Steven Soderbergh shares his re-edited version of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Steven Soderbergh is not allowed to retire. Since the director announced he would cease making films, he has made more films than ever before. Plus, he maintains his website, Extension 765 where he sells clothing, books, and re-edits classic films. Yeah, you heard me right. Soderbergh has already given the world his own editions of the films HEAVEN'S GATE and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and now he has changed 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, one of Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces, has been released in both a 161 and 142 minute cut, but now Soderbergh has shortened the film to a lean 110 minute running time. Why mess with a movie that Soderbergh himself considers one of the most impressive of all time?

sometimes you have to cross the line to know where the line is. just ask any two-year-old. maybe this is what happens when you spend too much time with a movie: you start thinking about it when it’s not around, and then you start wanting to touch it. i’ve been watching 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY regularly for four decades, but it wasn’t until a few years ago i started thinking about touching it, and then over the holidays i decided to make my move. why now? I don’t know. maybe i wasn’t old enough to touch it until now. maybe i was too scared to touch it until now, because not only does the film not need my—or anyone else’s—help, but if it’s not THE most impressively imagined and sustained piece of visual art created in the 20th century, then it’s tied for first. meaning IF i was finally going to touch it, i’d better have a bigger idea than just trimming or re-scoring.

Soderbergh also took issue with the remastering of the film which he calls "technically f*cked and completely wrong". I have to admit that I like this guy the more and more he shares with the world online. Here's hoping he makes his way to any number of other movies during his free time.

While the video cannot be embedded, you can watch the whole thing right on Soderbergh's website.