A Few Words About A few words about...™ 2001: a space odyssey -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Gary Seven]

When I went to the Norwalk IMAX screening that Dullea attended, I was very tempted to ask him if he ever watched the Stargate sequence on Acid, I didn't want to risk possibly offending him though.

I did, in 1978. Peyote actually.

 

[JPCinema]

Do you remember if the announcement about the Cashmere Sweater came out of the surround track only ?
thanks.

Yes I remember that vividly .

 

[JPCinema]

I know I should post this on "streaming", but the supposedly HD only transfer opening logo in comparison with the Vudu HD opening logo. I think iTunes is 4K.

 

[PMF]

Only the copies with the lithographs were $1200; the set with just the books and Christiane Kubrick’s autograph was “just” $600!

I got mine without the autograph for considerably less. Great book.

600 bucks for an autograph from Susanne Christiane?
Truly hope to access the book on that day the publishers decide to come back to earth;
but, for now, the 4K/UHD will have to suffice;
after all, "The play's the thing".

 

[Josh Steinberg]

They did a softcover reprint that includes all of the text and pictures from the main book that’s significantly cheaper:

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Stanl...preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

It’s missing the book of frame enlargements from the film, and the script outline and script notes mini books, but has everything from the main book.

 

[dpippel]

They did a softcover reprint that includes all of the text and pictures from the main book that’s significantly cheaper:

https://www.amazon.com/Making-Stanl...preST=_SX218_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

It’s missing the book of frame enlargements from the film, and the script outline and script notes mini books, but has everything from the main book.

Wow. It has quite a few negative reviews, complaint #1 being that the format of the book forces many of the beautiful images to be split down the middle across the spline. The photograph therefore becomes distorted, and some picture information is lost in the depths of the crease. Is this the case Josh? Also, the Amazon link you provided lists the edition as a hardcover, not a softcover.

 

[bugsy-pal]

I bought the Taschen monolith book for about $35 on a special on Amazon UK - I am pretty sure it's the same as the expensive version, without bonus prints and packaging.
My copy is now signed by Dullea and Lockwood (in two places)
[url=https://imgbb.com/] [/URL]

 

[Mark_TB]

It's a nice book, and well worth having, but it would have been soooo much better if they had skipped the "monolith-dimensions" formatting. Too clever for its own good.

 

[dpippel]

I went ahead and ordered a copy to see for myself. I suppose I can return it if the issues are insurmountable for me.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Yes, the formatting of the book is odd - they were determined to keep a monolith shape even though it makes for awkward reading. But that’s true of the $600 and $1200 editions as well.

Frankly, I haven’t spent as much time with the book as I thought I would because the formatting makes it uncomfortable to read, and the text is a bit on the dry side. I’m glad I have it - but it’s not very practical.

 

[dpippel]

Thanks Josh. My copy arrives tomorrow, and I'm curious to see it first-hand.

 

[Bill McCamy]

Yes, the formatting of the book is odd - they were determined to keep a monolith shape even though it makes for awkward reading. But that’s true of the $600 and $1200 editions as well.

Frankly, I haven’t spent as much time with the book as I thought I would because the formatting makes it uncomfortable to read, and the text is a bit on the dry side. I’m glad I have it - but it’s not very practical.

Let me again plug Michael Benson's excellent book. I've not read Bizony's so I cannot offer a comparison. For those with ebook accounts with their public library, Benson's book is a no cost, no brainer loan. I learned more than a great deal about the movie from it.

https://www.amazon.com/Space-Odysse...&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+benson+space+oddysey

Josh, thanks for the info about the extended soundtrack. My copy arrived today. It's very nice.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Benson’s book has a few minor factual inaccuracies that ultimately don’t matter, but other than that very slight flaw, it’s a genuinely entertaining look at the film’s production - I highly recommend it. In many ways, it’s the book I always wanted to write but never did.

I visited the Kubrick Archive almost a year before the Benson book came out and looked over a lot of “2001” related material. I can tell reading the book that he did the same. There are some things he mentions where when I was reading the book I knew exactly what he was referencing and had held that very paper in my own hands.

 

[Brett Lovett]

The fade out, which should be 64 frames, is missing. At that length, one would see the glass touch the table, as it’s only a dozen or so frames into the fade.

The Fade in has been encoded, but may stay in black too long.

