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2001 A Space Odyssey Theatrical viewing (1 Viewer)

Nelson Au

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I wanted to pass on a few observations after seeing 2001 yesterday on it's limited theatrical run though out the US. I saw it in San Francisco.

This is the first time I'd seen it on the big screen as an adult. I saw it in 1968 with my Dad as a 7 year old kid, so it was mostly lost on me then. I do remember the centrifuge sequence though.

I must have seen this movie at least 2 dozen times. The print was very good with vivid colors and detail. Some scenes looked a tad washed out, as if the bulb on the projector was too bright, but on the whole it was great. The red chairs on the space station looked almost crimson in color verses the DVD where it's a regular blood red. And I saw film grain! (That was not a complaint) Oh yes, someone hear said that the sound was played loud in Washington DC, it was loud! Especially when the Monolith sent it's signal from the Moon to Jupiter.

The main thing I felt seeing it on the big screen was that there was so much to see. I only have a 32" screen at home and all those IBM and Whirlpool logos are lost. Also in larger space shots, like the lunar landing of Dr. Floyd, I was looking at the ship and not just looking at the 4 astronauts on the surface doing their thing there. What I also liked was the ability to really see the distortion of the wide angle lens used. Particularly the wide shots showing the pilots on either side of the Pan Am ship.

The other thing that I hope Jack Briggs(sp?) will chime in on was that the as[ect ratio of the big screen looked wider then the DVD presentation from the current Warner disc. I have to check my Criterion laserdisc on this, but the film I saw yesterday looked wider then the DVD. On the deathbead scene when Bowman sees the monolith, the camera is looking from his POV and I could see more of the room on the sides. There is a door way I can see in the film on the leftside , the disc seems to crop off.

On the whole, the experience was great to have had. The film never gets old. The story is still as good today as ever. There is so much detail and things going on screen, you can't see on a small video monitor. Someday soon, I'll go FPTV or RPTV or plasma screen.

I'd be interested in other observations from anyone who saw it during this current showing.

Nelson
 

Rain

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The other thing that I hope Jack Briggs(sp?) will chime in on was that the as[ect ratio of the big screen looked wider then the DVD presentation from the current Warner disc.
The current Warner disc has an AR of 2.12:1 and reveals more picture information on the top and bottom than the previous DVD (I did a direct comparison).

The ideal AR for theatrical exhibition is 2.20:1, but it has also been shown 2.35:1. It may have been shown in other aspect ratios but I'm not sure. I'm also not sure what the AR of the current re-release is.

In terms of the framing on the DVD, any differences should be minor with minimal (if any) loss of any portion of the image that was intended to be seen.

Jack?
 

Jack Briggs

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What you say seems pretty much correct to me, Rain.

And I'm very glad you enjoyed the experience, Nelson--takes it to a whole new dimension, doesn't it?

Los Angeles-area HTFers: There's an "underground" e-mail "movement" afoot to hook up as a group for the December 21 screenings at The Egyptian. I'll put out a general alert when I know the showtimes.
 

Nelson Au

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Jack-

The experience did take the viewing of the film to a new dimension. I've seen this film a lot of times, and this time was a new experience.

Nelson
 

Mark Zimmer

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One of these days, I'm going to learn to stay out of 2001 threads.....
Despite my best intentions to play Tora! Tora! Tora! tonight, I fear that I'll be running 2001 yet again. :D
 

Jack Briggs

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While Mark Zimmer is appropriately infected with the 2001 virus, I think Holadem needs to be taken out to the woodshed. :)
 

Peter Apruzzese

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Nelson, isn't it great how seeing a movie in its intended way makes it an almost brand-new experience?

This is what I wrote back in November after returning home from the Uptown in Washington, DC:
This was - without a doubt - the single best movie-going experience of my life. Why? Simple, the film is transformed by seeing it in its intended way. Every other showing might as well be pan-and-scanned, nothing compares to seeing that curved screen filling your peripheral vision. The impact of many of the film's key sequences is heightened considerably by the awesomeness of this large-screen venue. The film really is dramatic, emotionally charged and physically draining. It's a cliche, to be sure, but when it was over yesterday, I felt like a different person walking out of the theater. Non-chemical mind-expansion is the best way I can describe it. I've seen it a handful of times theatrically - including a private home 35mm screening two months ago, with one 70mm showing on a flat screen in 1978, but I've never truly seen the film until yesterday at 4:30.
This is why large-screen presentations are a must - sorry, but digital projection in theaters is not ready for prime-time until it can fill a giant curved screen.
 

