A Few Words About A few words about...™ 2001: A Space Odyssey -- in BD & HD (1 Viewer)

[Josh Steinberg]

The AFI Silver in Silver Spring, MD is showing a 70mm print in November. I hope it's a better print than the last one I saw there, which was in bad shape.

http://www.afi.com/silver/films/events.aspx#2001a

I'm going to guess it might be the same one I saw at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY over the summer. That one was in mostly good shape, the colors were good and the print was pretty clean... but it did have some ugly, new looking scratches during the scene in the pod where Bowman is arguing with HAL and finally decides to go in on his own. I remember there being a bunch of bright green scratches running down the print on some of those interior pod shots. But I recall the rest of the presentation looking fine.

 

[Flemming Kristensen]

BFI has released a new digital print for a winter theatrical run in England at the moment. It seems to be a new 4K restored print, from Warner Bros. If this is true, then couldn't (shouldn't) we expect a new blu-ray edition during the next couple of years, or would they wait until 2018?http://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f16/t002067.html

 

[Dave H]

BFI has released a new digital print for a winter theatrical run in England at the moment. It seems to be a new 4K restored print, from Warner Bros. If this is true, then couldn't (shouldn't) we expect a new blu-ray edition during the next couple of years, or would they wait until 2018?http://www.film-tech.com/ubb/f16/t002067.html

Hard to say with Warner when it comes to new transfers (so rare) and timing.

 

[EddieLarkin]

Where is the confirmation that this is new or in 4K? The BFI stated around the time they announced the run that it would be the same 2007 master that fueled the current Blu-ray:

https://twitter.com/calvinm/status/525237676954628096

 

[OliverK]

All indications are that it is 2k only and based on the same digital source as the current Blu-ray.

I have a hard time believing that work on 2001, most probably including a now customary 8k scan, would be performed in complete silence.

2001 is an extremely high profile title so we can expect to hear about work being done on it well in advance of any screenings or Blu-ray releases.

 

[Flemming Kristensen]

I have seen the 4K mentioned several places.http://www.smokescreenlondon.com/news-features/2014/10/29/what-to-see-at-the-bfis-sci-fi-days-of-fear-and-wonder-seasonhttp://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stanley-kubrick-s-2001-a-689874 View attachment 15459
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[Flemming Kristensen]

http://twinlensfilm.com/?p=4968

Sorry for showing the images again. I can't seem to get rid of the last ones

 

[DP 70]

The BFI version of 2001 on DCP is only 2K and was supplied by Warner Brothers. It is also supplied in aDCI 1.85:1 aspect ratio box, so to show in DCI 2.39:1 aspect ratio box ( in 2.20:1) you are enlarging thepicture size so the PQ is nowhere near it should.Its also a shame that the Pictureville in Bradford is screening from this DCP when they could be screeninga 70mm Dolby SR print in Super Cinerama on their curved Cinerama screen which I have seen and makes the DCPlook so bad.

 

[OliverK]

I have seen the 4K mentioned several places.

http://www.smokescreenlondon.com/news-features/2014/10/29/what-to-see-at-the-bfis-sci-fi-days-of-fear-and-wonder-season
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stanley-kubrick-s-2001-a-689874

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As DP70 has pointed out it seems that Warner supplied a 2k DCP to the BFI which is rather unimpressive.
No need for marketing hyperbole imo as people who watch this will notice anyway if it is the same dated source that the Blu-ray comes from.

 

[OliverK]

I would also like to point out that I would love to be wrong about this only being in 2k.
Bring on the 4k DCP, a new Blu-ray and possibly at the end of next year a 4k Blu-ray and I will be extremely happy about it!

 

[Keith Cobby]

Would it be appropriate to release a Smilebox edition?

