On Tue, 09 Apr 2019 08:12:35 +0700, Jeßus > wrote:

>On Mon, 8 Apr 2019 18:34:36 -0600, graham > wrote:
>
>>On 2019-04-08 5:26 p.m., Je?us wrote:
>>> On Mon, 8 Apr 2019 16:22:05 -0600, graham > wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 2019-04-08 3:17 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
>>>>> On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
>>>>>> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
>>>>>> admission to see it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
>>>>>
>>>> My immediate reaction as I left the theatre was that Kubrick ran out of
>>>> money and cobbled together bits and pieces on the cutting room floor.
>>>> My opinion hasn't changed!
>>>
>>> So, you'd also enjoy Clockwork Orange then.
>>>
>>Haven't seen it. I'm not a cinephile.
>
>I'm not either... anymore. Not since movies went digital/CGI.

I mainly watch Dutch/Flemish and Australian movies and I rarely see
CGI.

On 2019-04-08 6:56 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
> On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 12:24:42 PM UTC-10, graham wrote:

>> Furthermore, his film "Eyes Wide Shut" was jejune at best and it
>> only confirmed my already very low opinion of Cruise's acting
>> abilities.
>
> I don't think that Kubrick was very much interested in actors and the
> craft of acting. One of my favorite directors, Yasujiro Ozu, would
> tell his actors, don't act, Just read your lines.
>

Sir Ian McKeller gives excellent acting advice to Ricky Gervais in an
episode of Extras.

https://www.wimp.com/sir-ian-mckelle...-a-good-actor/

On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 12:49:21 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> On Mon, 8 Apr 2019 14:17:05 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
> wrote:
>
> >On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
> >> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
> >> admission to see it.
> >
> >Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
>
>
> I dont think that graham is taking the movie for what it is. It is
> more like an artistic film that represents what people thought the
> year 2001 would be like. The movie is way to long has so much unneeded
> video. But you always have to consider when it was made... There were
> no computers to edit film. That crap had to be hand cut and taped.
>
> --
>
> ____/~~~sine qua non~~~\____

IT was a brilliant technical achievement although, in the end, it had a serious lack of heart and humanity. OTOH, my guess is that was purely intentional.

This flick had more heart than usual for its genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU26EseuDoI

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 6:21:07 AM UTC-4, dsi1 wrote:
> On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 12:49:21 PM UTC-10, wrote:
> > On Mon, 8 Apr 2019 14:17:05 -0700 (PDT), dsi1 >
> > wrote:
> >
> > >On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
> > >> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
> > >> admission to see it.
> > >
> > >Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
> >
> >
> > I dont think that graham is taking the movie for what it is. It is
> > more like an artistic film that represents what people thought the
> > year 2001 would be like. The movie is way to long has so much unneeded
> > video. But you always have to consider when it was made... There were
> > no computers to edit film. That crap had to be hand cut and taped.
> >
> > --
> >
> > ____/~~~sine qua non~~~\____
>
> IT was a brilliant technical achievement although, in the end, it had a serious lack of heart and humanity. OTOH, my guess is that was purely intentional.
>
> This flick had more heart than usual for its genre.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU26EseuDoI

As did the short-lived television series of which is it a spinoff.

Cindy Hamilton

A Moose in Love wrote:
<about the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey">
> i saw it when i was a kid. barf. i watched it again about 10 years ago, barf. one of the adults in the cinema where i first watched it yelled 'refund!'

I saw it on cable when it first came there. It was very boring,
imo. Luckily I had already read the book and it's a good one so I
knew the story. The movie however concentrated on visual effects
and I turned it off after about 30 minutes. YAWN! All those long
visuals were just as boring as a one hour Jerry Garcia guitar
solo. I guess Jerry was on acid at the time and loving it. I
wasn't high and I was like...please end this, for god's sake.
Grateful Dead concert at College of William&Mary back in the
1970's was the worst concert I ever attended. Girlfriend insisted
that we go. So happy to finally get home that night.

Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
"The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.

graham wrote:

> On 2019-04-08 3:17 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
> > On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
> >> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
> >> admission to see it.
> >
> > Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
> >
> Furthermore, his film "Eyes Wide Shut" was jejune at best and it only
> confirmed my already very low opinion of Cruise's acting abilities.


graham, I enjoy your "succint" film reviews...

