Other Science Fiction Series

The 2001: A Space Odyssey discussion thread

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Saturday, October 24, 2009 22:57
VIEWED: 6744
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CHRISISALL

Sunday, October 18, 2009 2:35 PM

My Son & I just watched it on DVD. I hadn't seen it since the late 80's on crappy videotape, and my Son had never seen it. It was way cooler than I remembered. Near the end, my Son's questions came fast & furious- luckily I'd read the book, LOL. But I found that explaining it to him scene by scene really enhanced the movie for ME.
However, I STILL liked the original ending where the Starchild detonates Earth's orbital nuclear weapons, a scene Stanley dropped because he thought it would echo the end of Dr. Strangelove too closely. Given the original ending, it would be in my top ten of all time- without it, it's merely great IMO.
EDIT: I take it back. 2001 is up there regardless.

The laughing Chrisisall

ECGORDON

Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:18 PM

Clarke was writing the novel at the same time they were writing and filming the script, so I would have to do some research to find out if he had actually written what you say is the "original" ending that Kubrick didn't use. Another change from the book is the Discovery going to Jupiter as opposed to Saturn. I'm not sure, but it might have had something to do with Kubrick not being satisfied with the FX for Saturn's rings.

2001 was the first film I reviewed for my site approximately nine years ago - http://templetongate.net/2001.htm. I just looked at it and realized I should revise it, because I make mention of the advancement in SFX in the past thirty years, but it has now been more than forty years since 2001 was released and I still think it is the best SF film ever made.

KWICKO

Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:20 PM

It's not just that it would have been seen as too-closely mirroring Dr. Strangelove's ending, Chris - it would also have pretty much ruined the idea of the Star Child coming to Earth as a being of peace, welcoming us as the newest (infant) species to join the wider universe as a full-fledged member.

Imagine, if you will, some alien presence appearing from nowhere and detonating all your orbital weapons above your planet. What would YOU think was happening? Would you think you were being welcomed, or attacked? And if you didn't know WHERE such an attack was coming from, what do you imagine the Cold War reaction would have been? To wait and see, or to launch everything both sides had - at each other!

So that particular ending would more likely have been the ending of humanity, or at least of anything that could remotely be welcomed to stride across the universe...

Besides, while the film was being made, orbital nukes were rendered illegal and obsolete by treaty.

Quote:

By 1967, the military of the superpowers had reached the conclusion that though space might be ideal for reconnaissance and communication, it was a dud as a staging area for nuclear attack and a treaty was signed banning nuclear weapons from a place where no one wanted to put them anyway; rendering the opening space scenes of 2001: a Space Odyssey with its orbital bombs obsolete before the prints even came back from the chemists.

Read more:

http://davidszondy.com/future/war/orbitalweapons.htm

So I remain quite happy with the movie as it came out. Besides, if you're sticking to the novelization, it doesn't even have to do with Jupiter, remember - the signal led the ship Discovery to Iapetus, one of the many moons of Saturn. Not Jupiter. ;) (Which rather screws the pooch on any of the sequel novels, as well as the movie sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact)

Mike

Let the wild rumpus start!

KWICKO

Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
Clarke was writing the novel at the same time they were writing and filming the script, so I would have to do some research to find out if he had actually written what you say is the "original" ending that Kubrick didn't use. Another change from the book is the Discovery going to Jupiter as opposed to Saturn. I'm not sure, but it might have had something to do with Kubrick not being satisfied with the FX for Saturn's rings.

2001 was the first film I reviewed for my site approximately nine years ago - http://templetongate.net/2001.htm. I just looked at it and realized I should revise it, because I make mention of the advancement in SFX in the past thirty years, but it has now been more than forty years since 2001 was released and I still think it is the best SF film ever made.

Apparently, that "match cut" sequence, when the bone is thrown into the air and becomes the spaceship - that space vehicle is supposed to be an orbital weapons platform armed with nuclear warheads. You can't really tell that from its design, and no mention is ever made of it in the movie (that I can recall, anyway), but that's what it was supposed to be, allegedly. If so, then THAT would be a bit more effective of a scene, but only marginally so. It's already one of the more imaginative scenes in all of moviedom, so I'm not sure how you could improve on it just by explaining the duality of the bone as weapon-cum-satellite as ULTIMATE weapon. It was impressive enough to me just as it is - from discovering a primitive weapon and hurling it into the air, to actually flying into, and living in, space.

Powerful stuff, still.

And it IS the ultimate sci-fi movie. It set the stage for "the look of space", to such a degree that even REAL space footage tends to look boring and mundane, because we expect it to look so much more dramatic...

Kudos to 2001 for also being the best "hard" sci-fi movie ever made. They took pains to get the science right, to get the reality of space right, to work with the realities of zero gravity, vacuum, etc. (no sound with explosions, ships that spin for gravity, use of velcro boots to walk in zero gravity, etc.)

Thanks for this post, Chris - it reminds me that 2001 is absolutely one movie I *must* buy on BluRay. Maybe it would be the right thing to do if I made THAT my first BluRay movie, since it was pretty much the first thing that hooked me on sci-fi when I saw it as a wee child in the theatre in '68... BluRay is probably the closest thing we're likely to get to achieving it in its original 70mm glory.

Mike

Let the wild rumpus start!

ECGORDON

Sunday, October 18, 2009 4:38 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
...it IS the penultimate sci-fi movie.

I think you mean ultimate. Penultimate means the next to last, but then again maybe you did mean that, since CIA thinks Serenity is the best.

Oh, ETA: I do have 2001 on Blu-Ray. Better than ever!

KWICKO

Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:17 PM

Ooh - Thanks. And corrected.

CHRISISALL

Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
And if you didn't know WHERE such an attack was coming from, what do you imagine the Cold War reaction would have been? To wait and see, or to launch everything both sides had - at each other!

Ehhhh, I see the detonation being quick & silent for peeps Earthside (though rather bright on the night-side

). Not a dramatic countdown or anything. 'Sides, the Starchild could just deactivate stuff down there.

The laughing Chrisisall

CHRISISALL

Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:22 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Apparently, that "match cut" sequence, when the bone is thrown into the air and becomes the spaceship - that space vehicle is supposed to be an orbital weapons platform armed with nuclear warheads.

Well, uh, YEAH.

Weapons advancement, dude.
Though, yeah, it's not readily apparent.

The laughing Chrisisall

CHRISISALL

Sunday, October 18, 2009 5:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
CIA thinks Serenity is the best.

OHHHH-KAAAAY. 2001 rules; I just LIKE Serenity better. We cool now?

The laughing Chrisisall

ECGORDON

Sunday, October 18, 2009 6:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
CIA thinks Serenity is the best.

OHHHH-KAAAAY. 2001 rules; I just LIKE Serenity better. We cool now?

The laughing Chrisisall

We're always cool, Chris, even when I don't agree with you. I'll admit that things I really enjoy watching don't necessarily end up on a list of the ones I think are the best examples of film as an art form.