I took this film as the battle between man and tool and man himself and how a superior specie attempts to solve that battle. A human zoo approximating a hospital terrestrial environment drawn out of his own dreams and imagination. [13] Nietzsche writes that man is a bridge between the ape and the Übermensch. This conflict between two key directives led to him taking any measures to prevent Bowman and Poole finding out about this deception. London: Sidgwick and Jackson, 1972. Clarke also referred to the "bone-to-bomb cut" in the earlier "Channel 4" documentary (1996) on Kubrick's larger body of work, See numerous reviews on "The Kubrick Site". Several recent reviews of the film mostly of the DVD release refer to armed satellites,[72] possibly influenced by Gary Lockwood's audio commentary. Since its premiere in 1968, the film 2001: A Space Odyssey has been analysed and interpreted by numerous people, ranging from professional movie critics to amateur writers and science fiction fans. For Nietzsche a purely Apollonian mode of existence is problematic, since it undercuts the instinctual side of man. It comes in many sizes and appears in many places, always in the purpose of advancing intelligent life. Clarke's novel explicitly identifies the monolith as a tool created by extraterrestrials that have been through many stages of evolution, moving from organic forms, through biomechanics, and finally to a state of pure energy. "[63], Similarly, Walker in a later essay[64] stated that two of the spacecraft seen circling Earth were meant to be nuclear weapons, after asserting that early scenes of the film "imply" nuclear stalemate. TMA-2, unlike TMA-0 or TMA-1, acts as a “Stargate,” or wormhole which could move any nearby and desired object anywhere in the galaxy (Hayine). This is the subject of Chapter 27 of the novel. Remember-your new ending must correlate with the entirety of the book and maintain coherency of the book. In the same interview, he also blames the poor critical reaction to 2001 as follows:[14]. He is reborn, an enhanced being, a star child, an angel, a superman, if you like, and returns to earth prepared for the next leap forward of man’s evolutionary destiny. [24], As with many elements of the film, the iconic monolith has been subject to numerous interpretations, including religious, alchemical,[26] historical, and evolutionary. In the next scene, another ape from an enemy tribe attempts to drink from their watering hole. [30] Carolyn Geduld believes that what "structurally unites all four episodes of the film" is the monolith, the film's largest and most unresolvable enigma. What did Kubrick have to say about what 2001 "means"? Academic analyses of 2001: A Space Odyssey. [57][58] Former NASA research assistant Steven Pietrobon[59] wrote "The orbital craft seen as we make the leap from the Dawn of Man to contemporary times are supposed to be weapons platforms carrying nuclear devices, though the movie does not make this clear. Kubrick interviewed by Joseph Gelmis (1969), LoBrutto, Vincent. The Starchild, as shown on screen, is a cinematic representation of the consciousness of Dave Bowman. The eye’s warped wide-angle point-of-view is shown several times—notably in the drawings of hibernating astronauts (all of whom HAL will later murder)."[44]. For instance, Frank Poole watches a birthday transmission from his parents with what appears to be complete apathy. In this sense, the film becomes anything the viewer sees in it. Man can detect strong magnetic fields, fly to the moon, and have the ability to excavate. And why does he wind up in some cosmic hotel suite at the end of it? Kubrick's film leaves all this unstated.[9]. In the final episode, the Robinsons embark on two important goals: 1. Orbiting Jupiter is a very short book. There have been several: * The phases of the Venus, which showed that the Venus was orbiting the Sun and not the Earth. The apes erupt with fear. Humanity has left its cradle, and is ready for the next step. [73][74] Indeed, details worked out with input from space industry experts, such as the structure on the first satellite that Pietrobon refers to as a "conning tower", match the original concept sketch drawn for the nuclear bomb platform. While the film remains ambiguous, one can see evidence in the film that since HAL was instructed to deceive the mission astronauts as to the actual nature of the mission and that deception opens a Pandora's box of possibilities. See Featured Authors Answering Questions Learn more This sound is a signal to the third monolith orbiting Jupiter and the Firstborns that man has advanced significantly and is ready to travel to another planet and eventually continue to the next step of the evolutionary process (Hayine). NASA explained: “Cyclones at the north pole of Jupiter … Man is growing up. It's reasonable to assume that there must be, in fact, countless billions of such planets where biological life has arisen, and the odds of some proportion of such life developing intelligence are high. Immediately following this exchange, he errs in diagnosing the antenna unit. [49] Further, Kubrick intended that the Star Child would detonate the weapons at the end of the film. Pietrobon notes on the Starship Modeler website, p. 88 within the somewhat lengthy photo insert which has no page numbering. It depicts Bowman