;-)

--
Best
Greg --->>> loves the word "jejune"

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 9:54:34 AM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> A Moose in Love wrote:
> <about the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey">
> > i saw it when i was a kid. barf. i watched it again about 10 years ago, barf. one of the adults in the cinema where i first watched it yelled 'refund!'
>
> I saw it on cable when it first came there. It was very boring,
> imo. Luckily I had already read the book and it's a good one so I
> knew the story. The movie however concentrated on visual effects
> and I turned it off after about 30 minutes. YAWN! All those long
> visuals were just as boring as a one hour Jerry Garcia guitar
> solo. I guess Jerry was on acid at the time and loving it. I
> wasn't high and I was like...please end this, for god's sake.
> Grateful Dead concert at College of William&Mary back in the
> 1970's was the worst concert I ever attended. Girlfriend insisted
> that we go. So happy to finally get home that night.
>
> Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.

i read that book in one sitting. i also liked the movie.

On 2019-04-09 8:05 a.m., GM wrote:
> graham wrote:
>
>> On 2019-04-08 3:17 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
>>> On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
>>>> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
>>>> admission to see it.
>>>
>>> Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
>>>
>> Furthermore, his film "Eyes Wide Shut" was jejune at best and it only
>> confirmed my already very low opinion of Cruise's acting abilities.
>
>
> graham, I enjoy your "succint" film reviews...
>
> ;-)
>
But do you agree with them? :-)

On 2019-04-09 7:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
> A Moose in Love wrote:
> <about the movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey">
>> i saw it when i was a kid. barf. i watched it again about 10 years ago, barf. one of the adults in the cinema where i first watched it yelled 'refund!'
>
> I saw it on cable when it first came there. It was very boring,
> imo. Luckily I had already read the book and it's a good one so I
> knew the story. The movie however concentrated on visual effects
> and I turned it off after about 30 minutes.

and the Blue Danube waltz as a soundtrack didn't make sense.

On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:

> Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
>

I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:59:44 AM UTC-4, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
>
> > Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> > "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> > I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> > seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> > alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
> >
>
> I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?

the book was real scary. the movie, perhaps less so, but jack was in it. the bartender scene was pretty scary. the bartender corrected his family. the maze scene in the book comes to mind. the acting was very good, jack is mostly always on, and scatman was great as was shelly duvall.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 6:20:42 AM UTC-10, A Moose in Love wrote:
> On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:59:44 AM UTC-4, Dave Smith wrote:
> > On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
> >
> > > Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> > > "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> > > I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> > > seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> > > alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
> > >
> >
> > I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?
>
> the book was real scary. the movie, perhaps less so, but jack was in it. the bartender scene was pretty scary. the bartender corrected his family.. the maze scene in the book comes to mind. the acting was very good, jack is mostly always on, and scatman was great as was shelly duvall.

I didn't much care for "The Shining." It lacked the claustrophobic atmosphere of the classic horror films of the time and seemed way overblown. In the years since its release, it's seen as a classic. I guess that's a hallmark of a work of art: not appreciated during its time. I was watching this movie last night. This part was pretty funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmd4E3WNg-w

"dsi1" wrote in message
...

On Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 1:20:20 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
> "dsi1" wrote in message
> ...
>
> On Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 5:51:13 PM UTC-10, Bruce wrote:
> >
> > Shouldn't that be "white Americans"?
>
> I suppose but if I was on the mainland, I'd rather eat at a chain founded
> by
> a Filipino guy - Eddie Flores. It's better food than a McDonald's or KFC.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6yAxD6uSs
>
> ==
>
> We never use Fast foods/takeaways but we would definitely go in
> there
>
> The next thing I will learn is 'chicken katsu' )
>
> Thanks.

I'm just patiently waiting for chicken katsu to take over the world's
cuisine. It's vitally important that you serve it with katsu sauce.

