The space exploration programs in the united states and the soviet union were only in the early stages. With keir dullea, gary lockwood, william sylvester, daniel richter. They were written and made concurrently, so its not an adaptation of the source. Hal kills the crew in suspended animation by venting the ship to space. A space odyssey is one of my favorite films and my favorite scifi of all time, ive committed far too many hours of my life watching it and im now here to share my thoughts on what the ending means. After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer h. Clarke has also written a lot of books, like the space odyssey series, childhoods end, and many more. First, there are five things in the dawn of man that show the endangerment of a. Bowman ends up in a room somewhere in one universe or another, and we have no idea where. Clarke and stanley kubrick, the plot sequences that are symbolic. The section of the movie called the dawn of man has many examples of symbolism. A space odyssey has finally been explained by the 1968 scifi movies director, stanley kubrick, himself.
A space odyssey, which he cowrote with stanley kubrick. A space odyssey, this amazing book was written by arthur c. Clarke and stanley kubrick teamed up on the mindblowing 1968 film 2001. The monolith rescues herb marik and transpors him to an area similar to jalessas kingdom. A space odyssey explained 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. When first released in theatres, it was a film that you either loved or hated. A space odyssey movie features bizarre colours and the main character appearing in a bed, then becoming an old man and finally a fetus. In this piece i will attempt to identify and explain a few of these phenomena, focussing on symbols, signs and metaphors present in the film. It wasnt until the drug using counterculture started going to see the film whilst on psychedelics did the movie gain much traction. A space odyssey wasnt so much a movie based upon a book as much as it was a collaboration between kubrick and clarke. The 9000 series computers primary programming, which was hardwired into them and cannot be changed, is the accurate processing of information, without distortion or mistakes.
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. 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. A space odyssey begins with a manape named moonwatcher millions of years ago and leaps forward through time to the present day when dr. Dec 08, 20 this site is dedicated to the science fiction work 2001. Clarkes most famous works, due in part to the film versions popularity, he was a prolific and influential science fiction writer. While many think its one of the greatest films ever made and was the first of what would prove to be many bigbudget hollywood science fiction films, the films slow build and heady subject matter make this best for inquisitive tweens and. It depicts the differences between the written work and the movie production, and analyzes possible alternate meanings to certain themes and motifs. The director of the film, stanley kubrick, and the writer, arthur c. A rare and never before seen alien race uses a tool with the appearance of a large crystalline. As a single passenger dozes in his seat, a flight attendant with velcro shoes recovers his floating pen. A space odyssey is the 1969 classic stanley kubrick adaptation of the arthur c. Clarke 19172008 wrote a hundred books and more than a thousand short stories and essays covering science fiction and science fact in a career spanning more than six decades. The space exploration programs in the united states and.
A space odyssey ksa ma architectural visualisation. Suddenly, were in a victorian era mansion with a rapidly aging, selfcloning spaceman eating beans and dying on a bed in an alternate dimension. A space odysseys ending is famous among strange film endings, and when you consider that the competition includes magnolia, mulholland drive, and rockadoodle, thats sayin something. Hal kills poole by using the eva pod to cut his spacesuit air line while outside of the ship. Clarke wrote the film script, which was an expanded version of a short story hed published many years earlier.
A space odyssey had its world premiere april 2, 1968, at the uptown theater in northwest washington. I always found this a pretty disappointing end to the film because it seemed to make no sense. In 1945, he proposed global broadcasting via communication satellites in geostationary. After the first encounter with the monolith, we see the leader of the apes have a quick flashback to the monolith after which he picks up a bone and uses it to smash other bones. Last week, i happen to read a quick post about the end of the movie that also explained the parallel development of the book and movie.
