4/5 Kubrick's best work! Beats 2001 by miles! Not really, but worth watching and suprisingly fascinating...
  by Grigory's Girl (NYC)
When I found out this film was on DVD, I was pleasantly surprised. I wasn't expecting any revelatory findings, but this film (a short documentary that Kubrick shot in his salad days) is good for what it is. It's essentially a corporate video type documentary, detailing the history, membership, and mission of the Seafarers Union. It's a fascinating time capsule, not only for Kubrick's work, but for NYC in 1953. It's only a half hour long, and it's surprisingly fascinating and there are some memorable camera shots. The shots of New York City's harbors are very cool to look at, there's a long tracking shot in a cafeteria (it looks better than the food they're serving), there are well composed shots of the Seafarers' meetings, and overall, it's very watchable. It's not 2001, but it isn't meant to be, and I actually liked this film as much as Killer's Kiss (my least favorite Kubrick film).

The DVD is pretty barebones, and the transfer of the actual film isn't that good. But in defense of the DVD company, this film doesn't really require a great transfer. It's just good to watch for historical purposes. If you're a Kubrick fan, check it out. It's only 28 minutes, so it's not a lot of your time, and it's worth it.

5/5 A great addition to complete ones Kubrick collection.
  by Deckard5254 (Scottsdale, AZ USA)
This is a high-quality DVD with nice menus and some great extras. The audio-commentary alone is worth the purchase price. Directors Roger Avary and Keith Gordon are funny, intelligent and insightful. The film itself has some very typical Kubrick shots that you'll appreciate. There some images that look like scenes from The Killing and 2001. There are also some tracking shots that Kubrick would become famous for. Its a fun DVD to own and I'm thrilled to finally own it and have it in my Kubrick collection.

5/5 Kubrick rarity brought back to life!
  by S. Youngs (San Francisco, CA USA)
This early Stanley Kubrick documentary was fascinating to watch. As many of us have watched Kubrick's films over and over it is with an educated eye that you will likely view this for the first time. Can you see the future Kubrick director style? Yes, I believe so. There are several clever shots you'll appreciate.

I also must recommend playing the secondary audio track- narration by directors Roger Avary & Keith Gordon (Dexter, Waking the Dead) They have a really much more insightful, amusing dialog than I imagined. Definitely play the second track after watching the original audio. They wander off topic a lot, but it is with amusing consequences.

Nice slice of the Kubrick world for us to finally watch. My collection is complete now- This is actually a cool DVD, the packaging and production values are really slick - nice artwork.