2001 at the IFI

Chelon

Got tickets for tonight, and can't wait - personal ambition realised to see it on the big screen.

Haven't been to the IFI much before, but hoping the sound and visuals(70mm) can live up to the content...

boris232

Was at it years ago in the IFI. Very very good - enjoy

Chelon

What an experience. Have seen it before on TV, and found certain elements interesting, eg the 2 or 3 minutes of music with no images at the start of the film, then the 2 minute intermission halfway through(presumably due to reel issues back in 1968?)

Also a ton of product placement, though I'm sure it wasn't intended as such in those days.

Picture quality was ok, but suffered from the odd black vertical hairline in a few scenes, but didn't detract from the overall enjoyment. Does anyone know if issues like this are down to film quality or local issues with the projector, etc?

johnny_ultimate

Most prints will have deteriorated somewhat, and even with a newer print you're likely to get a scratch here or there. Visually, I think the IFI print was as good as you could hope for these days. The only real issue is with the sound. There's a weird sort of hum noticeable during some of the quieter moments of the first half, and what appears to be some popping during the Beyond the Infinity section (I wasn't sure if these were purposeful or simply a result of a too loud sound mix). Luckily, there were no issues during the scenes that require absolute silence, and of course even with the hum it still showcases the sheer immensity of the soundtrack.

Given I've heard of cinemas in London only showing 35mm recently, so we're damn lucky to get a copy as good as this, even though I'm inclined to suspect there's a pristine copy or two knocking around the States or the UK.

Chelon

Basic question - what is the difference between watching in 35 and 70mm?

Also although I loved the IFI, a minor quibble would be the viewing angle from the seats. Many other cinemas seem to have raked seating and if you're sitting around the middle you have a view straight ahead.

The IFI seating seemed more flat, and the screen slightly elevated, so there was a feeling that you were always having to look up at the image. As I say minor issue, overall a lovely theatre.

Sad Professor

Basically 70mm is much higher resolution than 35mm. It's twice the size, which means more detail, more colour, etc. 2001 was shot using 65mm, so it really benefits.

Radiosonde

Chelon wrote: »

Basic question - what is the difference between watching in 35 and 70mm?

Larger film meant more space to reproduce the image. I think 70mm prints are more durable than 35mm ones too, so would've survived the years with less wear and tear. Films weren't necessarily shot in it though, as many would've been blown-up from 35mm original.

Ant

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing 2001 on the big screen and this, for me, this was one of 2013's cinematic highlights. As a science-loving teenager, I'd read Arthur C. Clarke's book and was awed by the epic scope of the story. However, some years later (maybe 15 years ago), I saw the film on TV and didn't like it half as much. At that time in my life, I valued films mostly for plot, dialogue, characterisation along with the necessities of acting and direction; I wasn't used to used to such minimal, slow-moving and ambiguous plots. I still love a film with a good solid plot but as I've grown older, I've also come to appreciate less straightforward narratives and now enjoy cinema as a more visual medium in its own right. I'm still ambivalent about the use of ambiguity in films (sometimes it comes across as a lack of story to tell or directorial vision) but in this case, Kubrick got it just right - along with pretty much everything else in this film. Kudos to the IFI for showing this spectacular film in 70mm.

Zubeneschamali

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Visually, I think the IFI print was as good as you could hope for these days.

I saw 2001 in the Plaza Cinerama long ago- maybe 1980? (That would have been shortly before the Plaza closed). The print was very old, and so brittle that it broke twice with that melted-all-over-the-screen effect!