A revised availability date of November 20th has been issued for the 50th Anniversary remastered release of Stanley Kubrick’s classic sci-fi adventure 2001: A Space Odyssey.
The Kubrick/Arthur C. Clarke-developed landmark movie will be available for the first time in 4K Ultra HD resolution with high dynamic range (HDR), Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced Wednesday.
The newly 4K remastered version of the classic will be offered in 4K digital form as well as in two physical disc package options — a 4K Ultra HD/HDR Blu-ray “steelbook” premium pack ($41.99) including, the main 4K/HDR disc, a remastered Full HD Blu-ray, special features disc and a digital version, and as a standard pack with the 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray ($19.98).
The 4K UHD Blu-ray version will include both the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR profiles, which both offer a rich wide range of colors and wide range of contrast with brighter specular highlights than standard dynamic range videos. The included Dolby Vision flavor of HDR (for use with compatible Ultra HD Blu-ray players and televisions only) adds dynamic metadata that automatically optimizes color and brightness grading of the picture for every scene down to a frame-by-frame level. This is intended to produce a more natural appearing image.
Now part of the Warner Bros. library, the film for the first time has been restored using new 70mm prints struck from pristine printing elements made from the original camera negative. The mastering effort follows the debut of an “unrestored” 70mm print of the film at the 71st annual Cannes Film Festival.
The film was originally released by MGM in 70mm Cinerama roadshow format on April 4, 1968, and was re-released to select theaters last May. Longtime Kubrik admirer and acclaimed director in his own right Christopher Nolan worked closely with the team at Warner Bros. Pictures throughout the mastering process, the studio said.
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The home video release was built on work done for the new 70mm prints created from the 65mm original camera negative. It will also feature a remixed and restored 5.1 DTS-HD master audio track, as well as the original 1968 6-track theatrical audio mix (formatted for 5.1 DTS-HD master audio).
“2001 to me is the most cinematic film that has ever been made and it has been an honour and a privilege to be able to share the film with a new generation,” stated Nolan in press announcements for the home video release. “4K UHD allows the closest recreation of viewing the original film print in your own home. Kubrick’s masterpiece was originally presented on large format film and the deeper colour palette and superior resolution comes closest to matching the original analogue presentation.”
The film, which was inspired by Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel,” was directed and produced by Kubrick and adapted into a screenplay by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood. Commentary by the two actors is featured on the Blu-ray Disc and interviews with Dullea as well as a film and story background features are included on a separate features disc as part of the 4K Ultra HD premium package.
The 2001: A Space Odyssey 4K UHD premium packaging will include the feature film in 4K resolution with HDR, a remastered Blu-ray disc with the feature film in Full HD, a Blu-ray disc with the special features in hi-definition, a special features disc, and a digital version of the feature film. A collectible booklet and art cards featuring iconic images from the film will also be included.
The standard pack will include the 4K UHD disc and the remastered Blu-ray disc version. A 4K UHD digital version will also be available separately for download and streaming on November 20th via purchase from select digital retailers including iTunes, Google and Vudu.
By Greg Tarr
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