==

I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
that

Ophelia wrote:
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that

I'm very keen to learn how that load of wash turns out once you
get home and get that door open. ;o

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:51:01 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that

It would be well worth your time to learn how to make this. Well, that's my guess anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBUKlxippZo

On 4/9/2019 4:39 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "dsi1"Â* wrote in message
> ...
>
> On Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 1:20:20 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>> "dsi1"Â* wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>> On Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 5:51:13 PM UTC-10, Bruce wrote:
>> >
>> > Shouldn't that be "white Americans"?
>>
>> I suppose but if I was on the mainland, I'd rather eat at a chain
>> founded by
>> a Filipino guy - Eddie Flores. It's better food than a McDonald's or KFC.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6yAxD6uSs
>>
>> ==
>>
>> Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* We never use Fast foods/takeaways but we would definitely go in
>> there
>>
>> Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* The next thing I will learn is 'chicken katsu' )
>>
>> Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Thanks.
>
> I'm just patiently waiting for chicken katsu to take over the world's
> cuisine. It's vitally important that you serve it with katsu sauce.
>
> ==
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that
>
>
I've been making Chicken Katsu for years but did no know it. I have to
make the sauce though.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
> On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
>
> > Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> > "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> > I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> > seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> > alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
> >
>
> I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?

The original book was scary, especially reading alone late at
night. If I had to use the bathroom, I would turn every light on,
on the way to the bathroom. lol I was a scared wuss!

Finally they made that movie, with Jack Nicholson. They really
screwed it up, imo. Movie wasn't scary at all and pretty dumb
actually. I was disappointed when I saw it. I'm surprised that
S.King approved that.

A Moose in Love wrote:
>
> On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:59:44 AM UTC-4, Dave Smith wrote:
> > On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
> >
> > > Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> > > "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> > > I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> > > seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> > > alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
> > >
> >
> > I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?
>
> the book was real scary. the movie, perhaps less so,

Yes, it was. Movie was a joke version, imo.

> and scatman was great

I've always loved any scene in any movie with the Scatman. Very
cool fellow. He was one of the acting greats in my mind.

For those not familiar with him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scatman_Crothers

On Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 10:01:32 AM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> Dave Smith wrote:
> >
> > On 2019-04-09 9:53 a.m., Gary wrote:
> >
> > > Another really good book but a total fail movie was the original,
> > > "The Shining" with Jack Nicholson. They really ruined that story.
> > > I've heard that someone has made a remake of it but I haven't
> > > seen it. No doubt better than that first one. Reading that book
> > > alone at night was very scary. The movie was a joke.
> > >
> >
> > I have never made it through that movie? It was supposed to be scary?
>
> The original book was scary, especially reading alone late at
> night. If I had to use the bathroom, I would turn every light on,
> on the way to the bathroom. lol I was a scared wuss!

I started reading The Stand when I was home sick with a cold.
Big mistake!

Cindy Hamilton

Cindy Hamilton wrote:
>
> I started reading The Stand when I was home sick with a cold.
> Big mistake!

I did read that many years ago. Just from memory, wasn't that a
story about after end-of-the-world and pitting east coast nice
people against the evil west coast? That's what I remember. I did
read it all. Not too bad of a story, if I remember so far back.
Hope they didn't attempt a movie of that one. That would really
be a movie screw-up version of a book.

"Gary" wrote in message ...

Ophelia wrote:
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that

I'm very keen to learn how that load of wash turns out once you
get home and get that door open. ;o

===

I may be away for some time. A relative has died in North East Scotland
so we are here now sorting all that out

The holiday was cut very short

I doubt very much that by the time I get home and get someone to repair
the washer, the contents will be useable But it's only two jumpers and a
pair of socks, so not too much

I will let you know when it happens.

"dsi1" wrote in message
...

On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:51:01 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that

It would be well worth your time to learn how to make this. Well, that's my
guess anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBUKlxippZo

---

Thanks very much, I have saved it so I can refer to it once I am free
to do so)

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in message ...

