Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole. Dec 08, 20 this site is dedicated to the science fiction work 2001. 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. The film, which follows a voyage to jupiter with the sentient computer hal after the discovery of a featureless alien monolith affecting human evolution, deals with. A space odyssey, had its premieres across the country. A space odyssey sparknotes literature guide by arthur clarke making the reading experience fun. A space odyssey was one of the most talkedabout films. Special thanks to robert gallant, matt pulver and the many other film fans who have emailed me their observations or made their research available online. Four years in the making, 2001 drew from the most optimistic predictions of futurists to map out a then. A very influential film and still a class act, even after 25 years.
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. Since moonwatcher reached down to pick up a bone and reasoned out how to use it as a club, man has been striving to create greater technology advancements in order to give him a better advantage over nature. An ape daniel richter lifts a femur bone from a skeletal pile and realizes it makes a fine weapon. Youre free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of the film and such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping the audience at a deep level but i dont want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear hes missed. Hal 9000, more commonly called hal, became operational in the hal plant in urbana, illinois, on january 12, 1992. A space odyssey released in 1968 was an prodigy in science fiction films, it still is considered even today to be one of the most credible space films when dealing with the technology of the space craft used in the film. Yet the novel explains a good deal of the climactic transformation. The first monolith to be discovered was officially dubbed tycho magnetic anomaly one, or tma1. Kubricks search for a new obsession in the path from dr. 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.
Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. 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. An epic story spanning both time and space, 2001 begins four million years ago, in a prehistoric african savanna, where mankinds distant ancestors must learn how to use the first tools in order to survive. Yet, despite that, the plot actually isnt all that complicated. A space odyssey, but in reality it was moon 2009 which i liked very much and never cared much. Kubricks movie, 2001, a space odyssey, finally debuted, late and over budget in april 1968, to baffled film critics and long lines of young people. Clarke has also written a lot of books, like the space odyssey series, childhoods end, and many more. It was developed concurrently with stanley kubricks film version and published after the release of the film. Yes, you can spend an entire evolutionary stage debating the meaning of the. A space odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by stanley kubrick. This is a story about how man is overwhelmed by technology. A space odyssey is a very good example to illustrate the point, if not the best.
Bowman survives by escaping to an airlock and donning a spacesuit. 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. Then kubrick made the movie and clarke wrote the novel. Kubricks approach to 2001 came from a true desire to make an imaginative but realistic science fiction film.
Strangelove was released in the united states on 29 january 1964, stanley kubrick was already considered one of the most interesting directors in the film industry. The screenplay was written by kubrick and arthur c. A space odyssey summary the film is the tale of mans evolution from the primitive ape man to other worldly star child. With keir dullea, gary lockwood, william sylvester, daniel richter. A monolith is a mysterious black slab, discovered throughout the solar system in various sizes, but all of them maintaining a 1. In a 1968 interview with playboy magazine, kubrick stated.
Demet originallly published in dfx, july 1999 more than thirty years after its initial release, stanley kubricks 2001. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by. A space odyssey quiz that tests what you know about important details and events in the book. The ape realizes that it can destroy other bones with the club. A space odyssey is about progress, evolution, and manapes leaping off the planet and turning into cosmic babies who spread peace and blow up nuclear bombs yeah, that escalated quickly. The ending is largely symbolic, and reading the book helps with its interpretation. A space odyssey see my film analysis page for details. Ironically, the dialogue containing the most feeling comes from hal, as it pleads for its life and. 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. For a film thats so visually forwardthinking, so innovative in its storytelling and visual production, 2001 isnt unwilling to indulge in some oldfashioned. A space odyssey is that man has reached a point technologically with their tools that the next.
It was released, coincidentally, at the height of the space race between the ussr and the us. Clarke and the 1968 film directed by stanley kubrick. Clarkes most famous works, due in part to the film versions popularity, he was a prolific and influential science fiction writer. 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. Im sorry, dave, im afraid i cant do that, murmurs hal 9000, the conscious.
A space odyssey is now rereleased in cinemas, and after christopher nolans flawed and heartfelt voyage in interstellar, it is salutary to revisit the film which invented so. A 1968 sciencefiction film, written and directed by stanley kubrick, with help from arthur c. A space odyssey directed by stanley kubrick, probably my favourite director of all time. A space odyssey is the 1968 science fiction novel written by arthur c. Throughout the movie, overlap editing and dramatic music at times emphasizes the creeping nature of this new advanced world. Clarke and stanley kubrick teamed up on the mindblowing 1968 film 2001. Three turning points in evolution happen simultaneously. There are few conversations that could not be handled with title cards. The manapes of the world, who lived by gathering berries and nuts, were facing a lack of food. 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.