In 2001, a space station orbiting mars is doomed to destruction by a meteor strike. A space odyssey 1968 is widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. So whats up with the title is that clarke is saying, that old greek dude went on a long voyage and had adventures way back when, and so heres a story about the future of 2001, when some other dude is going to go on an awesome voyage also. The film is based of a book of the same name penned by none other than the author arthur c. What do you think about the cinematography in 2001. Unfollow 2001 a space odyssey book to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. A space odyssey, which we analyzed and diagrammed, brings us full circle when compared with the opening scene of the film. In the movie bowman dons a spacesuit, disconnects hal, establishes contact with earth and learns that learns that his mission is to explore iapetus to contact the society that buried the monolith on the moon. Ive come a long way from cowering in fear when id hear the opening brass of thus spake zarathustra. Man emerges as a species slowly, over tens of thousands of years, man explores the stars slowly and actual space travel is very slow. Clarke 19172008 is regarded as one of the mostinfluential science fiction writers of all time. Movie endings dont get any more iconic or enigmatic than the final 15 minutes of stanley kubricks 2001. A space odyssey was polarizing amongst critics and audiences, but it has since earned high status as one of the greatest sciencefiction films of all time.
The deliberately mannered tempo of the first 90% of the film reflects the unhurried pace of mans progress. Summary of 2001 a space odyssey and personal response. The perfect collaboration between book and film originally posted at fantasy literature arthur c. The problem stems from the fact that for the discovery mission, hal was programmed with instructions that conflicted with this primary programming, namely to keep the. A panam space shuttle approaches a large spinning space station, its revolutions mirroring those of the apes spinning bone. It later served as the starting point for the film and novel, 2001. Clarke and the 1968 film directed by stanley kubrick. Clarke, wanted to leave the film open to philosophical and allegorical interpretation, purposely presenting the final sequences of the film without the underlying thread being apparent. The earth people say, this ending sucks, and they shoot nuclear missiles at himor maybe theyre shooting missiles at each other. Understanding the film 2001 is best done through the lens of homers the odyssey hal as the cyclops, nietzsches thus spoke zarathustra and the genealogy of morals, along with finally frueds civilization and its discontents.
Clarke 19172008 is regarded as one of the mostinfluential science fiction writers of. It was developed concurrently with stanley kubricks film version and published after the release of the film. In a newly unearthed interview, the ending of 2001. A space odyssey is based on the final version of the script for the 1968 motion picture, but, even so, in some regards they differ due to late. Bowman is granted the gift of the technology that the civilization that built tma1 had come upon.
So then he is reincarnated in advanced spirit and new. There are many people who think 2001 is about the afterlife, or how nothing really matters. Sal is hal 9000s twin, located on earth in 2001, to receive data radioed back from discovery. A space odyssey, the little dresses of the sisters. Among his bestselling novels are childhoods end, 2001. This instalment is in two parts and is slightly different. Clarke, and was inspired by clarkes short story the sentinel and other short stories by clarke. An imposing black structure provides a connection between both the past and the future, and a group of astronauts are sent to investigate the signals sent by it. 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. It has been celebrated for its beauty and mystery, its realistic depiction of space travel and dazzling display of visual effects, the breathtaking scope of its story, which reaches across millions of years, and the thoughtprovoking depth of its meditation on evolution, technology and. The monolith is somekind of step to a higher evolution level made by aliens. A space odyssey 1968 in order to provide the basis for the brilliant film of. In a 1969 interview with joseph gelmis, kubrick explained the plot in a very straightforward manner you begin with an artifact left on earth four million years ago by extraterrestrial explorers who observed the behavior of the manapes of the time and decided. Bowman survives by escaping to an airlock and donning a spacesuit.
A space odyssey was a collaborative effort of science fiction writer arthur c. Learn about the different symbols such as moon in 2001. The thing is once i watch a movie i have a really hard time reading the book after i have seen it because the imagination aspect is gone my favorite part of reading and i feel as if i am reading the script. A space odyssey is as mysterious, stunning and current as ever. Clarke, wanted to leave the film open to philosophical and allegorical interpretation, purposely presenting the final sequences of the film. In 1945, he proposed global broadcasting via communication satellites in geostationary orbit. Fifty years ago this spring, stanley kubricks confounding scifi masterpiece, 2001. A space odyssey is a very good example to illustrate the point, if not the best. It became a cult phenomenon for psychedelic users to see while tripping. As a fan of stanley kubrick and cinema in general, i find that the cinematography of 2001. One of the more common reactions to stanley kubricks 2001.
