The Top 11 Overlooked Shots from 2001: A Space Odyssey 

I do love a good black screen shot, but they also bring to mind this quote from the 'Lego Batman Movie': Batman: [voice over] "Black. All important movies start with a black screen... And music... Edgy, scary music that would make a parent or studio executive nervous..."

I have a passion for film now because of 2001. I was expecting to just enjoy a scary sci fi movie and instead it showed me how powerful, complex and mysterious cinema could be, and I've been analyzing and discovering amazing fims ever since

we saw this film on 3 separate occasions 1968-70. It was launched in Montreal during a beautiful warm evening. The audience was of mixed ages and thoroughly appreciated the presentation. Probably the best ever. Cannot be duplicated. There are many other separate Sci-Fi films that followed. 2024 youth would serve themselves well to read about and view this film.

You know, another influential movie is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and there would be have been no way for the aspiring, young director Tobe Hooper to have not been very aware of Kubrick’s 2001, so look at the opening scene, and the closing scene in TCM. Blackness with gruesome flash photography interruptions, and then dawn breaking on the cemetery atrocity art work. The ending has Leatherface’s flailing dance in the fresh light of dawn. TCM’s hero’s journey includes the worst last supper scenario in film history rife with incredible close ups on the survivor’s eyeball, and accompanied with her unbearable, inescapable, screaming, reminiscent of 2001’s trippy psychedelic journey. There’s also bones, a lot of bones, and skulls being smashed in. I haven’t looked into the usage of red, but you got to admit that’s a dry barren landscape they end up hanging out in. Surely Hooper was very inspired by 2001, and reached for high art in the only way he could with his limited funds, equipment, and experience. Hooper only had his raw talent, which, for this one crazy movie, was enough. If you consider how influential Hooper’s film is to the Horror genre, and independent film making, you can perhaps forgive the comparison to Kubrick’s masterpiece. I feel that TCM is arguably, the best horror film ever made especially if it’s measured by its effect on its audience and considering his monsters are just random people. It’s not my favourite horror movie ever or anything, but it sure does horrify, and I do love it, so, as a masterpiece in horror, I don’t believe anything is taken away from Kubrick who was obviously a little higher evolved than most great film makers anyway. Thanks for making videos eh.

I always advise anyone who has trouble understanding 2001 to read the novel of the film by Arthur C. Clarke. It was written in colaboration with Kubrick, and while different in parts, it provides a few insights into the thinking behind the movie.

Am glad you say (albeit fleetingly) that you disagree with the philosophy of the movie, despite it’s visual cohesion/inventiveness. The book and film are troubling in their vision of outside control (science and religion, god and alien). We should be for the good earth and humanity, imho.

Very nice selection and elaboration on these 11 shots! There's a fascinating interpretation going around of your #1 image in that the black rectangle we're looking at while the music's playing is, in fact, a monolith that just happens to take up the whole screen. And you're on point with the movie's birthing imagery (the moon base landing in your #5 could also be "red" as an embryonic cell structure getting implanted in a uterine chamber) as well as your line of the pen "freed from the grasp of its user" in #4 - from the bone hurled into the air to the complicated space toilet rules, it's one of the movie's (and Kubrick's) constant motifs on how technology have come away from our control. As a "2001" superfan, I find every single shot rewarding to examine and enjoy, but one I'd point out here is the one where the pod is facing the Discovery, with Poole's body in its outstretched metal arms. It the body meant to be a sacrifice or offering for entrance? Or an accusation to HAL's actions.? A sign that humans are the disposable commodities that machines pass amongst each other? Like so much in the movie, there's several ways to interpret what's happening, and nearly all of which is rewarding to consider and pursue.

The choice of the black screen as No. 1 reminded me of a humorous anecdote the late great Carl Sagan, who was one of the pre-production consultants for the film, recounted. When he was told Kubrick's working title was Beyond The Stars, Sagan sardonically quipped (and I paraphrase)'With the absence of any stars the movie will be 2 hours of a black screen.' I suspect Sagan's point got back to Kubrick and wonder if it gave Kubrick the inspiration to not only change the title, but nevertheless incorporate the black screen in the opening.

#4 = obvious reference to "the pen is mightier than the sword"

Excellent as always. Can never get enough of these types of analyses.

Great video. Never connected the pen to the bone as tools of evolution

interesting concept, i did watch it again recently, and it is extremely rich and complex as we know, but it does test even the experienced moviegoer as there are sequences, while beautiful in the elegance of their technical achievement, are a bit dragging. one of the main problems is the slow and confusing series of events on the moon base, where the characters and plotting is a bit stodgy and stiff. this is a long section largely forgotten due to its prosaic nature compared to the iconic sections of dawn of man, travel to jupiter (hal vs. humans), and final sequence of dave's 'evolution' ... #1, music - #2, landscape (no country for old men's intro comes to mind) - #3, primates; curiously planet of the apes released same yr - #4, pen; good observation - #5, ship on moon base; more red ... and regarding the humans in the movie, it's almost as if they are acted upon, and being pulled inexorably from primitive animals to technology and then to what is beyond - #6 moonscape (and the space/ship imagery in this movie influencing g. lucas) - #7 'the wheel' and the sarcophagi; humans as petrified like so many ancient remains - #8 'birth' into space, interesting ... the paradox though of humans needing to enter space, yet space equated with death. there is a missing link we don't understand, and to question whether tech is the correct tool for evolution, or if it's a tool of death. likely, as with most tools, it's about how it's used. - #9 'the beyond' .. the 7 diamonds !? , the 7 diamonds ?! - #10, the red helmet, outstanding - #11 ageing/the visions, 'the last supper', interesting, and again of course, the rebirth.

Great analysis, thank you!

Really good! The shot after Hal’s termination looks better the longer I look at it. Nice catch

The music. In the 70's, my elementary music/drama? teacher took us into a large empty room with enormous carpeted stairs, blasted the music and told us to FEEL and ACT the music. I did not appreciate her then.

Interesting stuff. This movie is so packed with cool shots and concepts. It never gets old.

5:50 AND the obelisk! similar shape and reference. That pen may be taken over by media-or maybe the technologies -like a pen-go off and humans no longer have control over the tool. Once they write something there comes a time when they do not have any control over the interpretation. It lives separately from the human who wrote it. or the director that made it; or even the God that created it.......Thanks for this interpretation. It adds new dimensions to the enjoyment of the movie

8:50 i strongly disagree, i think Kubrick loved life on earth and thought exploring space as computer-humans was a horrible idea... i think he thought the elites were crazy and dangerous and tried his best to inform the masses without getting himself killed...

Could you make a video about Takashi Miike? One of my all time favorite directors😄

This and barry lyndon are kubrick best. I've rewatched these the most as I've gotten older. Younger me it was clockwork and shining

Good stuff Josh.

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