2001: A Space Odyssey (DVD) (Rpkg)

OVERVIEW: The 1968 science-fiction thriller "2001: A Space Odyssey" was produced, directed, and co-written by Stanley Kubric; Arthur C. Clarke also received co-writing credit for the film as it was inspired by his story "The Sentinel." The screenplay centers around the interactions between humans and extraterrestrials, exploring the fantastical mysteries of technology, artificial intelligence, human evolution, and the elusive black monoliths.Following the 1964 release of "Dr. Strangelove," Kubric set his sights on creating a science-fiction epic that would bridge man and universe. Kubric's approach to the genre was considered non-typical for the time; rather than focus on "monsters and sex," Kubric preferred to explore human vulnerability via man's journey into the unknown--a voyage reminiscent of Homer's "Odyssey," and, thus, lending inspiration for the film's title.Even though this movie is a bit aged, it's one I believe every sci-fi fan should at least see if not own. Not only is it marvelous in its predictions of the future, it's also a film that investigates the fundamental separation between man and computer. In addition, "2001: A Space Odyssey" has been referenced and parodied for decades, further demonstrating the importance this film retains in science fiction as it exists today.RECEPTION: "2001: A Space Odyssey" has received almost a half-century's worth of praise for its impeccable foresight, special effects, scientific accuracy, and minimalistic use of dialogue. The film's original debut spawned mixed opinions from critics and audiences; however, over the years, the movie has become a cult-classic and noted among the most influential pictures of all time. Today, "2001: A Space Odyssey" retains a place in the National Film Registry and continues to bear influence on current film icons such as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Ridley Scott, among countless others.STARRING ROLES: Danial Richter as Chief Man-Ape, Douglas Rain as voice of HAL 9000, William Sylvester as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd, Keir Dullea as Dr. David Bowman, Gary Lockwood as Dr. Frank Poole, Frank Miller as Mission Controller, Margaret Tyzack as Elena, Leonard Rossiter as Dr. Andrei Smyslov, Sean Sullivan as Dr. Roy Michaels, Edward Bishops as Lunar Shuttle Captain, Robert Beatty as Dr. Ralph Halvorsen, Edwina Carroll as Aries Stewardess, Heather Downham as Stewardess, Penny Brahms as Stewardess, Ann Gillis as Poole's Mother, and Alan Gifford as Poole's Father.VARIATIONS BETWEEN BOOK AND FILM: Kubric, having selected Arthur C. Clarke as his source-material collaborator, chose the short story "The Sentinel" as the film's preliminary basis. The process of transforming a short story into both a full-length novel and screenplay required years of research, brain-storming, and, of course, fantasizing. Despite their intention to finish the novel first, Kubric and Clarke found that, when paying proper respect to each medium, variations between print and screen were inevitable. In a nut-shell, the differences primarily exist in the degree of descriptions offered by book and film; the book explores phenomena more completely than the movie, as Kubric opted for a more cryptic and inexplicit method of detailing.DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: (Released 3-29-11 / 1-disc / G-Rated / 148-min. Run-Time / ASIN: B004L9GMBC)▪ Languages: English and Français▪ Subtitles: English, Français, and Español (Bonus features excluded)▪ Commentary by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood▪ Theatrical TrailerSUMMARY: The film is partitioned into four major sections.(1) "The Dawn of Man" (based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story of the same name)--After a leopard attacks a tribe of early herbivorous hominids, the group takes night's refuge in a rocky crater. They awaken to the presence of a frightening black monolith. The instinct of fear drives the Chief Man-Ape to improvise his resources; he turns a discarded bone into a weapon as a means of protection. Upon success of the bone's use as a tool, the hominids become slaves to innovation as a means of survival in the competition between tribes.