2001: A Space Odyssey -- Dr Heywood Floyd Moon Base Briefing 

Another take: The National Council of Astronautics and the elites represented by it projected their own sense of loss of control occasioned by the monolith onto the public. They are the ones who would be truly panic-stricken. One major affect that the discovery of a vastly superior technology from a vastly older and more powerful species would have, if it were publicly known right away, would be a huge loss of face by scientific and government authorities. Human authorities of many kinds would tend to be undermined by the discovery as it became evident that "the emperor wears no clothes." But then, many ordinary people actually know this already. On the other hand, knowledge that a godlike extraterrestrial superintelligence intervened in our evolution and might do so again would come as shock at first -- the more so to people accustomed to a sense of elite standing, authority, or power. Wishful thinking?

I just love how the white lighting areas mimic the Monolith. Kubrick has this shape throughout the film and rarely is it ever noticed.

Someone wrote a long interesting letter to Kubrick that was published in 'The Making of Kubrick's 2001' by Jerome Agel. Kubrick's response was that the writer was very perceptive. The letter proposed that it was all this overzealous secrecy that drove HAL nuts. Computer ethics does not permit them to lie and withhold information from humans, which is what HAL was forced to do with regard to the crew of The Discovery. Therefore, the responsibility for the failure of the mission lies with these stupid bureaucrats, not with HAL.

I honestly found the introduction the best part of the movie. The set up is great, the sets are amazing, the aesthetics, I find myself captivated by the first half hour or so than the rest of the movie.

Seemed like everyone in that room had a whole lot of questions, but were smart enough bureaucrats to not say anything and let Heywood's friend Bill ask the non-question "How long are we going to continue the cover story".

Heywood Floyd acts like an Inquisitor, a Surgeon, and a Saviour, simultaneously.

That video camera was unheard of when I first watched this movie.

That was a hell of a speech, Heywood.

I have watched these two scenes with Wm. Sylvester many, many times. They are sooo understated yet revealing

"Now I'm sure your'e all aware of the extremely grave potential for cultural shock and social disorientation, contained in this present situation, if the facts were prematurely and suddenly made public, without adequate preparation and conditioning. Anyway, this is the view, of the Council." 2:39 Dr. Floyd is quoting the 1961 Brookings report to NASA, a report which Stanley Kubrick was well aware of.

Legend has it they’re all still stuck at Clavius under the epidemic cover story.

for some reason these scenes at the base are my favorites

In 2024 this clip still sends chills up my spine...to me there has been meetings like this in the last 50 years .and there probably still are...

The interesting part of this sequence in 2001 is midway in Floyd's address to the Clavius Base administrators. All the shot compositions up to that point are wide master shots of the conference room and the officicals. When Floyd talks about the "need for absolute secrecy...and I hope you will too." Kubrick brilliantly moves in for a medium tight shot on Floyd and the US flag. There is a long pause in his speech. He continues, "I'm sure you're all aware...". The mood up to that time is jocular on Floyds part...but at that point it takes a more serious tone and he talks about the possible negative effects of the discovery of the Monlith on the Moon might have to the world. Floyd is the NCAA's "enforcer" to the Clavius Base outpost...ensuring that there will be no leaks of information. He was sent to the moon privately on the Orion and Aries transports "especially" to assess the situation and make sure everyone tows the line on what the council wants...even to the extent of gathering security oaths to make it legally binding. It gives the previous phrase, "I hope you will too." a more threatening vibe...this means each and everyone of you personally. After this heavy part...he goes back to the sort of mundane jockularity and the shots go wide again.

I've always had this feeling that this meeting has happened sometime in the past...or something like it... This always stuck in my mind...even from the first time I saw it in 1970....fast forward to 2020 and this seems not that far-fetched!!!

Agreed, most important, or "central" scene of the entire film.

"Cultural shock and social disorientation" Love how he just chucks that out like "it's a rainy day out there..."..... I.E it'd FREAK FAARK out of everyone

Great film even today! Better than some new ones.

Hell of a speech Floyd

Clever. It looks like the front of the room and the back are actually the same wall, the crew just rearranged furniture and shot seperately, enabling the cameras to stay in the same place.

Huh, I never saw so deeply into this scene before. Kudos to the people in the comment section here - you are a cut above the average RU-vid commenter.

My God!The room!It's full of monolith shaped rectangles!

William Sylvester is remarkable in this role -compared to his other films he is in a different level of acting -due to the director no doubt. He comes across as a technocrat used to moving in the highest levels of goverment confronted with something beyond his understanding - but still he tries to deal with it by following the structures he knows. The half chuckle in response to "Bill's" question is like a tennis player returning a serve - showing the structure and Bill's place in it. Acting like he had almost forgotten to instruct the staff to sign a security non-disclosure but with the undelying implication that they must do it demonstrates where the real power lies - excellent !

