Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" [1968] Movie Page at Magic Lantern Video & Book Store

           In the movie "2001": A large black monolith appears on Earth, and seems to influence apes into conceiving of tools. Eons later, humans living on the moon uncover another such monolith, and when the sun strikes the object, it transmits a 'piercing' radio transmission that is tracked to a moon of Jupiter.
           When the Discovery One mission to Jupiter nears that planet, the central onboard HAL-9000 computer begins to malfunction. Astronaut Poole is killed in space, three astronauts in suspended animation die when the outer doors are opened, and astronaut Bowman barely survives by climbing into an escape pod. Wearing a space suit, he returns to the ship and disconnects HAL and re-establishes contact with Earth.
           Proceeding to Jupiter alone (and knowing he has not enough oxygen to return to Earth), Bowman sees a large black monolith near the moon Iapetus identical to the one found buried on Luna. Bowman uses an escape pod to get closer to the monolith, which suddenly acts like a 'stargate' and absorbs Bowman into another galaxy (a surreal visual experience in the movie), and eventually he becomes a 'star child' who returns to Earth {and in the book eliminates all nuclear weaponry}.

           In the movie "2010": A joint Soviet-American mission arrives in orbit around Jupiter to investigate the black monolith and the sudden end of contact with Discovery One. {In the book, a secretive Chinese mission to Jupiter's moon Europa lands there and is destroyed.} On board Discovery One, the HAL-9000 is carefully reactivated.
           An avatar of Bowman (now a 'star child'), visits several people on Earth, then appears to the U.S. team command- er with a warning that the human mission must leave Jupiter within two days time. The Russians and Americans argue about leaving, until the monolith disappears and is seen to be replicating itself in geometric quantities on the surface of Jupiter. Using Discovery One as a booster, the Russian ship reaches escape velocity toward Earth, leaving the Discovery and HAL orbiting Jupiter.
           When monoliths cover the entire surface of the planet, Jupiter implodes and becomes a bright star, which is renamed Lucifer. After scenes of Earthian monuments with two suns in the sky, the statement is made that the miraculous event inspired Russia & America to agree to peace. Europa changes from icy moon to steaming jungle, with a single monolith waiting to influence whatever species rises to dominance.

In the book "2061": In the intervening years, Earth sees many political changes, and continues exploration of the solar system. In 2061, a celebrity voyage on the fusion-fueled ship Universe sets off to visit the surface of Halley's Comet; passengers include the aged but hearty Floyd, American commander of the 2010 mission to Jupiter. As sister ship Galaxy nears Europa, it is hijacked and then crash-lands; crew members include Floyd's estranged grandson. Universe is diverted to rescue the marooned Galaxy passengers; Floyd tries to contact Bowman and is visited by a monolith in a dream. After the successful rescue, Universe lands at the Ganymede {moon of Jupiter} colony, where Floyd and his grandson reunite. The dream-monolith seems to have replicated Floyd's persona, which participates in a lengthy discussion with immortal avatars of Bowman and HAL.

In the book "3001": The body of astronaut Poole, preserved for a thousand years in the vacuum of space, is found near Jupiter and revived. He studies the many changes and improvements to civilization on Earth. The African monolith was discovered many years before, and moved to New York City to stand alongside the monolith transported from Luna. Poole contacts the HAL-Bowman combined avatar now resident within the monoliths, and they realize that the monoliths of 2001 probably transmitted a request for orders to their 'superiors', and that the response might be dangerous to Mankind. Poole and HAL-Bowman devise a virus to implant in the monoliths, then copy the sentient HAL-Bowman entity to storage. The monoliths form two immense screens between Earth and the suns Sol & Lucifer, intended to prevent sunlight from reaching the Earth; but fifteen minutes after formation, the monolith screens disintegrate, as well as the two monoliths in New York. Fearing the virus-infected HAL-Bowman entity, scientists seal it/them away, possibly for all eternity; a mission to Europa attempts to establish peaceful relations with the oxygen-incompatible race of beings there.

