2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writers:

Stanley Kubrick (screenplay) &
Arthur C. Clarke (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 April 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Let the Awe and Mystery of a Journey Unlike Any Other Begin

Plot:

Mankind finds a mysterious, obviously artificial, artifact buried on the moon and, with the intelligent computer HAL, sets off on a quest.

Plot Keywords:

Monolith | Moon | Computer | Evolution | Jupiter

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Keir Dullea	...	Dr. Dave Bowman
Gary Lockwood	...	Dr. Frank Poole
William Sylvester	...	Dr. Heywood R. Floyd
Daniel Richter	...	Moon-Watcher
Leonard Rossiter	...	Dr. Andrei Smyslov
Margaret Tyzack	...	Elena
Robert Beatty	...	Dr. Ralph Halvorsen
Sean Sullivan	...	Dr. Bill Michaels
Douglas Rain	...	HAL 9000 (voice)
Frank Miller	...	Mission controller (voice)
Bill Weston	...	Astronaut
Ed Bishop	...	Aries-1B Lunar shuttle captain (as Edward Bishop)
Glenn Beck	...	Astronaut
Alan Gifford	...	Poole's father
Ann Gillis	...	Poole's mother

Also Known As:

How the Solar System Was Won (USA) (working title)
Journey Beyond the Stars (USA) (working title)
Two Thousand and One: A Space Odyssey (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

141 min | 160 min (premiere cut)

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | DTS 70 mm (2001 re-release)

Certification:

Spain:T | Italy:T | Netherlands:AL (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2007) | New Zealand:PG | Malaysia:U | Argentina:13 | Israel:PG | Canada:PG (Alberta) (2009) | Australia:G | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Norway:11 | Norway:12 (1969) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:12 | Ireland:G | Brazil:Livre

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The first film showing a completely revised (and very short-lived) version of the M-G-M lion logo.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: To come up with a convincing effect for the floating pen in the shuttle sequence, Kubrick decided to simply use a pen that was taped to a sheet of glass suspended in front of the camera (in fact, the shuttle attendant can be seen to "pull" the pen off the glass when she takes hold of it). If you watch carefully around the upper left corner of the screen just before she catches the pen, you can see the glass briefly reflecting light as it rotates to give the floating effect to the pen.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Aries-1B stewardess: Here you are, sir, main level please.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Gay Sex in the 70s (2005)

Soundtrack:

Requiem

My brief review of the film

A whimsical, often spectacular view of a future in which advances in technology dominate the world. It is well shot and although slow-moving it is intense and enjoyable throughout. The featuring of classical music to establish atmosphere works brilliantly; it provides a feeling of awe, mystery and intrigue – the same aura that Walt Disney worked in creating 'Fantasia'. The special effects, both sound and visual, are still spellbinding by the standards of today's technology. Aside from the technical pluses of the film, it stands strong as it is one of not many films out there that has something important to say about humankind, and where the human race is heading in terms of our increasing reliance on machines and our unquenchable thirst to discover. Despite an ending that is hard to understand, it is even harder to overlook this film a true cinema classic.