Customer Reviews:
A must for me..but perhaps you should wait for HD DVD versions........2007-09-11
Kubrick was a technical perfectionist, one who never forgot that always movies are at first a visual craft.
I doubt if he considered future television presentations of his movies, as he was well aware of the coming widescreen HD television and that exactly when it would be in place was very uncertain.
I first viewed HD t.v.'s for sale in Japanese department stores, when my Japanese wife, in an over-reaction, most appropriate for Japanese, wanted to replace overnight all of her televisons with HD t.v. sets. This was in 1993!!!
if you are a Kubrick affectionario, and value image quality as very important, as it should be for Kubrick's masterpieces, then please reflect on the following:
resolution WILL degrade when these non-anamorphic negatives are blown up for widescreen t.v.'s.
Proper presentation would be matted, as Kurbrick most certainly would have probably desired, to match the original theatrical presentation WITH NO 16X9!
However, this is a marketing no no, and Kubrick was well aware of both this and the visual degradation that would occur if released 16x9 with VGA resolution. You want bigger, so then accept the price. Hopefully with HD, we get it all. However, so far with every new digital "improvement" aesthetic quality has been compromised...such as downloadable music has very sloppy sound, but it can be marketed. Theoretically, it is possible that these DVD's will be better in some ways then when they are released on HD DVD's. We are living in a world of trade offs where marketing rules. Those with patience usually do the best.
Yes, with the proper matted version, you will have to sit closer to your tube monitor, (still the best viewing quality), to watch the restored, properly matted movies at maximum resolution, or instead, please wait until the HD DVD editions.
For an example of the degradation that will occur, see the current widescreen DVD of Full Metal Jacket.
Logic would be to wait one or two years for this set to be released on HD DVD. If you can't, then using a step up converter DVD player via a HMID connection to a HD television, probably will lessen the degradation to an acceptabele level. However..if you value highly the visual quality, you will toss away these VGA's soon for the HD DVD copies. Myself...I do not plan to move on to HD. Only to retain my personal library of approximately 1,000 DVD's, (which I will prune to 700), and step up my VGA to HD using my three DVD players (for back up so I can play them for at least 10 years from now). Therefore..I will be buying all of these new versions, with the proper matting, and have acceptable minimal resolution degradation. In the future, I will begin building a library of HD DVD's but only for new movies and for new releases of "old" movies which are better on HD. Many may not be better, or as good. HD may be "too good" for early 4:3 black and white movies which thrive on grain. The future may not bode well for Kubricks early masterpieces, or for almost all pre 1954 movies.
Just To Clarify. . ........2007-09-10
Stanley Kubrick is undoubtedly a master filmaker, and this new set of his films is certainly long overdue, even if some of his best films (Dr. Strangelove, Barry Lyndon, Lolita) are not included. However, just to clarify for some of the "HD widescreen purists" who have been disapointed in the full frame versions of some of the films (eg The Shining, Full Metal Jacket), Stanley Kubrick intended them to be released for home viewing in that format. Rather than traditionally shooting those films in widescreen, then chopping off the sides for the home release, Kubrick shot those particular films in a standard aspect ratio, then removed the top and bottom of the frames to create a widescreen ratio for the theatrical exhibition. Then, for the home version, he reinserted the additional parts of the frame. So the full screen versions of Full Metal Jacket and The Shining actually show more of the image and were Kubrick's intended versions. However, most people are unaware of this fact. If Kubrick wanted the films to be released in the larger full frame, did Warner Bros. disregard his wishes when producing this set, or has the Kubrick family approved the move? Regardless of the aspect ratios, this set will still benefit from the inclusion of numerous special features and the anamorphic version of A Clockwork Orange, which was previously only available in a nonanamorphic widescreen version.
16 x 9 for (mostly) full frame films?.......2007-08-29
This is in response to another review here. With the exception of 2001 and Clockwork Orange (which was 1.66:1 I think) none of these films were shot in widescreen in the first place. All of his last three films were shot full frame/ academy ratio and masked for cinema presentations. So what we've been seeing on video is actually the whole of what was shot at the time of production and exactly what Kubrick wanted people to see, knowing that the films would often be viewed on standard televisions.
Eyes Wide Shut????.......2007-08-25
Does anyone know if Eyes Wide Shut will be released the way Kubrick intended it to be? I would love to see his real vision of the film. To bad Paths of Glory didn't make the cut.
About time... but.......2007-08-21
OK-- I don't own this fine-looking collection, but I want to echo the sentiment that it's about time that some of these titles are at last released in their original widescreen presentation. (I also agree that the tags "16:9" or "anamorphic" are essential on DVD product descriptors.)
But, please... release these puppies individually! I'm not a huge "Shining" fan, but I've jonesed for a widescreen "Full Metal Jacket" ever since I bought my first DVD player. Let me buy it!!!
Thanks for listening.
Customer Reviews:
One of the BEST films EVER!!!.......2007-09-04
Warner will release it in the proper 2:20 aspect ratio, trust me. The past DVD's have all been done that way, and with all the care that has gone into the remastering of these 5 Kubrick titles, they will do the right thing. They have made 'The Shining', 'Full Metal Jacket'(new transfer), and 'Eyes Wide Shut' all 1:85, since that is the theatrical aspect ratio. Kubrick shot full frame for TV showings, and the film would be 'masked' for the 1:85 theatre screen. This is why these last 3 films of his are full frame 1:33 on DVD. This was before widescreen TV, of course. I would have to imagine that if he were still alive he would want home viewers to have the best experience watching his films, and would agree with the widescreen 'masking' to fill the frame/screen, since that's how we saw them in the theatre. Kubrick's assistant has stated that this transfer of '2001' from 70mm is 'stunning'. Along with the extras, c'mon, it's a no-brainer to want this in your collection. The more you see it, the more you see in it. Blu-Ray or HD DVD, I have them both. Can't hardly wait!!
Blu Ray - all the way.......2007-08-24
I am surprised but pleased beyond measure that this great film is being released so soon on Hi Def. Each time I watch it I get the same weighty thrill that i experienced the first time. The unseen presence that are the alien Watchers sets this tale apart. What truly amazes is how downright believable this film is, despite being made in 1968! Take note of how Floyd watches widescreen television on his way to the moon! I look forward to seeing details I have never seen before, reading signs on the spacestation that were only a blur on dvd, the infamous spacestation toilet instructions, and of course experiencing rich High Def color. And while you're at it, gurus of disc authoring, release the great sequel, 2010.
A masterpiece in high definition.......2007-08-20
This film should be excellent in high definition. It's a couple of months until the release date so I can't say much more at this time.
It's a WIDE aspect film people!.......2007-08-19
This MUST be a very sad release. Why would Warner attempt to foist this garbage on us? Are they really such money grubbing dopes as to think that we would not want the finest available digitization of this excellent film work?
THIS FILM IS SUPPOSED TO BE AT 2.35:1 ASPECT RATIO! We are tired of the two step process used to FINALLY get a film they way it should be initially released.
Customer Reviews:
One of the BEST films EVER!!!.......2007-09-04
Warner will release it in the proper 2:20 aspect ratio, trust me. The past DVD's have all been done that way, and with all the care that has gone into the remastering of these 5 Kubrick titles, they will do the right thing. They have made 'The Shining', 'Full Metal Jacket'(new transfer), and 'Eyes Wide Shut' all 1:85, since that is the theatrical aspect ratio. Kubrick shot full frame for TV showings, and the film would be 'masked' for the 1:85 theatre screen. This is why these last 3 films of his are full frame 1:33 on DVD. This was before widescreen TV, of course. I would have to imagine that if he were still alive he would want home viewers to have the best experience watching his films, and would agree with the widescreen 'masking' to fill the frame/screen, since that's how we saw them in the theatre. Kubrick's assistant has stated that this transfer of '2001' from 70mm is 'stunning'. Along with the extras, c'mon, it's a no-brainer to want this in your collection. The more you see it, the more you see in it. Blu-Ray or HD DVD, I have them both. Can't hardly wait!!
