Analysis of kubricks 2001 a space odyssey the dawn of. Clarke, wanted to leave the film open to philosophical and allegorical interpretation, purposely presenting the final sequences. First, there are five things in the dawn of man that show the endangerment of a species. The dawn of man part 1 william cooper 2001 space odyssey. What is the meaning behind the opening scene of 2001. A space odyssey, which turns 50 this week, is closer to home than we think, writes nicholas barber. Hominids learn how to use tools and kill for food and defence. A space odyssey symbolically describes the story of mankinds life. A space odyssey sheds light on the lead actors, senior production designers, specialeffects experts and masterminds of stanley kubrick and arthur c. Clarke collaborated with stanley kubrick to produce the novel version of 2001. Analysis of kubricks 2001 a space odyssey table of.
A space odyssey is still the best and most important science fiction film of all time, and modernday science fiction movies have yet to. A space odyssey film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. And, as ever, we are interested in how the book differs from the film. Here is the interpretation i learned in my film class and always thought was the most widely held. A space odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans.
Such antitechnological control themes have become popular in more. The interviewer even identified another clue about the. The book explains things more explicitly, but i read it years ago. A space odyssey is the 1968 science fiction novel written by arthur c. First, hal presents the problems that can arise when man creates machines, whose inner workings he does not fully understand. The same is true, i believe, of stanley kubricks parable 2001. Two particular dangers of technology are explored in great detail. That meeting led to a collaboration by the men to adapt clarkes short story the sentinel into a screenplay as well as a fulllength novel. The year is now 19992001, and homo sapiens are getting close to mastering space travel. Heywood floyd is reading the instructions for the zero gravity toilet. Filled with illustrations and memorabilia from the making of 2001, this book will. Clarke and the 1968 film directed by stanley kubrick. The director of the film, stanley kubrick, and the writer, arthur c. Still, some others say its just daves fever dream as he runs out of oxygen on the planet.
From the savannas of africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of saturn as man adventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001. In 2001, a space station orbiting mars is doomed to destruction by a meteor strike. Richter, in charge of the ape men in the films dawn of man segment. Were now 18 years past 2001, weve never been to jupiter, and the enigmatic ending of the movie still haunts the generations who watch it. Get closer than ever to the movie that changed the movies. He referred to the film as being akin to a space odyssey. Both the novel and the film are partially based on clarkes 1948 short story the sentinel, an entry in a bbc short story competition, and encounter in the dawn, published in 1953 in the magazine amazing stories. Yeah, we hear you say, of course there are screens everywhere. Kubrick starts the film with the dawn of man, when, in his worldview, we tore ourselves from. Although it is not made clear in the film, the monolith found drifting in the jupiter system saturn system in the book, dubbed tycho magnetic anomaly2 tma2 is many times larger than the one unearthed near tycho base tma1. After you have read the story of lazarus in the bible, you dont need anyone to explain it to you. Supposedly hes an unfeeling hunk of metal, but in reality, hes the only one in the novel who really seems to feel much of anything, or to act as if he feels much of anything. A space odyssey is one of my favorite films and my favorite scifi of all time, i ve committed far too many hours of my life watching it and i m now here to share my thoughts on what the. We hear this music when the apes first encounter the monolith in the dawn of man, when the astronauts encounter a second monolith in the tycho moon crater and when dave bowman encounters the third monolith near jupiter.
The man apes of the world, who lived by gathering berries and nuts, were facing a lack of food. The first period is four million years ago, at the dawn of man. Upfront, somewhat of a refinement on some of the other answers. The one based on the book goes like this the black monolith you saw in the beginning of the film, and the one found buried on the moon, were placed there by a supremely advanced alien race as a way to nudge along the evolution of humanity. This theme of man escaping technological enslavement and returning to his natural state is the only interpretation ive found that satisfactorily explains the assorted details of 2001s ending. A flight attendant walks down an aisle to retrieve a floating pen. Clarke and stanley kubrick, the plot sequences that are symbolic. A space odyssey is today recognized by many critics and audiences as one of the greatest films ever made. Kubrick stuffs so many screens into his shots that even a verizon store floor planner would think its a tad overkill. The monolith rescues herb marik and transpors him to an area similar to jalessas kingdom.