On 4/9/2019 4:39 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "dsi1" wrote in message
> ...
>
> On Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 1:20:20 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
>> "dsi1" wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>> On Saturday, April 6, 2019 at 5:51:13 PM UTC-10, Bruce wrote:
>> >
>> > Shouldn't that be "white Americans"?
>>
>> I suppose but if I was on the mainland, I'd rather eat at a chain founded
>> by
>> a Filipino guy - Eddie Flores. It's better food than a McDonald's or KFC.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI6yAxD6uSs
>>
>> ==
>>
>> We never use Fast foods/takeaways but we would definitely go in
>> there
>>
>> The next thing I will learn is 'chicken katsu' )
>>
>> Thanks.
>
> I'm just patiently waiting for chicken katsu to take over the world's
> cuisine. It's vitally important that you serve it with katsu sauce.
>
> ==
>
> I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> that
>
>
I've been making Chicken Katsu for years but did no know it. I have to
make the sauce though.

==

LOL Brilliant ))) Do let me know how it goes)

Ophelia wrote:
> I may be away for some time. A relative has died in North East Scotland
> so we are here now sorting all that out

Sorry to hear this.
Your clothes can wait. Probably rotting now but at least not much
to lose. Once you get home, take a deep breath before opening the
washer door. ;o and also - ;oD

"Beware the gathering gloom." (from an old Moody Blues song)

On Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 11:43:19 AM UTC-4, Gary wrote:
> Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> >
> > I started reading The Stand when I was home sick with a cold.
> > Big mistake!
>
> I did read that many years ago. Just from memory, wasn't that a
> story about after end-of-the-world and pitting east coast nice
> people against the evil west coast? That's what I remember. I did
> read it all. Not too bad of a story, if I remember so far back.
> Hope they didn't attempt a movie of that one. That would really
> be a movie screw-up version of a book.

It started with a flu-like plague.

They've made couple of film/television treatment of the novel.

Cindy Hamilton

"Gary" wrote in message ...

Ophelia wrote:
> I may be away for some time. A relative has died in North East
> Scotland
> so we are here now sorting all that out

Sorry to hear this.
Your clothes can wait. Probably rotting now but at least not much
to lose. Once you get home, take a deep breath before opening the
washer door. ;o and also - ;oD

"Beware the gathering gloom." (from an old Moody Blues song)

===

Thanks, Gary. All I can do is do what i need to do. I have no hope for
that washing. I have plenty of jumpers and socks ... :P

In article >, Jeßus >
wrote:

> What about Dr Strangelove? I think it's one of the best films ever
> made. Just amazing that it was ever made at all back in the early
> 1960's. It feels like it could have been made in 2019, it's timeless.

Ditto

leo

On Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 5:45:42 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
> "dsi1" wrote in message
> ...
>
> On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 10:51:01 AM UTC-10, Ophelia wrote:
> >
> > I am still away and I am not on much, but I am very keen to learn about
> > that
>
> It would be well worth your time to learn how to make this. Well, that's my
> guess anyway.
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBUKlxippZo
>
> ---
>
> Thanks very much, I have saved it so I can refer to it once I am free
> to do so)

I believe that you will be well rewarded for your efforts.

I ordered some choy sum last night. It looks with it was coated with a small amount of sesame oil and and vegetable oil and steamed. It's so simple. It came with some watery sauce that we poured over the cabbage. The sauce was brilliant and simple. Mostly it was water. My guess is that it had some oyster sauce, sugar, and shoyu - maybe a tinge of vinegar.

https://www.amazon.com/photos/shared...cVie7MuIUANAed

On Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 1:27:22 AM UTC-5, Leonard Blaisdell wrote:
> In article >, Jeßus >
> wrote:
>
> > What about Dr Strangelove? I think it's one of the best films ever
> > made. Just amazing that it was ever made at all back in the early
> > 1960's. It feels like it could have been made in 2019, it's timeless.
>
> Ditto
>
> leo

That's Kubrick for ya! Amazing Director!

John Kuthe, Climate Anarchist and Viddy Well Brothers And Sisters The Sixth Extinction We Brought On Us All

graham wrote:

> On 2019-04-09 8:05 a.m., GM wrote:
> > graham wrote:
> >
> >> On 2019-04-08 3:17 p.m., dsi1 wrote:
> >>> On Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:45:33 AM UTC-10, graham wrote:
> >>>> I saw the film in 1970 in a London cinema and regretted the waste of
> >>>> admission to see it.
> >>>
> >>> Your reaction was not dissimilar to a lot of people's. I had mixed feelings about it when I saw it with my mom back in 68. What made the film memorable for me was that I saw it with my mom. My mom hardly ever took me to movies. I saw three movies with her. "Thunderball", "2001: A Space Odyssey", and "Bonnie and Clyde." Beats me why she took me to see those flicks. As far as I know, our family was not big on going to the movies. We actually kinda lived like monks.
> >>>
> >> Furthermore, his film "Eyes Wide Shut" was jejune at best and it only
> >> confirmed my already very low opinion of Cruise's acting abilities.
> >
> >
> > graham, I enjoy your "succint" film reviews...
> >
> > ;-)
> >
> But do you agree with them? :-)


I'll take the diplomatic route and say, "I always enjoy incisive commentary...."

