Essay about 2001 A Space Odyssey Analysis

In the 20th century, the shadow of the Cold War hung over the world, dividing it politically and therefore creating palpable tension. In addition to this tense atmosphere, great advances occurred in science and technology, such as the space race and numerous inventions which launched the world into the scientifically advanced age in which we now live. However, the abilities of these break throughs also had negative capabilities which caused great paranoia throughout the world in the 20th c. In both the novel Cat's Cradle and the film Dr. Strangelove, the creators Vonnegut and Kubrick, respectively, highlight the multifaceted power of scientific progress in the context of satirical pieces of entertainment which are intended to make their audiences aware of problems in the 20th c. world and hopefully spark change.

A Space Odyssey has a realistic, yet theatrical, use of sound and editing to convey the evolution of man. The ‘monolith’ is one of the main ideas in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The tall, looming, black structure in this movie is the main component of man’s evolution.

The Dawn of Man. Four simple words introduced what is remarked as one of the greatest films of all time. There is no spoken dialogue within the first 25 minutes and the last 23 minutes of the film. “2001: A Space Odyssey” is an ambiguous film. The broad range of audience captures various interpretations of the film. The main theme seems to be about the evolutionary process of mankind interwoven with elements of a higher or extraterrestrial entity guiding this evolution. There are some film theories that suggest this movie was all propaganda used in conjunction with the space race that occurred during World War 2. Some even go as far as to say that the same set used in “2001: A Space Odyssey” was used to fake the moon landing of 1969. However, theories with more evidence suggest that the iconic monolith doesn’t represent aliens or “God”, but instead represents the cinema screen of which we are viewing. The artistic importance of “2001: A Space Odyssey” is derived from its ability procure various conclusions.

From this scene until the end of the sequence, Kubrick plays with different editing techniques. When this ape is observing skeleton, the shot cuts to a low angle shot of the monolith. This shows the audience that the ape is thinking about the monolith. When the ape smashes the skull with the bone, it cuts to a shot of a dead tapir. The quick-cuts of the crushed bones and another cut of a beaten tapir illustrates that the apes are no longer scared of tapirs or any other predatory creature. It gives the apes a sense of power and dominance over their so called predators. This method of editing not only becomes an insight to an ape’s thoughts but it also seen as a depiction of mankind’s predatory instincts. The music also invokes the feeling of power because it indicates a connection between the outskirts of space and this major breakthrough of human evolution. As a result of evolution, the apes have a newly-developed intelligence as well as a dietary change that primarily consists of

Arthur C. Clarke, an award-winning author, in his novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, suggests that human evolution would not have been possible without the help of extra-terrestrial beings and the use of tools. Clarke is able to support his suggestions by narrating the influence the extraterrestrials have on humans and by describing the importance of the tools humans utilize. His purpose was to share his take on the final frontier in order to help readers make their own opinions and conclusions on evolution and deep space. Clarke utilizes a direct and scientific tone with his audience in a way to help them follow along, so that they don’t lose focus on the important themes throughout the novel.

In the science fiction film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The director, Stanley Kubrick, portray his masterpiece in an ambiguous understanding where he examines topics such as extraterrestrial life, the dealings with technology and the human evolution. Throughout the movie, Kubrick depicts the facade, monolith as an instrument in awakening intelligence. Moreover, the protagonists go through a drastic change of struggle to explore on the idea of technology and extraterrestrial life.

Science fiction is defined as a genre dealing with futuristic and technological speculations of what could happen; it may depict space, extraterrestrial beings, and life on other planets. ‘April 2000: The Third Expedition’ by, Ray Bradbury, and ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ (1978) directed by, Philip Kaufman, are without a doubt of the science fiction genre. Both of these stories illustrate humanity’s possible first encounters with alien species. In addition, they both have the horrific consequences of the human race’s negligence and oversight in regards to alien species. ‘April 2000’ is set in the future, in which a crew of sixteen astronauts finds themselves on Mars. The story ends with the astronauts being slaughtered

2001 originated from Clarke's short story, "The Sentinel." This, in no way, takes away from the originality of the film. An obvious benediction of the movie is Kubrick's use of music. The classical pieces intensify the sense of awe. From the ape man to the star child, the music detaches us from the events. We view them as we would events in a documentary. Kubrick deliberately adds, deletes and modifies. Hal never reads the lips of the astronauts in the book. This is a stroke of genius in the motion

