Rating is available when the video has been rented. A space odyssey film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. 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. Well, aliens thought theyd help races around the galaxy get smarter. A space odyssey was a film aboutwell, what is about. There are many people who think 2001 is about the afterlife, or how nothing really matters. A space odyssey has finally been explained by the 1968 scifi movies director, stanley kubrick, himself. Jul 09, 2018 in a newly unearthed interview, the ending of 2001. The same is true, i believe, of stanley kubricks parable 2001. Except for the first few all kubrick films have incorporated heavy duty sex themes and phallic imagery.
It took many years to figure out the meaning of the ending alone. Clarke photo above, finally put the screenplay down in black and white in the novelization of the film. A kind of zoo of humans for aliens where they can see you, but you cant see them i remember that in the book, the decoration was similar to a hotel, but with low definition, you couldnt read the labels of the food neither the books, as everything. A space odyssey unknown a film directed by the stanley kubrick in 1968. This isnt surprising for a movie that ends with a man aging rapidly in a room before becoming a giant embryo orbiting jupiter, a scene that probably qualifies as the most enigmatic of all time, at least outside of. Aug, 2016 2001 a space odyssey is significant in its ability to abstract human intelligence and evolution and identify not only how we might perceive more advanced intelligence but also present it in a way that compells us towards unconventional, nonlinea. 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. Yeah, we hear you say, of course there are screens everywhere. Instead, the film opens 4 million years ago in prehistory and ends in the onetimefuture year of 2001.
The meaning of the ending of 2001 according to stanley kubrick. This motive was always used not only to depict a trip in space and time, and beyond, but also had rich philosophic meaning. In the beginning of the novel, the early ancestors of humans encounter the monolith on earth. A space odyssey ending explained by stanley kubrick. Before the first strains of richard strauss also sprach zarathustra echoed in movie theaters and the public consciousness for decades to come, 2001. Since 2001 is a visual experience, what happened when your collaborator, arthur c. It was a film that was made roughly over the course. A space odyssey and its mysterious ending, he did attempt to let viewers know what his intention was. I decided to pass that information along to you with this explanation and analysis of the book. 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. What it means, and how it was made fifty years ago, stanley kubrick and arthur c. A space odyssey, which i wont be citing specifically. A kind of zoo of humans for aliens where they can see y. True, but when we say everywhere, we mean everywhere.
A space odyssey is the most important science fiction movie ever made. A space odyssey 1968, hal is initially considered a dependable member of the crew, maintaining ship functions and engaging genially with its human crewmates on an equal footing. A space odyssey doesnt have a typical story structure where we follow a single hero from humble origins to becoming the one or a jedi or whichever of the 31 flavors of hero that fate has scooped up for him. Unseen aliens observe early humans struggling desperately to survive in a brutal world, and realize they are on the verge of becoming intelligent beings, they just need a little help. Hal feels backwardsand backwards, in this book, is the only way to feel human at all. Well explore the events in the book, discuss and analyze its main. Sparknotes is here for you weve got everything you need to ace or teach. A space odyssey 1968 is a landmark, science fiction classic and probably the best sciencefiction film of all time about exploration of the unknown. Clarke, and was inspired by clarkes short story the sentinel and other short stories by clarke. In fact it was a lifechanging film for me as, at age 11 1972 when i saw it in the theatre i recently found out it was reissu. A space odyssey, david bowman enters in a room decorated as a hotel.
As a recreational activity, frank poole plays chess against hal. Stanley kubrick is an enigmatic director who put a lot of layers into all his work. It was released, coincidentally, at the height of the space race between the ussr and the us. As bensons book suggests, in a way the release of 2001 was its least important milestone. Jul 11, 2018 the meaning of the ending of 2001 according to stanley kubrick posted by jason kottke jul 11, 2018 still, when it came to 2001. Clarkes novel 2001 a space odyssey, his short story the sentinel. A space odyssey is the quintessential science fiction book, filled with both inspired visions of the future and startling philosophical questions about humanitys place in the cosmos. A space odyssey was a religious film, kubrick elaborated. You can read an excerpt from the space odyssey book here. 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. A space odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by stanley kubrick.
Feb 04, 2016 a classic that still remains relevant today. Apr 07, 2018 the interactive transcript could not be loaded. A space odyssey is a 1968 science fiction novel by british writer arthur c. The film is based of a book of the same name penned by none other than the author arthur c. The director of the film, stanley kubrick, and the writer, arthur c. The space exploration programs in the united states and the soviet union were only in the early stages. Get a 2001 a space odyssey mug for your barber paul. A space odyssey symbolically describes the story of mankinds life. 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 manapes of the time and decided to influence their evolutionary progression. Once you read the book, and then watch the film, you would have to be one of those people who thought transformers 2 was the best film of all time in order to think 2001 a space odyssey is a bad film. After david bowman discovers the jovian monolith, he travels through a star gate of unknown space and time. A space odyssey, detailing the lengthy production, is a work befitting its subject.