;-D

Actually, graham, 2001 was somewhat inspired by this 1963 Czech sci - fi film, it's a classic that is being re-discovered, you might enjoy it:

https://trailersfromhell.com/ikarie-xb-1/

Ikarie XB 1
Blu-ray
NFA (Czechoslovak National Film Archive)
1963 / B&W / 2:35 widescreen / 88 min.

"For the discerning science fiction fan, this is the best of the Eastern-bloc Cold War Sci-fi epics, a genuinely brilliant and warmly human "Voyage to the End of the Universe, restored in 4k resolution. Its from before 2001: A Space Odyssey, and has an equally wondrous but totally different vision of the future.

The trailer for the new restoration of Ikarie XB 1 (no hyphen) pretty much tells the story. A shot of an encrusted space suit follows the caption "Before ALIEN, and a shot of an astronaut walking down a modular hexagonal corridor reads "Before 2001. If Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke did indeed review the history of Sci-fi movies, they must have seen this one. Not only does some of the art direction look similar, we get close-ups of a robot having its memory circuits disconnected much as was seen in 2001. And in its wonderful positive climax, Ikarie gives us a quite different, but just as moving preview of the Star Child. Seen with its original conclusion, Ikarie XB 1 is a highly emotional experience and one of the best science fiction movies ever made.

In an older review of a Czech PAL DVD from ten years ago, I indulged a rundown of my personal history with the movie. I first saw its dubbed and mutilated A.I.P. version Voyage to the End of the Universe at age twelve and never forgot it; it wasnt until 1976 and UCLA that I learned that the source film was Czech and not Russian. Around 2000 I borrowed MGMs only remaining 35mm print, only to find that it had been stored poorly and could not be screened; the film crumbled in ones hands (†’). Then Ikarie came to the American Cinematheque in 2004 as part of a traveling group of Unseen Soviet Science Fiction, a series partly curated by effects man / film historian Robert Skotak. We could finally see just what a crime it was that the film was never shown here in its original form. This beautiful new restoration indicates that Czechs know and care about Ikarie; the picture really ought not to be so obscure.

I still feel grateful to friend Marek ______, who helped me get the first DVD of Ikarie in 2006. And Andreas Kortman, who keeps me informed periodically about German science fiction film releases.

Once upon a time it was important to explain how the original Ikarie differs from the dubbed A.I.P. re-cut. That show can be seen here and there on the Internet in mediocre quality. Ill let readers consult the earlier review for that as well.

Perhaps only people that already care about Sci-film history can appreciate Jindrich Polák and Pavel Juráceks achievement. In the United States, the NASA space program made fantasy space stories seem out of touch, unless they were for children. The Eastern Bloc promoted the Soviets initial space achievements with adventures laden with anti-American messages: Uncle Sam wished to dominate space, while the benign USSR missions sought peace for all peoples. The Czech film Ikarie has a more advanced attitude than either the Soviet or East German pictures, and for maturity even outpaces Hollywoods output. Like the later 2001 its theme is the first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence.