Nelson Au

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Peter, Jack-

It took a lot to get me out to see it on the big screen, particularly ones I've seen before! Good thing my friend asked me to see it. I'm more comfortable in my home seeing films there when not seeing new ones in the Multiplex here in Silicon Valley.

The theater I saw it at was an older one that is about to close for rennovation. It's the kind with an organ in front of the screen. It's very ornate inside. These you don't see very often anymore. It only had a flat screen though. No curved screen experience here.

They did a great job in the presentation, the overture started and the lights very slowly dimmed and the MGM logo came up. Same thing during the intermission, the lights came up and went backdown slowly as the film resumed. It reminded me of the first time I saw it as a kid, only the theater seemed more grand then. It was a different theater that I saw it as a kid.

And the crowd was a good size for a rainy wednesday afternoon, I'd say about 1/3 full. Overall, the experience in the theater, with the audience, in such a grand old theater and the bigger image with all the detail to see added to the entire experience. I'm glad my friend got me to go!

Nelson
 

Patrick McCart

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Actually, the 35mm anamorphic prints of 2001 were 2.21:1.
They were matted slightly on the sides to preserve the correct ratio. Martin Hart's website (www.widescreenmuseum.com) has a photo of a 35mm frame with the correct 2.21:1 aspect ratio. The 2.11:1 aspect ratio is ALSO correct. It's the "fullframe" aspect ratio of the 70mm film stock used and it was matted to 2.21:1 for prints. The DVD has the entire picture exposed a la Kubrick.
 

Rain

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Patrick, I think you are more of a stickler for presicion than I am...quibbling over a 0.01:1 difference. I'm proud of ya! :)
 

Jack Briggs

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So am I.

I would say that most of my fifty-eight commercial-theater viewings of this film were of 35mm anamorphic prints.

Speaking of framing, I once had joint ownership of a 16mm anamorphic print of 2001. The framing was so off that when the 2001 title appeared in front of the Sun/Earth alignment, the patent-office line below the title was lobbed off.

And we're talking about an MGM lab print here!

There's more: I've even seen a "flat" 16mm print of the film. That's right: a film print that itself was panned and scanned. We all have skeletons in our closets, I suppose.

Guys, I love what you're all saying in this thread. Too bad we can't all get together for the Los Angeles screenings.
 

John Knowles

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As a huge fan of 2001, I never hesitate to catch it on the big screen. I've seen it once in 35mm and it was great. But what I'm really looking forward to is seeing it in 70mm. The one place here in the Twin Cities (The Heights Theater) that has 70mm gear (and they do it well)says they're on the list to get the 70mm print that's been making the rounds. After seeing Spartacus, Vertigo, and Oklahoma (in Todd-AO no less) in 70, I REALLY want to see more films in this format, especially 2001 (LOA is supposedly coming early next year as well!).
 

teapot2001

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Los Angeles-area HTFers: There's an "underground" e-mail "movement" afoot to hook up as a group for the December 21 screenings at The Egyptian. I'll put out a general alert when I know the showtimes.
The showtimes on December 21 are at 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00PM.

~T
 

John M Miller

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I too saw 2001 at the Castro last week. I loved the "experience" aspect of it; there's simply nothing like watching this movie in all its 70 mm glory.

At the same time, however, I was quite disturbed by something: I just don't think I'm getting all that much out of it anymore. This was the 10th or so time I've seen it (which I guess makes me a lightweight around here) and while I tell almost everyone I know that it is the greatest film ever made, I just don't think I'm enjoying it anymore.

Don't get me wrong- I am fully cognizant of the fact that I don't know every thing that is going on; I just find that I get more out of watching movies I haven't seen before.

Perhaps I just have to learn how to watch 2001 again.

Your thoughts, guys?
 

Jack Briggs

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Well, it's entirely possible you're simply tired of the film for now, John. Nothing wrong with that. It's a "defect" that can be easily corrected with time. :)
 

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