2001 question

[Ed Falk]

I have a question of my own about 2001. The original was filmed in
"Cinerama" (not cinemascope). This means that three projectors, in sync,
were used to project three films onto three adjoining screens -- the audience
was surrounded about 180 degrees by the film (I have a friend who saw it
this way when it first came out). The film was eventually converted to
cinemascope, which is how we see it now when it gets re-run.

The question is: Is the film ever shown in the original format anymore? If
so, where can we see it?

-ed falk, sun microsystems

[m.juliar]

Re: "2001" in Cinerama.

2001 was made and shown in Cinerama when it was released in
Spring 1968. However, it did not use the old 3-projector
technique to throw the image on the screen. It used a single
projector with a special lens, probably a very wide anamorphic
one, to throw the image at a screen that was surely not 180
degrees, or even 90 degrees. I would guess it was under 45 degrees.
I doubt anyone has the equipment or auditorium to project the
film in its original mode today for the public. By the way, are
you aware that a week or two after 2001 opened, Kubrick cut several
minutes from its running time? One cut scene I think was of one
of the astronauts sitting at an electronic organ on board, earphones
over his head, playing what for him was apparently very enjoyable
music. You, in the audience, don't really know that because only
the astronaut can hear it through his earphones. Kubrick also cut
some other things to move the action along: opening and closing of the
bay pod doors and the movement of the one-man pods out of Discovery.

[Dennis Doubleday]

In article <33...@sun.uucp> fa...@sun.UUCP writes:
>I have a question of my own about 2001. The original was filmed in
>"Cinerama" (not cinemascope).

>The question is: Is the film ever shown in the original format anymore? If
>so, where can we see it?

A friend in LA told me that it is shown for a week or two every year at the
Cinerama Dome in LA. I don't know when it's next scheduled. I'd love to see
it!

--

UUCP: seismo!umcp-cs!dday Dennis Doubleday
CSNet: dday@umcp-cs University of Maryland
ARPA: dd...@brillig.umd.edu College Park, MD 20742
Fan of: Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, OU Sooners (301) 454-6154

[Mark Callow]

> I have a question of my own about 2001. The original was filmed in
> "Cinerama" (not cinemascope). This means that three projectors, in sync,
> were used to project three films onto three adjoining screens -- the audience
> was surrounded about 180 degrees by the film (I have a friend who saw it

The original Cinerama technology used 3 35mm cameras and 4 35mm projectors.
3 of the projectors were used to project onto the left middle and right
portions of *one* giant curved screen. The fourth projector contained the
4-track soundtrack plus a sync track used to keep all four projectors
synchronized. Since the theatre owners didn't want 8 projectors, these
early cinerama projectors were equipped with giant reels that held 1 1/2
hours of film. The intermission was provided so that reels could be changed.

"How the West Was Won" was made and shown in this way. You could usually
see the joins between the three strips of film.

Later on, cinerama was refined to use a single 70mm camera and
projector with special 3 facet lenses and gateplates with a bizarre
looking curved aperture. 2001 was made using this version of
cinerama. A long time ago I visited the projection booth in a
cinerama theatre while they were showing 2001.

Some (a very few) of the old cinerama theatres still exist and even
have the old screen (Cinema 150 in Santa Clara, CA is an example).
Nowadays they show regular 70mm films on the central two-thirds or so
of the old screen. I would imagine they still have the cinerama lenses
and gateplates and could show a cinerama print of 2001 if they could get
hold of one.

You aren't actually losing that much when you see a 70mm print vs
the original cinerama. The only difference is that screen doesn't
quite wrap around you quite so much.
--
From the TARDIS of Mark Callow
m...@saber.uucp, sun!saber!m...@decwrl.dec.com ...{ihnp4,sun}!saber!msc
"Boards are long and hard and made of wood"

[rei...@ucla-cs.uucp]

In article <33...@sun.uucp> fa...@sun.uucp (Ed Falk) writes:
>I have a question of my own about 2001. The original was filmed in

>"Cinerama" (not cinemascope). . . . The film was eventually converted to

>cinemascope, which is how we see it now when it gets re-run.
>
>The question is: Is the film ever shown in the original format anymore? If
>so, where can we see it?

This rumor is incorrect. Only two dramatic films were made in Cinerama:
"How the West Was Won" and "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm".
MGM was supposed to make two more Cinerama features, but the utter failure
of "The Brothers Grimm" killed that contract. (Also inherent difficulties
with the process: one of the directors on "How the West Was Won" moaned
that Cinerama made it impossible to get any closer to an actor than a
waist-level shot; real close-ups couldn't be done.)

There *was* a change made to "2001" shortly after its release. Stanley
Kubrick cut 17 minutes out of it, presumably to make it play a little
faster.
--
Peter Reiher
rei...@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU
{...ihnp4,ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!reiher

[Kurt L. Reisler]

In article <13...@mtuxo.UUCP> no...@mtuxo.UUCP (m.juliar) writes:

>
> By the way, are
>you aware that a week or two after 2001 opened, Kubrick cut several
>minutes from its running time?

I remember seeing 2001 when it first opened in Pittsburgh. As
I recall, there was an intermission about 1.5 hours into the
movie. Unfortunately, I do not recall where the intermission
was. I also remember seeing it again several years later and
commenting that it seemed to be alot shorter.

[Eli Messinger]

In article <13...@mtuxo.UUCP> no...@mtuxo.UUCP (m.juliar) writes:

>Re: "2001" in Cinerama.
>
>2001 was made and shown in Cinerama when it was released in
>Spring 1968. However, it did not use the old 3-projector
>technique to throw the image on the screen. It used a single
>projector with a special lens, probably a very wide anamorphic
>one, to throw the image at a screen that was surely not 180
>degrees, or even 90 degrees. I would guess it was under 45 degrees.
>I doubt anyone has the equipment or auditorium to project the
>film in its original mode today for the public.

Well, the Cinerama theater in Seattle certainly has the auditorium
and curved screen to show Cinerama films. Whether or not they still
have the special lenses around is another question.

BTW, as Bill Rabkin once wrote in the University of Washington `Daily',
(to paraphrase) "When God sees a film in Seattle, he sees it at the
Cinerama."

... gt

[m.r.leeper]

>I remember seeing 2001 when it first opened in Pittsburgh.
>As I recall, there was an intermission about 1.5 hours into
>the movie. Unfortunately, I do not recall where the
>intermission was.

Just after Poole and Bowman are discussing what to do about HAL in the
pod (under HAL's watchful eye).