History of The Films

           Arthur C. Clarke wrote the short story "The Sentinel" for a 1948 contest of B.B.C. Radio; the slightly-revised story was published in 1951, in a British magazine and an American anthology. After completing "Dr. Strangelove" in 1964, Stanley Kubrick decided to make a film about space and extraterrestrial life. He collaborated with Clarke in developing an episodic storyline, modeled somewhat on "How The West Was Won" [1962]. On 22 February 1965, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced Kubrick's new science fiction film, then called "Journey Beyond The Stars", with a planned budget of six million dollars.
           Kubrick and Clarke continued collaborating, while Kubrick assembled his team, including special effects wizards Douglas Trumbull & Tom Howard and cinematographers Geoffrey Unsworth & John Alcott. Many original elements had to be changed: the book takes place around Saturn, but Kubrick & Trumbull were unable to devise a worthy model of Saturn's rings, so events were moved to Jupiter; 3-strip Cinerama proved unwieldy, so production made use of Super Panavision 70 equipment and Technicolor film processed at Metrolab; Unsworth wanted to avoid blue/green-screen techniques (more popular in today's digital world) and pioneered extraordinary in-camera front-projection effects. The budget ran over by $4.5 million and completion was 16 months late.
           The world premiere of "2001" on 2 April 1968 was at the Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C.; Kubrick deleted 19 minutes of footage prior to the general release on April 6; the final length was 141 minutes (not counting intermission music). Hungry science fiction fans loved the film; media reviews were mixed; Time Magazine eventually conceded that "the special effects are mindblowing". The film earned one Academy Award for Best Visual Effects {to Kubrick} and was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay (by Clarke & Kubrick), and Best Art Direction - among other awards and nominations. The U.S. Library of Congress listed the film on its National Film Registry in 1991. M.G.M. has released the film on laserdisk, VHS tape, and DVD; it was released in Blu-ray format in late 2007.
           Kubrick expected no sequel and feared exploitation of his creative results, and so ordered (much to M.G.M.'s dismay) destruction of all excised film elements, blueprints, sets and props. Fourteen years later, Clarke published the sequel novel "2010", and Peter Hyams took on the job of making the sequel film. With virtually all the blueprints & props destroyed, Hyams was forced to re-invent the carry-over settings and costumes and images in space. Keir Dullea and Douglas Rain reprised their roles as Bowman and HAL, respectively. The film premiered on 7 December 1984; the DVD was released September 2000; the Blu-ray edition in April 2009.
           At end of 2011, "2001" holds #127 all-time box office ranking, at 43,336,500 tickets

Stanley Kubrick [1928-99]
British-American auteur Stanley Kubrick made only 14 feature films during a career of nearly 50 years (1951-99), but ten are cinema classics.
Kubrick is perhaps best known to the public for "Dr. Strangelove" [1964] and "2001" [1968], although cineastes would add "Paths of Glory" [1957],
"Lolita" [1962], "A Clockwork Orange" [1971], "Barry Lyndon" [1975], and "The Shining" [1980] to any list of important feature films.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke [1917-2008]
British science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke is also best known for "2001", which was based on his 1948 short story "The Sentinel".
During the process of producing the film "2001", he and Kubrick collaborated on the novel. Clarke wrote the novel "2010" [1982]
that was the basis for the sequel film "2010" [1984], directed by Peter Hyams, then wrote two more sequel novels.

listed #1 on Timeout London's Best 100 Science Fiction Movies in 2015

"2001: A Space Odyssey"
[M.G.M. April 1968]

Based on Arthur C. Clarke's story "The Sentinel", the movie "2001" took sci-fi movies out of the drive-in theaters and into wide-screen movie palaces. Director Kubrick & special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull set the standard for space effects, which "Stars Wars" expanded upon nine years later. The movie is subjective – only 40 minutes of dialogue in its 139-minute general release version – and redefined the parameters of cinema. The "Also Sprach Zarathustra" theme has become a melodic icon, evoking images that are deeply part of the culture – the black monolith, the apes, the space station, HAL's voice & red light, and the surreal ending.
Co-produced, co-written & directed by Stanley Kubrick; co-written by Arthur C. Clarke; cinematography by Geoffrey Unsworth; starring Keir Dullea, Douglas Rain, William Sylvester, Gary Lockwood & Daniel Richter; won Oscar for Best Visual Effects, nominated for Best Director, Script & Art Direction; won 3 BAFTA Awards, David di Donatello Best Foreign Production Award, and Hugo Award from W.S.F.S.; nominated for D.G.A. Award; listed on National Film Registry (1991)

"2001: HAL's Legacy" [indep 2001 TV]

Scenes from the movie and readings by "2001" author Arthur C. Clarke are interwoven with interviews of computer scientists discussing current research in computer chess playing, face recognition, speech synthesis & recognition, and knowledge processing. Directed by David John Kennard & Michael O'Connell; based on the 1996 book by David G. Stork; narrated by Joe DeFrancesco; featuring Rodney Brooks, Arthur C. Clarke, Garry Kasparov, Raymond Kurzweil & Marvin Minsky; full credits from IMDb

"2001: The Making of A Myth" TV special [Channel Four, UK Jan 2001]
directed by Paul Joyce; narrated by James Cameron; interviewees include Arthur C. Clarke, Keir Dullea, Daniel Richter & Douglas Trumbull
included on the two-disk DVD above; separate video/DVD not available online
full credits at IMDb

Moonwatcher's Memoir book by Dan Richter

"Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of 2001: A Space Odyssey" [2002]
by Dan Richter, Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke
Kubrick decided to hire mimes for the wordless 18-minute 'Dawn of Man' sequence at the beginning of "2001". Author Richter provides a disarming and engrossing account of the day-to-day development of his role as the primary ape-man, Moon-Watcher.
Da Capo Press pb [8/2002] out of print/used

"Vision of A Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001" 22-minute short
[Warner Home Video Oct 2007]

Examines how well Clarke's & Kubrick's vision predicted the future (after 40 years' time). Co-produced & directed by Gary Leva; interviewees include John Calley, Arthur C. Clarke, John Dykstra, Roger Ebert, Richard Edlund, William Friedkin, Sydney Pollack & Douglas Trumbull; available only on the two-disk DVD above; full credits from IMDb