The immediate meaning of 2001 has to do with man s technological development, and how this has taken us from earth out to the stars. A space odyssey was a film aboutwell, what is about. A black monolith has an affect on humans, the monoliths effects focusing on two specific time periods. It was nominated for four academy awards, and received one for visual effects. A space odyssey explores technological innovation, its possibilities and its perils. The show is about how the director and his team envisioned the film 2001. Clarkes most famous works, due in part to the film versions popularity, he was a prolific and influential science fiction writer. The dawn of man, and the fetal star child betokening the new race at its close. Clarke, who together revolutionized science fiction and.
A space odyssey, remains the best and most influential scifi movie of all time. This allegory about humanitys exploration of the universe, and the universes reaction to humanity, was the basis for director stanley kubricks immortal film. Dan richter, the mime actor who played moonwatcher the leader of the ape man pack in the dawn of men segment of the movie talked about this experiment in his book, moonwatchers memoirs. Clarkes novel 2001 a space odyssey, his short story the sentinel. True, but when we say everywhere, we mean everywhere. Youre free to speculate about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film, he. One of the last sequences kubrick shot was the opening dawn of man sequence. A space odyssey the meaning of the monolith revealed. Stanley kubricks original title for the film was journey beyond the stars. As we see in the beginning of the movie a bunch of apes the early men come across the monolith and they have no idea what it is.
A space odyssey meaning of the monolith revealed part 1 2014 update duration. A space odyssey is perhaps stanley kubricks signature movie, and arthur c. Among those in whom the monolith took an interest was moonwatcher, the only man ape who walked fully upright. Kubrick may have set out to make a sciencefiction film, but 2001. The sequence, which runs about 15 minutes, shows how apelike creatures, after encountering an imposing black monolith obviously the product of an alien technology, discover how to use the bones of an animal as a tool or a weapon. Second, the book explores the dangers associated with the. After the appearance of the monolith, the ape men begin to display behavior unknown before then.
The creatures unusual appearance has made them a referent in british popular culture. A space odyssey is a 1968 science fiction novel by british writer arthur c. The section of the movie called the dawn of man has many examples of symbolism. The black monolith you saw in the beginning of the film, and the one found buried on the moon, were placed there by a supremely advanced alien race as a way to nudge along the evolution of humanity. There are many people who think 2001 is about the afterlife, or how nothing really matters. A giant monolith appeared on earth one day and began to experiment with many of them, probing and developing their minds. Hal, the discoverys computer, is easily the most entertaining character in the book. It contains the answers to all the questions it advances. Though, kubrick makes a bold point the master of earth is just a child in space. Yet many people mistakenly write that it is in four sections, with the second section not named. The year is now 1999 2001, and homo sapiens are getting close to mastering space travel. An indepth shotbyshot analysis of stanley kubricks film 2001.
The monoliths are a race of galatic watchers who work to ensure life forms they. A space odyssey, had its premieres across the country. A space odyssey and you loved it but you kinda dont. Ood the ood are a fictional alien species with telepathic abilities from the long running science fiction series doctor who. In 1969, kubrick told joseph gelmis you begin with an artifact left on earth four million years ago by extraterrestrial explorers who observed the behavior of the man apes of the time and decided to influence their evolutionary progression. The dawn of man section is a part of the film that is very easy to be taken simply and without examination as it seems baldly, plainly told. In the series narrative, they live in the distant future circa 42nd century. Fifty years ago this spring, stanley kubricks confounding scifi masterpiece, 2001. Why did stanley kubrick include these scenes in 2001. The apemen use their tools to kill animals and eat meat, ending their starvation. A space odyssey moon children, polkadot aliens, suckling ape suits, and many more intergalactic wrong. A space odyssey has several scenes showing a character doing mundane activities.
964 371 1204 1337 737 1127 737 868 1099 820 1149 1461 286 8 1347 212 742 17 654 35 530 1304 199 964 1191 1490 936 917 946 594 494 152 900 1113 1211 55 1239