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2 internautes sur 2 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
The greatest science fiction film of all time, Déc 23 2009
This review is from: 2001: A Space Odyssey (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD)
Once upon a time, when the year 2001 seemed aeons away, director Stanley Kubruck (Dr. Strangelove) contacted author Arthur C. Clarke (Childhood's End) to discuss making "the proverbial good science fiction movie". Both were sick of films that passed for science fiction, but were actually monster movies set in space, or were fiction films with the science replaced by fantasy.
The result was 2001: A Space Odyssey, the film, and a companion book of the same name which is actually a completely different animal. The film -- striking, innovative, visually engrossing, ambiguous, and scientifically solid -- is as good today as it was in 1968, even if many of the "predictions" of the film have failed to come to pass. (Perhaps if the shuttle didn't explode in '86, we'd be closer to having moon bases today?)
Separated into four chapters (The Dawn Of Man, TMA-1, Jupiter Mission (and an intermission with music), and finally Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite), 2001 has no dialogue at all for the entire first quarter of the film. Beginning with a blank screen and "Atmospheres" by Ligeti, this is a film paradoxically anchored by both music and silence. The screen changes to the Earth rising over the moon, and the sun rising over the Earth (an important clue and recurring symbol) accompanied by "Thus Spoke Zarathustra". We are then introduced to a tribe of pre-human apes (Australopithecus, perhaps), starving and on the verge of extinction. Other tribes are stronger and out-competing them. There is no dialogue here but the barking of the apes, yet that and the scenery speak volumes. Suddenly one morning, the game has changed: A mysterious black monolith has appeared. The apes are drawn to it, and soon find that they are now able to compete with predators thanks to a new discovery: weapons.
The TMA-1 chapter begins with what Clarke has called "the longest jump-cut in history" and we see that humanity has evolved into a spacegoing race. Orbital weapons platforms orbit the earth as a shuttle is making way to an under-construction space station. The Blue Danube plays as the spacecraft dance in calculated perfection. Our first main character, Dr. Heywood Floyd, arrives on the station and we are given some tantalizing clues as to why he's made this trip: Rumours of a plague outbreak on the moon. Yet this is just a cover story. As Floyd makes his way to the moon in another beautifully choreographed sequence, we learn that a magnetic anomoly was discovered in the crater Tycho (named after astronomer Tycho Brahe) -- Tycho Magnetic Anomoly 1, or TMA-1. This discovery is so important, that the cover story was created to keep everyone far away from Tycho.
The discover of TMA-1 leads to another jump forward in time, to a mission to Jupiter helmed by David Bowman (the perpetually young Keir Dullea) and Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood of the second Star Trek pilot episode). Aboard their ship the Discovery are three sleeping astronauts and the most famous computer of all time, H.A.L. 9000 (voiced by Stratford resident Douglas Rain). Bowman and Poole do not know why they are going to Jupiter, but we are given a glipse into the possible life of two men with nothing but a computer for company, in space for years as they make the long transit to the biggest planet in our solar system. H.A.L. is a character to himself, perhaps the one with the most emotion onboard the Discovery.
Things go wrong when an antenna is predicted to fail by H.A.L., requiring one of the astronauts to go outside and repair it. H.A.L., who controls the life support and every function of Discovery, begins to show signs of what humans call mistakes. Yet no 9000-series computer has ever failed, or found to be in error. You will be haunted by the song "Daisy" by the end of this chapter.
After an intermission, Discovery finally arrives at Jupiter and its true mission is revealed. This chapter too has no dialogue, bringing us full circle. David Bowman once again must venture outside the ship and find out just what was discovered on the moon, how it relates to Jupiter, and perhaps even how it related to our millenia-dead ancestors. What follows is one of the most baffling and strange sequences in movie history, one which will require dozens of viewings to appreciate, let alone understand. The beauty of this final sequence is that there is no right or wrong interpretation. While on the surface it may appear to be a psychedelic caleidoscope of colour followed by a bizarre dialogue-less encounter with a being that seems to have no bearing on reality, it is actually Kubrick's way of showing the audience something that is beyond anyone's imagination. Like the audience, David Bowman and humanity have come full circle.