"Kubrick's Odyssey: Secrets Hidden In The Films" [2011] starring Jay Weidner
http://www.amazon.com/Kubricks-Odyssey-Secrets-Hidden-Films/dp/B004PF0FJM/
http://www.amazon.com/Kubricks-Odyssey-II-Infinite-Secrets/dp/B007EZNHVI/

http://www.amazon.com/2001-Music-Films-Stanley-Kubrick/dp/B0007KTBCG/
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubricks-2001-Odyssey-Essays/dp/0195174534/
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Kubricks-2001-Jerome-Agel/dp/0451071395/
http://www.amazon.com/Kubricks-2001-Allegory-Leonard-Wheat/dp/081083796X/
http://www.amazon.com/2001-Filming-Future-Piers-Bizony/dp/1854107062/
http://www.amazon.com/Kubricks-Prophecy-Guide-Insights-2001/dp/0968768709/
http://www.amazon.com/Moonwatchers-Memoir-Diary-Space-Odyssey/dp/078671073X/

"2010: The Odyssey Continues" [1984]
18-minute promotional short included on the DVD above; directed by Les Mayfield; full credits from IMDb

Odyssey File: The Making of 2010 book by Arthur C. Clarke & Peter Hyams

"The Odyssey File: The Making of 2010" [1984]
by Arthur C. Clarke & Peter Hyams
The day-by-day pioneering e-mail correspondence between Hyams and Clarke during pre-production of "2010"
Ballantine Books mass pb [12/84] out of print/used

	"The Sentinel" short story [1948] by Arthur C. Clarke, illustrated by Lebbeus Woods Astronauts from Earth find an ancient object on the moon, tetrahedral in shape, that seems to be a transmitter. When they break thru the object's force field, the transmissions stop, leading to speculation about what the ancient listening civilization will then do. Ibooks 9x6 pb (8/2000) for $11.96 Berkeley pb [12/86] out of print/used
	"2001: A Space Odyssey" [1968 novel] by Arthur C. Clarke A large black monolith appears on Earth, and seems to influence apes into conceiving of tools. Eons later, humans living on the moon uncover another such monolith, and when the sun strikes the object, it transmits a 'piercing' radio transmission that is tracked to a moon of Saturn. When the Discovery One mission to Saturn nears that planet, the central onboard HAL-9000 computer begins to malfunction. Roc pb [9/2000] for $7.99 Roc hardcover [10/99] out of print/used NAL 25th Anniv pb [8/93] for $11.90 book entry at Wikipedia
	"2010: Odyssey Two" [1982 novel] by Arthur C. Clarke A joint Soviet-American mission arrives in orbit around Jupiter to investigate the black monolith and the sudden end of Discovery One. A Chinese mission to Jupiter's moon Europa is destroy- ed, the HAL-9000 is reactivated, and contact is made with Bowman, the astronaut from '2001'. Del Rey mass pb [1/84] for $7.99 Del Rey 8¼x5½ pb [2/97] for $10.17 Del Rey 9x6 hardcover [10/82] out of print/many, many used book entry at Wikipedia
	"2061: Odyssey Three" [1987 bestseller novel] by Arthur C. Clarke A celebrity voyage to the surface of Halley's Comet is diverted on a rescue mission to Europa, which orbits the former planet Jupiter, now a sun named Lucifer. Del Rey mass pb [4/89] for $7.99 Del Rey 8x5¼ pb [2/97] for $10.17 Del Rey 8¾x5¾ hardcover [11/87] out of print/many, many used book entry at Wikipedia
	"3001: The Final Odyssey" [1997 novel] by Arthur C. Clark The body of astronaut Poole (from "2001") is found near Jupiter a thousand years later, and revived in time to help a combined HAL-Bowman entity prevent an attempt by the monoliths to exterminate humans on planet Earth (and various space colonies). Del Rey mass pb [1/98] for $7.99 Del Rey 8½x5½ pb [10/99] for $17.10 Del Rey 9¼x6½ hardcover [2/97] out of print/used book entry at Wikipedia

	"2001: A Space Odyssey" soundtrack album [orig 1968, reissued 1996] Word Ent. soundtrack CD [10/96] for $10.99
	"The Making of Kubrick's 2001" [1970] Edited by Jerome Agel, with 96 pages of photos Signet 7x5 pb [4/70] out of print/used
	"HAL's Legacy: 2001's Computer As Dream & Reality" [1996] by David G. Stork, Foreword by Arthur C. Clarke M.I.T. Press 9x8 pb [2/98] for $22.50 M.I.T. Press 9¾x8½ hardcover [11/96] out of print/many used
	"The Making of 2001" [2000] Edited by Stephanie Schwam & Martin Scorsese, Introduction by Jay Cocks Modern Library 8x5 pb [3/2000] for $17.10

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store Stanley Kubrick's"2001: A Space Odyssey"1968 Movie & sequel "2010"

Magic Lantern Video & Book Store
Stanley Kubrick's
"2001: A Space Odyssey"
1968 Movie & sequel "2010"