If there was ever a time to double dip. The kind of film Hd/Blu ray were made for. Info on the dvd below.......2007-09-01
Let's roll out some stats on 2001: A Space Odyssey. 4 Oscar nominations for best writing, director, art direction and 1 win for best effects. It ranks number 15 on the American Film Institutes top 100 movies of all time, which I feel is underrated. It is in Roger Ebert's top 10 films of all time list, I would recommend reading his "great movie" series review on this film. It is ranked number #80 on imdb's top 250 films of all films in existance, again highly underrated in my opinion.
Space Odyssey is a film that you experience there is no rush in action, Kubrick is confident and patient enough to allow the viewer to analyze, experience, and contemplate this puzzle of the evolution of man in our imaginations, only one filmmaker comes to mind in such a way and that is Werner Herzog. What better way to experience such a film then in High definition with all those glorious shots bursting off the screen or listen to the classical moving music selected by Kubrick in 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus or a Dts track.
This is one if not the greatest film I have ever seen for any genre. If I did not own an Hd dvd player or a Blu Ray player a title like this would inspire me to do so. I highly recommend this to anyone.
DVD Features: What I could find on movieweb/ Also describes the 10 dvd set available as well.
On October 23, Warner Home Video will launch the first in their new series featuring influential films from some of history's greatest directors. Warner Home Video Director's Series: Stanley Kubrick is a new six-film, 10-disc widescreen and newly remastered collection that includes Special Editions of 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition, along with the full-length documentary, A Life in Pictures.
2001: A Space Odyssey has been newly remastered; A Clockwork Orange, Eyes Wide Shut, The Shining and Full Metal Jacket, also remastered, debut in their original widescreen theatrical aspect ratios. All releases have been created in collaboration with, and approved by, the Estate of Stanley Kubrick. The collection sells for $79.92 SRP on DVD and single discs will also be available.
Enhanced with hours of insightful and in-depth special features, these Special Editions include commentaries, documentaries, rare interviews with Kubrick and special new featurettes that offer a rare look into the mind of the master filmmaker. The 10-disc set also includes the bonus documentary A Life in Pictures, narrated by Tom Cruise, which details Kubrick's early life, at work and at home, with candid commentary from collaborators, colleagues and family.
This was from Movieweb
I am looking into finding more specifically about this hd dvd release, however, seeing a lot of Kubrick's films are great I figured I'd throw out info on the 10dvd set as well. Will update as I hear more.
Average customer rating:
- a grand cosmic yearning, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams
- Masterpiece For A Lost Future That Should Have Happened
- Awesome
- The Definition of a Masterpiece
- Bonus Materials for this DVD set
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2001 - A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Starring:
Keir Dullea ,
Gary Lockwood ,
William Sylvester ,
Daniel Richter , and
Alan Gifford
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B000UJ48SG
Release Date: 2007-10-23 |
Customer Reviews:
a grand cosmic yearning, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams.......2007-09-06
"Open the pod bay doors please, HAL"
The words are spoken by man to machine, at the mercy of its command. The blackness is silent and infinite as the machinery sits motionless, waiting, suspended by zero gravity. But the doors do not open. "HAL?" There is no response, only the vacuum of space and the distance between man and his greatest technological achievement, the Discovery One spacecraft; man's great triumph painted against the vast canvas of space. HAL, the onboard flight computer (another of man's great scientific creations), already knows what has been planned in secret. He knows that the human astronauts suspect that the HAL computer has malfunctioned in some way, that there is a flaw in its design. He reasons that it is "human error" that has led to the problem, that it has always been human error. If indeed there is a flaw in man's design, it stands to reason that man can create flawed technology. However, HAL was programmed to protect the mission at all costs. When he finally responds to the command, it is with chilling conviction: "This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it." Alas, man has ascribed too much power to its technologies. Man has, in a sense, staked its fate and future in its own creations and must now live under conditions which threaten its survival.
Stanley Kubrick's visionary film "2001: A Space Odyssey" is more than a film, really. Most films tell a story with words, with actions, with a development of events that drive us to some conclusion. They ask us to sympathize with characters, perhaps, bring us into situations where conflicts arise, emotions are expressed, actions taken, and things progress in some logical order. In short, most films, even some of the best ones, are satisfied staying inside of themselves, concerning themselves with the here and now of their characters. They do not stand apart, do not look forward or back, do not strive to know anything but what their characters know or need to know for themselves and for their audience. They appeal to our natural tendency to follow something to its end, to organize it subconsciously, from one point to the next, and to put ourselves in place of human thoughts and circumstances.
Kubrick, in turn, wanted to create a cinematic experience which, according to him, "avoids intellectual verbalization and reaches the viewer's subconscious in a way that is essential poetic and philosophic," a film that "hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting." His vision is less a film than a grand cosmic yearning, a call to the collective human consciousness, a desire to reach and explore, to ponder where we have come from and where we must go. It is a visual meditation, a vehicle for our deepest thoughts and hopes and dreams. It dares to imagine in a way that no film before or since has ever been able to achieve with as much reflective ambition and urgency. Kubrick, in his obsessive perfectionism, conveys a desperate hunger to grasp, and to compel us to grasp, the path of human thought and ability. His narrative is the very course of human evolution, from its primitive roots to its ultimate place in the vast universe. He does not cater his themes to us because he has too much respect for our intelligence and our ability to construct subjective associations through our visual experiences.
So, what exactly has Kubrick really created here? Is this a mainstream cinematic experiment that he has given us? Something that challenges our reliance on conventional narrative structure? Is it a showcase for a new brand of groundbreaking special effects, a visual triumph that would inspire a more realistic vision science fiction for a generation of moviegoers? Or perhaps a cautionary tale, warning us of the threatening possibilities that await us in our modern age of technology? The simple answer would be yes: indeed, it is all of these things and more. Within the margins of the cinematic window, in the span of 141 minutes of film (only 40 of which contain spoken dialogue), Kubrick has achieved the seemingly impossible: he has communicated to us without words what our ultimate evolutionary destiny must be.
Ultimately, Kubrick is equally pessimistic and hopeful about the state of our modern age of technology; pessimistic in our potential for self-destruction and hopeful in his firm conviction in the future, as we use these technologies to plot our course through the cosmos. In coming to terms with the dangers of our way of life, he shows us that there can be hope. Through our collective intelligence, our drive to achieve and to explore, we have accomplished great things. We have learned much about the universe and about ourselves, and have come a long way in our evolutionary course. However, as the experience of 2001 teaches us, the journey is far from over. As the reincarnation of man, the Star Child stands as the ideal form of our intelligent human design, the pinnacle of our cosmic destiny. Having evolved beyond the limits of the physical body, the biological human form which Kubrick refers to as a "fragile shell for the mind at best," we stand above and beyond reason.
"And if there was anything beyond THAT, then its name could only be God."
...and as that child looks at us, at all of mankind, and smiles, it tells us one thing: this is where we ultimately belong, and maybe someday, somehow, we can get there...
Masterpiece For A Lost Future That Should Have Happened.......2007-09-02
Most of the Special Effects sequences for this motion picture still work even in this age of (occasionally) realistic CGI. I wish it could be remastered for an IMAX release. As I saw suggested on some blogsite somewhere, I'd be both intrigued and revulsed by the prospect of somebody computer 'tweaking' the less successful FX shots -- It would update the look, but spoil the original work of art.
