I couldn't stop laughing at this... the image of a bunch of Black Friday shoppers, still in their pajamas, eyes bleary from lack of sleep, slinging $40 DVD players at each other as the theme from 2001 plays over the loudspeakers.
Actually they took like 2 shots of it because the first one failed and when they got the version that was in the movie they were okay with it not being perfect because all of the crew had major anxiety because of the risks
@@Hampo03 and kubrick, who was safe in a cage shooting the scene, was very worried about the possibility of the animal to kill someone. It would led to the end of the shooting and to the interruption of a project three years in the making (the "Dawn of Man" part was the last to be shot). The mimic who plays the ape wanted to do one more take, but the director refused.
@@SamuelBlack84 as long as there are resources and human greed and etc. war will never stop. even when we go to space it'll be like the new world all over again.
A lot of films back in the day had a black screen, which would play music called an overture, Lawrence of Arabia had one, while some would just say Overture on the screen like Ben Hur and How The West Was Won.
I love how this shows the sudden emergence of conscious thought, of imagination, of reasoning.... "If this bone smashes skulls on the ground, it can smash the skulls of the living animals... and, of course, rival apes."
This is how you open a film. This is the kind of stuff that leaves a lasting impression and really sticks with your audience. Kubrick was phenomenal at opening his films and setting the tone.
I never noticed until just recently that the leader of the apes who touched the monolith and discovered weapons stands. Different. He keeps his arms to the side and doesn't jump around to show dominance. He moves like a human. It's brilliant and terrifying.
@snitchbstudios “An ape that acts like a human.” Haha that is a human dressed in an ape suit in the year 1968 when apes made it to the silver screen. The introduction of A I The metrics of 1 : 4 : 9
Ivent seen barbie but it actually looks pretty cool. If it's turning people onto absolute gems that Kubrick has created, than I'm honestly really happy future generations are appreciating this 😁
I saw this when I was young and even at that age the bone sequence really resonated with me. We are shown the most significant event in the history of the planet when that monkey does something no other Earth life has ever done: he _Has An Idea._ Just like that, the game is changed forever.
@Doctor Octagon all those technologies were invented independently by various peoples on the Earth. Metal work were invented independently in africa, middle east and by the Native Americans. The idea that all technologies were invented in a single place is called hyperdiffusionism and widely rejected by all modern archaeologists.
This scene pretty much is the duality of us as a species: flawed (due to our destructive nature) but also flourishing (in our ability to turn an idea into reality)
People say the stargate scene or HAL is their favorite part of the movie, but mine is when that single ape is looking at the bone and tilts his head. That eureka moment when the music kicks in. Magical. It all stems from that one moment.
Probably would've been cooler if it's an image of a terror bird being clubbed by an ape. To show a almighty predator of that time have finally meets it's match and leads to the end of that age.
@@okamijubei It actually does show that in the book, only it's the leopard, not a terror bird. There's a scene where the leopard tries to attack them in the cave at night and Moon Watcher fights back with his new understanding of weaponry and actually fights the cat off. I think maybe he even kills the cat, but I can't remember, it's been a long time since I read it. The book is quite brilliant.
@@tuanjim799 They all have bones and they beat the living tar out of the leopard, who isn't used to prey fighting back. The leopard panics and bolts out of the cave - forgetting that it's up high on the side of a cliff, with only a narrow path for access - and falls to its death.
Such a powerful scene. I love how when the monolith shows up, they're all freaking out and afraid to approach it, but little by little they begin to irresistibly come together around it. By the end of the scene, they almost look like religious worshippers huddled around something sacred. Deep stuff.
Nah, it’s a Trump rally! Those are the supporters , uh, worshipers, getting conned into becoming True Believers & then spreading the Conspiracies and the Sacred Covid-19 after the worship service ends.
@@CidYoung-REALTOR me when bring politics into discussion about monkies and the monolith from the scene "Dawn of Man" in the 2001: A Space Odyssey god fuck the internet just shut the fuck up and stop bringing your filthy political pollution everywhere
And thats exactly what we have been doing for 2019 years... but now we beat the shit out of us with guns a bombs.. we humans are a circle... we repeat the same history for millions of years...
This scene is symbolic because the first ape realized that his tribe could defeat another by using weapons. The first battles were fought with sticks and stones. The victorious ape threw the weapon in the air and it became a pen that landed on a space traveler’s lap. Hence, the pen is mightier than the sword because physicists used the pen to develop weapons of mass destruction. The pen also put us space. This scene is magnificent!
No. The bone becomes an orbiting nuclear weapons platform. This is explained in the book. In the movie, three satellites are shown - one USA, one USSR, and one Red China. (In 1968, no one imagined that in 2001 there wouldn't be a USSR). Only after that do we see the Pan Am shuttlecraft and Dr. Floyd's floating pen.
