Space in a newly unearthed interview, the ending of 2001. In the film, our evolution as a species in intricately connected with our technology, from our african ancestors to our astronauts. Later in the film a second, parallel evolution begins to take place. Ironically, the dialogue containing the most feeling comes from hal, as it pleads for its life and. A space odyssey returned to theaters earlier this summer and toured the country with an unrestored 70mm print. However, in chapter 27 of the novel, we get a pretty succinct explanation of hals motivations. Clarke has said that kubrick started the entire project because he wanted to make the proverbial really good sciencefiction movie, implying there hadnt been any good ones before then. In a newly unearthed interview, the ending of 2001. So they dropped these big black things monoliths all over the place.
Multiple interpretations of the meaning of the monolith have been examined in the critical reception of the film. The deliberately mannered tempo of the first 90% of the film reflects the unhurried pace of mans progress. To even begin to parse the possible meanings of 2001. A space odyssey 50th anniversary standing on the shoulders of kubrick mini documentary duration. The same is true, i believe, of stanley kubricks parable 2001. 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. There are many people who think 2001 is about the afterlife, or how nothing really matters. Did stanley kubrick finally explain the films ending. The meaning of the ending of 2001 according to stanley kubrick posted by jason kottke jul 11, 2018 still, when it came to 2001. A space odyssey ending in a rare, unearthed video the director famously refused to give his interpretation of the scifi masterpiece. A space odyssey the meaning of the monolith revealed variations on the same haunting piece of music, taken from gyorgi ligettis requiem, seem to occur every time an. Hal deceives, lies, and kills based on his own motivation.
A space odyssey is the 1968 science fiction novel written by arthur c. A space odyssey has finally been explained by the 1968 scifi movies director, stanley. But in the final film a lot was left up to interpretation. A space odyssey perhaps the granddaddy of deepthink science fiction filmmaking, directed by. Homers odyssey serves as a sort of loose framework for stanley kubicks 2001. 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. Hal 9000, an artificial intelligence, evolves into a true, fallible, imperfect lifeform. Fifty years later comes stanley kubrick explanation of. 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. The iconic star gate sequence in 2001, when dave bowman, the films protagonist, hurtles in his space pod through a corridor of swimming. The director of the film, stanley kubrick, and the writer, arthur c. After you have read the story of lazarus in the bible, you dont need anyone to explain it to you.
This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of 2001. A space odyssey and its mysterious ending, he did attempt to let viewers know what his intention was. On april 2, 1968, a scifi epic premiered in washington d. In 2015, the museum acquired a large trove of letters, early writings, videotapes, 16mm film, personal items, and early screenplay drafts of 2001.
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. Sure, it might be what happens, but i think the meaning of the movie. Well, aliens thought theyd help races around the galaxy get smarter. 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. It was released, coincidentally, at the height of the space race between the ussr and the us. In 1991, it was deemed culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant by the united states library of congress and selected for preservation in the national film registry. Man emerges as a species slowly, over tens of thousands of years, man explores the stars slowly and actual space travel is very slow. In the beginning, millions of years ago, when the monkey hit the other monkey with its tool the bone was. The interview was conducted by japanese filmmaker junichi yaoi, who in 1980 was making a documentary about the paranormal and received permission to visit the set of kubricks film the. Much of the films luxe vision of space travel was overambitious. What is the significance of the chess game in the film.
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. The first encounter with a monolith gave our ancient ancestors the knowledge of how to use tools. A space odyssey, very little is ever made explicitly clear. It contains the answers to all the questions it advances. One of its most enduring qualities is how open to interpretation it isover the years, the enigmatic film has. 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 david lynchs movies. Clarke and the 1968 film directed by stanley kubrick. A space odyssey has its trailer released in time to coincide with the films original release 50 years ago. Clarkes novel 2001 a space odyssey, his short story the sentinel, and kubricks famous film, 2001. 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.
What on earth did the end of 2001 a space odyssey mean. A space odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans. 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. A space odyssey film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. There are few conversations that could not be handled with title cards.
The most common interpretation is that the meaning is all about how man abuses its tools. Yes, you can spend an entire evolutionary stage debating the meaning of the. Get a full month of mubi, a handpicked selection of cult, classic and awardwinning films, for free. A space odyssey is, for me, primarily about the experience of total awe. A space odyssey is a landmark in visual and cinematic storytelling. A space odyssey, which i wont be citing specifically. A space odyssey 1968 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more.
The following content is mainly based off of arthur c. A space odyssey was a visual and technical accomplishment, unparalleled at the time of its making. For many people, 2001 is an enigma, its meaning cryptic and obscure. Get a full month of mubi, a handpicked selection of cult, classic and award winning films, for free. A space odyssey considers this history and proposes that technology is a fundamental element of what it means to be human. 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. 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 has finally been explained by the 1968 scifi movies director, stanley kubrick, himself.
Much of the dialogue exists only to show people talking to one another, without much regard to content this is true of the conference on the space station. Our 15minute, fourpart video aims at shedding light on its mysteries. If 2001 the year looked like 2001 the movie, it was partly because the films imaginary design trends were made real. A space odyssey, alien and her so dont be surprised to see those pop up in my writing from time to time. With keir dullea, gary lockwood, william sylvester, daniel richter. Perhaps the most symbolic film of all times with the greatest archetypal themes of all ages from the dawn of man to the mysteries of life, death and rebirth and beyond. A space odyssey 1968 is a landmark, science fiction classic and probably the best sciencefiction film of all time about exploration of the unknown. Hollywood knew downer endings and ambiguous plot points, but for one of the first times ever, a mainstream movie asked an audience to chose an ending based on their own belief system. 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. Stanley kubrick was himself quite the chess fan, and so he picked an actual chess game to feature in 2001, rather than a completely senseless position as so many other films and shows have done. My favorite movies are before sunrise, pulp fiction, 2001. A space odyssey is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. A space odyssey was a film about well, what is about.