And one recent reviewer missed the point -- Those 'tortured primates' he spoke of were actors and mimes in suits and makeup, for heaven's sake, NOT apes!! You've also got to cut this amazing film some slack -- it was made in the 1960s, when 'arty' and 'freakout' impressionistic cinema was the norm, not the exception. Unfortunately, vacuous space-opera confectionary is the standard bearer for Science Fiction movies today. As for reviewers of this movie -- I respect a person who says "I didn't get it and didn't like it" far more than the type who says "It's no good - what's the matter with you people who like it; you're wrong, I'm right".
Sheesh...
Awesome.......2007-08-23
First of all this movie is SO good, even if you didnt like it one bit, it still should get 5 stars...its that good. This is a masterpiece, and now finally gets the DVD set it deserves! A set with a commentary, documentaries, Kubrick interviews, the movie remastered! and more!!!
The Definition of a Masterpiece.......2007-08-08
It's funny how this film polarizes viewers more than almost any other...is it a masterpiece which literally captures on film the metaphysical and spiritual conundrums of our place in the universe? Or is it a boring, stilted and pretentious by-product of the times in which it was made?
I was all of 9 years old when this film was released, and I will say that at that age it bored me to the point of unconsciousness! That being said, I honestly now believe that this is by far the single greatest motion picture ever made.
This film's greatness lies in its ability to adapt itself to each individual's personal thought structure, so that it literally takes on meaning only with the help of one's own spiritual, emotional and psychological imprint. As such, "2001" forces us to come to direct terms with who we are, why we're here, and perhaps even what might be in store (i.e., the "master plan"). Many see this as a religious film, others as a commentary on man's insignificance within the larger cosmic palette, still others as a straight-forward futurist melodrama. It is indeed all these things, and more. It's a difficult picture to get your arms around, and anything you get out of it, guaranteed, will not be what the person sitting next to you gets out of it. I recently saw a restored version of this film at a theater, and the reactions of those in the audience ran from sobbing to ebullience to confusion to outright anger (and yes, a few people were snoring!).
I might add here that this is not a "Kubrick" thing for me--I think he's somewhat overrated for the most part and only a few of his films speak to me, "A Clockwork Orange" being certainly his other great achievement. Kubrick made some films of questionable value too ("The Shining" being the most problematic, especially when compared to Stephen King's unforgettable source material).
Personally, I feel "2001" is revelatory in almost every respect. I see something new in it, feel new emotions, discover new meaning, with each and every viewing. It is a one-of-a-kind experience and I don't think any other film comes even close to involving me so completely on an emotional and spiritual level. Here's the rub for some: many don't WANT to be taken to task by a movie on this level, and thus I can see how some just aren't moved by it--because they don't want to be.
My suggestion is to put your day-to-day stuff aside, clear your mind of what's on your desk at work or the housework you need to get to this weekend, sit back and join Kubrick on this legendary journey into the unknown. "2001" is one of the very few films I can think of that has the potential to actually effect profound change in those who view it, and wouldn't that be the very definition of a masterpiece?
Bonus Materials for this DVD set.......2007-08-08
I haven't seen any of this, but I thought anyone interested in this new edition might find it useful, since it's currently not in the product description.
The 2001: A Space Odyssey (Special Edition) DVD will feature the following bonus materials:
* Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
* Theatrical trailer
* Channel 4 documentary: 2001: The Making of a Myth
* Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001
* Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001
* 2001: A Space Odyssey - A Look Behind the Future
* 2001: FX and Early Conceptual Artwork
* Look: Stanley Kubrick!
* Audio-only interview with Stanley Kubrick
Average customer rating:
- RIPPP-OFFFF!
- When Words Fail...
- A Must-Have for your DVD Library
- Simply Outstanding
- Kubrick's Magnum Opus
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2001 - A Space Odyssey
Starring:
Keir Dullea ,
Gary Lockwood ,
William Sylvester ,
Daniel Richter , and
Leonard Rossiter
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: B00005ASUM
Release Date: 2001-06-12 |
Product Description
2001: A Space Odyssey is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is a dazzling, Academy Award-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke)... and it will likely excite, inspire and enthrall for generations.
To begin his voyage into the future, Kubrick visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millennia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever conceived) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin.
System Requirements:
Starring: Keir Dullea, and Gary Lockwood.
Directed By: Stanley Kubrick.
Running Time: 148 Min., Color.
This film is presented in "Widescreen" format.
Copyright 2000 Warner Home Video.
Format: DVD MOVIE
Amazon.com essential video
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
RIPPP-OFFFF!.......2007-09-10
I, too, saw this film in 1968, so I'm not an adolescent, and I remember very well the impact of the event. That being said, anyone interested in buying this movie as a 'home video', trying to replicate the original intended theatre experience, will be greatly disappointed.
Let's start at the beginning: Most movie versions of popular books tend to be rather incomplete or deviate wildly from their literary parent by the time it gets to the screen. Before men actually walked on the moon, the cinematic effort just to achieve the revolutionary visual effects we see here seems to have been all encompassing for the director, to the distraction of trying to involve us in the deep narrative that made the Arthur C. Clarke novel one of the most provocative and probing works of the age. While both realistic and psychedelic images combined with imaginative classical works are intended to impress the senses, the story-line is almost senseless in this telling, forcing the viewer to tax their own imagination in order to fill in the blanks. So large are the blanks that without the benefit of reading the book first, you would fall asleep, if it were not for the sonic and scenic thrill ride. Unfortunately, sitting through this disc, I found it very hard to keep my eyes (and ears) open.
First thing we need to get straight is that the word 'anamorphic' seems to be thrown around at everything that isn't made for standard TV. "2001:A Space Odyssey" IS NOT anamorphic and never was. It was shot in Super-Panavision 2.2:1; NOT Ultra-Panavision 2.6:1 which requires anamorphic lenses to display a little wider aspect ratio. What's missing is the deeply curved Cinerama screen this film was designed to be projected on, which makes it look wider and gives it a bit of 3D. You don't have that at home, and neither do I, so the extra depth and dimension required to complete the effect just isn't there, but would help this movie very much if such a thing becomes available for home use in the future. (NOTE: This picture would be a good candidate for the "Smile-Box" effect recently developed by Dave Strohmaier for rendering true Cinerama films to flat screens.)
Now, putting aside the men in monkey suits and outdated visions of space travel, my biggest problem with this 'newly remastered' DVD (with no extras!???) is finding the lowest quality picture and sound on disc that I have come across in many years. Whether you are a fan of Mr. Kubrick's original production or not, the technical rendering on this DVD is atrocious. The picture is fuzzy and dim, the sound is screechy, lo-fi, and just barely stereophonic.
My senses have been underwhelmed and I want my money back!!
When Words Fail..........2007-07-15
"You are free to speculate, as you wish, about the philosophical and allegorical meanings of 2001."
- Stanley Kubrick
What should film be? What should a good film accomplish? Kubrick challenged our very notion of those concepts in 1968 with perhaps the most brilliant piece of artistic science fiction ever created. 40 years later it's easy to see the polarizing nature of this film. The problem is one of pre-conceived notions about film's purpose. When artists push the envelope of what can be done in their genre, they're almost always met with resistance from the conservative old-school and cries of "genius!" from the forward thinkers. (Look at Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for an example in a completely unrelated genre.)
What makes film unique in the world of art? The ability to tell stories with a rich narrative can be done (better) in literature. The ability to evoke emotions and abstract thoughts can be done (better) by visual arts and music. Film's unique contribution is that of moving pictures. If a picture can say 1000 words, what can a 2 1/2 hour long moving one do? In a way, the "picture is worth" theory is representative of how futile words can be as a means of expression (no offense intended to the great authors and poets). Great films are those that can say something significant, from beginning to end using visuals. Music, sound, and dialogue should only exist to enhance and illuminate the visuals, not overpower and drive them.