I just saw this film for the first time yesterday. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this opening scene. It is amazing to me that something can have zero dialogue, yet have such a massive impact to the viewer.
0:36 Camera Guy: OMG I think that Cougar is actually attacking him, we should do something Director: No, keep filming, this is great footage we're getting for the movie Guy in suit: *Screaming for help*
This scene is magnificent, but in the original novel by Arthur C. Clarke there is much more going on (several weeks with the monolith), you even get an insight into what the main primate is thinking, i recommend everyone to read it.
Clarke co-wrote the script with Kubrick while writting the novel, so i wouldnt call it "the original novel", the story WAS inspired by one of his short stories, about finding a pyramid on the moon though. This is a weird case where the novel and movie are both their own thing having been created simultaneously.
Greta Gerwig making the analogy to show how Barbie changed the doll industry and girlie entertainment forever when the first one showed up in the market, she's a genius
Agreed. Some say the parody is played out (see History of the World Part 1, Wall-E, others), but I thought she did it really well, with Barbie as the monolith giving 50s girls an entirely new idea, changiung things forever.
@@care9540 That's absurd. What the heck are you talking about? I'm not discrediting her. I just said the facts that both Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig co-wrote the Barbie movie, together.
I showed this to my film class and we were outraged that the iconic final cut was excluded.... just warning people if you were expecting that transition you won't find it here.
I remember seeing this when I was 7 or 8 and being so unnerved I had nightmares. 30 years later and it evokes the same feelings. That is what the best movies do though - they make you feel something.
+Federico Pacheco You're so right. That's probably the best cut scene ever. Not including it is either a cruel joke or not understanding the brilliance of it.
Yeah and they also cut out when the sun went down, the deposed clan huddled together for shelter with fear in their eyes as they hear the sounds of predators in the night before waking to find the Monolith had come to them in their time of need. Both key elements of this sequence edited out.
Fun little detail I think I'm the only one who noticed. The first time they attack the lake (1:05) both sides are on all 4 legs. The second time around (7:46), the attackers use their bones/"tools" to help them win. *But they also stand on their back 2 legs and walk around on them, showing a small step of man's advancement.* Just something I noticed that I thought was cool.
this explanation of the using the tool (and thus standing on back feet) by grabing a carcass bone and thus to have the superiority on a greater number of rival apes ; the correlation between evolution and evil (notice the use of same low angle shot at 7:15 and the exact same angle in A clockwork orange in the Marina scene when Alex fights with his droogs and offers his hand to Dim while taking the dagger out of his stick) is pure genius ! No wonder why Kubrick made a movie on the A-Bomb (Dr Strangelove, 1964)
The craziest part to me, is that everything it took to _make_ this scene, the cameras, microphones, even the instruments, all probably stemmed from something not much different than what we see.
The first time I watched this film I ingested THC tea for the experience. After watching I drove out to an abandoned farm house that is free from light pollution. Viewing Orion's Nebula for the first time since the previous winter, and watching the sunrise, with the film still resonating in my mind ,is a moment I will cherish until the day I die.
Well... On a personal level, I believe "higher education" is unfortunately looked up to instead of looking up to education (lectures, papers, articles, and other works... sometimes free material) that brings one's understanding or experience with concepts and ideas to a new level. I do acknowledge that a college or university curriculum forces students to engage in areas of study that might otherwise be overlooked, either out of lack of desire or out of pure accident. Also, primatology is more often overlooked by dudes, so it is a female dominated arena. I have not studied primatology or apes for any lengthy amount of time, but I do have access to technology (sometimes via touch), and I have been using plenty of material provided by graduate schools, undergraduate programs, and sometimes K12 schools to further my insatiable curiosity upon which all effective learning is based. I do admit that I do not have a graduate degree though. The naive, highly curious, mystical and enchanted nature of these apes I do not consider to be necessarily a negative personified trait, providing downward social comparison to juxtapose myself or others with. I do recommend watching the RU-vid video with the title "Isolated tribe man meets modern tribe man for the first time - Original Footage full". It provides an excellent example of how a modernized human can communicate (in a respectful nature) to a tribe of people who aren't tainted with all of the ailments and distractions of modern technology. More specifically, that video I just mentioned has the tribe members reacting with great curiosity and wonder towards simple items like mirrors, audio recordings, and various objects. They then share their tools. And thanks for the comment on my comment... I consider it to be a well composed message, especially for the public arena of RU-vid. [-Official RU-vid Ph.D holder]
@@MrSebboxxx I've always struggled to say what my favorite piece of music is. But I can confidently say that this one is right up there. It is one of the most powerful pieces I have ever heard, and I like to close my eyes and listen to it without any preconceptions and past uses, including this movie. I get chills every time.
not really the black obelisk explain that to a 4 year old never meant to be watched by childeren. make your own conclusion what this movie represent and let them watch it when they are 18 and tell them that this movie propelled the sci fi genre to a next level plus its a mindfuck movie . how better can it get
The cinematography in this opening sequence is flat out remarkable. Gorgeous color, composition, and depth of field. That moment of realization, ushered in by a deep and sustained organ note… nothing else like it!
