Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film '2001: A Space Odyssey'. An essay and tribute to the greatest science fiction epic of all time!
For a film so far ahead of its time, it is hard to believe that 2001: A Space Odyssey was made in 1968 way before computer effects were invented. Director Stanley Kubrick co-wrote the film with British science fiction author and futurist Arthur C. Clark, based on Clark’s 1948 short story The Sentinel. Kubrick and Clark wrote the script concurrently while filming--more on the differences between the script and film later. 2001 was produced by Metro Goldwyn Mayer but filmed entirely in Britain. Its incredible cinematography is by Geoffrey Unsworth and the editing, which is equally impressive, is by Ray Lovejoy. The film stars Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood as astronauts Frank Poole and Dave Bowman, respectively, as well as actor William Sylvester as scientist Heywood Floyd. 2001: A Space Odyssey was not well-received by fans nor critics when it opened but gained momentum through word-of-mouth and became the highest grossing film of 1968. The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and won for Kubrick’s visual effects.
As I mentioned earlier, there are many differences between the script and film, so much so that a lot of the film itself seems improvised by Mr. Kubrick. For 1, there’s a lot more exposition in the script’s dialog that explains more of what the film’s dialogue only implies. The script also has a voice-over that clears up a great deal of the ambiguity around who the aliens are and why they interfered with the ape-men and, later, modern man. I don’t know if the script would have worked in the film as Kubrick and Clark had written it; I think a lot of 2001’s mystique comes from the questions it raises and what it doesn’t tell you.
The film deals with themes that seemed irrelevant and even far-fetched at the time that it was made; however, now with the ushering in of artificial intelligence, 2001 has raised Stanley Kubrick from film director to prophet. The dominant theme in the film is how we can change the way in which we see ourselves collectively and individually. To me, this film is not just about how technologies like artificial intelligence, or social media, or driverless cars, or smartphones have changed the world; all of these are material. But the film is also about introspection and how a single idea--regardless of where, from whom, or how it originates--can alter the entire course of a person’s life. This is still--even with all the great science fiction films coming out lately--the pinnacle of speculative filmmaking, Like Orwell’s 1984, 2001 is not so much about the year but the idea for what this particular year stands for, an idea that will stand the test of time.
