“I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.”
What’s it all about? I spent the large part of a half-hour trying to develop some semblance of a summary for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. I failed to come up with anything. So, here’s what IMDB says: “Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.” Yeah, that’s probably good enough.
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is a justifiably-iconic, perfectly-structured science fiction thriller set inside one of the most beautifully-shot yet bizarre art films. It can be easily divided into four sections, and Stanley Kubrick conveniently provides us with title cards: “Dawn of Man”, TMA-1, the Jupiter Mission and “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”. The Jupiter Mission is the film’s strongest section, narratively, as it explores the relationship between two astronauts and the supercomputer, HAL 9000, that monitors their progress toward Jupiter. This section is book-ended by “Dawn of Man” and “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”, two narrative sections literally worlds apart yet brought together by unexplained alien technology. The remaining section, TMA-1, does its best to serve as a transition between the Jupiter Mission and its inexplicable context.
While watching the film, “Dawn of Man” was little more than a prologue. I was distracted by the quality of the ape-like costumes — though quite good — and their less-than-favourable connections to a film I recently watched, PLANET OF THE APES. (You should remember I recently watched twelve of Tim Burton’s sixteen feature films.) When the two groups of ape-like early humans came in contact with each other, their movements came across not-so-much as intimidation techniques, but more like a dance-off. This take on the first section of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY should be taken with a very large grain of salt, however. My view of reality is somewhat distorted because of a penchant toward musical theatre. Having a dance-off between ape-like early humans over a watering-hole wouldn’t be that much of a stretch in a world that opens its arms to singing mermaids, crustaceans and candlesticks. But let’s move forward, shall we?
The film’s second section, TMA-1, serves as the narrative transition between the more obscure story-line surrounding the “black monolith” and the science-fiction thriller concerning HAL 9000. Kubrick moves the narrative from the surface of the Earth to that of the Moon. Following Dr. Heywood R. Floyd, the audience is jettisoned thousands of years into the future. The now technoligically-advanced humans have once again discovered the black monolith to which they were introduced when ape-like. “Tycho Magnetic Anomaly One” (TMA-1) is the name that American scientists have given this recently-found artifact. They say it has been “deliberately buried” four million years ago under the Moon’s surface. Dr. Floyd discretely discusses this information to his colleagues in what I believe to be a realistic interpretation of what will become of our space stations. They won’t be the “industrial wastelands” of metal as they are so often depicted — in CARGO, for example. Instead, I believe they will be the equivalent of a 1960s airport: incredibly customer-friendly with “space couches”, flight attendants in throw-back uniforms and numerous gift shops. Basically, what Stanley Kubrick envisions in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
Without much preamble, I should say that the Jupiter Mission section of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is easily the section that struck me the most, despite much of the post-screening conversation heavily featuring “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”. This section takes the high-points of the other three sections of the film — the vision of functional society with space-travel in “TMA-1″ and the gorgeous cinematography and creativity of “Dawn of Man”/Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” — and melds them together into an engaging, perfectly-structured script. The camerawork, for example, within the spaceship’s circular, multilayered environment is remarkable. Its difficult to see the cuts, if they are there at all.
Along with the camerawork within the spaceship, another of my favourite techniques used by Kubrick in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY is the use of organic sounds. The deep breathing of Frank while in his spacesuit, mixed with the dead noise of the EVA pod providing him oxygen, audibly reflects the complete claustrophobia and isolation of being in open space. These stark, organic sounds somehow provide ever-growing tension to the atmosphere within the American spaceship, Discovery One. I will just say that, when trying to dupe a conscious, intelligent super-computer, it is probably best to develop some kind of sign language or discretely write down your plans. You don’t sit in an EVA pod — in its direct line of vision — and discuss the matter without at least covering your mouth. You’re asking for trouble.