(2) "TMA-1" [Fast-forward approximately 4-million years from Act I]--En route to Clavius Base, a U.S. outpost located on Earth's moon, Dr. Heywood R. Floyd stops for a layover on an Earth-orbiting space station (apparently, with the commercialization of space travel, Pan Am no longer offers direct flights). On the space station, Floyd meets up with two colleague scientists, Elena and Smyslov, each of whom expresses concerned curiosity over the rumor of an epidemic on Clavius Base; Floyd declines to comment on the situation.Once he reaches the Lunar outpost, Floyd reiterates the confidential nature of the supposed `epidemic'--a cover for the mission which unearths a deliberately planted black monolith (dating back 4-million years). The artifact-recovery team treats the finding of the "Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One" as an intriguing discovery, but is primarily ignorant of its importance... that is, until the TMA-1 begins to transmit a very strong and mysterious segment of radio signals....(3) "Jupiter Mission" [18 months after Act II]--"Discovery One," a U.S. spacecraft piloted by Dr. David Bowman, Dr. Frank Poole, and the ship's artificially intelligent computer, the HAL 9000, is tasked to carry three cryogenically hibernated research scientists to Jupiter (presumably to investigate the source of the radio signals emitted by the black monolith found at Clavius Base). Dave and Frank appear to be `in-the-dark' concerning the objective of the Jupiter Mission, but distract from their ignorance of the mission's specifications by speculating on the extent of HAL's A.I. abilities; HAL insists he is perfect and incapable of error.While discussing the nature of the mission with Bowman, HAL quickly redirects attention to a glitch he has detected to affect the ship's main antenna. The astronauts determine that there is no malfunction with the part; their assessment is seconded when Mission Control reports that HAL's initial detection of `fault' was made in error. HAL, insistent that his system is immaculate, demands the `faulty' part be reinstalled so that he may prove the "human error" via impending malfunction.As Dave and Frank grow weary of HAL's "ego," they attempt to conceal their suspicions from HAL by holding conversation in one of the EVA pods--a place in which the ship's computer cannot detect sound. The astronauts proceed to replace the `faulty' unit, as per HAL's recommendation, but agree that if HAL is found in error, he must be disconnected; unbenounced to Bowman and Poole, HAL can "hear" their scheme by reading lips.In the process of replacing the `malfunctioning' unit, HAL disengages the oxygen hose to Poole's EVA pod. Bowman immediately sets out in the other pod to retrieve Poole, but during his absence, HAL terminates all life-support to the three cryogenically hibernated scientists. HAL then refuses to permit Dave to reenter the ship, stating that his intention to disconnect HAL is contrary to the interests of the mission.Dave's ability to manually enter the ship via the emergency airlock represents the separation between man and computer. As he makes his way into HAL's processor core, HAL attempts to defend his actions and change Bowman's mind by using psychology; HAL's pleas quickly turn from rational to emotional. While disconnecting the processor modules, HAL's voice is continuously heard--signifying his descent into death. Once the computer goes completely inert, a hidden video from Floyd comes on-screen, revealing the actual purpose of the Jupiter Mission: after uncovering the Moon's mysterious black monolith, it emitted a single, powerful radio signal directed at Jupiter... but has since remained completely dormant.(4) "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite"--Dave, the only member of "Discovery One's" crew to make it to Jupiter, rendezvous with another black monolith in orbit about the planet. As he nears the monolith, he and his EVA pod are sucked into a `wormhole' of sorts that takes him on a high-speed journey through space and time. [The movie's final sequence of events is far better seen than described; every individual will interpret the ending scene differently.]