Kubrick takes the idea of using moving pictures to state an idea to the extreme. He strips away narrative conventions and uses incredibly dense imagery, meticulously crafted scenes, an immense amount of abstract symbolism and allegory, and only a classical music soundtrack for guidance. Then he allows it all to speak by and for themselves. In a 2.5 hour film there's around 40 minutes of dialogue. That means about 75% or 3/4 of the film is told through its visuals alone. He crafts 3 "acts" (some argue 4) that reiterates a story in an increasingly visual and abstract manner, where every scene says something both singular while enhancing the big picture.
It's fair to say this film has almost no plot. If there is one, it centers around men in the future who are sent on a mission to investigate a strange monolith that is the first evidence of an extra-terrestrial, sentient life form. Is it boring? For those with short attention spans, a need to be spoon-fed an "entertaining story", and be lead by the hand at every step, then yes: by those standards, it is. For those with patience, good attention spans, and receptive minds, then no, it's not. Ultimately, 'boring' is relative. To really "get" 2001, one must be in a calm, meditative, "centered" state where you can receive and process information, without needing it handed to you. While most films put the puzzle together for you, Kubrick merely provided the pieces and leaves it to his audience to do the rest.
One enlightening critique from Nathan493 (IMDb) compares 2001 to Eastern and Western art techniques: "Western technique dictates a canvas to be completely filled with little or no untouched space left, while eastern art there is a strong tendency to leave large stretches of canvas blank, so that the void speaks as loudly to the observer as the subject matter. This is where 2001 is its strongest, the "boring" or "void" areas of the film are often as strong visually as the busy and "filled in" facets of the movie."
Kubrick indeed uses long stretches of "void" to allow the viewer to meditate on all that's being said. Without this void, a complex film would've likely turned into an incomprehensible mess. The extreme amount of time that Kubrick allows us to breath and analyze the scenes are a very large part of WHY this film works at all.
2001 is almost an entirely intellectual film. Art works on two obvious levels: the emotional (through which we connect and feel the implied emotions of a work) and the intellectual (through which we recognize and analyze the intentionally created work). Most want films that move them, not challenge them intellectually, but 2001 does just that. There will always be those who "don't get it" because they watch it with preconceived notions about what film as an artistic medium should be. For those who don't hold these notions, or are willing to let them go, 2001 is a monolithic epochal work of one's artistic vision about man's existence that was aeons ahead of its time.
For those who "don't get it", don't worry. There's more films made for you than there are for us, which is a personal lament and not an insult. "Masterpiece" has largely become trite, but I have to think the word was coined for works like this. For me, 2001 is a profound odyssey of the mind. It speaks volumes on where we've been, and where we might be going, and all the perils that will plague us along the way. It continually challenges the viewer to transcend complacency and evolve into something greater. It touches on almost every major element that pertains to humanity and existence. All the while being the best trip one could ever take while sober.
A Must-Have for your DVD Library.......2007-07-07
2001 is a melding of two great minds - director Stanley Kubrick and great sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark. Based on Clark's short story "The Sentinel", the pair were not out to make a guns-blazing, alien-slaying movie like the popular Star Trek series. Instead, they were going in a completely different direction - exploring what makes a human a human, and how what we think and do defines us as intelligent creatures.
The result is a very visual, thought provoking movie that earned itself the #22 spot on the AFI top movies of all time listing. If you're an impatient sort, you'll get bored quickly. The movie is over 2 hours long and less than half of that has people speaking, never mind other more strenuous activity. It is a movie about you - the watcher - reacting and thinking about the situations. They don't tell you what to think or how to feel. You see what is going on, and you draw your own impressions, and come up with your own conclusions.
That's a lot to ask of an audience, and how you react to the movie will have a lot to do with your personality. Some people just aren't interested in this sort of slow going thoughtful exercise. And that's fine - there are plenty of action space movies out there. For those who seek something more intricate, grab a glass of wine, a plate of cheese and fruit, and sit back. You're in for a treat.
It's best if you watch this movie once through without reading a lot about the plot or its multiple layers of meaning - that way you can see it with a fresh mind and draw your own reactions and ideas from what you've seen. Undoubtedly you'll have questions about some areas! At that point, search the web and find the MANY discussions about this movie, unravelling the symbolism. See if you agree or disagree with what's being said, then watch it again. This is the type of movie you can watch again, every year, and learn something new from it.
Highly recommended.
Simply Outstanding.......2007-06-17
If you like science fiction then there is no doubt that first, you have probably already seen this. If not, then I can guarantee you that this will captivate you beyond belief. I can find few movies from its time to compare to this masterpiece.
Some have been posting that the quality of this version is not as good as they expected, or not as good as the original. Since I have never seen the original in VHS format, all I can say is that it's totally watch-able. I cannot however note the precision of the transfer of the veteran viewers.
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most ingenious film makers of all time. The cinematography of the film is incredible in the way he uses the limited special effects that were available at the time, and especially sound. The sound is one thing that I find that Stanley Kubrick knew how to use best. The voices that he used in this movie for the monolith gave a tide of mysteriousness, curiosity, and the potential to freak someone out.
He begins the movie displaying evolution and highlights particularly how apes gained intelligence by figuring out how to use bones as weapons. The movie then leaps forward to the space age, where a crew subsequently discovers a large, black, and mysterious object, known as the monolith, on the moon. The only thing the crew knew about this object is that it was buried on the moon 4 million years ago, deliberately.
On a spaceship heading towards Jupiter, the flawless computer known as HAL 9000, makes its first mistake, and begins the worry the crew with its erratic behavior. Afterwards, the mysterious monolith returns, but this time not on the moon.
2001 - A Space Odyssey is one of the best films of all time that I could not recommend more. The captivation will glue your eyes and ears to the screen.
Kubrick's Magnum Opus.......2007-06-05
Few auteurs in film history possess the visionary talent that Kubrick had. His Space Odyssey, the first film of its kind, proves that. Invoking awe and wonder in new audiences and old, the film stands the test of time and continues to inspire.
The film is meant to be viewed on a large auditorium screen, and though Kubrick was an avid supporter for mono sound, today's modern sound technology provides for a much better experience. The hums and clicks of the spaceships, the vaccuum of space, and the brilliant soundtrack create an eerie aura, made more believable with surround sound. The best way to view this film is to do so in a theatre. Kubrick intended for his audience to view the Odyssey on the big screen. This way, the film transports its audience to space itself, and embarks on a timeless journey for the ages. There are many long shots of spacecraft and nebulae that a television set simply can't reproduce on the same scale of the theatre. It's like viewing the Mona Lisa on a mail stamp.
The story should be familiar to audiences by now. On the surface, the plot is one of Kubrick's more simple ones, but critics go very deep into its symbols, allegories, and other interpretings. Many filmgoers are turned off by its curious ending, but that is because they simply don't understand it. Just keep in mind that the ending represents man's evolution.
As for the DVD, many complain that the transfer quality is poor, but I hold no grievances whatsoever. I enjoy viewing the film in its original state, just like its first audiences saw it. It is clean enough to enjoy without distraction, and the sound was upgraded to Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. If you are a true Kubrick nut, however, then you will want to alter the sound output to mono, but that option is up to your discretion.
