I just watched Stanley Kubrick’s eighth feature film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, continuing my deep-dive into Kubrick’s films. This is a film I have watched many times before, but it had been quite a while since the last time. It came out in 1968 (the year of my birth, as it happens). It lasts 2 1/2 hours. It’s a classic for a reason; it’s hard to imagine a more compelling movie, really. And the music! Such perfect use of dramatic classical pieces!
A few things really struck me this time around. First, what incredible special effects for 1968! I dare say these were the best special effects set in space up to that point by a wide margin. (Star Wars: A New Hope in 1977 took the next big leap, in my opinion.) Impressive and creative technical filmmaking in 2001 for sure.
I also appreciated the opening scenes more this time around. The first time I watched this movie (in the late 80s, when I was in college), the scenes with the apes in the beginning struck me as boring and ridiculous. For some reason, it didn’t hit me that way at all this viewing. I appreciated the whole monolith storyline that Arthur C. Clarke came up with much more this time. The mimes/actors in the ape suits actually did a great job.
I also appreciated the film-craft of Kubrick more on this viewing. So many great shots… I loved how much ambiguity he left in a key spots, like when Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) is alone in the aliens’ strange home for him at the end — when Kubrick shows the passage of time in a very clever way. I also appreciated the intensity and acting of Dullea and wish he had been in more films. (Apparently he has mostly worked in theater.)
And yes, the part with HAL is incredibly memorable and strangely chilling. Hopefully it’s not prophetic.
Fool of Spirit 