Universe (Notre univers) is a 1960 black-and-white documentary short film made in 1960 by Roman Kroitor and Colin Low for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). The NFB writes: "[The film] creates on the screen a vast, awe-inspiring picture of the universe as it would appear to a voyager through space. Realistic animation takes you into far regions of space, beyond the reach of the strongest telescope, past Moon, Sun, and Milky Way into galaxies yet unfathomed."
This visualization is grounded in the nightly work of Dr. Donald MacRae, an astronomer at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario. Using the technology of his era, MacRae prepares his largely manually operated equipment and then photographs, by long exposure, one star. He actually strikes an arc between iron electrodes and makes a simultaneous exposure, which he can compare to the star's spectrum to determine its movement relative to Earth.
Production Roman Kroitor and Colin Low considered making a film about the universe five years before the launch of Sputnik 1. A budget of $60,000 was requested. Don Mulholland, the Director of Production, wanted the film divided into three parts in order to justify its cost. NFB Commissioner Albert Trueman gave the film $20,000 per year, and they put the film on hold once they used up the money for that year. The film was not completed after three years so more money was given with the requirement that it be completed within the next year. The film was completed on 31 March 1960; its budget was $105,146.
Release 300 prints of the film were ordered by NASA and the NFB sold over 3,100 copies by 1976. It was one of the more widely distributed educational films ever made.
Awards Event Date Award Recipient Result Cannes Film Festival May 4–20, 1960 Jury Prize for Exceptional Animation Quality Universe Cannes Film Festival May 4–20, 1960 Technical Mention of the Commission Supérieure Technique du Cinéma Français Universe Vancouver International Film Festival July 11–23, 1960 First Prize – Documentary Universe Vancouver International Film Festival July 11–23, 1960 Diploma, Scientific Films Universe Yorkton Film Festival Oct. 17-19 1960 Golden Sheaf Award - Best of Festival Universe Stratford Film Festival, Stratford, Ontario Aug. 22-Sept. 3 1960 Special Commendation Universe Cork International Film Festival, Cork Sept. 21-Oct. 6 1960 First Prize – Diploma of Merit Universe Edinburgh International Film Festival Aug. 21-Sept. 10 1960 Diploma of Merit, Science Universe 14th British Academy Film Awards April 6, 1961 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film Universe 13th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto May 13, 1961 Film of the Year Universe 13th Canadian Film Awards, Toronto May 13, 1961 Best Theatrical Short Universe Salerno Film Festival Oct. 1 1961 First Prize - Documentary Universe Columbus International Film & Animation Festival, Columbus, Ohio Sept. 13-15 1961 Chris Award, First Prize, Information/Education Universe Rapallo International Film Festival Jan. 4-8 1961 Cup of the Minister of Tourism and Entertainment Universe Scholastic Teacher Magazine Annual Film Awards, New York March 1, 1961 Award of Merit Universe Philadelphia International Festival of Short Films Nov. 13-18 1961 Award for Exceptional Merit Universe 33rd Academy Awards Oct. 17 1961 Best Documentary Short Subject Universe International Festival of Educational Films, Mar del Plata Feb. 18 1962 Grand Prize Universe First Prize - Documentary Universe Best Music Eldon Rathburn Roshd International Film Festival, Tehran June 29-July 9, 1964 First Prize - Golden Delfan, Scientific Films Universe
Legacy After Universe was released, Colin Low worked with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A Space Odyssey. Kubrick chose narrator Douglas Rain as the voice of the HAL 9000 computer and hired cinematographer Wally Gentleman, who did optical effects for Universe, to work on 2001.
According to Kubrick biographer Vincent Lobrutto:
References
Notes 1. The Dunlap Observatory is an optical astronomical observatory formerly owned and operated by the University of Toronto. It is now owned by the City of Richmond Hill and operated by the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada
Works cited
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