Stanley Kubrick was widely regarded as one of the most celebrated and polarizing directors of the 20th Century. Fellow filmmaker and friend Steven Spielberg once said about Kubrick, "The way he told stories was sometimes antithetical to the way we are accustomed to receiving stories."
And while film history (and legend) has made no secret of Kubrick's reported behind-the-scenes "creative control" and "perfectionism" (which cannot be excused or taken lightly), there's no denying how he has changed the game in various genres he has tackled and mastered in his nearly-fifty year career in the film business up until his untimely death in 1999. He's tackled everything from dystopic crime (1971's controversial A Clockwork Orange), horror (1980's The Shining), period drama (1975's Barry Lyndon), political satire (1964's Dr. Strangelove), sword and sandals epics (1960's Spartacus), war (1957's Paths of Glory and 1987's Full Metal Jacket), and of course science-fiction.
2001: A Space Odyssey is a story that spans millions of years of "scientific evolution," from the dawn of time with prehistoric apes, to the space program in the titular year, to the malevolent A.I. program known as HAL 9000, and to a trippy stargate dimension where time and space work differently. At the center is a mysterious object, known as a monolith, which supposedly represents a "higher intelligence," compared with artificial intelligence made by man. The worldview here is very much scientific and secular, and, on the other hand, very contemplative and thought-provoking.
I recently had an opportunity to see a 70mm "unrestored" screening of this film, as it was originally released in 1968 (and which was also screened at last year's Cannes Film Festival). And I must say, the crisp (though grainy) Panavision picture quality and thunderous sound design, despite feeling a little dated (like the 1960s' version of the future), really puts audiences in both the world of the film and in the era when was first released. The result remains stunning, astounding, and haunting.
"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
Kubrick and co-writer Arthur C. Clarke (widely regarded as one of the seminal writers of science-fiction in the 20th Century) created, perhaps, the most groundbreaking, enduring, and influential science-fiction film, that has set a standard for its genre and for filmmaking in general. It would be another nine years before filmmaker George Lucas would take us to "a galaxy far, far away". Yet, while Lucas's space-opera saga is more serial and entertaining, Kubrick and Clarke's script is more intellectual and challenging, with more questions than answers by the time the credits roll.
The use of classical music (particularly Richard Strauss's commanding "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and Johann Strauss's magnificent "The Blue Danube," the latter being a personal favorite sequence), dense yet stunning cinematography and seamless visual effects (courtesy Kubrick and effects supervisor Douglas Trumbell, who would later collaborate with filmmakers Ridley Scott and Terrence Malick), and epic scale that still holds up more than 50 years later (actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, who played astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, can attest to that). Two other things are quite impressive: the fact that most of the film (including the first 30 minutes, as well as the climactic 20 minute sequence through the stargate) make "2001" feel like a silent film, but with such sight to behold and such mystery to hear; and the fact that the filmmakers made something as simple as an electronic "red eye" seem so threatening and frightening. (I should note that the audience I attended this screening with found some of HAL's dialogue quite amusing.)
This is quintessential Stanley Kubrick, and featured many of the trademarks he used throughout the remainder of his career. Dynamic symmetry. Tracking shots. Provocative and unconventional narratives. A haunting score. Long and spacious takes. Unpredictable direction. Themes of dehumanization or the dark side of humanity.
I had seen this film only three or four times before, and I can honestly say, it was this screening that enabled me to really grasp the full scope of the story without losing interest or resorting to boredom (not to say this is the kind of film that won't test the patience of many conventional moviegoers, to reiterate Spielberg's aforementioned quote). The credits, though, are worth staying through, whether to soak in the various themes and ideas displayed by Kubrick and Clarke, or to simply hear Johann Strauss's magnificent score. Either way, 2001: A Space Odyssey remains arguably Kubrick's best film, and one of the seminal motion picture experiences ever.
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