A space odyssey is a 1968 science fiction novel by british writer arthur c. Created by harvard students for students everywhere, sparknotes is a new breed of study guide. A space odyssey film analysis english language essay. A space odyssey 2001 analysis essay 2001 space odyssey. 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. He is the hidden main antagonist of 2001 and a major protagonist in 2010.
A space odyssey, david bowman enters in a room decorated as a hotel. Master filmmaker stanley kubricks mindblowing meditation on the inherent dangers and wonders of technology, the limitless vistas of space, and the future of the human race must be seen on the big screen to be believed. A space odyssey 1968 posted on march 12, 2015 march 12, 2015 by jspence92 so i am going to have a bash at explaining the context of the film 2001. Hal kills poole by using the eva pod to cut his spacesuit air line while outside of the ship. A space odyssey in april of 1968, it was clear that they had set a new standard for the cutting edge. 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 is, for me, primarily about the experience of total awe. A space odyssey is the apotheosis of the oldschool event film, a relic of the period of cinema when multiplexes werent as easy to find as the gas station in your hometown. A big part of that is because theres no real character development to speak of. Stanley kubricks 1968 science fiction opus 2001 a space odyssey is an adaptation of arthur c clarkes book of the same name. Let us explain if 2001 is a nutshell, its a nutshell that splits open and grows nut tree so big that its nut branches reach way out to the nut stars, where it.
A space odyssey is a marvel, a literary piece thats as fascinating as the film its covering and it offers readers a splendid at look one of the greatest films of the 20th century. Clarke has many degrees that allow him to give depth to the plot. 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. A space odyssey is a film that is filled to the brim with symbols. Idyllopus press, website of author, artist, juli kearns part 4 of analysis of kubricks 2001, a space odyssey, the atmospheres section. Summary of 2001 a space odyssey and personal response essay. A space odyssey, this amazing book was written by arthur c.
One of the most influential of all scifi films and one of the most controversial stanley kubricks 2001 is a delicate, poetic meditation on the. A space odyssey uses slow dreamlike shots and creative filming techniques to create a futuristic atmosphere, one in which humans heavily rely on computers to survive. A space odyssey 1968 is widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. A space odyssey, hal represents mans greatest advancement and achievement in technology. A space odyssey film essay questions desk for teens the 2001. A space odyssey is a sciencefiction narrative, produced in 1968 as both a novel, written by arthur c. A space odyssey sparknotes literature guide ebook by.
A space odyssey 1968 is a landmark, science fiction classic and probably the best sciencefiction film of all time about exploration of the unknown. A space odyssey film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical. Sparknotes is here for you with everything you need to ace or teach. Dec 12, 2011 stanley kubricks 1968 scifi masterpiece 2001. Clarke, and was inspired by clarkes short story the sentinel and other short stories by clarke. The movie opens four million years ago, give or take a few, where a group of early hominids lives on. A giant monolith appeared on earth one day and began to experiment with many of them, probing and developing their minds. 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. Fifty years ago this spring, stanley kubricks confounding scifi masterpiece, 2001. The hal heuristically programmed algorithmic computer 9000 computer is an artificial intelligence and the onboard computer on the spaceship discovery 1.
A space odyssey film community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and. A novelisation of the film released after the films premiere was in part written concurrently with the screenplay. The film cuts to the technological utopia of the early 21st century, where life in outer space is an everyday reality. Clarkes most famous works, due in part to the film. It depicts the differences between the written work and the movie production, and analyzes possible alternate meanings to certain themes and motifs. Jun 17, 2015 before the first strains of richard strauss also sprach zarathustra echoed in movie theaters and the public consciousness for decades to come, 2001. Expanded versions of some of these chapters, plus a lot of new information, can be found in my assorted videos on the topic of 2001. A space odyssey 2001 analysis essay 2001 space odyssey summary. Like a piece of fine art or a classical symphony, its appeal has only grown over time. Among those in whom the monolith took an interest was moonwatcher, the only manape who walked fully upright. Geared to what todays students need to know, sparknotes provides. Hal kills the crew in suspended animation by venting the ship to space.