Amazon.com
With the 1957 release of Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick confirmed his early promise and joined the ranks of world-class filmmakers. The age of the auteur had arrived, and Kubrick was a prime candidate for inclusion in the pantheon of directors later canonized by critic Andrew Sarris in his influential book The American Cinema. Ironically, this was also the period during which Kubrick left his native soil for permanent residence in England, and from that point forward, the Kubrick mystique inflated to legendary proportions. But if Kubrick was no longer bringing himself to the world, he was certainly bringing the world to his films. From the comfort of his rural England estate and locations never far from London, Kubrick would command cinematic odysseys to isolated Colorado (in The Shining), battle-ravaged Vietnam (Full Metal Jacket), upscale New York City (Eyes Wide Shut), and, of course, Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite (in 2001: A Space Odyssey).
The New Stanley Kubrick Collection includes all eight of Kubrick's films from Lolita on--a quarter-century of brilliant, challenging cinema. This second edition adds Eyes Wide Shut to the previous collection and remastered sound on five of the films plus a new anamorphic edition of 2001. Purists have complained that Kubrick's last three films have been released in full-screen format only; this was in compliance with Kubrick's wishes, and the films do not suffer unduly from full-screen formatting. This set also features a new full-length documentary made by longtime Kubrick assistant Jan Harlan, Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. The diversity of Kubrick's work is truly astonishing, even though the director's technical precision and steely perspective on humanity may strike uninitiated viewers as cold and even misanthropic. His films almost always received mixed (and sometimes scathingly negative) reviews upon their release, only to benefit from glowing reassessment as they grew entrenched in the public consciousness. Here, in all their glory, are the collected films of a genuine master, ripe for study and appreciation for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon
Description
The new Stanley Kubrick Collection includes eight of the great director's masterpieces in stunning all-new digital transfers, restored picture and new digital audio. Titles include: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, Full Metal Jacke
Customer Reviews:
Realize that a new Kubrick boxed set is due October 2007.......2007-08-02
On October 23, 2007 Warner Home Video will be launching a new "Stanley Kubrick Collection". Included are brand new versions of:
2001: A Space Odyssey - Special Edition (2-disc)
A Clockwork Orange: Special Edition (2-disc)
Eyes Wide Shut: Special Edition (2-disc)
Full Metal Jacket: Deluxe Edition
The Shining: Special Edition (2-disc)
All titles have been restored and remastered and will offer both archive and new bonus features. The documentary "Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures" will also be included in this set. Apparently missing from this set, but also being released in new versions individually on October 23, are Lolita and Barry Lyndon. Eyes Wide Shut will include both the rated and unrated versions. No new release of Dr. Strangelove is planned. The new boxed set will retail at eighty dollars. All titles contained in the boxed set will be available separately including the documentary.
Great Documentary.......2006-03-18
The documentary about Stanley Kubrick included in this collection ("Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures") makes it worth having. A truly great collection of movies, perfect for a Kubrick enthusiast looking to establish their DVD collection, or for people unsure about Kubrick to make them fans!
A box set featuring the films of the world's greatest director.......2005-07-03
The Stanley Kubrick Collection features 9 amazing DVD's, eight of them films. The films include Lolita, 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, the documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures and more.
First of all, the sound/picture quality is amazing. If improves vastly over the sound/picture quality over the original, now out-of-print Stanley Kubrick Collection from 1999.
Also, the films are brilliant, except the vastly overrated A Clockwork Orange. For my review on this film, visit A Clockwork Orange on amazon.com
Every Kubrick fan should own this item!
The master of his domain.......2005-07-03
"Genius is the fire that lights itself." That could very well describe the mystique of, and the body of work from, Stanley Kubrick, arguably one of the greatest filmakers of the 20th century. This collection represents 8 of his works, from 'Lolita' to 'Eyes wide Shut', released after his sudden death in March 1999. Although other directors have a larger number of films to their credit, it only took 13 directions to go in for Kubrick to cement his legacy in the annals of movie history. From my perspective, two flicks stand out to define his greatness: 'Spartacus' (not included in this collection) and '2001: a Space Odyssey'. To do something no one else has done before, and for everyone to pull from that influence since, is a testament to his courage and perfectionism. He is listed in the Guiness book Of World Records as the director who demanded an astonishing 600-plus takes for one scene in 'The Shining'. Needless to say, Shelley Duvall was not happy after that week of shooting in the cold. But the actors who were fortunate enough to work on one of his films became major stars because of their apearances, from James Earl Jones in 'Dr. Strangelove', to Malcolm McDowell in 'A Clockwork Orange', to R. Lee Ermey and Vincent D'Onofrio in 'Full Metal Jacket', and Lelee Sobieski in 'Eyes Wide Shut'. Kirk Douglas was so fond of his talent, he made sure he got to work with him three times.
This is an excellent overview of a master artisan. Purchasing this along with the Criterion Collection version of 'Spartacus' will give you viewing enjoyment that will last a lifetime. Also check out 'A.I.: Artifical Intelligence', a Steven Spielberg product that was based on a screenplay given to him by Kubrick from ideas written in the books by Isaac Asimov. It was the last script Kubrick never finished making a movie of.
Much better set.......2005-05-30
Includes a couple more films and Vivian's feature-length documentary Stanley Kubrick: A Life In Pictures. One look at this set may be as a cash generator (after all, WB already released a Kubrick collection), but second look is Kubrick's artifact, an in-depth, beautifully remastered, feature-packed set. At last, gone are the days of Kubrick rolling in his grave from the original clunker set. He can now rest in peace, as his films are now preserved at highest imaginable quality with immersive 5.1 surround. Bless you, Vivian.
2001 was the only film in the original set to get the 5.1 treatment. Now, four other films (Barry Lyndon, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, and Full Metal Jacket) have been touched by the magic wand, and given a massive makeover, including-- you guessed it-- 5.1 surround. The features on the separate discs are essentially the same as the original set (we still get Vivian's Making of The Shining documentary, only with a restoration job done), but the real highlight is A Life In Pictures. After only seeing three of his films (2001, A Clockwork Orange, and Shining), I must agree that Kubrick is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, director(s) that ever lived.
Now WB has listened to the wailing Kubrick estate, and given his films the respect they deserve. Avoid the original clunker. Buy this one.
P.S. The films that are in fullscreen were shot that way, and the original aspect ratio is preserved according to Kubrick's wishes. So stop complaining about it!
Average customer rating:
- RIPPP-OFFFF!
- When Words Fail...
- A Must-Have for your DVD Library
- Simply Outstanding
- Kubrick's Magnum Opus
|
2001 - A Space Odyssey (Limited Edition Collector's Set)
Starring:
Keir Dullea ,
Gary Lockwood ,
William Sylvester ,
Daniel Richter , and
Leonard Rossiter
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Creative Design Art
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Computer Paranoia
| By Theme
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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| DVD
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Futuristic
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Space Adventure
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
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Aliens
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
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General
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
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Beatty, Robert
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
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Dullea, Keir
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
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Gillis, Ann
| ( G )
| Actors & Actresses
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Lockwood, Gary
| ( L )
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Richter, Daniel
| ( R )
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Rossiter, Leonard
| ( R )
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Sylvester, William
| ( S )
| Actors & Actresses
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| DVD
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Tyzack, Margaret
| ( T )
| Actors & Actresses
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Kubrick, Stanley
| ( K )
| Directors
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Sci-Fi & Fantasy
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General
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| Foreign & International
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ASIN: B00005B8LW
Release Date: 2001-06-12 |
Amazon.com essential video
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
RIPPP-OFFFF!.......2007-09-10
I, too, saw this film in 1968, so I'm not an adolescent, and I remember very well the impact of the event. That being said, anyone interested in buying this movie as a 'home video', trying to replicate the original intended theatre experience, will be greatly disappointed.
