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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) directed by Stanley

Kubrick
Cast
Keir Dullea as Dr. Dave Bowman
Gary Lockwood as Dr. Frank Poole
William Sylvester as Dr. Heywood R. Floyd

Crew
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producer: Stanley Kubrick
Writers: Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke
Editor: Ray Lovejoy
Director of Photography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Music: Patrick Moore and Frank J. Urioste
Distribution/Studio Company: MGM and Warner Brothers
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 142 minutes

Background and Intro to 2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick, one of the most influential filmmakers of all time, was a key filmmaker in
the New Hollywood filmmaking era in America in the 1960s. His career spans decades and his films span
several different genres. His most famous and most notable films include Spartacus (1960), Lolita (1962), A
Clockwork Orange (1971), The Shining (1980), and Full Metal Jacket (1987) among others. After filming
Dr. Strangelove (1964), Kubrick became fascinated with the possibility of extraterrestrial life and spent the
next four years working on 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), an epic film because of its length and scope.
Kubrick told science fiction writer and collaborator Arthur C. Clarke that he was searching for the best way
to make a movie about man's relation to the universe, and was, in Clarke's words, “determined to create a
work of art which would arouse the emotions of wonder, awe, ... even, if appropriate, terror.”

Because this film is mostly under the style of formalism, a story in the traditional sense of what
we’re used to seeing in most movies today is minimal. The story deals with a series of encounters between
humans and mysterious black monoliths that are apparently affecting human evolution and a voyage to
Jupiter tracing a signal emitted by one such monolith found on the Moon. The film is structured into four
distinct acts: “The Dawn of Man,” “TMA-1,” “Jupiter Mission,” and “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite.”

Clarke and Kubrick collaborated on both a 2001 novel and film, and Clarke’s novel provides a more
definitive story that has clearer explanations of the mysterious monolith and Star Gate. Kubrick, however,
chose to make his film more cryptic and enigmatic by keeping dialogue and specific explanations to a
minimum. “2001,” Kubrick says, “is basically a visual, nonverbal experience” that avoids the spoken word
in order to reach the viewer's subconscious in an essentially poetic and philosophic way.” The film relies
heavily on score and dialogue is minimal because he did not want to rely on the traditional techniques of
narrative cinema. Music instead plays a vital role in evoking particular moods. The film is a subjective
experience which “hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does.” Kubrick
encouraged people to explore their own interpretations of the film and refused to offer an explanation of
“what really happens” in the movie, preferring instead to let audiences embrace their own ideas and theories.
In a 1968 interview with Playboy magazine, Kubrick stated, “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.” Enjoy!
 Pre-Viewing, During Viewing, and Post-Viewing Notes
Directions: Conscientious film students prepare themselves for a film by writing any notes about the film
that may be important during the pre-viewing process and any notes that the group presentation will make
for our post-viewing discussion of the film. Jot down any lecture or discussion material here. In addition,
this page is used to record your notes while you watch the film. In the left column, describe scenes from the
film that seem intriguing, interesting, or relative to your life. In the right column, write a response to the
scene you described in the left column. You may write what you think the scene means, what the scene
reminds you of, what you don’t understand, how you feel about it, or any other comments.
Main Points/Key Concepts Notes
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______Summary__________________________________________________________
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 Comprehension and Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions during or after the movie.
“The Dawn of Man”

1. Many of you have seen musicals or plays that have overtures. What is the purpose of the overture of
2001: A Space Odyssey? Why have it over a black screen divorced from an image? (Fun fact: When the
film initially appeared, so many film viewers didn’t understand the overture and complained to theatre
managers that the image was broken or that nonsynchronous sound had occurred.)

2. What does Kubrick assert when the hominids bully the anteaters, the jaguar attacks the hominids, and
the hominids battle one another over the water supply in “The Dawn of Man”?

3. What is the monolith, the black structure that appears in the middle of a desert? What may it symbolize?
What in the score helps to build suspense or highlight how important the Monolith is?

4. What does one of the hominids realize when he picks up a bone? How does the score highlight this
reveal? Why is this moment so significant? What devices underscore this scene’s significance? How is
this discovery positive and negative?

5. What specific edition transitions are used when an ape throws a bone into the air and then we see a
spaceship? What does this editing transition symbolize or suggest?

“TMA-1”

6. This film was not filmed in space; therefore, what do the actors do with their movements to suggest that
they are in a zero gravity environment?

7. Remember that this movie was made in 1968. What did the filmmakers envision for our future? How
many of their predictions are accurate? Consider the costume design and set design, too.
8. What rumors are Floyd’s guests referring to that are occurring on Clavius? What is the cover story that
Floyd is referring to? Why was telling a cover story necessary? What are they covering up? Why?

9. Generally, what happens to the sound, specifically the score in pitch, rhythm, and timbre, when
characters approach the Monolith? Why? What is the effect/meaning of these devices?

“Jupiter Mission”

10. Similar to the scenes in TMA-1, how is Kubrick successful in conveying a zero gravity environment
through set design? What do you think is happening to the camera and set as people look as if they are
defying gravity? Hint: Christopher Nolan employed the same techniques in Inception.

11. What is foreshadowed in the television interview that we see and the chess game between HAL and Dr.
David “Dave” Bowman?

12. When the astronauts attempt to fix the broken transmitter, what is the only sound that is heard? Why?
The fixing the transmitter sequence is long – maybe even unbearably long. Why does Kubrick make
this plot point so long? This sequence could have been edited out and jump cuts could have employed.
Why aren’t they?

13. When the astronauts discover that HAL has committed an error, what do they plan to do? Through what
cinematic devices do we learn that HAL has discovered their strategy?

14. Through what cinematic devices do we learn that the astronauts have died? Explain.

15. How do you respond to what Dave does to HAL? Why or why not?
16. How would you describe the timbre of HAL’s voice? How does it change when Dave does what he
does? Why?

17. What does Dave learn in the pre-recorded message about their mission?

“Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”

18. In your own words, what the heck happens in this story?

19. What literally takes place to Bowman once he enters the star gate (the part with the insane colors)?

20. What is the effect of having the bedroom decorated in the Louis XVI-style? What could the happenings
in this room be symbolic of?

21. In what ways is mankind described as helpless and child-like in space? When man encounters the
Monolith, in what ways does he appear similar to the apes in the beginning of the film?

22. What happens when Bowman touches the monolith? What does Kubrick assert with this final shot?

Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer the following questions after you watch the film.
1. Why is the film more formalistic than other films we’ve seen? If the film can be considered thematic,
what are the themes that are implied?
2. Note the different scores present throughout the film. How would you describe the pitch, beat, and
timbre of the score used surrounding the Monolith?

3. What do you believe the Monolith is and what is its effect on life? What is common in each of its
appearances?

4. What are the similarities between the Monolith and a widescreen theater display? If rotated 90 degrees,
the dimensions of the two are very similar? What could Kubrick be attempting to convey? In what ways
is the viewer undergoing a psychological transformation similar to the apes earlier in the film?

5. How does man function outside of earth? What theme(s) does Kubrick assert in 2001: A Space Odyssey?

6. What is the black monolith? What does it all mean?! Here’s one spoiler (or one explanation): Clarke’s
novel explicitly identifies the monolith as a tool created by an alien race that has been through many
stages of evolution, moving from organic form to biomechanical, and finally achieving a state of pure
energy. These aliens travel the cosmos assisting lesser species to take evolutionary steps. For a more
explicit summary of the story, read the summary on Sparknotes’ site here:
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/2001/summary.html. Paraphrase what you read below.

 “The Dawn of Man”

 “TMA-1”

 “Jupiter Mission”

 “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”