2001 A Space Odyssey

" It can only be attributable to human error...": HAL 9000

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Stanley Kubrick, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. The film deals with thematic elements of human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence,and extraterrestrial life, and is notable for its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, ambiguous and often surreal imagery, sound in place of traditional narrative techniques, and minimal use of dialogue.

Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, 2001: A Space Odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made; the 2002 Sight & Sound poll of critics ranked it among the top ten films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by theUnited States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in their National Film Registry.

The title was chosen because 2001 was both the first year of the next century and the next millennium. In 1999 Arthur C. Clarke held a press conference in which he said he was dismayed that so many people (including college professors and journalists) were incorrectly calling 2000 the beginning of the 21st century.

In the opening sequences, Dawn of Man, Kubrick was insistent that his "apes" be more simian looking than those over at Planet of the Apes which was filming at about the same time. He wanted them to reflect an early stage of development. They are all human actors except for two chimps.

The now classic score came as a result of Kubrick playing classical music on the set to create an atmosphere. He loved the effect and kept it. The now familiar refrain of Richard Strauss' "Thus Spake Zarathustra" has become a standard for representing science fiction.

There is no dialogue in the first 25 minutes of the movie, nor in the last 23 minutes (excluding end credits). With these two lengthy sections and other shorter ones, there are around 88 dialogue-free minutes in the movie.

This is the last movie ever made about mankind landing on the moon before mankind landed on the moon.

Hippies helped make this movie a success by watching it over and over. They loved the ending trip sequence known as the Star Gate. Groovy.

Arthur C. Clarke once said, "If you understand '2001' completely, we failed. We wanted to raise far more questions than we answered."

Playing now: Jupiter And Beyond from the Soundtrack


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