Fear and Desire
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 doppelgängers. Upon its initial release, 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 the Library of Congress came into possession of a 35mm element of the original 70-minute premiere cut, which has not been seen since its interrupted theatrical run in 1953. Now, we can finally see Fear and Desire as it was first released, and witness the blossoming of a 23-year-old cinematic genius.
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Fear and Desire
Theatrical VersionFear and Desire
Premiere VersionStreaming Options
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Technical Specifications
Supplements
- NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Eddy Von Mueller (70-Minute Premiere Cut)
- NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani (62-Minute Theatrical Cut)
- Flying Padre (1951, Short Film by Stanley Kubrick) – 4K Restoration from the Original 35mm Print
- Day of Flight (1951, Short Film by Stanley Kubrick) – 4K Restoration from the Original 35mm Print
- The Seafarers (1953, Short Film by Stanley Kubrick) – 4K Restoration from the 16mm A/B Camera Negatives and a 16mm Print
- Trailer
- Trailer for Killer's Kiss
- Trailer for The Killing
- Trailer for Paths of Glory