To my surprise, essayist Lucie Rihová acknowledges that Ikarie is adapted from Stanislaw Lems 1955 novel The Magellanic Cloud. Sometime in the 22nd century the Earth space ship Ikarie begins a trans-galactic voyage to a satellite of the star Alpha Centauri known only as "The White Planet. A mixed crew of forty is making the two-year round trip, although when they return, Earth will have aged fifteen years. They are soon too distant from Earth for radio communications. The Engineer MacDonald (Radovan Lukavský) regrets that his pregnant wife (Svatava Hubenaková) chose not to accompany him. He wont see his daughter until shes fifteen years old €” if he returns at all. A married woman on board was also pregnant before the voyage began, and the ships doctor (Jaroslav RozsÃ*val) feels that the delivery will be no problem. The ships Science Officer Anthony (Frantisek SmolÃ*k) has brought a mostly useless but friendly old robot that he tinkered together a hundred years before. When shipboard morale sags, a birthday party becomes an excuse for a formal dance, at which two crewmen compete for the attention of the attractive Brigitta (Irena KacÃ*rková). Theyre dismayed to learn that she has a husband back home.

The ship then pauses to investigate a derelict spacecraft. Two astronauts are sent to enter the dead ship. Ikarie"s files indicate that it is a military craft from 1987 called the Tornado. Scores of corpses are inside, including gamblers still holding their cards and two officers who apparently killed each other with ray guns. The spacemen theorize that the officers gassed the other passengers to conserve a dwindling oxygen supply, and then fought between themselves. One of the investigators accidentally trips a mechanism, with disastrous results.

As the ship nears Alpha Centauri, strange radiation from a Dark Star has adverse effects on the crew. Svensen and Michael (JirÃ* Vrstála and Otto Lackovic) receive heavy exposure while on an EVA. Then all personnel succumb to a kind of sleeping sickness, and Captain Vladimir (Zdenek Stepánek) must talk the engineer out of aborting the mission. After the EVA astronauts break out in ugly burns, Michael becomes deranged and threatens to destroy the ship. As they finally approach the White Planet, the space voyagers behold an unexpected miracle.

The first thing that strikes us about Ikarie XB 1 is its superior, intelligent design. The average Hollywood spaceship looks like a converted set for a submarine, but the Ikarie is a flying hotel with a bridge, technical and lab sections and lavish living quarters. The exterior design is unusual, sort of a flying saucer elongated like a railway car, with three saucer-like detachable engine pods. It is a miniature that flies on wires, an illusion done better by the Japanese.

The entire film was shot on a single big set except for one airshaft scene filmed in a 200-meter TV transmission tower near Prague. The main bridge is a large hall dominated by an electronic view-screen. The open space doesnt seem as wasteful as the cavernous interior of the ship in Planet of the Vampires. Deck chairs have diagonal back braces somewhat like the chairs on the bridge of Exeters ship in This Island Earth. There are also large sets representing a dining hall / rec center (with a carousel food dispenser), a gymnasium and a bathhouse. The idea of a thriving space community will remind viewers of the later Star Trek: The Next Generation TV series. Crewmen have individual quarters for privacy. A young man visits a girls cabin carrying a space-grown sunflower as a romantic gift. We even find that people of the 22nd century respect each others privacy. The mans friends monitor his progress up to her door, but no further.

The picture is extremely well directed. Director Jindrich Polák employs a fluid moving camera style and complex blocking; he often composes shots with elements at the extremes of the anamorphic frame. Elsewhere he uses huge, expressive close-ups, especially of Dana Medrická, the ships sociologist Nina.

The Czech technical staff must do without elaborate opticals, traveling mattes, etc, but manage many clever visual gimmicks. A great deal of very good rear projection is used for viewing screens large and small. The view-screens revert to a moiré pattern when no image is present. When watching a space shuttle move outside, we get an over-the-shoulder view of one views-creen and then pan to a second one with a different angle on the same action. Both are coordinated rear-projections. One trick shot showing a little spaceman in a capsule porthole doesnt quite align; it was likely composited in- camera. Cinematographer Jan Kalis handled the effects as well and worked with Polák on several other films, also as a writer.

Ikarie invents the trappings of an entire future civilization. The space suits are fairly standard in appearance but seem more practical than the suits and props in the East German Der Schweigende Stern made a couple of years before. Like a designer tennis shoe, the soles of the space boots light up with each step, a feature helpful when the spacemen must walk in darkness on the hull of the ship. Uniforms have unusual collars and the women dress up in attractive formal gowns for the dance party. The couples perform what looks like a subdued techno minuet. When a fast song with an Italian-Latin flavor comes up, we see more elaborate dance moves, all invented for the film. The utterly convincing dance / cocktail party comes complete with a wallflower and an interested pair of spacemen competing for the attention of the attractive Brigitta.

