The first feature filmed completely on IMAX
In a Nutshell
Christopher Nolan shot the first-ever feature film entirely on IMAX film with The Odyssey, using 70 mm stock for up to three times the resolution of digital. The production relies on a single surviving film lab and 1940s-era splicing machines to physically cut and glue the negative, underscoring the medium’s expense and rarity. Nolan’s drive preserves this high-fidelity analog process over cheaper, faster digital alternatives.
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IMAX is Nolan's great ambition. It's really a wonderful way to retain the original image.
The Odyssey is the first feature shot completely on the giant film format. When Nolan was 16, he saw an IMAX documentary at a museum and was spellbound by the five-story screen.
IMAX is expensive and cumbersome. Digital photography and editing are faster and cheaper, so almost no one does this anymore.
Look at the splicing machine. It looks like it was made in the 1940s. Probably was. We watch The Odyssey being cut and glued together in the last film lab of its kind in the world.
Why keep this ancient art alive? Well, the 70-mm IMAX frame has resolution or image quality up to three times higher than digital.
Art, the hard way. There it is. Oh, nice. Very clean.
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