2001: A Space Odyssey
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: William Sylvester, Gary Lockwood
Rated: PG for mild language, intense imagery, and thematic elements
The pure majesty and beauty of the films of Stanley Kubrick (not all of which are appropriate) is not necessarily the narratives that are told, but is how Kubrick tells the story, a perfect understanding of how film communicates with it’s audience. Perhaps no film represents this better than the sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film which may confuse individuals by it’s narrative structure, but it clearly and perfectly communicates the themes of Kubrick’s story. 2001 isn’t just Kubrick showing off his talent in special effects and cinematography (though it certainly does), it communicates the atmosphere and wonder of it’s setting. From the famous “ballet in space” scene to the “Jupiter light show”, Kubrick understands that the visuals make you process the setting rather than just tell you what to think, making it one of the most visually-driven films ever made.
More importantly, 2001 is a theory on the meaning and origin of life, which is advanced through the alien intelligence of the Monolith, a large black box, which helps develop the primal monkeys at the dawn of time to understand how to use tools, through the advancement of technology and evolution of the future. However, understanding his Darwinian roots, Kubrick also realizes that future hope is based in the death of other species, from primal monkeys who must learn to adapt, to the intelligence of the computer HAL, to the lonely and isolated astronaut dying alone. Whatever hope is contrived by the future, it leaves nothing but a bleak outlook for those living in the present.
Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
Starring: William Sylvester, Gary Lockwood
Rated: PG for mild language, intense imagery, and thematic elements
The pure majesty and beauty of the films of Stanley Kubrick (not all of which are appropriate) is not necessarily the narratives that are told, but is how Kubrick tells the story, a perfect understanding of how film communicates with it’s audience. Perhaps no film represents this better than the sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, a film which may confuse individuals by it’s narrative structure, but it clearly and perfectly communicates the themes of Kubrick’s story. 2001 isn’t just Kubrick showing off his talent in special effects and cinematography (though it certainly does), it communicates the atmosphere and wonder of it’s setting. From the famous “ballet in space” scene to the “Jupiter light show”, Kubrick understands that the visuals make you process the setting rather than just tell you what to think, making it one of the most visually-driven films ever made.
More importantly, 2001 is a theory on the meaning and origin of life, which is advanced through the alien intelligence of the Monolith, a large black box, which helps develop the primal monkeys at the dawn of time to understand how to use tools, through the advancement of technology and evolution of the future. However, understanding his Darwinian roots, Kubrick also realizes that future hope is based in the death of other species, from primal monkeys who must learn to adapt, to the intelligence of the computer HAL, to the lonely and isolated astronaut dying alone. Whatever hope is contrived by the future, it leaves nothing but a bleak outlook for those living in the present.
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