There are few movies that have hooked me as much as this one. It's such a classic that for some reason that I cannot pin down I keep returning to it at least once each year without fail. I feel strangely drawn to it from the eerie opening overture music and pure black screen meant to signify the dawn of creation on earth to the first bars of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" to the early humans seque-ing brilliantly to man in space, the trip to Jupiter and the super computer gone mad to the final mysterious ending signifying the wonders of the undiscovered and the awesomeness of it which would leave our jaws dropped just as this film does for me each time I watch it.If you are an intelligent film lover who looks beyond the quick thrill quick fix movie ala "The Mummy" and its countless sequels but look instead at good storytelling and character development as well as innovative, inspired directing so that the whole becomes a work of art to be admired and to stand the test of time, there are really not that many films in existence; this film happens to be one of those that stand the test of time to remain a work of film art to inspire and to entertain serious movie-goers for decades to come.Directors of note since the film's release such as Spielberg, Lucas among many others have already heralded the genius of this film and copied elements for their own work but you don't have to be a student of film to see just how brilliant this work of art is. You don't simply watch this you experience it and I know each time I do, I take away something new from it and I always look forward to the next installment each year.Some have claimed that there is no clear story in this film but that is clearly false; there is one constant theme of the monolith and how it affected the various stages of human development suggesting it was the catalyst that got our civilisation going along the path it finally took. There are a few different mini-stories such as the early man, sickness and discovery of the monolith on the moon, the technology gone mad HAL story on the way to Jupiter and the final quest for the still unknown mysteries of space and hence the future of man i.e. the Starchild story at the end. A few mini-stories but all connected by the central theme of the monolith. What is the monolith? The religious among us may suggest that it is an analogy for God, for the atheists maybe some alien force that has an invisible hand in our species' growth and development; for George Lucas, it is The Force and I'm sure many others can substitute their own theories for this as well.Why are so many younger people so upset at this film? Because in the old days of film, a good film like any good classic book or work of art doesn't tell you what to think but inspires and encourages you to find the meaning to make yourself better than you are by getting you to actually look into yourself and to find out how much potential you have to improve. Films in the last couple of decades don't do this as they tell you what to think and simply give you what you want effectively dumbing down things so that you don't have the chance to improve yourself; the quick sugar fix that dies soon after the 2 or so hours are over.Some of you may say so what and still think "The David Letterman Show" is the epitome of great television; for you please give this and other films that are artforms such as "Lawrence of Arabia" a miss because you just won't get it. For those who see film as art and the great potential it has to educate and to encourage you to use your full God-given potential to think and grow, this film certainly ranks among the top-10 ever of greats of filmdom.This dvd is also a real treat for fans as it has been restored very well with the Dolby 5.1 Digital Surround although the picture quality is quite good there are still some imperfections that can be improved upon. I can only imagine just how breathtaking the improved Blu-ray version must be. The Special Features also include excellent footage of the late great Arthur C. Clarke giving a speech and Q&A session at the opening of the film. By the way, widescreen is the only way to view this film and do any justice to it.Not only is this the best Sci-Fi movie I've ever seen, it is also among the Top-10 works of film art ever made. I cannot recommend this film highly enough and this dvd version is also of good quality although I'm sure the Blu-ray version would have removed the picture quality imperfections.Updated 29 May 2011:As Amazon will not allow me to review this separately the Blu-Ray version of this film classic is certainly worth the double-dip; both the picture and sound qualities of this version far exceed that of the dvd and while the picture quality hasn't been restored frame-by-frame which explains the less than perfect frames from time to time especially during the prehistory scenes overall the difference is like night and day when compared with the dvd. The sound quality is vastly improved on the blu ray and the spoken dialogue comes across a lot clearer than on the dvd where sometimes it's barely audible.Overall a very good transfer to 1080p and even the bonus features documentaries are a lot better than those on the dvd version.Recommended!

