2001: A Space Odyssey By Stanley Kubrick
2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick released in April of 1968. Although the movie premiered almost 40 years ago, it still remains a phenomenon today. The film incorporates the evolution of humanity, technology, extraterrestrial life and a journey toward greater intelligence. The movie has scientific accuracy and unbelievable imagery, creating a visually pleasing movie with very little dialog. The music, visuals, structure and pace all play an important role in the film. The little details are a key role even in the most important of scenes, and silence is the greatest element of them all.
2001’s length is about 160 minutes; only 40 of those with dialog, and the first and last 30 with none at all. As a viewer watching …show more content…
this for the first time without having read the book, it would be hard to understand without any dialog to explain what was going on. Stanley Kubrick chooses to tell the story this way to allow the viewer to interpret the movie for themselves. Since the film does not follow a traditional narrative, music plays an important role in provoking certain moods. With the movie being a nonverbal experience, music is necessary to convey emotion and portray certain feelings such as when the manapes first discover tools or when Bowmen travels through the stargate. Kubrick uses a mixture between traditional, modern and different orchestral pieces. Unlike words, the music does not ‘fill’ the silence, it only enhances it. Each musical selection is specialized to each scene. The music grabs the attention of the viewer and allows them to use their imagination.
Kubrick won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1968 for a reason. The visuals in the movie are long and suspenseful. Some of the techniques used are still considered innovative and many of his achievements impacted today’s improvements. He introduced new methods of special effects by using camerawork, computer graphics and lots of dedication. The effects used enhanced the film by making the scenes more realistic. When scenes look more realistic, the viewer feels as though they are on the voyage along with the characters. Rather than serving a specific narrative purpose, the images allow a viewer to see what they want within them.
Most audiences may dislike the film due to the crawling pace, however it is essential to the narrative. The pace of 2001 is slow and deliberate for a reason. The uncomfortably long shots of earth life or space give viewers a cosmic sense of scale. These shots make humans feel small, as we should feel in a universe that does not merely revolve around humans. It displays the idea that there is more out there that cannot be comprehended. The slow pace allows viewers to think and interpret what is going on, by immersing them into an intellectual and philosophical thought process. This feels awkward because it is something that most directors do not do. The point of the film is not necessarily to tell a story, but to be thought provoking. With a slow pace, it gives you time to do so.
The structure of the film is not the conventional three-acts including conflict, climax and resolution.
This is because the plot of the film does not ever end, it is meant to continue on with the viewers. The movie has three independent sections that are very different in theme and action, however they all blend to make one coherent film. This type of structure is more suitable for the plot because it allows the film to continue on beyond the credits.
In the last section of the film, ‘Beyond the Infinite’, Bowman travels through a strange psychedelic corridor called the “stargate.” He finally ends up in a modern space hotel room with no windows or doors. It seems as if he has been placed here to be experimented on by extraterrestrials. At this point, Bowman is sweating, shaking and the room is silent aside from his heavy breathing. Bowman looks in the mirror dissatisfied, as if he doesn’t recognize himself. His breathing stops when he hears a metal clanking noise. Eating in the other room, is an older man. As he stands up and walks toward the camera, Bowman realizes it is an older version of himself. The older Bowman looks around, but the younger Bowman is gone. As Bowman returns to eating, he accidentally breaks a glass. The shattering noise breaks the silence. Then Bowman hears someone else breathing. He looks up and sees none other than himself dying of old age in bed. Bowman has reached the limits of his humanity has he takes his final steps in his transformation. At the foot of the bed the Monolith appears with a glowing, childlike figure. He has not died, but the starchild is born. Bowman is now at a new level of existence. He now transcends time, as shown by the glass which neither decayed nor went back together. He is still innocent within his new existence, as shown by the baby. The final scenes are of the starchild floating in space aside earth, Bowman’s birthplace. He now will grow with a new existence within the
mind.
2001’s length is about 160 minutes; only 40 of those with dialog, and the first and last 30 with none at all. As a viewer watching …show more content…
this for the first time without having read the book, it would be hard to understand without any dialog to explain what was going on. Stanley Kubrick chooses to tell the story this way to allow the viewer to interpret the movie for themselves. Since the film does not follow a traditional narrative, music plays an important role in provoking certain moods. With the movie being a nonverbal experience, music is necessary to convey emotion and portray certain feelings such as when the manapes first discover tools or when Bowmen travels through the stargate. Kubrick uses a mixture between traditional, modern and different orchestral pieces. Unlike words, the music does not ‘fill’ the silence, it only enhances it. Each musical selection is specialized to each scene. The music grabs the attention of the viewer and allows them to use their imagination.
Kubrick won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 1968 for a reason. The visuals in the movie are long and suspenseful. Some of the techniques used are still considered innovative and many of his achievements impacted today’s improvements. He introduced new methods of special effects by using camerawork, computer graphics and lots of dedication. The effects used enhanced the film by making the scenes more realistic. When scenes look more realistic, the viewer feels as though they are on the voyage along with the characters. Rather than serving a specific narrative purpose, the images allow a viewer to see what they want within them.
Most audiences may dislike the film due to the crawling pace, however it is essential to the narrative. The pace of 2001 is slow and deliberate for a reason. The uncomfortably long shots of earth life or space give viewers a cosmic sense of scale. These shots make humans feel small, as we should feel in a universe that does not merely revolve around humans. It displays the idea that there is more out there that cannot be comprehended. The slow pace allows viewers to think and interpret what is going on, by immersing them into an intellectual and philosophical thought process. This feels awkward because it is something that most directors do not do. The point of the film is not necessarily to tell a story, but to be thought provoking. With a slow pace, it gives you time to do so.
The structure of the film is not the conventional three-acts including conflict, climax and resolution.
This is because the plot of the film does not ever end, it is meant to continue on with the viewers. The movie has three independent sections that are very different in theme and action, however they all blend to make one coherent film. This type of structure is more suitable for the plot because it allows the film to continue on beyond the credits.
In the last section of the film, ‘Beyond the Infinite’, Bowman travels through a strange psychedelic corridor called the “stargate.” He finally ends up in a modern space hotel room with no windows or doors. It seems as if he has been placed here to be experimented on by extraterrestrials. At this point, Bowman is sweating, shaking and the room is silent aside from his heavy breathing. Bowman looks in the mirror dissatisfied, as if he doesn’t recognize himself. His breathing stops when he hears a metal clanking noise. Eating in the other room, is an older man. As he stands up and walks toward the camera, Bowman realizes it is an older version of himself. The older Bowman looks around, but the younger Bowman is gone. As Bowman returns to eating, he accidentally breaks a glass. The shattering noise breaks the silence. Then Bowman hears someone else breathing. He looks up and sees none other than himself dying of old age in bed. Bowman has reached the limits of his humanity has he takes his final steps in his transformation. At the foot of the bed the Monolith appears with a glowing, childlike figure. He has not died, but the starchild is born. Bowman is now at a new level of existence. He now transcends time, as shown by the glass which neither decayed nor went back together. He is still innocent within his new existence, as shown by the baby. The final scenes are of the starchild floating in space aside earth, Bowman’s birthplace. He now will grow with a new existence within the
mind.