The screenplay was written by kubrick and arthur c. The odyssey is a long greek poem by homer about a dude named odysseus who goes on a long voyage. 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. Its a totally different kind of experience, of course, and there are a number of differences between the book and the movie. Its a totally different kind of experience, of course, and there. The film is a poetical contemplation of most exciting eternal questions. So they dropped these big black things monoliths all over the place. If you have a question please ask below and i will get back to you as soon as possible. The following content is mainly based off of arthur c.
A space odyssey came out a whopping 14 months before armstrong, aldrin and collins won the space race for the united states via apollo 11. Clarke and kubrick worked on the book together, but eventually only clarke ended up as the official author. Obviously were dealing with an instant classic here, right. Hal, the discoverys computer, is easily the most entertaining character in the book. The book ultimately came out a couple months after the movies april. You neednt be a scifi junkie to appreciate this book. After seeing space odyssey, i read arthur clarkes book. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by. It was developed concurrently with stanley kubricks film version and published after the release of the film. The star child is what david bowman becomes after his experience through the star gate, in the jovian system, in arthur c. And piers bizonys 550page the making of stanley kubricks 2001. A space odyssey was the third biggest box office hit of 1968 after mike nichols the graduate and william wylers funny girl and, upon the completion of its initial theatrical run, was one of the top twenty grossing movies of all time. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of 2001.
A space odyssey when hal decides to murder the discoverys crew and take on the mission himself. A space odyssey is a landmark in visual and cinematic storytelling. Every book on your english syllabus summed up in a quote. A space odyssey as one of the astronauts on the mission to track the source of an alien artifact found on the moon. Clarkes novel of the same name was developed simultaneously. A space odyssey returned to theaters earlier this summer and toured the country with an unrestored 70mm print. Movie endings, theyre usually pretty straight forward right. 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. Clarke, wanted to leave the film open to philosophical and allegorical interpretation, purposely presenting the final sequences. When asked by eric nordern in kubricks interview with playboy if 2001. A space odyssey and you loved it but you kinda dont.
The book is all about progressing beyond meat and flesh and worries about death and turning into super star people who know all and see all and are, as a result, really boring. Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moons surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has evolved that far. The widely held belief is that arthur c clarke wrote the book and kubrick then. A space odyssey is a film by a legendary director attempting a oneofakind epic visual narrative, utilizing brandnew special effects. One of its most enduring qualities is how open to interpretation it isover the years, the enigmatic film has.
A space odyssey creation and legacy probed in 50th. After you have read the story of lazarus in the bible, you dont need anyone to explain it to you. Evolution then enabled humankind to reach the moons surface, where yet another monolith is found, one that signals the monolith placers that humankind has. 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. A space odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by professional critics and theorists, amateur writers, and science fiction fans. Clarkes novel 2001 a space odyssey, his short story the sentinel, and kubricks famous film, 2001. Yet, despite that, the plot actually isnt all that complicated.
I will say that the god concept is at the heart of 2001 but not any traditional, anthropomorphic image of god. Stanley kubrick openly stated that 2001s true meanings had been visually. A space odyssey was written, mankind had not yet set foot on the moon. The star gate brings bowman to a replica of a hotel room. A space odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans. Today, were analyzing the themes and motifs, and talk about what actually happened. Aug 12, 2017 the following content is mainly based off of arthur c. Well, if by instant you mean slow burning and by classic you mean mixed opinions, then sure. Kubrick liked to work from books, and since a suitable one did not yet exist they would write it. A space odyssey film stanley kubrick interpretation. Clarkes novel explored the same themes, but in a very. A space odyssey has fascinated audiences for years.
It contains the answers to all the questions it advances. But in the final film a lot was left up to interpretation. What is the meaning behind the opening scene of 2001. A space odyssey community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. 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. Kubrick stuffs so many screens into his shots that even a verizon store floor planner would think its a tad overkill. Jack kirby wrote and pencilled both the adaptation and the series, which were published by marvel comics beginning in 1976.
Sometime in the distant past, someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith on earth presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well. What is the best rational explanation to the ending of. A big part of that is because theres no real character development to speak of. In this space, time seems to excel or jump toward the final days of.
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