Universe (Notre univers) is a 1960 black-and-white animated documentary short film made in 1960 by Roman Kroitor and Colin Low for the National Film Board of Canada, which says that 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."^[1]

This visualization is grounded in the nightly work of Dr. Donald MacRae, an astronomer at the David Dunlap Observatory in Richmond Hill, Ontario.^[1] 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 their money for that year. The film was not done 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;^[2] its budget was $105,146.^[3]

Influence on 2001: A Space Odyssey

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.^[4][5][6]

According to Kubrick biographer Vincent Lobrutto:

As the film unspooled, Kubrick watched the screen with rapt attention while a panorama of the galaxies swirled by, achieving the standard of dynamic visionary realism that he was looking for. These images were not flawed by the shoddy matte work, obvious animation and poor miniatures typically found in science fiction films. Universe proved that the camera could be a telescope to the heavens. As the credits rolled, Kubrick studied the names of the magicians who created the images: Colin Low, Sidney Goldsmith, and Wally Gentleman.^[6]

Release

300 prints of the film were ordered by NASA and the NFB sold over 3,100 copies by 1976.^[7] It was one of the more widely distributed educational films ever made.^[5]

Awards