The World Tonight: Space Odyssey Events
2001: A Space Odyssey at the Loews Astor Show
by James.W.Lechner, 2001

The remastered 70 MM print of "2001" had it's NYC "premiere" on December 14, at the Loews Astor Show place, the lone surviving 70MM house in New York City. It's at the north east corner of West 44th and Broadway. This is at the base of the Viacom building which were MTV broadcasts from, if you want to get your bearings of it's proximity to Time Square. It was the perfect venue to show "2001" as the screen is huge; like theaters used to be and recalls the glory days of when films really were huge epics.

Upon entering the theater I noticed the new poster promoting the film, which at the top says, "THE TIME IS NOW" and at the bottom "STILL THE ULTIMATE TRIP". The film opened as I had hoped with long overture of a Black image and Ligeti's ominous masterpiece, which we now associate with the Monolith. I was in pure heaven after that. I was immediately struck by all the small details I had never noticed before or forgot. Like the scenes of the orbiting space "Bombs"? With insignias of France, Germany and Soviet Union, or the approximately 3 foot jet black model of the Orion spacecraft perched on the front desk of the entrance to the Space Station V's Howard-Johnson's, (Whatever became of that prop?) At the 'Berlinale' Film Festival , 2001 was part of the prize-ceremony at the end of the festival on Sunday the 18th of February. After the Festival the 70mm Print went to England for screenings in London and the Film Festival in Bradford. 2001 ran in Berlin after the festival in 3 Cinemas with new 35mm prints.

The sheer joy I felt was a welcome relief from all the bad experiences of the year. The film clearly shows how our birth as a creature of violence had insured our destiny as masters of the earth. But, so too it clouds our survival in the future if we don't learn to overcome these tendencies. In "2001" It appears we (Man) never do and it is for the next ones to decide our fate. I'm convinced Nietzsche would have found a lot to like in the film.
All in all the entire experience was a revelation and caused me to feel even more convinced the it is not only the greatest Science Fiction / Religious film but the greatest film ever! "Citizen Kane" and "The Godfather" be Damned!

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