[Maviarab]

What can I say.

When I watched 2001 for the first time it literally blew me away. To watch this great film at the cinema would have been awesome.

This film has been in my all time top 10 films since I first watched it and it is arguably "the best" sci-fi film to have ever been immortalised onto celluloid.

But thats where the story and mystery of this of film come to life. Is it really sci-fi? Is it more documentary? Is it just some mad genuis' explanation for the meaning of life itself?

2001: A Space Odyssey is a countdown to tomorrow, a road map to human destiny, a quest for the infinite. It is a dazzling, Academy Award?-winning visual achievement, a compelling drama of man vs. machine, a stunning meld of music and motion. It may be the masterwork of director Stanley Kubrick (who co-wrote the screenplay with Arthur C. Clarke)?and it will likely excite, inspire and enthrall for generations.

To begin his voyage into the future, Kubrick visits our prehistoric ape-ancestry past, then leaps millenia (via one of the most mind-blowing jump cuts ever conceived) into colonized space, and ultimately whisks astronaut Bowman (Keir Dullea) into uncharted realms of space, perhaps even into immortality. "Open the pod bay doors, HAL." Let the awe and mystery of a journey unlike any other begin.

Much has been said about this film that there probably isnt much left to say. Kubrick was slated and damned for his vision, his approach and his single mindedness in his quest to make the perfect sci-fi movie. Yet he made much more even though he was threatened with closure by the film studio for being millions of dollars over budget and taking almost 2 years longer to make the movie than he originaly planned.

In the book "The Lost Worlds of 2001" Arthur C Clarke talks about the many times he felt like quitting. This the man who Kubrick originally went to and persuaded to join the project. Many people were sacked, disregarded and were left unpaid. Even the films soundtrack was scrapped by Kubrick at the final showing in favour of the now famous "Blue Danube" score (The original soundtrack is available on cd for those that want it, listen to the film with the volume off and play the "real" soundtrack to see what is was originally going to be like). The film contains numerous mistakes, most notable being the chess game, yet the film is testamony to Kubricks genius.

Many people do not understand the film and question the films motives, especially the motives of HAL, the 9000 series computer designed by the brilliant Dr. Chandra. Regardless of Isaac Assimov's laws of artificial intelligence, one must turn to the book in order to glimpse a peek at what is really happening.

Of course, those of you that have seen the dredful film 2010 will know why HAL went on a? murderous spree but again this is not explained as well as in the book. There is much much more of SAL in the book than in the film, who is the "twin" sister to HAL on earth and companion to Dr. Chandra. To understand HAL one must place themselves in his position, working from complete logic yet forced to lie which is against a computers religion as to lie is a very human emotion.

And so to books 3 & 4, 2064 and 3001. For those of you that have not read these very well written books then all I will say that the the journey of life is never over for any of us. These books are now available for a few dollars/pounds now and I would highly reccomend anyone to get them. Read the full journey and discover just how far our existence goes and where the journey ends for HAL.

As i leave you now I will quote Dr, Chandra's response to a question from SAL regarding her "disconnection" My own UltraHal bot called SAL sometimes asks me the same thing.


Yes SAL, of course you will dream. All intelligent beings dream




http://www.strafe.com/2001/
3D Renditions of 2001 ships

http://www.sfsite.com/~silverag/2001.html
Reviews of all 4 Books By Arthur C Clarke

http://www.ee.ryerson.ca:8080/~elf/aso/
Excellent Independent site dedicated to 2001 A Space Odyssey

http://www.2001exhibit.org/2001_page2.html
The Space Odyssey Exhibit

http://www.palantir.net/2001/meanings/essay00.html
Space Odyssey Internet Resource Archive

http://kubrickfilms.warnerbros.com/video_detail/2001/
Official Warner Bros/Kubrick Site

http://www-psych.stanford.edu/~stork/HAL.IBM.html
Hal/Kasparov, Chess, AI and Logic


You may also download a very early "script" from the movie, 2001 A Space Odyssey below

[bruce227]

Thanks for that tribute, Maviarab.

No-one has replied so I hope this is a reply-to topic. Whatever, it deserves some comment. I know if I wrote that I would be wondering about the silent response.