The show doesnt explain all of its futuristic details, and instead makes us pay attention. Some crewmembers are seen sniffing little tubes that look like Chapstik, that when shared serve as sort of a social icebreaker. Evidently they contain pleasant smells, or perhaps more complicated "experiences from back home. The only dialogue hint is in this exchange:

Man, offering a tube: €œNovember?€�
Woman, smiling as she smells: €œEarth!€�

In his Guardian piece on the traveling Soviet Sci-fi package, Alex Cox presumes that the little tubes contain a recreational drug. Candy-cocaine lite, perhaps?

The film opens with an initially confusing sequence that shows Michael, crazed by the effects of the Dark Star, running amuck with some kind of ray gun. Crewmembers track Michael in the maze of corridors with a system of remote cameras that resemble metallic eyes. The Captain then remembers the launch from Earth, which cues a seventy-minute flashback. It plays until we catch up to the "Michael Amuck scene once again.

The story is episodic, but the characters develop quite nicely. The "space pregnancy is a wholly new idea for Sci-fi film. Commander MacDonald and Brigitta must cope alone with loneliness problems. Hes unhappy that his wife chose not to accompany him, and she misses a husband left at home. Brigittas behavior runs opposite to the traits assigned to pretty women in western Sci-fi pictures, where a hot number like Faith Domergue is present mainly to scream and give the hero someone to rescue. When it looks like the end may be near, instead of panicking Brigitta retreats to her cabin and dictates a message to her diary, letting out in private all the emotions shes been covering up. Played mostly in close-up, its quite a scene. When Michael threatens the ship with a blaster gun, MacDonald insists on being the one to face him down. Anthonys obsolete robot also becomes something of a hero, when it goes into harms way to pacify Michael too.

The films most memorable sequence is the investigation of the derelict spacecraft, with its creepy imagery and haunting music. The only light in the ship comes from the spacemens helmets, boots and waist-lights. Tilted angles suggest a lack of gravity as they slip through unfamiliar corridors, taking in a spectacle of greed and murder from 300 years in the past. Dead gamblers and soldiers litter the ship, some with ray-gun holes in their backs. Heres where Ikarie makes its anti-West statement. Although a nametag we see sounds Eastern European, its clear that this was a hostile, armed American ship. The most bizarre detail seems quite believable now €” odd canisters decorated like toys are emblazoned with the English words "Tigger Fun. The ships computer says that Tigger Fun, aka Tigers Breath, is a deadly nerve poison. The investigators assume that the crew Tigger-Funned the passengers to death and then perished in a shootout. In a grisly image, when one of the spacemen touches the dead Captains face, desiccated flesh floats away in slow motion, leaving just the skull. The eerie ship interior is like a morgue, enhanced with funereal music that becomes more emphatic as the spacemen run (in slow motion) to escape the nuclear blast. Its all extremely effective.

Except for the general notion that Western aggression was the curse of the 20th century, Ikarie holds back on the direct political propagandizing €” they mention Auschwitz, Oradour and Hiroshima, and move on.

Unlike the East German-Polish Der Schweigende Stern, Ikarie XB 1 has no scenes on Earth. We dont know what kind of government is in place. There is also no mention of organized religion, an omission that some viewers may take as political commentary. This is interesting because the future in the Polish author Stanislaw Lems source novel is definitely communist-Utopian. He reportedly ran into censor trouble over his depiction of the state using technology for social control. Much later the author withheld the novel from publication because he felt it was too much of a valentine to socialist realism Utopia. The crew of the Ikarie includes no African or Asian astronauts, and the only names we hear are Brigitta, Svensen, Mark, Stephanie, Ervin and Michael.

The birth of the baby coincides with "the great event at the finale, which concludes Ikarie with a jubilant, spacey sense of wonder, a collectivist rapture similar to the one at the end of Spielbergs Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The astronauts react individually and in groups to a glorious revelation, as Zdenek Liskas score reaches an emotional climax. Theres even a heart- tugging cut to the baby, who likewise seems to be staring in awe at mankinds new frontier.. Why American-International chose to replace this powerful ending with the cheap and cynical finish on their Voyage to the End of the Universe is a mystery. Viewers unmoved by Stanley Kubricks cold vision of mans destiny or put off by Spielbergs feel-good sentiment may strongly prefer Ikarie XB 1, with its positive view of science put to humanist ends. Ikarie XB 1 is one of the best outer space movies ever, and surely the most thoughtful made before Kubricks film.