Clarke and kubrick worked on the book together, but eventually only clarke ended up as the official author. As far as my own interpretation of the ending goes, hmm well, my first reaction was to find it deeply disappointing and a bit silly. A space odyssey is a film that is filled to the brim with symbols. The book explains things more explicitly, but i read it years ago. A space odyssey 1968 in order to provide the basis for the brilliant film of the same name. In fact, george lucas himself remarked in 1977, stanley kubrick made the ultimate science fiction movie. This collection comprises the science fiction novels 2001. A space odyssey is wait, what the hell happened exactly.
It was one of three 9000 series computers developed by the united states. A space odyssey is a 1968 science fiction novel by british writer arthur c. Having gone from jupiter and beyond the infinite, bowman keir dullea arrives in a strange bedroom with louis x. One of his short stories inspired the world wide web, while another was expanded into 2001. A novelisation of the film released after the films premiere was in part written concurrently with the screenplay.
A space odyssey s ending is famous among strange film endings, and when you consider that the competition includes magnolia, mulholland drive, and rock a doodle, thats sayin something. A space odyssey but i have heard its actually better to watch the film before reading the book. A space odyssey is also a wondrous meditation on the nature of man and his relationship to the universe. A giant monolith appeared on earth one day and began to experiment with many of them, probing and developing their minds. A space odyssey and you loved it but you kinda dont know what just happened last week, for the 3rd time, i saw 2001. I mean, the last half hour was a light show with absolutely no explanation. A space odyssey is the sort of movie that frequently gets called difficult. Set piece for director stanley kubrick, four million years since the dawn of man sequence, astronauts on the surface of the moon investigate a mysterious monolith identical to the ones the apes saw, in 2001. The end of 2001 has david bowman as space baby starchild whooshing through hyperawesomewhateverspace back to earth. The shuttle pilots carefully match rotation and steer the shuttle into the stations central docking bay. A space odyssey is the 1968 science fiction novel written by arthur c. At the same time he created his own version of the 2001 narrative in the form of a standalone. Clarke collaborated with stanley kubrick to produce the novel version of 2001.
The manapes of the world, who lived by gathering berries and nuts, were facing a lack of food. In a 1968 interview with playboy magazine, kubrick states youre free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the filmand such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping. Which is, ultimately, never true of a film that costs that much money laid out by a major studio mgm, in this case, though ill concede that if by difficult one means the ending is a deliberately obscurantist explosion of borderline nonsense, then i can see why youd think that. A space odyssey and how they contribute to the plot of the book. Stanley kubricks 1968 science fiction opus 2001 a space odyssey is an adaptation of arthur c clarkes book of the same name. The year we make contact, sal is the female version of hal. A space odyssey by arthur c clarke and its three sequels 2010. 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. What on earth did the end of 2001 a space odyssey mean. The ending is largely symbolic, and reading the book helps with its interpretation.
Jack kirby wrote and pencilled both the adaptation and the series, which were published by marvel comics beginning in 1976. The odyssey is a long greek poem by homer about a dude named odysseus who goes on a long voyage. Heywood floyd is sent to the moon owing to a secretive and rumored disease that is believed to have inflicted the american portion of the colony. Clarke has many degrees that allow him to give depth to the plot. A space odyssey, which had so tormented me in my youth, is my favorite movie of all time. The screenplay was written by kubrick and arthur c. A space odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans.
It has everything a good cult classic should have lots of hard science, a just about feasible premise and a completely incomprehensible ending. A space odyssey was the name of an oversized comic book adaptation of the 1968 film of the same name and a 10issue monthly series expanding on the ideas presented in the film and the eponymous arthur c. Kubrick liked to work from books, and since a suitable one did not yet exist. A space odyssey ending explained by stanley kubrick. A space odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by stanley kubrick. He is immortalized, turned into energy, and given immense powers to move and impact the physical world simply through an action of his will. A space odyssey by arthur c clarke fictionfans book. A space odyssey is a true classic in how films look on the screen and the artistic sensibility behind it. A space odyssey was a visual effects pioneer 2001 casts an enormous shadow on the last halfcentury of pop culture, let alone the sciencefiction genre.
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