Let's start at the beginning: Most movie versions of popular books tend to be rather incomplete or deviate wildly from their literary parent by the time it gets to the screen. Before men actually walked on the moon, the cinematic effort just to achieve the revolutionary visual effects we see here seems to have been all encompassing for the director, to the distraction of trying to involve us in the deep narrative that made the Arthur C. Clarke novel one of the most provocative and probing works of the age. While both realistic and psychedelic images combined with imaginative classical works are intended to impress the senses, the story-line is almost senseless in this telling, forcing the viewer to tax their own imagination in order to fill in the blanks. So large are the blanks that without the benefit of reading the book first, you would fall asleep, if it were not for the sonic and scenic thrill ride. Unfortunately, sitting through this disc, I found it very hard to keep my eyes (and ears) open.
First thing we need to get straight is that the word 'anamorphic' seems to be thrown around at everything that isn't made for standard TV. "2001:A Space Odyssey" IS NOT anamorphic and never was. It was shot in Super-Panavision 2.2:1; NOT Ultra-Panavision 2.6:1 which requires anamorphic lenses to display a little wider aspect ratio. What's missing is the deeply curved Cinerama screen this film was designed to be projected on, which makes it look wider and gives it a bit of 3D. You don't have that at home, and neither do I, so the extra depth and dimension required to complete the effect just isn't there, but would help this movie very much if such a thing becomes available for home use in the future. (NOTE: This picture would be a good candidate for the "Smile-Box" effect recently developed by Dave Strohmaier for rendering true Cinerama films to flat screens.)
Now, putting aside the men in monkey suits and outdated visions of space travel, my biggest problem with this 'newly remastered' DVD (with no extras!???) is finding the lowest quality picture and sound on disc that I have come across in many years. Whether you are a fan of Mr. Kubrick's original production or not, the technical rendering on this DVD is atrocious. The picture is fuzzy and dim, the sound is screechy, lo-fi, and just barely stereophonic.
My senses have been underwhelmed and I want my money back!!
When Words Fail..........2007-07-15
"You are free to speculate, as you wish, about the philosophical and allegorical meanings of 2001."
- Stanley Kubrick
What should film be? What should a good film accomplish? Kubrick challenged our very notion of those concepts in 1968 with perhaps the most brilliant piece of artistic science fiction ever created. 40 years later it's easy to see the polarizing nature of this film. The problem is one of pre-conceived notions about film's purpose. When artists push the envelope of what can be done in their genre, they're almost always met with resistance from the conservative old-school and cries of "genius!" from the forward thinkers. (Look at Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for an example in a completely unrelated genre.)
What makes film unique in the world of art? The ability to tell stories with a rich narrative can be done (better) in literature. The ability to evoke emotions and abstract thoughts can be done (better) by visual arts and music. Film's unique contribution is that of moving pictures. If a picture can say 1000 words, what can a 2 1/2 hour long moving one do? In a way, the "picture is worth" theory is representative of how futile words can be as a means of expression (no offense intended to the great authors and poets). Great films are those that can say something significant, from beginning to end using visuals. Music, sound, and dialogue should only exist to enhance and illuminate the visuals, not overpower and drive them.
Kubrick takes the idea of using moving pictures to state an idea to the extreme. He strips away narrative conventions and uses incredibly dense imagery, meticulously crafted scenes, an immense amount of abstract symbolism and allegory, and only a classical music soundtrack for guidance. Then he allows it all to speak by and for themselves. In a 2.5 hour film there's around 40 minutes of dialogue. That means about 75% or 3/4 of the film is told through its visuals alone. He crafts 3 "acts" (some argue 4) that reiterates a story in an increasingly visual and abstract manner, where every scene says something both singular while enhancing the big picture.
It's fair to say this film has almost no plot. If there is one, it centers around men in the future who are sent on a mission to investigate a strange monolith that is the first evidence of an extra-terrestrial, sentient life form. Is it boring? For those with short attention spans, a need to be spoon-fed an "entertaining story", and be lead by the hand at every step, then yes: by those standards, it is. For those with patience, good attention spans, and receptive minds, then no, it's not. Ultimately, 'boring' is relative. To really "get" 2001, one must be in a calm, meditative, "centered" state where you can receive and process information, without needing it handed to you. While most films put the puzzle together for you, Kubrick merely provided the pieces and leaves it to his audience to do the rest.
One enlightening critique from Nathan493 (IMDb) compares 2001 to Eastern and Western art techniques: "Western technique dictates a canvas to be completely filled with little or no untouched space left, while eastern art there is a strong tendency to leave large stretches of canvas blank, so that the void speaks as loudly to the observer as the subject matter. This is where 2001 is its strongest, the "boring" or "void" areas of the film are often as strong visually as the busy and "filled in" facets of the movie."
Kubrick indeed uses long stretches of "void" to allow the viewer to meditate on all that's being said. Without this void, a complex film would've likely turned into an incomprehensible mess. The extreme amount of time that Kubrick allows us to breath and analyze the scenes are a very large part of WHY this film works at all.
2001 is almost an entirely intellectual film. Art works on two obvious levels: the emotional (through which we connect and feel the implied emotions of a work) and the intellectual (through which we recognize and analyze the intentionally created work). Most want films that move them, not challenge them intellectually, but 2001 does just that. There will always be those who "don't get it" because they watch it with preconceived notions about what film as an artistic medium should be. For those who don't hold these notions, or are willing to let them go, 2001 is a monolithic epochal work of one's artistic vision about man's existence that was aeons ahead of its time.
For those who "don't get it", don't worry. There's more films made for you than there are for us, which is a personal lament and not an insult. "Masterpiece" has largely become trite, but I have to think the word was coined for works like this. For me, 2001 is a profound odyssey of the mind. It speaks volumes on where we've been, and where we might be going, and all the perils that will plague us along the way. It continually challenges the viewer to transcend complacency and evolve into something greater. It touches on almost every major element that pertains to humanity and existence. All the while being the best trip one could ever take while sober.
A Must-Have for your DVD Library.......2007-07-07
2001 is a melding of two great minds - director Stanley Kubrick and great sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark. Based on Clark's short story "The Sentinel", the pair were not out to make a guns-blazing, alien-slaying movie like the popular Star Trek series. Instead, they were going in a completely different direction - exploring what makes a human a human, and how what we think and do defines us as intelligent creatures.
The result is a very visual, thought provoking movie that earned itself the #22 spot on the AFI top movies of all time listing. If you're an impatient sort, you'll get bored quickly. The movie is over 2 hours long and less than half of that has people speaking, never mind other more strenuous activity. It is a movie about you - the watcher - reacting and thinking about the situations. They don't tell you what to think or how to feel. You see what is going on, and you draw your own impressions, and come up with your own conclusions.
That's a lot to ask of an audience, and how you react to the movie will have a lot to do with your personality. Some people just aren't interested in this sort of slow going thoughtful exercise. And that's fine - there are plenty of action space movies out there. For those who seek something more intricate, grab a glass of wine, a plate of cheese and fruit, and sit back. You're in for a treat.
It's best if you watch this movie once through without reading a lot about the plot or its multiple layers of meaning - that way you can see it with a fresh mind and draw your own reactions and ideas from what you've seen. Undoubtedly you'll have questions about some areas! At that point, search the web and find the MANY discussions about this movie, unravelling the symbolism. See if you agree or disagree with what's being said, then watch it again. This is the type of movie you can watch again, every year, and learn something new from it.
Highly recommended.
Simply Outstanding.......2007-06-17
If you like science fiction then there is no doubt that first, you have probably already seen this. If not, then I can guarantee you that this will captivate you beyond belief. I can find few movies from its time to compare to this masterpiece.
Some have been posting that the quality of this version is not as good as they expected, or not as good as the original. Since I have never seen the original in VHS format, all I can say is that it's totally watch-able. I cannot however note the precision of the transfer of the veteran viewers.
