{"id":4535,"date":"2018-08-18T10:07:32","date_gmt":"2018-08-18T14:07:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=4535"},"modified":"2022-10-25T09:59:12","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T13:59:12","slug":"foolproof-and-incapable-of-error-christopher-nolans-70mm-unrestoration-of-2001-a-space-odyssey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/foolproof-and-incapable-of-error-christopher-nolans-70mm-unrestoration-of-2001-a-space-odyssey\/","title":{"rendered":"Foolproof and Incapable of Error: Christopher Nolan’s 70mm Unrestoration of 2001: A Space Odyssey"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If any excuse were necessary to rewatch Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, a new print projected in a proper theater would certainly be it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark the film’s 50th anniversary, Warner Bros. commissioned filmmaker and Kubrick<\/a> aficionado Christopher Nolan<\/a> to create a set of new 70mm prints. Nolan’s team located an intact 70mm preservation print, and strove to reproduce its inherent color and picture quality without digital effects. In theory, this new version of the film would be closer to what original audiences saw in 1968, intrinsically more authentic than any subsequent prints, broadcasts, or home entertainment releases — all of which were multiple generations removed (more details in this interesting Ars Technica<\/em> piece<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps wary of historical revisionism, Nolan has described the result as “unrestored”. Why coin a marketing buzzword, for surely, if a new print struck from the best available elements is not a restoration, then what is? A colleague of mine suggested a better way of describing it: “not remastered”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"2001:
The “Dawn of Man” looked markedly more colorful and saturated than I remembered.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If Nolan’s goal was to recreate the authentic analog celluloid experience, warts and all, then I suppose it would have to be judged a success. The particular print I saw (at New York City’s Village East Cinema in May 2018) had likely already been screened numerous times. It was rife with dust and scratches throughout, with a distracting jitter during most of the Dawn of Man sequence, and inexcusable vertical scratches throughout the entire Beyond the Infinite chapter. This print certainly had greater contrast and depth of color than any version I’ve ever seen, but I wouldn’t complain if digital technology were employed to ameliorate some of this distracting damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Film Comment<\/em> states<\/a> the Nolan version was “struck from the original camera negative of the earliest screening version of a film that later underwent panicky last-minute edits”. It’s true enough that the film was not initially well-received upon its 1968 premiere, and Kubrick made judicious cuts of up to 19 minutes of footage. But Film Comment<\/em> seems to imply that the Nolan version includes cut material. I’ve seen this movie at least 10 times (including the 2011 blu-ray), and there wasn’t a single moment that I didn’t know well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to articles like Film Comment<\/em>‘s, and the “unrestoration” marketing, I experienced a double disappointment. I even briefly wondered if the Village East Cinema had screened an existing print of the film. But I should have known not to expect a mythical longer cut, or blu-ray-like visual perfection. But the brilliant film itself transcends all this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Foolproof and incapable of error. A masterpiece.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If any excuse were necessary to rewatch Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, a new print projected in a proper theater would certainly be it. To mark the film’s 50th anniversary, Warner Bros. commissioned filmmaker and Kubrick aficionado Christopher Nolan to create a set of new 70mm prints. Nolan’s team located an intact 70mm preservation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4536,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,2],"tags":[1739,1740,885,1741,1743,85,92,1742],"class_list":["post-4535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-5-stars","category-movies","tag-1739","tag-70mm","tag-christopher-nolan","tag-keir-dullea","tag-restoration","tag-science-fiction","tag-stanley-kubrick","tag-village-east-cinema"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/2001-a-space-odyssey-helmet.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-1b9","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":185,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/2001-a-space-odyssey\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":0},"title":"2001: A Space Odyssey on the big screen at New York’s Ziegfeld theater","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"March 22, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the best movies ever made, on one of the biggest screens in New York. What could be better? It's taken me many years and many viewings to realize that the movie is actually very, very funny. Perhaps this shouldn't be surprising for a movie that directly followed\u00a0Dr. Strangelove,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "5 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"5 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/5-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"2001: A Space Odyssey","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/2001-a-space-odyssey-ziefeld.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5689,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/a-time-twisty-scenario-interstellar\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":1},"title":"Interstellar is a yet another time twisty Nolan scenario","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"May 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The torturously complex premise of Christopher Nolan's Interstellar requires a constant stream of exposition throughout, something I don't recall being a problem in the director's other time twisty scenarios like The Prestige and Inception. It's also less emotionally urgent than either, perhaps indicating that the high-concept structure overwhelmed everything else.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Interstellar","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/interstellar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/interstellar.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/interstellar.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/interstellar.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/interstellar.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4321,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/a-clique-of-cranks-room-237\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":2},"title":"A Clique of Cranks: Room 237","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"August 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Room 237 is not about The Shining. It is about those lost in its labyrinth. For better or for worse, Stanley Kubrick is one of the most potent gateway drugs for young cinephiles, and for many the early obsession proves lifelong. The addictive nature of his films is partly due\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Room 237","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/room-237-shining.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2044,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-best-of-inception-online\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":3},"title":"The Best of Inception Online","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"July 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"To follow up on our recent review of Inception, here's a collection of the best online coverage I've seen elsewhere: Devin Faraci's Never Wake Up: The Meaning and Secret of Inception is the best thing you will read about Inception, an opinion shared by The Awl. \"Inception is about making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Movies"","block_context":{"text":"Movies","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/main-menu\/movies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Inception","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-city.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-city.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-city.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-city.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-city.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1458,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/solyaris\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":4},"title":"Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solyaris (Solaris) is Vertigo in Space","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"January 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The opening credits of Andrei Tarkovsky's 1972 film Solyaris state it is \"based on the science fiction by Stanislaw Lem.\" It's perhaps telling that the term \"science fiction\" is used in place of simply \"novel.\" This faint hint of apology may hint at a lack of respect for the original\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/01\/solaris-1972-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2042,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/christopher-nolans-fugue-state-inception\/","url_meta":{"origin":4535,"position":5},"title":"Christopher Nolan’s Fugue State: Inception","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"July 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"In his 1999 essay Celluloid Vs. Digital, Roger Ebert cites studies equating the experience of watching a movie to entering a fugue state: \"film creates reverie, video creates hypnosis.\" In other words, experiencing a film in the traditional manner, projected at 24 frames per second in a darkened theater, affects\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "4 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"4 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/4-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Inception","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/inception-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4535"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7355,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4535\/revisions\/7355"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}