Yup I bet you all thinking what I’m thinking..

Fun Fact: Two of Andy and Red's pals in Shawshank Prison...Heywood & Floyd.

It's the urbane banality that fascinates me, these are senior technocrats that are not going to be fazed by any 'second coming'...

Notice that the wall panels are similar in shape to the monoliths, which are similar in shape to movie screens.

Impressive how they already had artificial gravity working in the room. Otherwise they'd be moving around like the Apollo astronauts. Joking aside, one of the best sci-fi movies ever. I very much enjoyed the sequel, "2010 The Year We Make Contact"

Very enigmatic scene.

“I don’t know, Bill. I suppose it will be maintained as long as it’s deemed necessary by the council.” He travels a quarter of a million miles to them that.

My honorary membership in the National Council of Astronautics allows me here.

Just watch this scene without music or sound and try and give and how and why the camera moves the way it does how long the takes are how the characters are seated and how that changes. You will have a whole new meaning to watching a film.

Fun Fact Watch the remake of Battlestar Galactica and you will see these chairs again (both shows were produced in England). Also in Battlestar Galactica, the cockpit of Colonial One (from the pilot) was a Space Shuttle simulator that they used.

My best guess is Kubrick's (And Clarke's) vision of future advancement in space (giant space station, moon bases) ) was about 200 years too optimistic. But, oddly enough, we do have the wherewithal to get to Jupiter now. Everything depicted on the "Discovery One" could be built today, with the gravity centrifuge, probably nuclear powered, being the hardest and the pods the easiest. (Or even improved) Two exceptions, however: Hibernation capsules and HAL. (Good!) I figure cost of 1-2 trillion dollars should do it.

I've seen those chairs in other sci-fi movies and TV shows (the Battlestar remake in 2003)

the book even made this scene more awesome.

I like how Floyd is familiar enough with the military person to actually grab his shoulder as he passes by. Its one of the few moments of actual human physical contact and suggests a closer tie between the military and Floyd's agency.

I love everything, every scene, in this well researched movie. A hallmark production...every detail taken into account.

They should’ve brought William Sylvester back for the sequel.

Dr. Floyd reminds me of Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music.

The real mystery is if Haywood Floyd could keep his glasses clean.

They walk around as if they're on earth. That affects my suspension of disbelief. Watch how the apollo astronauts moved to get an idea of what they should look like in this scene. Weighing one sixth of your normal weight, and everything including you falling back to the ground at one sixth the speed, very noticably affects the way you walk.

This whole speech is a threat.

Sixties design was soo cool.

When the Clavius chief went to sit down, he reached to unbutton his jacket, as most men do when sitting down. However, I never noticed before the rip of Velcro when he did it. No buttons. Very futuristic.

I never understood why people think the public would "freak out" if there was proof of alien intelligence. I think people would get excited for a while but then go back to normal like we've always done. People never change for long in general.

I think the photographer's suit is the key to the hidden message of the film. Remember, Kubrick signed off on that suit.

love the room's design... wouldn't mind having some of my business meetings in a room like that

Dr. Heywood Floyd was the good chairman NASA

wait... epidemic on the base?

I think this scene is symbolic picturing."Majestic 12".having a meeting brief about what's yet to come & what ever you discover on the Moon...just keep in mind you all took the oath of silence....👽👽👽👽👽👽😎

The photographers plad suit is very unique

This is a good scene, but my favourite scene is towards the end of the film when Heywood Floyd informs Bowman about the mysterious monolith and the real reason for the mission. That scene is riveting. Brilliant voice acting by William Sylvester.

Wonderful movie the reason I have such love for SC-Fi

TECHNICAL FLAW: They are in 1/6th moon gravity but, move like they are on Earth. I honestly didnt catch it until a few years ago after seeing the film 20 times

The photographer in the plaid suit should be a meme.

What is Floyd describing with is fingers to his colleague to the right of him at the start while the pictures are being taken ? Is he drawing the monolith in the air?

wait, did he said epidemic?

wow it looks so 80's, it's so unfamiliar to me apart from distant memories when I was younger, yet still after the 80's being born in 92. It has a liminal quality to it, the color selections and mid-century modern style just has something slightly off about it to me.

I agree that his scene is very significant, but the last part of the movie doesn't really fit into this interpretation. It may simply show how little human systems really control. I see it more as an evolution from violence to information to superhuman evolution.

THIS WAS IT!! THE ONE MEETING!! THE BEST PART OF THE MOVIE!!

Notice the 3-4 black rectangles framing the scene, like the monoliths

We are currently in the preparation and conditioning phase.... phase H

Closed captioning and the HAL-triggered video in the Brainroom shows "Haywood Floyd", but his nametag says "Heywood Floyd". Methinks it's "Heywood" and the caption operator and the video title operator spelled the first name wrong. Or Kubrick messed up.

