surrounding these last three of his films. I also completely respect the fact that he shot these in the full frame (as he did with all his others I guess) but with the American 1.85:1 ratio in mind, seeing as that ratio was the standard in American theaters.

Because of this, I'm interested in buying these three films on DVD since it's the only format besides VHS and Betamax that has the full negative's 1.33:1 aspect ratio (yes, a Blu-ray release of these in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio would be awesome, but highly unlikely). But I have a few questions for those of you who own these on DVD already:



- What are the differences between the 2001 and 2007/2008 releases of The Shining and Full Metal Jacket? The 2001 releases have a cardboard 'snap' case, and the 07/08 releases have the common plastic cases. Do the latter releases have a better transfer even though the art is the same, or were they simply repackaged in a plastic case?


And, Eyes Wide Shut was first released on DVD in 2000 in a 'snap' case with the purple artwork. Does the 2001 white 'snap' case re-release have a better transfer than the original release? The latter one has the "Stanley Kubrick Collection" banner on the top (as do the other Full Frame releases for The Shining and Full Metal Jacket). I have seen that TS and FMJ also have this as well, and each of them have a "digital remaster" banner on the back, yet EWS doesn't.

I also understand that The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut were also re-released again in 2008 in a 2-Disc version. These carry the films in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, correct? Was a Full Frame version released as well? And are the extras on the 2-Disc release the same as the ones on their respective Blu-ray releases?



In the end, I want to know which versions of TS, FMJ, and EWS in the full frame (1.33:1) are the best to get? Which ones sport a better transfer? Thoughts?