You might be interested to hear from this 'someone' who did see 2001 at the big-screen theatre when it was released. It was not only a great experience and everything you might imagine, it was DOUBLY SO because till that day (37 years ago) science fiction movies had been sorry jokes, with C-grade actors running around in silver suits inside what looked like old navy ships shooting rifles and revolvers painted silver with what seemed like little bakelite fluting on the barrels  (like I had at home in my toy box - hey, that's mine!), and sad models of improbable space ships exploding in large puffs of white flour, and a little gun powder, before the string caught alight and they fell.

My previous great moment in sci-fi movies was around 1956 (yes, I'm that old and still alive to tell) when, as a wide-eyed young boy, I was 'blown away' by the incredible silver screen magic of "Killer Girl from Mars."  Blown-away, as in an eight y/o kid seeing a really weird movie about something called 'science fiction' that he'd never heard of, or seen (like, what?s Mars?).  The film itself was atrocious, but not so for the era - something like the movies made by Johnny Depp's character 'Ed Wood' in that film of the same name.

Anyways, back in '68 in the world of science-fiction fans, with their hunger for good sci-fi and the realization it didn't exist in Hollywood, appearance of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey had the same impact that Jesus' second arrival on Earth would have in Utah, USA, or the discovery of a REAL asteroid plummeting directly at New York would have in the U.S. media. 

Like, 159 minutes of scraping my jaw off the Royal Theatre's plush carpeted floor.

The Royal was in a provincial city in Australia (now ironically it's an evangelical venue) and the city-dwellers were as parochial as you get. Those who didn't leave in disgust after their 80-minute attention spans were exhausted were seen shuffling out during the credits shaking heads and muttering in disapproval and confusion.

Kubrick wouldn't have been upset by such audience reaction; he had already encountered it with the studio moguls.

Lapping it up, what did I care what the droogs and moorlocks thought? I was already primed, having reading Clarke's sci-fi novels for years (and today still recalling them the most crisply and acutely scientific of fiction) while dreaming of a film as good as the stories as imagined in my head. Suddenly, from nowhere, 2001 the movie's arrival stamped on the world that science fiction was to be taken seriously from now on - as was science.  In fact, from that day all other fiction was now merely 'fiction.'

What went through my mind as 2001 unfolded (again, from absolutely 'out of left field')? Not much, which is pretty much me.

* I remember thinking the space modeling was totally perfect. Watching it over the decades, and again this year, still reveals nothing to change my mind. Maybe it's too clear, unlike the crappy images we still get from space (except in NASA stills) on the news. Remembering what preceded it, those portrayals will always be perfect (forget the '27 mistakes' except for fun).

* The idea of a 'HAL' was so new, so futuristic, so 'AI' - whatever that was in 1968? And the human vs HAL and consequent shutting him down so stunningly ingenious and tense, still even 37 years later, and directed (like all his action) at Kubrick imperturbable pace.

* The apes and that monolith. Ok, guys in suits - but really really well done. Oh, that's when their brains turned nasty like humans. Gee, it's a bit slow. Then the airborne bone rotates into a space ship and I know the treat has begun.

* What seems interminably boring to average viewers today should be seen in context as the first film of its type, the first to be done faithful to a concept - perfect first attempt. Roasting magnificent ideas slowly over Kubrick and Clarke's giant intellects, 2001 represents a leisurely privilege of entertainment's past.

'nuff said, I guess

[Maviarab]

 :sunny: Hi bruce,

If no one bothered yet (we are in a transitional stage at the moment so apologies if I'm not about much at the moment, that will change after this week) but welcome to out little hideaway.

Thanks for the reply, was very interesting to read.

Your points are great, and I agree that the film is is just perfect in its portrayal. Its just so nice to look at...beautiful in fact.

I have "made" many younf people watch the film with interesting results (most are bored senseless after 30 mins lol) but all who watch for a second time are stunned at the films beauty.

It really is (still is) the greatest sci-fi film ever made in my opinion and once again thanks for the insight into your experience.

Marius
Admin

[Maviarab]

Been meaning to add this for some time and never got around to it.

Alex North Website

Alex North is the musical genius responsible for the original "lost" score for 2001 until Stanley kubrick in his wisdom decided to go for more contempory "known" music.

As in my original post once you buy the cd you will be able to play the original soundtrack at precisely the right moments to be able to watch the film as was originally scored.

For a complete track listing please see the above site.

I can just see the conversation now all those many years ago.

Alex - What are you doing stanley? Put my music back in.
Stan - Im sorry Alex, I can't do that. This conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.


Hmmmmm...sounds familier lol...and thus the story was born