27-year-old Stanley Kubrick's 2nd feature film was first screened in New York City on 21 September 1955.
Kubrick financed Killer's Kiss with the help of family and friends (just as he had his 1952 debut, Fear and Desire), including Morris Bousel, a Bronx pharmacist who received a producer's credit. 25-year-old Howard Sackler (who also wrote Fear and Desire) wrote the screenplay (uncredited).
United Artists paid Kubrick $100,000 for the film, providing he provide a "happy ending," and included $100,000 for his next project (which would be The Killing, released the following year).
Fear and Desire will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on February 27 via Kino Lorber. Also known as Shape of Fear, the 1952 war drama/thriller includes reversible artwork.
Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey) makes his feature directorial debut from from a script by Howard Sackler (Jaws 2, Killers Kiss). Frank Silvera, Paul Mazursky, Kenneth Harp, Steve Coit, and Virginia Leith star, with narration by David Allen.
Both cuts of 70-minute and 62-minute cuts have been newly restored in 4K from the 35mm original cut negative and the 35mm fine grain master with Dolby Vision/HDR. Special features are listed below.
Special features:
Audio commentary by film historian Eddy Von Mueller on 70-minute cut (new)
Audio commentary by film historian Gary Gerani on 62-minute cut (new)
Flying Padre - 1951 short film by Stanley Kubrick restored in 4K from the original 35mm print
Day of the Fight - 1951 short film by Stanley Kubrick restored in 4K from the original 35mm print
The Seafarers - 1953 short film by Stanley Kubrick restored in 4K from the 16mm A/B camera negatives and a 16mm print
Killer's Kiss, The Killing, and Paths of Glory trailers
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 doppelgängers.