traveling through some kind of interstellar switching station which the book refers to as "Grand Central," in which travelers go into a central hub and then are routed to their individual destinations. [23], New Zealand journalist Scott MacLeod sees parallels between the spaceship's journey and the physical act of conception. James John Griffith, in a footnote in his book Adaptations As Imitations: Films from Novels, wrote "I would wonder, for instance, how several critics, commenting on the match-cut that links humanity's prehistory and future, can identify—without reference to Clarke's novel—the satellite as a nuclear weapon". As usual, Earth and the humans on Earth are basically reduced to nothingness, like we deserve to be. Clarke's novel explicitly identifies the monolith as a tool created by extraterrestrials that have been through many stages of evolution, moving from organic forms, through biomechanics, and finally to a state of pure energy. What are the names of the three boys who Jack warns Joseph about? My ratings explained: 5/5 – a geat book…go out and read it NOW. 4/5 – a good book…definately worth a download. [24], Similarly, in his book, The Making of Kubrick's 2001, author Jerome Agel puts forward the interpretation that Discovery One represents both a body (with vertebrae) and a sperm cell, with Bowman being the "life" in the cell which is passed on. The series of monoliths help this happen over millions of years, and in the end, man has reached its peak. Strangelove". According to John Thurman, HAL’s very existence is an abomination, much like Frankenstein’s monster. When Dave states "You're working up your crew psychology report," HAL takes a few seconds to respond in the affirmative. Clarke has suggested in interviews, his original novel, and in a rough draft of the shooting script that HAL's orders to lie to the astronauts (more specifically, concealing the true nature of the mission) drove him "insane". Given a planet in a stable orbit, not too hot and not too cold, and given a few billion years of chance chemical reactions created by the interaction of a sun's energy on the planet's chemicals, it's fairly certain that life in one form or another will eventually emerge. Perhaps there is a certain element of the lumpen literati that is so dogmatically atheist and materialist and Earth-bound that it finds the grandeur of space and the myriad mysteries of cosmic intelligence anathema. Ask and answer questions about books! Galileo Galilei Key Terms and Events Definitions of the important terms you need to know about in order to understand Galileo Galilei, including Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, Geocentricity , Heliocentricity , Inquisition , Jesuits , Roman Catholic Church , … In this interpretation, Jupiter represents both a female and an ovum.[25]. After Bowman concludes that HAL is dutifully drawing up the "crew psychology report", the computer makes his false prediction of hardware failure. The small amount of remaining information is speculation. A Jupiter-like planet called HD106906 b, which orbits two stars 336 light-years away, could shed light on the hypothesised member of our Solar System … Their potentialities would be limitless and their intelligence ungraspable by humans. Another hint occurs at the moment of HAL's deactivation when a video reveals the purpose of the mission. After the first encounter with the monolith, we see the leader of the apes have a quick flashback to the monolith after which he picks up a bone and uses it to smash other bones. But Arthur took all the existing material, plus an impression of some of the rushes, and wrote the novel. Orbiting Jupiter is no exception, though instead of being aimed at middle grade kids, it is definitely for high school age teens. When told of the comment, Kubrick said "I believe he made it [the comment] facetiously. . But the use of tools also allowed mankind to survive and flourish over the next four million years, at which point the monolith makes its second appearance, this time on the Moon. Though, Kubrick makes a bold point the master of Earth is just a child in space. He is reborn, an enhanced … Author Vincent LoBrutto, in Stanley Kubrick: A Biography, was inclined to note creative differences leading to a separation of meaning for book and film: The film took on its own life as it was being made, and Clarke became increasingly irrelevant. Or as desirable, given his programming to "only win 50% of the time" at chess, in order for the human astronauts to feel competitive. Bowman is effectively reborn within the monolith and looks over mankind. When Discovery One, now with Dave alone, arrives at Jupiter’s orbit. [56], Arthur C. Clarke, in the TV documentary 2001: The Making of a Myth, described the bone-to-satellite sequence in the film, saying "The bone goes up and turns into what is supposed to be an orbiting space bomb, a weapon in space. On the one hand, the 2001 exhibit (given in that year) at the Tech Museum in San Jose and now online (for a subscription) referred merely to "satellites",[76] while a special modelling exhibition at the exhibition hall at Porte de Versailles in Paris also held in 2001 (called 2001 l'odyssée des maquettes (2001: A Modeler's Odyssey)) overtly described their reconstructions of the first satellite as the "US Orbiting Weapons Platform".