When Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was brought
to DVD by MGM in August of '98, the disc featured an old D1 composite
video transfer, a remnant of the laserdisc. Over-enhanced, lacking
detail, and with drab colors, the release was a major disappointment.
In the intervening years, the video distribution rights found there
way to Warner, and 2001 has now been restored. For a now
new and improved Kubrick Collection, has Warner promptly created
a new anamorphic transfer and improved soundtrack, and I'm very
pleased they did.
2001 premiered in 1968 as a Cinerama Roadshow feature, but was
presented in the single-strip 70mm format rather than the original
three-strip Cinerama process. The film was not universally well
received, for many found the enigmatic climax confusing. Since its
original 1968 theatrical run it has been re-released to theaters
several times, been released on VHS and Laser Disc, and ultimately
earned the respect of both critics and audience who now recognize
it as a cinematic milestone. Arthur C. Clarke's thought-provoking
plot questions the nature of evolution and our place in the universe.
Douglas Trumbull's special effects set a new benchmark, which remained
unsurpassed until Star Wars premiered in 1977. And, of course, Stanley
Kubrick brought a unique vision to the screen, effectively conveying
a complex plot with remarkably little dialog (the original DVD's
insert reveals that there are only 40 minutes of dialog in a film
that runs 148 minutes).
This dual-layer DVD includes the roadshow's overture and intermission
(during which, I suspect, the layer change occurs) as well as four
minutes of additional music after the last of the closing credits.
Don't be concerned that your monitor or projector may have failed
when you start the film. You'll be in the dark for several minutes
as Gyorgy Ligeti's Atmospheres sets the mood. The film is divided
into four distinct sections. In the first, prehistoric man is shown
as a herbivore, just managing to survive in an inhospitable wilderness.
A mysterious black monolith appears, inspiring the use of bones
as weapons. Man becomes carnivorous. Territorial conflicts turn
fatal. Evolution has been given a nudge.
 In
a clever transition to the next section, a bone thrown into the
air becomes a satellite orbiting the Earth. We see a space shuttle
en route to an orbiting space station, the ensuing docking ballet
accompanied by Johann Stauss' Blue Danube Waltz. Here we meet Dr.
Heywood Floyd who's traveling to the moon for a briefing on a startling
discovery. An extraterrestrial monolith has been found, seemingly
buried millions of years earlier. When Floyd and his colleagues
visit the excavation, the monolith transmits a powerful radio signal
to the region of Jupiter. This segues into the film's next section,
the Jupiter Mission.
The spacecraft Discovery is dispatched with a crew that includes
an artificial intelligence, a computer named HAL 9000. We meet two
astronauts, Dave Bowman and Frank Poole. Three other crew members
had been trained separately and were put onboard in a state of induced
hibernation. The trip is dull and routine until HAL detects a problem
with a communications subsystem. (For those very few of you who
may never have seen 2001, I'll not give away the drama and
danger that follow.) In the film's final section, a monolith in
Jupiter orbit is found, approached, and... let's just say that evolution
is again given a nudge.
It's as important to understand what this film isn't as what it
is. There are neither fiery explosions nor dogfights in space. There
are no aliens pouncing from hidden alcoves to rip our heroes apart.
2001 is much more than eye candy; it's brain candy. It's
a film that provokes thought and debate, created by a filmmaker
who seems to respect the intelligence of the audience. This is an
important work that should be part of any collection owned by those
who are serious about film (and particularly those who are science
fiction enthusiasts.)
 Video:
How Does The Disc Look?
The film's original aspect ratio of 2.20:1 is presented in anamorphic
video and the improvement over the previous DVD release is dramatic.
A new interpositive was created for this new remaster, and the print
appears to be pristine, a combination of the work done to the film
in preparation for a brief overseas theatrical release and digital
cleaning after the telecine. All the dirt and nicks found on the
MGM release have been removed. Colors are rich and vivid; the muted
colors from the MGM release are gone. The previous release had a
slight bluish tint; the new Warner release is much more accurate.
White is now white.
However, while detail is very high, this new transfer unfortunately
also suffers from excessive edge enhancement. The transfer is very
stable; gone is the subtle but visible vertical jitter that created
an unnatural shimmer on the prehistoric plains and a twinkling of
stars within the vacuum of space. I saw no digital artifacts with
one exception, which I'll illustrate. To demonstrate the differences
between the two releases, I captured a few screens, cropped a specific
detail, and blew the image up by a factor of four to expose the
underlying pixel structure.
(To ease load times for those with slow connections, please click
here
for the comparisons.) With the exception of the excessive edge enhancement,
this is a splendid transfer.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
This release offers a greatly improved Dolby Digital 5.1 audio
track. I have the distinct impression that the score stems have
been completely replaced. The orchestra is more transparent, with
less distortion than the previous release. Musical bandwidth is
also greatly improved. Sound effects and dialog are cleaner and
better balanced, despite some obvious band limitations. You'll notice
that dialog is frequently directional. The subtle use of the surround
speakers may be heard more easily. Listen to the retreat off-screen
of one of the bands of man-apes during a confrontation. With so
little dialog, and with much of the action placed in the silent
vacuum of space, it was like listening to a new soundtrack. Well
done.
 Note
that on the previous DVD MGM had somehow edited part of HAL's reply
to Dave Bowman as he was trying to reenter the spacecraft. Bowman
radios HAL, who does not respond. Bowman repeatedly asks if HAL
reads his transmission. In the MGM release, HAL finally answers,
"Affirmative, Dave." The complete quote is, "Affirmative,
Dave. I read you." The dialog has been corrected in this new
release.
French is available as a second spoken language, and the audio
is supported by English Closed Captions and English, French, Spanish,
and Portuguese subtitles.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There?
The MGM release offered a moderately interesting press conference
and question-and-answer session with Arthur C. Clarke that ran a
bit over 20 minutes. Perhaps the bit budget wouldn't permit it,
or perhaps the rights remain in other hands, but that supplement
is not included here. Nor is the trailer for 2010. All Warner
included is the theatrical trailer for the feature film presented
in 1.85:1 anamorphic video. Also, the original MGM release featured
anamorphic video animated menus and a non-anamorphic letterbox feature.
This new Warner DVD features full screen static menus and an anamorphic
video feature. Odd.
Parting Thoughts
This DVD review marks an interesting personal milestone. My review
for the MGM release of 2001 was the first piece I wrote for
this site; in fact, it earned me a place on the reviewing staff.
Almost exactly 200 reviews later, I'm please to be able to recommend
this fine, remastered DVD to you. Now, if only we can stop the studios
from applying unwelcome edge enhancement...
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