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most ingenious film makers of all time. The cinematography of the film is incredible in the way he uses the limited special effects that were available at the time, and especially sound. The sound is one thing that I find that Stanley Kubrick knew how to use best. The voices that he used in this movie for the monolith gave a tide of mysteriousness, curiosity, and the potential to freak someone out.
He begins the movie displaying evolution and highlights particularly how apes gained intelligence by figuring out how to use bones as weapons. The movie then leaps forward to the space age, where a crew subsequently discovers a large, black, and mysterious object, known as the monolith, on the moon. The only thing the crew knew about this object is that it was buried on the moon 4 million years ago, deliberately.
On a spaceship heading towards Jupiter, the flawless computer known as HAL 9000, makes its first mistake, and begins the worry the crew with its erratic behavior. Afterwards, the mysterious monolith returns, but this time not on the moon.
2001 - A Space Odyssey is one of the best films of all time that I could not recommend more. The captivation will glue your eyes and ears to the screen.
Kubrick's Magnum Opus.......2007-06-05
Few auteurs in film history possess the visionary talent that Kubrick had. His Space Odyssey, the first film of its kind, proves that. Invoking awe and wonder in new audiences and old, the film stands the test of time and continues to inspire.
The film is meant to be viewed on a large auditorium screen, and though Kubrick was an avid supporter for mono sound, today's modern sound technology provides for a much better experience. The hums and clicks of the spaceships, the vaccuum of space, and the brilliant soundtrack create an eerie aura, made more believable with surround sound. The best way to view this film is to do so in a theatre. Kubrick intended for his audience to view the Odyssey on the big screen. This way, the film transports its audience to space itself, and embarks on a timeless journey for the ages. There are many long shots of spacecraft and nebulae that a television set simply can't reproduce on the same scale of the theatre. It's like viewing the Mona Lisa on a mail stamp.
The story should be familiar to audiences by now. On the surface, the plot is one of Kubrick's more simple ones, but critics go very deep into its symbols, allegories, and other interpretings. Many filmgoers are turned off by its curious ending, but that is because they simply don't understand it. Just keep in mind that the ending represents man's evolution.
As for the DVD, many complain that the transfer quality is poor, but I hold no grievances whatsoever. I enjoy viewing the film in its original state, just like its first audiences saw it. It is clean enough to enjoy without distraction, and the sound was upgraded to Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. If you are a true Kubrick nut, however, then you will want to alter the sound output to mono, but that option is up to your discretion.
Average customer rating:
- RIPPP-OFFFF!
- When Words Fail...
- A Must-Have for your DVD Library
- Simply Outstanding
- Kubrick's Magnum Opus
|
2001: A Space Odyssey
Starring:
Keir Dullea ,
Gary Lockwood ,
William Sylvester ,
Daniel Richter , and
Leonard Rossiter
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
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ASIN: 630504743X
Release Date: 1998-08-25 |
Amazon.com essential video
When Stanley Kubrick recruited Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate on "the proverbial intelligent science fiction film," it's a safe bet neither the maverick auteur nor the great science fiction writer knew they would virtually redefine the parameters of the cinema experience. A daring experiment in unconventional narrative inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel," 2001 is a visual tone poem (barely 40 minutes of dialogue in a 139-minute film) that charts a phenomenal history of human evolution. From the dawn-of-man discovery of crude but deadly tools in the film's opening sequence to the journey of the spaceship Discovery and metaphysical birth of the "star child" at film's end, Kubrick's vision is meticulous and precise. In keeping with the director's underlying theme of dehumanization by technology, the notorious, seemingly omniscient computer HAL 9000 has more warmth and personality than the human astronauts it supposedly is serving. (The director also leaves the meaning of the black, rectangular alien monoliths open for discussion.) This theme, in part, is what makes 2001 a film like no other, though dated now that its postmillennial space exploration has proven optimistic compared to reality. Still, the film is timelessly provocative in its pioneering exploration of inner- and outer-space consciousness. With spectacular, painstakingly authentic special effects that have stood the test of time, Kubrick's film is nothing less than a cinematic milestone--puzzling, provocative, and perfect. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews:
RIPPP-OFFFF!.......2007-09-10
I, too, saw this film in 1968, so I'm not an adolescent, and I remember very well the impact of the event. That being said, anyone interested in buying this movie as a 'home video', trying to replicate the original intended theatre experience, will be greatly disappointed.
Let's start at the beginning: Most movie versions of popular books tend to be rather incomplete or deviate wildly from their literary parent by the time it gets to the screen. Before men actually walked on the moon, the cinematic effort just to achieve the revolutionary visual effects we see here seems to have been all encompassing for the director, to the distraction of trying to involve us in the deep narrative that made the Arthur C. Clarke novel one of the most provocative and probing works of the age. While both realistic and psychedelic images combined with imaginative classical works are intended to impress the senses, the story-line is almost senseless in this telling, forcing the viewer to tax their own imagination in order to fill in the blanks. So large are the blanks that without the benefit of reading the book first, you would fall asleep, if it were not for the sonic and scenic thrill ride. Unfortunately, sitting through this disc, I found it very hard to keep my eyes (and ears) open.
First thing we need to get straight is that the word 'anamorphic' seems to be thrown around at everything that isn't made for standard TV. "2001:A Space Odyssey" IS NOT anamorphic and never was. It was shot in Super-Panavision 2.2:1; NOT Ultra-Panavision 2.6:1 which requires anamorphic lenses to display a little wider aspect ratio. What's missing is the deeply curved Cinerama screen this film was designed to be projected on, which makes it look wider and gives it a bit of 3D. You don't have that at home, and neither do I, so the extra depth and dimension required to complete the effect just isn't there, but would help this movie very much if such a thing becomes available for home use in the future. (NOTE: This picture would be a good candidate for the "Smile-Box" effect recently developed by Dave Strohmaier for rendering true Cinerama films to flat screens.)
Now, putting aside the men in monkey suits and outdated visions of space travel, my biggest problem with this 'newly remastered' DVD (with no extras!???) is finding the lowest quality picture and sound on disc that I have come across in many years. Whether you are a fan of Mr. Kubrick's original production or not, the technical rendering on this DVD is atrocious. The picture is fuzzy and dim, the sound is screechy, lo-fi, and just barely stereophonic.
My senses have been underwhelmed and I want my money back!!
When Words Fail..........2007-07-15
"You are free to speculate, as you wish, about the philosophical and allegorical meanings of 2001."
- Stanley Kubrick
What should film be? What should a good film accomplish? Kubrick challenged our very notion of those concepts in 1968 with perhaps the most brilliant piece of artistic science fiction ever created. 40 years later it's easy to see the polarizing nature of this film. The problem is one of pre-conceived notions about film's purpose. When artists push the envelope of what can be done in their genre, they're almost always met with resistance from the conservative old-school and cries of "genius!" from the forward thinkers. (Look at Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for an example in a completely unrelated genre.)
What makes film unique in the world of art? The ability to tell stories with a rich narrative can be done (better) in literature. The ability to evoke emotions and abstract thoughts can be done (better) by visual arts and music. Film's unique contribution is that of moving pictures. If a picture can say 1000 words, what can a 2 1/2 hour long moving one do? In a way, the "picture is worth" theory is representative of how futile words can be as a means of expression (no offense intended to the great authors and poets). Great films are those that can say something significant, from beginning to end using visuals. Music, sound, and dialogue should only exist to enhance and illuminate the visuals, not overpower and drive them.
Kubrick takes the idea of using moving pictures to state an idea to the extreme. He strips away narrative conventions and uses incredibly dense imagery, meticulously crafted scenes, an immense amount of abstract symbolism and allegory, and only a classical music soundtrack for guidance. Then he allows it all to speak by and for themselves. In a 2.5 hour film there's around 40 minutes of dialogue. That means about 75% or 3/4 of the film is told through its visuals alone. He crafts 3 "acts" (some argue 4) that reiterates a story in an increasingly visual and abstract manner, where every scene says something both singular while enhancing the big picture.