Lacking what modern audiences might call action, lacking typical space sound effects (there is no sound in space!), lacking dialogue for most of the movie, and lacking any sort of warm human characters (except maybe H.A.L. who is not human), this movie was a challenge to watch in 1968 and is still a challenge today. It is, however, a piece of art that trancends its genre and is a landmark in film making. Kubrick, always a visionary and always breaking through boundaries of what could not be done in film, outdid himself and made a science fiction film that still has not been topped 40 years later. Nobody has made anything this epic, this beautiful, this deep or this scientifically sound since. The special effects -- all practical effects and mostly in-camera, as CG did not yet exist -- still stand up today. Nobody will ever forget the rotating Dicovery set that allowed one character to be seated while another seemingly walked from the top of the cylinder, down the side, and sat down next to him.
Sure -- we don't have a moon base. We haven't sent anyone to Jupiter. However, we do talk to each other via video conference. We do have a space station. We have created computers that can beat the best humans at chess. This is not that far off. If they had named this film 2031: A Space Odyssey, we might be in the right ballpark. In the end, the year does not matter. You never see modern Earth in the movie at all.
This DVD release is loaded with special features and has a beautiful transfer in 2.20:1, as Kubrick shot it and intended it to be. Both Dullea and Lockwood provide an audio commentary. There are documentaries about Kubrick, about the predictions of the film, and about the effects. The only thing missing is the Arthur C. Clarke lecture from the first issue DVD.
2001: A Space Odyssey is, without any doubt or any argument, the greatest science fiction film of all time. With Kubrick and Clarke now both gone, I doubt we will ever see anything like it again. 5 stars is not enough of a rating. I give this movie 200 billion stars, one for each star in our galaxy.
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1 internautes sur 1 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
the movie that set the standard in sci fi, Juil 18 2004
in 68,this movie was the best sci fi film ever.in it there is this force referred to as the monolith.it shows up at different points in time.finaly,a space crew goes to check it out.it is too intellectual for children.stanley kubrik directs so you know-since hes the greatest directer ever and all-that this movie is a classic!it is better than the sequel.thinkers will like it.in 68 there wasnt a computer paranoia like today.in this film,kubrik explores what would happen if the computer decided to just take the hell over.an idea not toyed with for years to come.he was a visionary.the music in it is very good too.for you wrestling fans,ric flairs theme song begins it.an abselute must for sci fi fans.
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2 internautes sur 3 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
5.0étoiles sur 5
One of the greatest sci-fi movies ever made., Juil 16 2004
This was a brilliant movie. It never ceased to make interesting theories concerning life other than ours, whether or not we should be in space, and how exploration of the ether will affect our lives.The film opens up with pre-historic man. They are shaggy, ape-like creatures who fight in loud blasts of sound, calls, etc. But at one point, they discover an immense slab of rock that is so finely crafted, they conclude it was made by "something." And with that, they discover they can use left-over bones as weapons, furthering their standing on the planet. That is the not only the opening for the film itself, but also for its mood and thesis. It makes the case that knowledge of greater beings will propel us into greatness ourselves, using advanced artifacts as motivation and example. But the movie will eventually take a darker turn you'll have to explore for yourselves. If I went into any of the symbolism, I would be writing an essay, not a review, and could potentially ruin your experience. As a film, it is not traditional by any means. I've heard of people walking out at the premier muttering furiously about how there was no story, or that they had no idea what Kubrick was trying to say and that his obsession with imagery and perfection led to the demise of what could have been a masterpiece. But to those who stayed and to those who see it now, it is apparent Kubrick meant to be challenging and intelligent: this is not for the light-hearted or the impatient. For instance, many of the sequences are realistically slow, such as an early docking sequence. But the images are so engrossing, I doubt you'll turn away. And to top off Kubrick's obvious genius, there is an unforgettable soundtrack of famous classical music that complements the imagery so well, Kubrick left it in over an underscore that was being prepared. It often conveys the mood very well, expressing wonderment, curiosity and fright with incredible power. If you can't take the movie, if you can't take its themes and its slow-moving plot, if you can't take the sparse dialog (this is essentially a silent movie), at least sit back, close your eyes and watch the film through the tones and moods the music evokes: it matches Kubrick's imagination with every moment from the opening shot of an orb to the end shot of a star-child floating among the nebular and the giant.
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