このレビューは、「2001年宇宙の旅 HDデジタル・リマスター&日本語吹替音声追加収録版 ブルーレイ (初回限定生産/2枚組/ブックレット&アートカード付) [Blu-ray]」のレビューです。この作品に関してのご説明はいりませんね。映画史に残る名作であり金字塔。難解な作品ですが、何度も見てしまう作品です。２００１年はとっくのとうに過ぎてしまいましたが、公開当時から考えてみれば凄い作品だと思います。ＶＨＳテープ、レーザー・ディスク、ＤＶＤ、ブルーレイとソフトの高画質化が進む度に、各段階でジャケット違いや内容アップなど数回形を変えて販売されるソフトで、今まで発売される度に買い続けている金食い虫の作品ですが、それと同時に何度でも購入してしまう魅力を持った作品です。多くの方がこの作品や仕様に関して詳しいレビューをしていますので、今回はこのディスクの画質に関してレビューしたいと思います。ＨＤデジタル・リマスター盤と言うことだけあって確かに画質は綺麗です。旧盤と比較するとレストアもされていてキメも細かい画質になっています。また画面の明るさや色合いも旧盤とは違っています。コントラストや明るさ、色合いと言うモノには個人差があり意見が分かれるところだと思います。十人十色で、人それぞれ感じ方が違うため何とも言えませんが、この映画のファンならば問答無用で購入すべき逸品だと思います。小さいモニター画面で視聴されている方にはわかりませんが、大画面で見るとその差は歴然とします。小さい画面ではコントラストが強く暗めに感じるかも知れませんが大画面ではそれが逆転します。旧盤は明るすぎて明るいシーンでは白いモヤのような感じになって見えますが、新盤はハッキリクッキリと言う感じです。また、キューブリック監督が亡くなって以来、ソフト化する時に監督の監修がなくなってしまったことから、今回の新盤と旧盤とでは画角（トリミング）が違っています。ファンには辛いところですね。「博士の異常な愛情」では、スタンダードサイズとビスタサイズが混在する映画だったのに、いま見られるＤＶＤやブルーレイは上下をカットして全てビスタサイズにしてしまいました。レーザー・ディスクが貴重な最後のソフトになってしまいました。キューブリックが監修していた頃の画角で商品化して欲しかったと思うのは私だけでしょうか？さて話を戻しますが、今回のＨＤデジタル・リマスター盤で画質もアップしたのですが、残念なのはオリジナルが持っていた情報をレストアで失っていること。皆さんもご存知のように、この作品は前半部分の屋外シーンをスタジオ・セットの中でフロント・プロジェクションを使用して撮影されたモノです。旧盤では、反射スクリーンの汚れや反射ムラ、そしてスクリーンに付着したゴミ（黒い点で見えますネ）まで見ることが出来ましたが、今回のＨＤデジタル・リマスター盤では綺麗にレストア消去されてしまっています。レストアで綺麗に生まれ変わるのは良いのですが、オリジナルが持っていた情報を失ってしまうのは、私のようなファンにはとても残念なことです。西部劇の映画「シェーン」では、偶然写ってしまった高速バスが、完全にデジタル消去されてしまいましたね。本当に残念です。ブルーレイの大容量を活かして、デジタル消去やデジタル修復した完全レストア版と、ただレストアしただけのレストア・ダイレクト版のようなソフトづくりはできないものでしょうか？とにかく今回のＨＤデジタル・リマスター盤は、旧盤と比べると良くはなっていますが不満も残るのは事実。ファンなら、とにかくコレクションするしかないですね。と言うことで星５つとさせていただきました。

Zuerst einmal möchte ich den Leuten, die dem Film nur einen Stern gegeben haben sagen, dass ich deren Meinung nicht teile, aber es sehr gut verstehen kann. Diese Sorte Film ist so speziell, dass man es entweder mag oder gar nichts damit anfangen kann. Ich sage das komplett wertfrei und keinesfalls herablassend.Ich kenne 2001 bereits von Kindes Beinen an und der Film rang mir aufgrund der gewaltigen Bildsprache immer Ehrfurcht ab, auch wenn er sich nicht 100%ig erschließt. Das tut er für keinen und auch heute noch raufen sich Cineasten aus aller Welt die Haare, was mich irgendwie beruhigt, denn sonst müsste ich den Fehler ja bei mir suchen. Arthur C. Clarke (Autor der Vorlage) sagte nicht umsonst sinngemäß: Wenn irgendjemand diesen Film verstanden hat, haben wir was falsch gemacht.Ich betrachte es immer so: Die Menschen haben schon immer in den Himmel geschaut und auch nicht wirklich verstanden, was um sie herum so alles passiert, aber dennoch Ehrfurcht vor den Gewalten der Natur gehabt. Auch heute leben ja viele in dem Bewusstsein, dass es größere Dinge um uns gibt, die wir vielleicht nie wirklich verstehen.Der Film bricht mit der Tradition der 50ger und 60ger B-Movie Science-Fiction (Alien-Monster vs. Menschheit) und beschäftigt sich mit epischen und elementaren Fragen, für die es wohl keine gemeingültige Antwort gibt, da dies jeder mit sich selbst ausmachen muss. Auf jeden Fall hat Kubrick hier in Hinsicht auf das Filmhandwerk Neuland geschaffen, ohne die das moderne Kino wohl anders aussehen würde. Das bestätigen ja auch Spielberg und Lucas in Interviews, die man ebenfalls als Pioniere des Kinos betrachten kann (ob man die mag oder nicht).Also Freunde, wer leichte Unterhaltung sucht mit viel Puff und Paff, schnellen Schnitten und CGI-Gewitter, sollte hiervon die Finger lassen. Dafür gibt's ausreichend Alternativen.Noch ein Tip: Wer unbedingt das Thema abschließen und der Verwirrung Herr werden möchte, sollte sich noch 2010 (Das Jahr, indem wir Kontakt aufnehmen) anschauen, den ich persönlich als sehr solide empfinde und der den bitteren Nachgeschmack von 2001 zumindest etwas lindert.