It's fair to say this film has almost no plot. If there is one, it centers around men in the future who are sent on a mission to investigate a strange monolith that is the first evidence of an extra-terrestrial, sentient life form. Is it boring? For those with short attention spans, a need to be spoon-fed an "entertaining story", and be lead by the hand at every step, then yes: by those standards, it is. For those with patience, good attention spans, and receptive minds, then no, it's not. Ultimately, 'boring' is relative. To really "get" 2001, one must be in a calm, meditative, "centered" state where you can receive and process information, without needing it handed to you. While most films put the puzzle together for you, Kubrick merely provided the pieces and leaves it to his audience to do the rest.
One enlightening critique from Nathan493 (IMDb) compares 2001 to Eastern and Western art techniques: "Western technique dictates a canvas to be completely filled with little or no untouched space left, while eastern art there is a strong tendency to leave large stretches of canvas blank, so that the void speaks as loudly to the observer as the subject matter. This is where 2001 is its strongest, the "boring" or "void" areas of the film are often as strong visually as the busy and "filled in" facets of the movie."
Kubrick indeed uses long stretches of "void" to allow the viewer to meditate on all that's being said. Without this void, a complex film would've likely turned into an incomprehensible mess. The extreme amount of time that Kubrick allows us to breath and analyze the scenes are a very large part of WHY this film works at all.
2001 is almost an entirely intellectual film. Art works on two obvious levels: the emotional (through which we connect and feel the implied emotions of a work) and the intellectual (through which we recognize and analyze the intentionally created work). Most want films that move them, not challenge them intellectually, but 2001 does just that. There will always be those who "don't get it" because they watch it with preconceived notions about what film as an artistic medium should be. For those who don't hold these notions, or are willing to let them go, 2001 is a monolithic epochal work of one's artistic vision about man's existence that was aeons ahead of its time.
For those who "don't get it", don't worry. There's more films made for you than there are for us, which is a personal lament and not an insult. "Masterpiece" has largely become trite, but I have to think the word was coined for works like this. For me, 2001 is a profound odyssey of the mind. It speaks volumes on where we've been, and where we might be going, and all the perils that will plague us along the way. It continually challenges the viewer to transcend complacency and evolve into something greater. It touches on almost every major element that pertains to humanity and existence. All the while being the best trip one could ever take while sober.
A Must-Have for your DVD Library.......2007-07-07
2001 is a melding of two great minds - director Stanley Kubrick and great sci-fi author Arthur C. Clark. Based on Clark's short story "The Sentinel", the pair were not out to make a guns-blazing, alien-slaying movie like the popular Star Trek series. Instead, they were going in a completely different direction - exploring what makes a human a human, and how what we think and do defines us as intelligent creatures.
The result is a very visual, thought provoking movie that earned itself the #22 spot on the AFI top movies of all time listing. If you're an impatient sort, you'll get bored quickly. The movie is over 2 hours long and less than half of that has people speaking, never mind other more strenuous activity. It is a movie about you - the watcher - reacting and thinking about the situations. They don't tell you what to think or how to feel. You see what is going on, and you draw your own impressions, and come up with your own conclusions.
That's a lot to ask of an audience, and how you react to the movie will have a lot to do with your personality. Some people just aren't interested in this sort of slow going thoughtful exercise. And that's fine - there are plenty of action space movies out there. For those who seek something more intricate, grab a glass of wine, a plate of cheese and fruit, and sit back. You're in for a treat.
It's best if you watch this movie once through without reading a lot about the plot or its multiple layers of meaning - that way you can see it with a fresh mind and draw your own reactions and ideas from what you've seen. Undoubtedly you'll have questions about some areas! At that point, search the web and find the MANY discussions about this movie, unravelling the symbolism. See if you agree or disagree with what's being said, then watch it again. This is the type of movie you can watch again, every year, and learn something new from it.
Highly recommended.
Simply Outstanding.......2007-06-17
If you like science fiction then there is no doubt that first, you have probably already seen this. If not, then I can guarantee you that this will captivate you beyond belief. I can find few movies from its time to compare to this masterpiece.
Some have been posting that the quality of this version is not as good as they expected, or not as good as the original. Since I have never seen the original in VHS format, all I can say is that it's totally watch-able. I cannot however note the precision of the transfer of the veteran viewers.
Stanley Kubrick is one of the most ingenious film makers of all time. The cinematography of the film is incredible in the way he uses the limited special effects that were available at the time, and especially sound. The sound is one thing that I find that Stanley Kubrick knew how to use best. The voices that he used in this movie for the monolith gave a tide of mysteriousness, curiosity, and the potential to freak someone out.
He begins the movie displaying evolution and highlights particularly how apes gained intelligence by figuring out how to use bones as weapons. The movie then leaps forward to the space age, where a crew subsequently discovers a large, black, and mysterious object, known as the monolith, on the moon. The only thing the crew knew about this object is that it was buried on the moon 4 million years ago, deliberately.
On a spaceship heading towards Jupiter, the flawless computer known as HAL 9000, makes its first mistake, and begins the worry the crew with its erratic behavior. Afterwards, the mysterious monolith returns, but this time not on the moon.
2001 - A Space Odyssey is one of the best films of all time that I could not recommend more. The captivation will glue your eyes and ears to the screen.
Kubrick's Magnum Opus.......2007-06-05
Few auteurs in film history possess the visionary talent that Kubrick had. His Space Odyssey, the first film of its kind, proves that. Invoking awe and wonder in new audiences and old, the film stands the test of time and continues to inspire.
The film is meant to be viewed on a large auditorium screen, and though Kubrick was an avid supporter for mono sound, today's modern sound technology provides for a much better experience. The hums and clicks of the spaceships, the vaccuum of space, and the brilliant soundtrack create an eerie aura, made more believable with surround sound. The best way to view this film is to do so in a theatre. Kubrick intended for his audience to view the Odyssey on the big screen. This way, the film transports its audience to space itself, and embarks on a timeless journey for the ages. There are many long shots of spacecraft and nebulae that a television set simply can't reproduce on the same scale of the theatre. It's like viewing the Mona Lisa on a mail stamp.
The story should be familiar to audiences by now. On the surface, the plot is one of Kubrick's more simple ones, but critics go very deep into its symbols, allegories, and other interpretings. Many filmgoers are turned off by its curious ending, but that is because they simply don't understand it. Just keep in mind that the ending represents man's evolution.
As for the DVD, many complain that the transfer quality is poor, but I hold no grievances whatsoever. I enjoy viewing the film in its original state, just like its first audiences saw it. It is clean enough to enjoy without distraction, and the sound was upgraded to Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. If you are a true Kubrick nut, however, then you will want to alter the sound output to mono, but that option is up to your discretion.
Average customer rating:
- RIPPP-OFFFF!
- When Words Fail...
- A Must-Have for your DVD Library
- Simply Outstanding
- Kubrick's Magnum Opus
|
2001: A Space Odyssey
Starring:
Keir Dullea ,
Gary Lockwood ,
William Sylvester ,
Daniel Richter , and
Leonard Rossiter
Director:
Stanley Kubrick
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD
General
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Classic Sci-Fi
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Computer Paranoia
| By Theme
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Futuristic
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Space Adventure
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Aliens
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
General
| British Cinema
| By Country
| Art House & International
| Genres
| DVD
| Video
Beatty, Robert
| ( B )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
| DVD
| Video
Dullea, Keir
| ( D )
| Actors & Actresses
| Stores
|
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