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I thought I had read that Warner was prepping a new version of 2001 and that it would be released in cinemas in the US for a limited run. I thought that story also included a bit about some additional footage that would be included on a new special edition blu-ray release that were scenes Kubrick had edited from the film after its initial release. I believe that the story said there was not much additional footage at the time but they were working on and hoped to accumulate some 20 minutes of deleted scenes (that would NOT be reinserted into the body of the film to create an extended cut) to be included as a special feature for the "anniversary" blu-ray. I guess I could have hallucinated all of that or some bozo wrote that story based on some bad info. I thought there was some mention of them not making any big announcements about this until they knew exactly what they had for additional footage and that the additional scenes were to come from material Kubrick himself had stored and that there was still an ongoing search taking place to see what else there may be.

I remember thinking at the time that all made sense because Warner had been releasing single film "special editions" as they had done with A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket and it seemed it was only a matter of time before we got one for 2001. Maybe all just a hoax but I thought that all sounded likely.

 

[DP 70]

Would it be appropriate to release a Smilebox edition?

I think a Smilebox version would be good. As far as I know their were only Flat Super Panavision 70mm prints on release.Holiday in Spain has just been released in Smilebox from Todd-70 also the first Smilebox release not from 3 panel Cineramaand it looks pretty good.I would like to see Patton in Smilebox as being shot in D-150 I think would suit the format.

 

[mikeyhitchfan]

This was reported some 4 years ago. Deleted footage found in a vault. Kubrick had his assistant burn all his extra footage he had in storage. It's a shame, but that's what he wanted.

http://www.slashfilm.com/17-minutes-lost-2001-space-odyssey-footage/

I would buy a smilebox of 2001 or Patton!

 

[Dee Zee]

I think a Smilebox version would be good. As far as I know their were only Flat Super Panavision 70mm prints on release.Holiday in Spain has just been released in Smilebox from Todd-70 also the first Smilebox release not from 3 panel Cineramaand it looks pretty good.I would like to see Patton in Smilebox as being shot in D-150 I think would suit the format.

As I remember in Chicago 2001 upon first release was shown on an existing CINERAMA screen. Is that possible? But to me smilebox should just be a blu-ray player effect so you could play any movie in smilebox

 

[RJ992]

As I remember in Chicago 2001 upon first release was shown on an existing CINERAMA screen. Is that possible?

VERY possible. That's how I saw it...Cinerama in NYC, 1968. I have yet to find the movie-going experience to top it! (Subsequent screenings I've seen over the years have never approached the quality and envelopment, nor the awe and mystery (apologies to OUTER LIMITS) that seeing it in Cinerama provided.

 

[ROclockCK]

In Canada, I don't recall even seeing ads for 2001 in SuperPanavision 70 until what seemed like a year after release...prior to that, exclusive CINERAMA roadshows only. At least that was my experience around Toronto.

Because of 2001's spherical 70mm origins, I certainly don't *need* to see it in Smilebox form. That said, I would be *curious* to see it again with curved screen simulation, and would not hesitate to purchase a double-disc set that included both presentations. Kubrick's trademark head-on POV shooting style not only didn't suffer in CINERAMA, but was somewhat enhanced by the wing distortion of the deeply curved screen. In particular, his predominantly dead center framing of the stargate sequence actually looked better that way because of its greater perceived motion in depth.

At this point though, it's more important to seriously restore and remaster 2001...fixing the visible front screen patches, the strobing in the slitscan, and the inconsistent black levels thoughout. IMO bigger fish to fry before WB even considers a Smilebox option.

 

[EddieLarkin]

Have Warner Bros. ever gone back and re-released one of their films on Blu-ray with a new transfer after it had already seen a previous Blu-ray release with an older transfer? I can't think of any...

 

[Jim*Tod]

What is also noticeable in the current 2001 blu ray are the inconsistencies in the Dawn of Man sequence in terms of flaws in the front projection of the backgrounds.

 

[ROclockCK]

Have Warner Bros. ever gone back and re-released one of their films on Blu-ray with a new transfer after it had already seen a previous Blu-ray release with an older transfer? I can't think of any...

Good question Nick. I honestly can't think of one either.

Didn't WB at least remaster A Clockwork Orange and Full Metal Jacket, switching from VC-1 to AVC codec?