2001: A Space Odyssey: The Movie that Changed Movies is 40 Years Old

Novelist and co-screenwriter Arthur C. Clarke - imdb.com

"Will someone tell me what in the hell this is about?"

Rock Hudson as he walked out of the premiere before the film ended. Imdb.com

"2001" is a monumentally unimaginative movie.

Critic Pauline Kael - The first sentence of her review in The New Yorker.

"This is one of the grimmest films I have ever seen in my life. It's a disaster because it is much too abstract to make its abstract points."

Andrew Sarris review in The Village Voice. Sarris would see the film again and completely reversed his original review.

The date was April 6, 1968. That was the day movies, particularly science fiction movies, changed forever. That was the day, 40 years ago, that Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey opened in limited Roadshow release across the country.

The Roadshow attraction was one where a movie would be placed in specific theaters across the country, one to a city. The theater would show the movie once at night with matinees every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The Roadshow attractions were always well over two hours long and included opening music which signaled the start of the movie, an intermission with accompanying music and closing music for exiting the theater. Tickets for these movies could only be purchased in the mail. Box offices were not opened for walk up business. Commonly these films would play for as long as one year and even longer in some cases.

It all began back in 1965. Stanley Kubrick was coming off his hit Dr. Strangelove and he wanted to move into science fiction, particularly the dealings with intelligent alien beings, for his next project. Kubrick studied science fiction stories and approached author Arthur C. Clarke to collaborate. Clarke suggested adapting his short story, The Sentinel, which would make up the portion of the film that took place on the Moon. Kubrick and Clarke began writing the script and novel, respectively, at the same time. Both had major input on the others work. It was expected that both would receive credit for each, Kubrick being top billed for the screenplay and Clarke for the novel. In the end both men were credit for the screenplay but only Clarke was credited for the novel. Though never confirmed it is believed that Kubrick gave up his right to being credited for the novel in exchange for approval of the novel's release date. Kubrick feared if the novel came out before or during the release of the film it could hurt the film so he deliberately waited before giving his approval.

Kubrick broke the film into three sections with classical music as sole accompaniment. The first section was "The Dawn of Man" and explored a tribe of prehistoric apes. We watch them survive the hot desert landscape. We watch as they encounter a large black rectangular slab, a monolith as it would become known. One of them braves to touch it and soon after takes a bone and crushes other bones, thus discovering the tool. Later he uses that same bone to kill an aggressive ape from another tribe that has trespassed on their territory and the weapon is born. In a brilliant moment the ape flips the bone into the air in triumph and Kubrick does a quick cut transition from the bone in prehistoric times to a spaceship in the future. This section follows Dr. Floyd as he travels to the moon where another monolith has been discovered. When Floyd and his team gather around it for a photograph the monolith seems to emit a high pitched continuous tone that is deafening.

Section two is sub-titled "Jupiter Mission: 18 Months Later" and takes place on board the Discovery One with astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole, along with three others who are in cryogenic sleep until needed, and the HAL 9000 computer whose menacing red light acts as an eyeball that sees more then anyone expects. In this section we learn that the 9000 computer series has been error free and HAL interacts so well with Dave and Frank he is almost human. At one point HAL has questioned Dave about the mission and about something found on the Moon and then suddenly detects an equipment malfunction. Dave investigates and finds nothing wrong and makes his report to mission control. Remarkably, mission control's response is that HAL was in error, a shocking revelation to Dave and Frank. The two of them secretly talk about HAL's reliability and the great possibility of having to disconnect HAL not knowing that not only is HAL watching but HAL can read their lips. Soon it becomes Machine vs. Man. The Discovery is now a morgue. HAL has killed the three "sleeping" astronauts by disconnecting their life support systems. HAL also sabotages Frank while outside the ship and is killed leaving only Dave. Dave is able to get into HAL's memory center and, despite the pleadings of HAL, disconnects the computer. Dave then sees a video of Dr. Floyd informing HAL of the mission to go to Jupiter to investigate the "signal" that was sent from the Moon. Dave and Frank were not privy to this information - only HAL would know until the ship arrived at Jupiter.

The final section of the film is sub-titled "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite." Another monolith is seen around Jupiter's orbit. Dave commandeers the last pod and goes to investigate when he enters a "star gate" which takes him on an almost hypnotic journey through vast arrays of colorful lights. Dave will then find himself in a futuristic looking hotel-type room where he will see several incarnations of himself as he investigates. He sees himself as he is now. Then he sees himself somewhat older, a suave looking gentleman sitting down to his dinner. When he accidentally breaks a wine glass he bends to pick up the pieces and then sees himself presumably on his deathbed. Dave reaches his hand out to a fourth and final monolith at the foot of the bed. He is then transformed into his final incarnation - "Star Child," a baby seemingly encased in a bubble or perhaps a planet all its own staring at the Earth.

2001 was a gradual hit for MGM. Upon its release audiences were not quite sure what to make of it but many came back for second or third viewings to try and figure it out. Stanley Kubrick fashioned a most unusual film, certainly nothing like it had been seen before and many believe haven't seen since. The musical score is an array of classical music pieces and the film's first word of dialogue is not spoken until almost 30 minutes into the movie. In fact it has been estimated that approximately 40 minutes of its 138 minutes running time has dialogue. The film was a feast for the eyes but sometimes difficult to follow. The various meanings of the monoliths and Dave's final journey are still debated upon all these years later. Kubrick and Clarke purposely left the film open for many interpretations, some coming from the same viewer after repeated viewings.

One thing that was agreed upon was the stunning visual effects, years ahead of their time and worthy of scrutiny tests today. 2001 would set the bar for visual effects that Star Wars would raise nearly a decade later.

Critical reaction was as divided as a film ever received. Those that could conceive of the depths of Kubrick's vision called it a masterpiece. Those who didn't called it "lazy," "boring" and "unimaginative."

Even MGM didn't quite know what they had. Thinking the film wouldn't go over, 2001 was booked in the Roadshow houses for four months only believing their next Roadshow attraction, the Rock Hudson adventure Ice Station Zebra, would be a much bigger hit. Once the film caught on it was too late and the film would be pulled and sent into a wider release in smaller movie houses. The film then became a huge cult hit.

In the days before DVD and VCR's films sometimes would pop up in theaters every few years in re-release. Because there was no cable television the three major networks had only so many movies they could show in a season. 2001 benefited from its re-releases. After its 1970 re-release teenagers who liked to experiment with drugs started rumors that if you took LSD just prior to the film's start that when the Blue Danube Waltz began you would relax to an almost comatose like state and then the drugs ould begin to kick in at the start of the "Star Gate" sequence thus enhancing an already "wild" journey. MGM got wind of this rumor and played it to the hilt for its 1972 (and most successful) re-release by creating ads calling the film, "The Ultimate Trip." Surprisingly Stanley Kubrick appeared to have no problem with this line of advertising as he controlled every aspect of what happened to his film.

Though the film is now seen by most as a classic it is interesting to note that even the film industry wasn't sure exactly what to make of it. The film only received 4 Academy Award nominations and Best Picture was not amongst them. Kubrick was the recipient of 3 of the nominations as director, co-writer and for being in charge of the visual effects (an award he would win - the only Academy Award he would ever win). The fourth nomination was for its Art Direction.

2001: A Space Odyssey still stands the test of time, the true sign of any great movie. Sadly it has already outlived its creators whose brilliant visions helped make the film reality. It still raises more questions then it answers and it still causes great conversation long after it's over. The more people study it the more meaning they find, intended or not. How many films can you say that about not only today but at any point in the history of film?

2001 is a landmark motion picture.