Der Film ist hinlänglich bekannt und von mir vor allem wegen seiner hervorragenden visuellen Qualität und des aussergewöhlichen Soundtracks geschätzt. Diese Version wir dem endlich gerecht. 2001 wurde damals auf 70 mm Negativfilm gedreht, und das kommt bei diesem neuen Scan endlich voll zur Geltung. Das Filmkorn ist für einen 50 Jahre alten Film sehr fein und die Farben und Schärfe wirklich hervorragend. Habe schon einige Klassiker auf UHD erworben, wurde aber des öfteren von der Qualität enttäuscht. Bei einem 70 mm Film lohnt sich dagegen eine Neuveröffentlichung. Also her mit Lawrence von Arabien, Ben Hur, Abyss und all den anderen 70 mm Produktionen. Die in 35 mm gefilmten "Olidies" werde ich in Zukunft aber meiden.

2001: A Space Odyssey is perhaps Stanley Kubrick's signature movie, and Arthur C. Clarke's definitive novel. Conceived as a book and a film simultaneously, it charts the progress of mankind from cave-dwelling apes to space travel and beyond, each stage heralded by a mysterious alien artefact, the Black Monolith.Almost half a century has past since it was made, and for a move that attempted to depict space travel BEFORE man had even set foot on the moon, it's astoundingly accurate and realistic. No wonder George Lucas used the effects team headed by Doug Trumbull and others, to work on Star Wars some years later.Regarding the lack of dialogue in most of the film, Kubrick says:"It's not a message I ever intended to convey in words. 2001 is a nonverbal experience; out of two hours and 19 minutes of film, there are only a little less than 40 minutes of dialogue. I tried to create a visual experience, one that bypasses verbalized pigeonholing and directly penetrates the subconscious with an emotional and philosophic content. I intended the film to be an intensely subjective experience that reaches the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does... You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film and such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping the audience at a deep level but I don't want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear he's missed the point." (1970)Make of it what you will, but relax and enjoy this perplexing visual feast for the eyes and mind.

One of the classics of cinema - let alone science fiction - which looks breathtaking in 1080p. Both visuals and sound are fantastic and the film's attention to detail really shines. Not every part of it is aging well 50 years on, but it's incredible how current the Artificial Intelligence, commercial space travel and other aspects feel in the 21st century. It's long, moderately paced and sometimes obtuse, but that's part of what makes this film what it is. A true classic of design and film-making.