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Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey has been highly anticipated
since the Spring of '97 when MGM promised it as an upcoming DVD
title. The long wait is over and this release is both a joy and
a disappointment.
2001
premiered in 1968 as a Cinerama road-show feature, but was
presented in a single-strip 70 mm format rather than the original
three-strip Cinerama process. The film was not universally
well received, for many found the enigmatic climax confusing.
Since its premiere it has been re-released to theaters several
times, been released on VHS and Laser Disc, and ultimately
earned the respect of both critics and audience who now recognize
it as a cinematic milestone. Arthur C. Clarke's thought-provoking
plot questions the nature of evolution and our place in the
universe. Douglas Trumbull's special effects set a new benchmark
which remained unsurpassed until Star Wars in 1977. And, of
course, Stanley Kubrick brought a unique vision to the screen,
effectively conveying a complex plot with remarkably little
dialog (the DVD's insert reveals that there are only 40 minutes
of dialog in a film that runs 139 minutes).
The
RSDL DVD includes the road-show's overture and intermission
(during which, I suspect, the layer change occurs). Don't
be concerned that your TV or projector may have failed when
you start the film. You'll be in the dark for several minutes
as Gyorgy Ligeti's Atmospheres sets the mood. The film is
divided into four distinct sections. In the first, prehistoric
man is shown as a herbivore, just managing to survive in an
inhospitable wilderness. A mysterious black monolith appears,
inspiring the use of bones as weapons. Man becomes carnivorous.
Territorial conflicts turn fatal. Evolution has been given
a nudge.
In
a clever transition to the next section, a bone thrown into
the air becomes a satellite orbiting the Earth. We see a space
shuttle en route to an orbiting space station, the ensuing
docking ballet accompanied by Johann Stauss' Blue Danube Waltz.
Here we meet Dr. Heywood Floyd who's travelling to the moon
for a briefing on a startling discovery. An extraterrestrial
monolith has been found, seemingly buried millions of years
earlier. When Floyd and his colleagues visit the excavation,
the monolith transmits a powerful radio signal to the region
of Jupiter. This segues into the film's next section, the
Jupiter Mission.
The
spacecraft Discovery is dispatched with a crew that includes
an artificial intelligence, a computer named HAL 9000. We
meet two astronauts, Dave Bowman and Frank Poole. Three other
crew members had been trained separately and were put onboard
already in a state of induced hibernation. The trip is dull
and routine until HAL detects a problem with a communications
subsystem. For those very few of you who may never have seen
2001, I'll not give away the drama and danger that follow.In
the film's final section, a monolith in Jupiter orbit is found,
approached, and...let's just say that evolution is again given
a nudge.
It's
as important to understand what this film isn't as what it
is. There are no fiery explosions nor dogfights in space.
There are no aliens pouncing from hidden alcoves to rip our
heroes apart. 2001 is much more than eye candy, it's brain
candy. It's a film that provokes thought and debate, created
by a film-maker who seems to respect the intelligence of the
audience. This is an important work which should be part of
any collection owned by those who are serious about film (and
particularly those who are science fiction enthusiasts).
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Unfortunately,
the DVD's picture quality is a disappointment. The film is
presented in a widescreen letterbox format in 4:3 video. There
is no 16:9 enhancement and the image suffers as a result.
I suspect the video master is dated. There is a subtle but
visible vertical jitter which creates an unnatural shimmer
on the prehistoric plains, and a twinkling of stars within
the vacuum of space.
In
an exchange of e-mail with MGM's Glenn Erickson, the 'MGM
Video Savant' replied, "2001 is a Turner Entertainment owned
title, not MGM Home Entertainment's, which only has home video
rights to it. This means that the video masters and all the
decisions thereof are determined by Turner, and not MGM."
(Turner purchased the MGM library in '86 which includes all
films made between 1924 and June 1986.) But I still find the
decision to not bother with 16x9 enhancement of 2001 a little
bewildering. Of the 35 anamorphic video titles MGM has
released (or has assigned a specific release date), 8 had
to come from Turner. I'll leave it to you to decide if "Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof," "Elvis: That's The Way It Is," "Forbidden
Planet," "Jailhouse Rock," "Last Tango In Paris," "Poltergeist,"
"Westworld," and "Year of Living Dangerously" are each more
deserving of 16x9 enhancement than 2001. (Note: Warner
subsequently took control of MGM's pre-1986 library, including
2001. Their decision to re-release this disc again with out
16x9 enhancement continues to baffle.)
The
image is a bit on the soft side compared to other letterbox
DVDs in 4:3 video. A halo around objects is frequently visible,
possibly indicating an attempt to electronically sharpen the
image (this is most obvious when a large, dark object is contrasted
against a light background). Blacks are deep and noise free,
but the colors are somewhat muted.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The
audio also shows its age, having been created 30 years ago.
Certainly improved over previously releases, the audio is
not up to the high standards we've come to expect from more
contemporary films. The box indicates 5.1 encoding, but any
surround effects are very subtle indeed.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? Supplementary
materials include trailers for both 2001 and 2010, and a moderately
interesting press conference and question-and-answer session
with Arthur C. Clarke that runs a bit over 20 minutes. (Note:
The Warner DVD reissue hs the same features, but with a new
snapper case and cover art.)
Parting Thoughts
But let me put my complaints aside and simply add that this presentation
of 2001 on DVD is better than on any previously offered format.
Despite my disappointments, I was pleased to add this title to my
collection. I recommend it.
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