On the 2007 Blu-ray I'm counting 14 frames of fade out, followed by 94 frames of black (I might be a frame or two off), then 23 frames of fade in, so it appears the fades may not be correct there either. The only other fades I can think of are the fade out just before "JUPITER AND BEYOND THE INFINITE" which I'm counting as 18 frames, and at the end which I'm counting as 26 (also 2007 BD). I'm probably missing one or more somewhere.

 

[Brett Lovett]

I have become curious about an aspect of the soundtrack. Since the choice was made to use pre-existing commercial recordings for the music, as opposed to music specifically recorded for the film, I'm wondering what format(s) of these pre-existing recordings were available to those crafting the film's soundtrack. For example, if the information I've found is correct, "Also sprach Zarathustra" was sourced from a March 1959 Decca Records recording of a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic with Herbert von Karajan conducting. Would Decca have been making multi-microphone, multi-track recordings at that time that would have provided the equivalent to a dedicated recording for a 6-track motion picture in the late 1960s (or the actual recordings made of the Alex North score), and if so were those made available to the film makers? Or did the film makers have to work with 2-channel stereo recordings, which I assume would compromise the music reproduction that the Todd-AO 6-channel sound format was capable of. (I’m thinking more along the lines of sound placement and stereo effect than audio fidelity.)

I've also recently read elsewhere on the internet that "2001" did not have "true" 6 channel sound, but that it had a “spread” mix with tracks 2 (Le) and 4 (Re) containing only blends of the adjacent channels. That might be supported by the mention of three-track 35mm magnetic master of the Alex North score mentioned in the Jon Burlingame article. Would there even have been three track recordings of all the pre-existing music that was used? I think it would be interesting to know more about this as it should relate to the results heard on the "original theatrical 6-track audio mix formatted for 5.1" track that is included on this release.

 

[Robert Harris]

I have become curious about an aspect of the soundtrack. Since the choice was made to use pre-existing commercial recordings for the music, as opposed to music specifically recorded for the film, I'm wondering what format(s) of these pre-existing recordings were available to those crafting the film's soundtrack. For example, if the information I've found is correct, "Also sprach Zarathustra" was sourced from a March 1959 Decca Records recording of a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic with Herbert von Karajan conducting. Would Decca have been making multi-microphone, multi-track recordings at that time that would have provided the equivalent to a dedicated recording for a 6-track motion picture in the late 1960s (or the actual recordings made of the Alex North score), and if so were those made available to the film makers? Or did the film makers have to work with 2-channel stereo recordings, which I assume would compromise the music reproduction that the Todd-AO 6-channel sound format was capable of. (I’m thinking more along the lines of sound placement and stereo effect than audio fidelity.)

I've also recently read elsewhere on the internet that "2001" did not have "true" 6 channel sound, but that it had a “spread” mix with tracks 2 (Le) and 4 (Re) containing only blends of the adjacent channels. That might be supported by the mention of three-track 35mm magnetic master of the Alex North score mentioned in the Jon Burlingame article. Would there even have been three track recordings of all the pre-existing music that was used? I think it would be interesting to know more about this as it should relate to the results heard on the "original theatrical 6-track audio mix formatted for 5.1" track that is included on this release.

I was told that the entire film was a 4-track mix, with the exception of the final reel, which was 6, and mixed in Hollywood, as opposed to London. For what it’s worth, Lawrence was also 4-track.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I was told that the entire film was a 4-track mix, with the exception of the final reel, which was 6, and mixed in Hollywood, as opposed to London. For what it’s worth, Lawrence was also 4-track.

Everything I’ve ever come across has said the same as well.

 

[DP 70]

When you play the original 1968 version of the audio why does the announcement about the cashmere sweater not come from the surround channel as it did in the original 1968 prints and the 1978 reissue.

 

[English Patient]

Let me again plug Michael Benson's excellent book. I've not read Bizony's so I cannot offer a comparison. For those with ebook accounts with their public library, Benson's book is a no cost, no brainer loan. I learned more than a great deal about the movie from it.

https://www.amazon.com/Space-Odysse...&sr=8-1&keywords=michael+benson+space+oddysey

I'll also highly recommend Benson's book - I read it a few months ago and it was incredibly comprehensive and as good as the JW Rinzler's books on the making of the original Star Wars trilogy. It was especially interesting reading some of the original dialogue between HAL and Dave when Dave is killing him. Benson also provides excerpts from the movie's original narration, which would have clarified/demystified a lot of what happens in the movie.

 

[Britton]

Mr Harris, perhaps you will fill out the survey card?

View attachment 51301

My copy also came with this insert and a code, but I haven't had any luck accessing the survey. Is anyone else having trouble?