The NFAs Blu-ray of Ikarie XB 1 completely overshadows the old Filmexport DVD, which was a good PAL transfer of a decent print. All frame damage and scratches have been repaired and the film retains its slightly low-contrast B&W appearance. The special effects look their best, as do the carefully lit spaceship interior. Dana Medrickás eyes are so bright and limpid in one close-up, its as if monochromatic silent film stock had been used. Zdenek Liskas excellent music is a fresh mix of orchestral cues and futuristic jazz that hasnt dated, although the stylized space-minuet dance does sound a bit like progressive Italian lounge music. (That dance, by the way, looks eminently dance-able.) The first notes of the "awe and wonder cue at the finish remind this listener of the opening title music for The Wizard of Oz, which amplifies the emotional impact. Until CE3K, how many science fiction pictures have even tried to tug at ones heartstrings?

The NFA pamphlet says "widescreen, which doesnt tell the viewer that the format and aspect ratio are 2.35:1 anamorphic. The IMDB lists "CinemaScope but must mean it in a generic sense. Plenty of Czech films of this era are anamorphic, so is there a specific on-screen credit Im not seeing?

The encoding is said to be Region Free in A, B, and C; it plays fine on my domestic machine. Also a plus, in HD the film runs at its true speed, rendering the picture a full five minutes longer than the old Czech PAL DVD: no more time-compression. Removable English subs finish the job of making the show U.S.- friendly. So are the extra featurettes, which nevertheless are menued on the disc in Czech. The choices are obvious.

The discs bonusy selection begins with the new restoration trailer, an excellent cut that puts the films best foot forward. I just noticed some familiar names in the review quotes, apparently sourced from wikipedia. Theres also a restoration demonstration.

Of great interest are three impressive Czech films from the same period. Before Launching into Space is a 39-minute color doc about basic space medicine, showing (simulated?) Russian experiments of the same kind performed on U.S. astronauts. The Russkies have engineered a terrific-looking human centrifuge, but also use scary pressure chambers for tests that one would think would half-ass-phyxiate the test subjects. We see the test rig that was used on the space dog Laika; the narrator glibly tells us that the famous but unlucky mutts air ran out in six days, but that lots of useful data was obtained. We also see a rudimentary simulation of weightlessness in a cargo plane that looks cobbled together just for the docu. Unless hes locked down, the cameraman tumbles as much as does the test astronaut. They put a cat in the cabin to see if it lands on its feet.

The Most Ordinary of Occupations (12 minutes, B&W) is an ode to theoretical mathematicians, perhaps a response to a centralized realization that the country has a shortage of space age- worthy brainiacs. The model mathematicians look just like engineers everywhere, but these listen to soft classical music as they exchange deep-think wisdom. The films engaging, slightly poetic narration carries over to the third film, the eighteen-minute Hypotheses. Its a leisurely tour of the solar system that reports everything that was known about the planets in 1963, and when a theory is advanced, even attributes whose research is being cited. The images are almost exclusively artwork renderings of imagined Mercury-scapes, etc. Although many of the answers are simply, "we dont know, its direct and intelligent. Beyond saying that we couldnt survive ("an atmosphere with 1,000 times our pressure) the film doesnt play guessing games about whether or not theres life in the solar system.

A nine-page pamphlet has key info about the movie, the short subjects, the restoration and the Czech National Film Archive, both in English and Czech. The back of the Blu-ray box has a normal barcode, but then also two large white and black graphic stripes that mirror the same pattern. Is it a practical design, or an in-joke?

Although such things change from day to day, at the moment Ikarie XB 1 is not going to be the easiest disc to obtain. I havent even tried to access Czech sales websites; if someone has an easy answer for U.S. film fans Ill gladly pass it on . . . Czech disc producers need to market their products, too. I obtained mine through Foreign Exchange in Culver City, after a significant waiting period..."

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