True, it's been 20 years, but I don't recall electric screwdrivers being used to photograph people in 2001.

Adds the security oaths like a jaunty after thought. Just enough subtle irony to let them all know who is in charge, who represents "The Counsel". Any further questions? In private if you like?

"(kindness and the Virtue Diligence), and hair not crowns of life." ~ St. Claudia

Kubrik did not foresee the degeneration of the American accent which has taken place since the movie was made.

The greatest meeting scene in the greatest movie of all time ! (The 2nd greatest is in Schindler's List where Oskar Schindler announces that the war is over and gives the guards a choice....)

Sylvester struggled to film this scene. They had to do do numerous takes and at one point, he was so freaked out that a nurse had to help him off the set.

3:33! Wow! It's Phil Hartman!

William Sylvester is a good actor (although directed like Dullea and Lockwood to underplay in the film). It is hard to square this version of Floyd with Hyams' version (written specifically with Scheider in mind). I get that Kubrick's point is that humanity has gone as far as it can by '2001' and that humans are almost machine like in a lack of wonder, even if they are capable and efficient (as Floyd and Bowman are), but it still leads to a kind of sterile feel to the film, until Poole is killed by HAL and Bowman has to deal with the consequences alone.

Might have been to say that there is a dangerous situation at Clavius base on moon, and that it was being handled but would take some time, which would not have been untruthful

William Sylvester was the nephew of TV actor Raymond Bailey, who played the greedy banker Milburn Drysdale in The Beverly Hillbillies. That was a polar opposite production in esoteric level, which makes it hard to associate the two.

Stanley's trademark camera wide shots his directing trademark

relevant now more than ever....

When was the first time that Heywood saw a picture of the monolith?

I like the golf clap at the end, the part after he said they would each sign a paper giving up all of their rights to free speech.

Apparently the moons gravity is exactly the same as earths since they move about without any gliding or bouncing.

Fact or fictional I cannot bear the idea that the world's people will lose their shit on the day real contact is announced. Seems that the "leaders" have to grow up, not the people.

0:24 “I’m through now.” Yes, in a suit like that, a person would be through.

is the sound a bit low on this?

Having seen the movie on loads of occasions, struck me for the first time that given the briefing is supposed to be on the moon, there should only be 1/6th gravity, yet everything moves as though under normal 9.81 metres per second per second acceleration. Given the great pains they went to for the zero gravity scenes on the Pan Am space plane, seems an odd slip up by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C Clarke.

Welcome to the world of Chaos Magic - when artwork with a powerful emotional and intellectual focus applied to it eventually manifests into reality. Look at all the Simpson scenes which became real.

I like the camera. Who knew the camera today would look just like the black obelisk that appeared to early man

Where can I buy these outfits? Cutting edge fashion to say the least

La mejor película de ciencia ficción del siglo xx y en CINERAMA!!!

That photographer couldn't move like that in a 1/6 G environment, he'd hit his head on the ceiling. Should have slowed down that clip.

they forgot to rear project the moon surface onto all those white screens!

In Carl Sagan's book/movie, we saw how Ellie's prompt release of the discovery of extra terrestrial intelligence impacted the world, and how it met with objections from those who wanted to keep it secret. Here we have an alternative idea of the discovery of extra terrestrial intelligence, and how keeping it a secret might impact the world. Which would be the wiser course of action?

That photographer's plaid suit. 😮

What happened to Dr. Heywood Jablome?

William Sylvester was perfectly cast for this part. He nailed it. (As contrasted to Roy Scheider, in _2010_ ... yuk!) I admit some bias, because Dr. Floyd was SO much like my father: speech, mannerisms, expressions... everything except looks. Even in the shuttle when he said, "I don't suppose you have any idea what the damn thing is." My father NEVER cussed, except when he was with other executives in a party and he wanted to be 'one of the guys'. But I could sense a slight discomfort when he would (rarely) say "damn" or "hell". I kind of sensed it when Dr. Floyd said it -- or am I just imagining?

The white walls, the podium and the shape of the room all have the same dimensions as the monolith.

1:48 Cover story? Epidemic?

I notice the reporter and others seem to move with the same gravity as earth even if the Moons gravity is much lower. Any thoughts?

I know it's due to just the timing of the movie's release and not being able to predict everything, but it still makes me giggle that everyone in this scene walks around like they're in normal Earth gravity rather than the reduced gravity of the Moon.

How so much Truth is within such a short snippet .. when we can't in all these months reach any truth in our 2020 scenarios .. scripts much??

What happens if they refuse to sign the security oath?

Viewmaster camera!