@@ulysses6863 It is, He is being taught by the monolith that appeared in shot 2 seconds before, how to use the bone as a tool/weapon. This is whole point of the sequence and the whole movie too, I believe.
Trev Johns In Arthur C Clarke’s simultaneously written novelization, the monolith actually tinkers with our biology to introduce the needed intellect. But I like to think that the monolith itself just sparked a rare abstract thought or idea that we were already capable of
tony sabell It sucks that there are people that do not value human life, their OWN lives, they would think of ending their lives, or want to watch the world burn. It’s just evil thoughts that cannot be forgiven. We are our own enemies and we must learn from ourselves and become our friends. That’s how we can gain respect and peace, not by fear or intimidation like these primates have millions of years ago. Scenes like these make me so touched and love humanity, love earth, even with the scary things that trigger my fears, even with the dangerous oceans, the microbial threats, and natural disasters, we still survived and even tamed some of the deadliest. No animal can tame another or anything else like humans have been doing for centuries, for millennia’s
I watched this when i was 9 and remember the music so well i almost shed a tear watching this because of how well stanley kubrick uses sound to trigger emotion and turn a good scene into one of the greatest scenes ever to be shown in theaters
i saw it as the future. somtimes in spore when you advance to tribal the moon or a other planet in the background which symbolises the achievments of your species in the future the same happens here
This is a timeless scene from a timeless movie. After all these years, this scene still shows well and comes across in all of its profoundness. As another commenter mentioned, these 'early humans' look better than a lot of the modern day CGI stuff.
they butchered it though when the sun went down, the deposed clan huddled together for shelter with fear in their eyes as they hear the sounds of predators in the night before waking to find the Monolith had come to them in their time of need. and the end when the bone transitions into the space station (modern technology). that's the whole point of the scene, edited out.
@@steveweiss7191 IMO it isn't 'entertaining' enough to say its the best film from every angle. It's better than most sci-fis, but most sci-fis suck. IMO something like Back to the Future is entertaining, has broad appeal, and well made in every aspect. Or perhaps The Ten Commandments 1956.
***** Man, I haven't the slightest clue. You're better off just googling for an explanation. I'm sure someone, somewhere in some corner of the Internet has answers to all your questions.
+Gunther360 The Monolith is a tool made by aliens used to advance humans through evolution. The first time an ape touched it, he learned how to use the tool, when man touched it millions of years later, he stepped through another piece of evolution and evolved into a higher dimensional being. Some people think he turned into the next "God" helping humans advance.
jose casillas. In the streets of detroit they don't use missiles, as sad as it is humans hadn't achieve the society we want because we keep being pushed back by the ones who still want to act like savages
When the ape realized he could use the bone he had an epiphany. Epiphysis is the name of the bone he grabbed and the Epiphysis Gland is your Pineal Gland.
I think this is not only the greatest opening in the history of cinema, but that it is surely one of the most succinct statements on the human condition ever made. No poem nor social scientific treatment has ever described how little we have evolved--that we are really just apes with much more sophisticated clubs as does this wordless bit of cinematography. Thank you for posting this. Now I must watch the movie.
What I mean is that in spite of our technological advancements we are still fighting with each other over land, religion, mates, etc. I hope that our species lasts long enough for our moral selves to catch up to our amygdala--for everyone to have peace, love, and understanding.
@@michaelmisanthrope Props for explaining the point you made 5 years ago, I agree with what you are saying. I think this theme in particular is quite prevalent in the works of Kubrick. The gangs in clockwork orange and the secret societies in eyes wide shut are more similar to the apes shown here than some of us would like to admit.
No man you didn’t get it. they are licking it. taking vitamins and minerals from there via sublingual absorption. Mostly Iron. Which is known to be came from Jupiter or somewhere to the Earth. Children who have iron deficiency lick rocks and irons around. Maybe that iron started to increase mental capacity, little by little.
+Oğuz Bulut The monolith (The rectangular object) is an alien machine that helps species evolve. After the apes interacted with the monolith, they developed tools and soon evolved into modern day man. If you haven't seen the film I HIGHLY recommend it.