The good thing about films is that we not only have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of different genres, but also compare them and understand their purpose in the world. The Horror genre has used the basic principles throughout time, and as a result, films of this type have not proven to be as timeless as another genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy. At first, these two genres might at times seem similar as they have at several occasions been blended together, but their basic, common theme serves different meanings about humans. I shall compare and contrast these two genres and focus on both classic films and modern films. From the Horror genre perspective I shall discuss Psycho (1960) and The Mist (2007), while in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre I will examine 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and Serenity (2005). Although the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre and the Horror Genre share some similarities, the differences lie in their focus on human progress.

“2001: A space Odyssey” opens in the African Rift Valley, where a tribe of hominids encounter a stone monument which has obstructed on their domain. This stone monument transmits radio waves that end up expanding their IQ 's, teaching them weaponry and other tool uses to help them live, as they proceed to defeat a rival tribe. Four million years later, we see the luxurious space travel that the vintage science fiction of the 1960’s, with space stations for air terminals and such. Dr. Heywood Floyd is heading to Clavius Base, a United States lunar station. Along the way, he finds out about gossipy tidbits about an unidentifiable disease going around on the Clavius Base and his responsibility to study a four-million-year-old structure. Floyd

“Interstellar” (Obst,Thomas & Nolan, 2014) a great science fiction story with so various elements. It takes us traveling through wormholes, into planets in other galaxies, and black holes. The characters keep colliding into the effects of relativity, which is thoroughly explained in numerous scenarios. It’s also a story about love and family, but there is a villain, whose actions result in shocking consequences for the other characters. There is a great deal of emotion expressed by the character, which make a great impacted on how the movie is viewed. The movie will take place sometime in the future where the earth is slowly becoming uninhabitable for the reason that of a global crop plague and a second dust bowl occurring. The science fiction movie “Interstellar” (Obst,Thomas & Nolan, 2014) does an excellent job portraying advancements in technology, astrophysics and real-life issues that could eventually happen, such as, food scarcity and catastrophic natural disasters.

Recently, our class read the book and watched the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. The book is written by Arthur C. Clarke and the movie was directed by Stanley Kubrick. The book was written as a framework for the movie, so the two are mostly the same. But, while there were similarities, there were also some major differences.

The novel 2001: A Space Odyssey written by Arthur C. Clarke applies many literary devices and stylistic features to humanise one of the main characters, Hal. Some examples of the literary devices and stylistic features used in the novel are the atmosphere and mood, characterisation, dialogue and diction, repetition, analogy, the point of view and the overall plot of the story. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a story of evolution, the future of mankind, space exploration and the thirst for knowledge, technology and Utopian society. The novel was originally written as a film script, however in the 1960s it was adapted into a novel.

Literature can, at times, have a fascinating connection with film. Whether it is a film or a piece of literature, both are written by someone that wants to leave an impact on an audience. However, movies and books have different roles. They each have different strong points wherein books give better characterization, stronger revelations, and inner conflict, but movies create a better mood with music and visuals, showing much more emotion. It's a totally different kind of experience, of course, and there are a number of differences between the book and the movie. The novel of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, for example, attempts to explain things much more explicitly than the film does, which is inevitable in a verbal medium. The movie version of 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by Stanley Kubrick, on the other hand, is essentially a visual, nonverbal experience. It avoids intellectual verbalization and reaches the viewer's subconscious in a way that is essentially poetic and philosophic. The film thus becomes a subjective experience, which hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting. Utilizing its verbal medium, Clarke is able to explain his narrative, whereas Kubrick creates a visual and audial experience, through means of ambiguity, in which the viewer sees everything, is told nothing, and in which one cannot detect the presence of the film as one at all.

Let yourself be transported to the future where drought, famine and disasters run rampant on Earth. The only way to ensure that the people of Earth survive is a journey into the depths of space. A story of survival, hardships, and triumph this is Interstellar. This film was directed by Christopher Nolan in 2014. To fully understand how this film uses the fundamentals of moviemaking to make a complete and complex film I will be discussing the elements of narrative, mise en scene, cinematography, acting, editing and sound.