Conversely, when 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY veers suddenly into its fourth and final section, it’s a little difficult to keep the narrative strands together. There’s a scene, for example, when Dave exits from his EVA pod and is wearing a red helmet. Immediately, I was up-in-arms because I was sure he was wearing a green helmet when he left Discovery One. This little point, however, is just a speck of dirt within the bizarre, Louis XVI-styled detour that is the ending of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. I left the theatre about two hours ago, and I still think the story-line between Dave and HAL 9000 should have been fleshed-out, encompassing the entirety of the film. But without the sudden space fetus at the end of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, would the film be as ground-breaking as it was? Well, I’ll leave that up to you to discuss.
Also, I forgot to mention that this film has one of the greatest opening sequences of all time. Imagine watching the below video on the big screen — and with the theatre’s sound system to boot.
Notes: Directed by Stanley Kubrick; Produced by Stanley Kubrick; Written by Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke; Starring Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Douglas Rain; Cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth; Editing by Ray Lovejoy.
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The first time I saw the film, right after high school graduation in ’07, I had just watched Seven Samurai and been bowled over (that was my first true cineaste experience, though I did love a number of classics already), but 2001 just destroyed me. It may be the one film that made me cry solely for intellectual reasons. The perfection of its construction overwhelmed me.
It was my favorite movie and I’d seen it half a dozen times before I realized the deeper truth of the film: it’s a satire on man’s dependence on technology. By subtitling the opening section “The Dawn of Man,” Kubrick links the emergence of the human and our advanced brain when we learn to rely on tools to do our fighting for us. Smash cut to that space station in a time when machines now control almost everything (those pilots in the shuttle heading for the station are there only because the shuttle’s own computer system doesn’t have arms to reach a few buttons). Dave has been training his whole life to be physically and mentally to be chosen as the man to open up new pathways for humanity, only for all media attention to lavish praise on HAL.
That’s what gives the Starchild meaning: to disable HAL, Dave essentially enters the robot, swimming around in a room lit and arranged to look subconsciously like a womb until he kills the creature that holds sway over him (a Freudian mother if ever there was one), but in the process, he becomes one with HAL. Upon passing the Star Gate and fusing with the obelisk, Dave evolves into the perfect hybrid of man and machine, the ultimate proof of Kubrick’s unorthodox but sincere humanity. He may be removed, but he also believes in the human spirit, and he feels that the mix of logic and emotion. Kubrick wouldn’t be so brazenly human again until Eyes Wide Shut, which is similarly detached but visceral.
Personally, I don’t have the reliance-on-technology spin on the film. (But let it be known, I saw the film for the first time 24 hours ago. So, I haven’t had much time to think it through.)
I saw the “black monolith” as an instrument to shape and control the evolution of the human species. When they come in contact to it when apes, they are suddenly able to use tools. Also, when the humans dig it up on the Moon, the creation of a conscious, intelligent supercomputer develops. When Dave eventually reaches the monolith near Jupiter, he is pulled into some kind of monitored existence in the room. Here his development toward the bizarre space fetus is ensured. Upon my short reflection, I thought the film was more of a “look at us, we’re ants” kind of perspective, with the black monolith as a god-like/alien-like figure watching over us.
Nice summary here, Sasha. did you catch the film at the Lightbox with that swanky new print? Gorgeous eh? Cinema as Church – Definitely.
Took the kiddies down to check out possibly one of the best films ever made. They were pleasantly baffled, but nonetheless engrossed in the spectacle — and talk about it here: http://www.vimeo.com/17711778
Yeah, it was at the Lightbox and the print was unbelievably gorgeous. I might go back later this week/month. Your son and I pretty much had the exact responses to the film. He’s just more eloquent explaining himself than I was. You should have seen me at pub night trying to explain my reactions to 2001. Also, “No, I don’t know the answer.”
Definitely one of the greatest films ever made. I’m still amazed by it. Even for the fact that it’s a hallmark for the science fiction genre. Great review Sasha. :)
Thank you!
just finished wasting 2 hours of my life that i can never get back watching 2001 space odyssey. now i remember why in the 60′s a bunch of us went to see it and walked out after about 20 minutes. it is the slowest most boring movie i have ever seen and the visual effects of filming through what looks like a lava lamp are capable of producing a migraine headache. in short it stinks and i am glad that i only paid $5.00 for it.
I still think it’s a gorgeous film, but I could see where people could get bored of it.