Keep in mind that these apes were used to touching rough surfaces like rocks, skulls, wood etc, not something smooth like that monolith, imagine one of us touching a surface we have never touched or heard its description before
To anyone who doesn't understand this scene: Basically, the two monkey tribes are competing for resources. One tribe comes into contact with this alien monolith (we can tell it's from an "alien" source because it's precisely cut). The monolith triggers the next step of evolution by enhancing their mental faculties, leading them to start using tools. Having learned to use the bones as tools, they defeat the rival tribe, gain resources, and continue to evolve. Fast forward many years, and there's us, having built space ships. In the latter half of the movie, the monolith appears again. This time, it grants sentience to the artificial intelligence HAL. It starts to disobey orders and makes questions for itself. Again, it's the alien monolith doing things to trigger the next step of evolution. In the end, the monolith triggers the astronaut, and near the end of the movie, we see the signature scene where he sees himself progressively getting older in a room from multiple camera angles. He becomes really old, and then sees himself as this new baby floating on the bed. Then there's a scene with a lot of lights flooding in. This scene is telling us that humankind has reached its next step in evolution - some transcendent form of sentient life - just as human beings progressed from the apes in the beginning of the movie.
Love your comment just wanted to add to the first part. There diet also changes from the use of the bone tool. They now introduced meat into there diet. That extra protein must of made them stronger than there rivals. And is a key turn in mans evolution during the movie.
Thanks for your comment. It has also triggered the introduction of warfare and the idea of using tools as both weapons and hunting. But clearly there is a question, as the leader holds and contemplates the bone, as to which will be more important, as it was in fact or fantasy the first murder weapon.
Teeny tiny correction: it’s not that the monolith triggers the next step in their evolution, it just gives them the chance. The book goes into beautiful detail on this entire opening sequence.
I also have ALWAYS loved the use of Requiem by Ligeti in this scene. It matches the idea of apes not only seeing a perfectly flat object for the first time in their entire lives but are receiving intelligence and knowledge beyond their comprehension, they just gather around in awe and wonder, as all audio cuts out and we only hear the ghastly alien voices of the choir build to a high climax
I don't think I've seen this for a good thirty years. It did occur to me, watching it this time, that the desert is not the natural habitat of any kind of primate nor early homonid.
Who else came from watching some news about a biologist found a piece of metal in the desert of utah and they mentioned this movie so they are creeped out about it
Im not creeped out since the monolith in Utah seems to be a sculpture by an artist, but the article made me revisit this scene on RU-vid. I’m still not sure what the monolith symbolizes, though.
They conquer and destroy history.. it was here before European ppl came.. own by Indians probably.. notice they have all the history of the world.. research Russia old kings or museum history.. soak it up it’s truth in it... everything on this side of the ice wall is a mystery into we become one again.. everybody is mixed blood.. only the royal family will survive if we continue to ack like race matter it’s blood, there soldiers mixed everybody it’s almost endgame... you taking the vaccine... the queen will die and then the new king will rule... whipping most of the world out leaving few slaves behind look up Georgia milestones... look up the queens/king crowns we at war as a ppl and don’t understand.. USA is mixed blood no nationality we gone die first y’all white privileged running out (blm) wake up ppl after the civil war at home it’s a wrap we all die only leaving them left and the sale outs and ppl who want to slave in there new world... IBM made a commercial years ago do your research about rfid chips for the future to buy goods which is over seas already
This film has always and will always give me a feeling of real awe. Kubrick was the da Vinci of cinema. He was more than just a man. He was an anomaly of artistic history, one that we only see every few centuries.
Darwanism states we share a common ancestor but we dont come from a primate. It's kind of like spiders and crabs. They are both similar but evolved in different ways. One has nothing to do with the other. Which makes this scene of apes incoherent with Darwinism. But I think Kubrick wanted to portray a mental state. When the apes find the "knowledge" they evolve to something more
All you really need to understand is that one day a long, long time ago, a creature that was an ancestor to primates and humans both got an idea and this idea, whether it was picking up a bone and hitting other bones or whatever it might have been, changed things. The rest is quite literally history.
We do come from primates and are still considered primates, as well as still being considered great apes. We share a common ancestor with the modern apes, but did not evolve from these extant apes. they are our cousins. These scene is coherent with Darwinism, but does not have to be since this film is science fiction.
Ted Fundy nobody in the public would even be able to finish his film.. it appeals only to wannabe intellectual Kubrick fans who have no fun in life apparently.
C'mon, Kubrick did beautiful work providing a look at how long-distance space travel might be accomplished. And this in 1968, long before computers were of any use in filmmaking, and even before man stepped on the Moon. And don't think the Moon landing was a sure thing just a year later; a landing computer failure placed Apollo 11 off course, forced Armstrong to take manual control and find a suitable landing place and to do so with only second of fuel remaining. People took great risks, and even in 2001, success was not a sure thing.
