Your Planet 8 crew has explored many realms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but this time we are taking on one of the all-time greats: Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Still considered by many to be the finest science fiction film ever made, Kubrick, along with science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, developed a sweeping epic about mankind's place in the universe. It took almost three years from conception to the film's premiere in April 1968. Audiences had never seen anything like it, and many were simply dumbfounded by the ambiguity of the film. With 2001, Kubrick wanted to go outside conventional storytelling techniques and give the audience "basically a visual, nonverbal experience" that "hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does." The film seems to be rather polarizing, with people either enjoying the mystery of it or finding the whole thing annoying.
Your crew has various levels of enthusiasm for 2001! Some of us -OK, one of us (Karen) loves the film! Other crew members are perhaps not quite as enthusiastic. But we all can agree on its importance to science fiction, and film in general. Without 2001, and the vast technological advancements it made, we certainly wouldn't have had Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica, Space:1999, and pretty much everything that has been made after it. The pioneering techniques of Douglas Trumbull, Stuart Freeborn, and so many others paved the way for the science fiction films we all know and love. The effects still look surprisingly good today.
Of course, the movie was made during the height of the space race, and that enters our conversation too. Kubrick and Clarke wanted to create something that showed the beauty and wonder of space exploration, and how it was mankind's destiny to leave Earth -the cradle -and go beyond. Certainly, the film must have had a different impact on audiences viewing it in 1968 than in 2021.
2001 is nothing if not thought-provoking, and we get into some pondering of our own, as we wonder about the meaning and function of the mysterious monoliths, if progress is always fueled by aggression, what happened to HAL, and man's place in the cosmos. But hey, it's not all deep thoughts! You can be sure we'll talk about things like wobbly space stewardesses, cockney HAL, and Arthur C. Clarke in a towel!
Fittingly, our Sensor Sweep this time around centers on a massive tome, Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece by Michael Benson. If you're a fan of 2001 or Stanley Kubrick, this is a fascinating look at how the film came together, from the initial meetings of Kubrick and Clarke, to preproduction and all the way to the film's reception by critics and audiences. It's amazing in its depth and detail. You can find it on Amazon, and be sure to check your local bookseller too.
That's all for us this time - we're shutting the pod bay doors now! Send final transmissions to:
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This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.
Well, that was an interesting conversation. I'm with Karen on this one: I really like the movie, although I agree with her that it's one you really have to commit to watching.
ReplyDeleteI first watched it when I was still in my teens and I was never confused by its message/content - because I read Clarke's novel first (I was really into Clarke's work back then). Yes, reading it first really helps you appreciate the film much more.
By the way, speaking of Clarke and the ABC of SF authors that Karen mentioned, I'm always reminded of that scene in the Simpsons, when Martin replaces Bradbury with Bester for the B-slot. Can't say I disagree...
Edo Bosnar
I’ll need to read the book, I may enjoy the film more. Thanks for listening!
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