2001: A Space Odyssey, the iconic science-fiction masterpiece by Stanley Kubrick premiered on this day April 2 in 1968 at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C. followed by a packed screening on April 3 at Leow’s Capitol Theater in NYC. The film was inspired by the short story "The Sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
It is one of my all-time favorite movies. It is a science-fiction story like no other, deeply engaging and thought-provoking. Even with long periods without dialogue (the first and last 20 minutes have zero dialogue), the slow-paced film, which deals with space travel, technology, artificial intelligence, human evolution, existentialism and the possibility of extraterrestrial life, keeps you riveted, almost in a trance, throughout its 142 minute length.
Here are a few tweets, tributes and videos to celebrate the movie and to experience its joy all over again.
Cinema Palettes: Color can affect us psychologically, often without us being aware, and can be used as a strong device in a story.
Images from 1968
2001 in Space
Stanley Kubrick during the making of the film
Arthur C. Clarke
The Uptown Theater in D.C.
The Uptown Theater is a landmark movie hall in D.C. which opened on October 29, 1936. It was the 14th theater built by the Warner Brothers in Washington, DC. Nothing remains today of the original decor. The theater originally seated 1,120, but a $500,000 renovation in 1996 decreased capacity to 850. I believe it still has a balcony.
The Uptown has a curved, 70 feet (21 m) long and 40 feet (12 m) high screen, one of the largest in the area.
The Capitol Theater
The Capitol Theater was a movie palace located at 1645 Broadway, just north of Times Square in New York City, across from the Winter Garden Theater. Designed by the noted theater architect Thomas W. Lamb, the Capitol seated 4,000 and opened October 24, 1919.
Following the premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Capitol closed on September 16, 1968. The theater was replaced by the Uris Building (now Paramount Plaza) office tower.
Upcoming Screenings
NYC
Dallas and Plano TX
Michigan Tech.
London, “Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition”, starting April 26 -
Movie Clips
Here is a selection of clips from the movie, starting with the original trailer -
The classic opening scene with music Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss
The Dawn of Man scene from the beginning of the Paleolithic Era -
The Famous Space Station Scene. Music: The Blue Danube by Johann Strauss II
Artificial gravity scene. Music: Gayane Ballet Suite (Adagio) by Aram Khachaturian -
The Moon scene with music by György Ligeti
A Conversation with HAL -
HAL can read lips -
HAL — I am sorry, Dave
Frank’s Death (murder) to the sound of his breathing -
HAL’s “Death” -
The psychedelic “Star Gate” sequence -
Perhaps the most enigmatic scene -
The ending featuring the Star Child and a new beginning -
A panel discussion featuring Dr. Brian Cox, and actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood -
Reception of the Film in 1968
From en.wikipedia.org/… —
The original 161-minute cut was shown at premieres in Washington D.C., New York, and Los Angeles.
During the New York premiere, 250 people walked out; in L.A., Rock Hudson not only left early but was heard to mutter, 'What is this bullshit?'
Kubrick cut 19 minutes from the film after the premiere screening.
But a few months into the release, they realized a lot of people were watching it while smoking funny cigarettes. Someone in San Francisco even ran right through the screen screaming: 'It's God!' So they came up with a new poster that said: 2001 – the ultimate trip!.
Bowie took a few drops of cannabis tincture before watching, and countless others dropped acid. John Lennon said he saw the film “every week.” www.newyorker.com/…
In Harper’s, Pauline Kael wrote, “The ponderous blurry appeal of the picture may be that it takes its stoned audience out of this world to a consoling vision of a graceful world of space.”
In The New Yorker, Penelope Gilliatt said it was "some kind of great film, and an unforgettable endeavor ... The film is hypnotically entertaining, and it is funny without once being gaggy, but it is also rather harrowing."
The Boston Globe's review called it "the world's most extraordinary film. Nothing like it has ever been shown in Boston before or, for that matter, anywhere ... The film is as exciting as the discovery of a new dimension in life."
Renata Adler, in the Times, described the movie as “somewhere between hypnotic and immensely boring.” Its “uncompromising slowness,” she wrote, “makes it hard to sit through without talking.”
Interpreting The Film
From en.wikipedia.org/…
Regarding the film as a whole, Kubrick encouraged people to explore their own interpretations and refused to offer an explanation of "what really happened". In a 1968 interview with Playboy magazine, he said: “You're 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 don't want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that every viewer will feel obligated to pursue or else fear he's missed the point.”
In a subsequent discussion of the film with Joseph Gelmis, Kubrick said his main aim was to avoid "intellectual verbalization" and reach "the viewer's subconscious." But he said he did not strive for ambiguity—it was simply an inevitable outcome of making the film nonverbal. Still, he acknowledged this ambiguity was an invaluable asset to the film. He was willing then to give a fairly straightforward explanation of the plot on what he called the "simplest level," but unwilling to discuss the film's metaphysical interpretation, which he felt should be left up to viewers
Clarke indicated his preferred reading of the ending of 2001 as oriented toward the creation of "a new heaven" provided by the star child. His view was corroborated in a posthumously released interview with Kubrick. Kubrick says that Bowman is elevated to a higher level of being that represents the next stage of human evolution.
Some Insightful Articles
Epilogue
This is certainly a movie with a large following and many admirers. I have watched it many times and it is sheer delight to watch it again and again. What are your memories of the movie? Did you see during its initial release? What strikes you most about the film? Where do you rank among movies you admire? How do you interpret the story, the monolith, the beyond-the-infinite scene and the ending with the Star Child?
Further Reading
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (film) — en.wikipedia.org/…
- Uptown Theater (Washington, D.C.) — en.wikipedia.org/…
- How 2001: A Space Odyssey Has Influenced Pop Culture, 50 Years Later — www.vulture.com/…
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“2001: A Space Odyssey”: What It Means, and How It Was Made — www.newyorker.com/...