Review: “2001: A Space Odyssey” – Stanley Kubrick

PODCAST:

S4E11M – 2001: A Space Odyssey (movie)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we ride this cosmic starship past the moon and head straight for the rings of Saturn—rather, Jupiter. Once more round the sun I am accompanied by musician John Doyle a/k/a Dole (I Decline, Theurgy) and sci-fi fan Richard Bacon. We three arrive, at last, to stare in perplexed amazement and wonder at this speculative fiction masterpiece.

It was no surprise that this film received universal praise from all three of us. While Ryan tended to cite examples of contributions by others including the co-creator of the story and the recruitment of clever forerunners in the special effects field, the guests were more focused on the director’s vision. Dole greatly appreciated that in the film everything was not explained for him and much was left to the viewer’s interpretation—though, he admitted the book provided a new perspective. Rich agreed and recounted a screening of the work he attended while in university that was introduced by actor James Earl Jones who provided some historical context.

Like, as before, we closed out this episode with another teaser track from Dole’s “Theurgy” band project (Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Theurgy-233634134183768/) called “Dreamcatcher”. Check out this preview of dark wave music at the end of the episode!

-Ryan

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

“2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)” by Stanley Kubrick (movie)

Ryan: 5 Stars “…an ode to space travel and mankind’s cosmic destiny that takes painstaking attention to scientific detail with deft poetic breath and all around general sense of contemplative bewilderment and awe…”

Dole: 5 Stars “…mind-blowing…I mean it’s so influential on any sci-fi film ever since created…”

Rich: 5 Stars “…a cinematic masterpiece—a must see, for anyone who wants to appreciate serious films…”

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

On this episode Ryan mentioned a collection of audio interviews of the director which included a collage of still photos. You can watch “Stanley Kubrick: The Lost Tapes” on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QsSV6yZZIVk.

Some other podcasts about our subject work mentioned (maybe not by name) on our episode were the
Now Playing Podcast (http://www.nowplayingpodcast.com/episode.htm?id=1222) and a June 2018 interview of Michael Benson author of “Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece” by Martin Bandyke for Under Covers and the Ann Arbor District Library (https://aadl.org/node/377257).

There were two short documentaries which inspired the special effects for this movie and where the director curated some of his crew. One was “To the Moon and Beyond” which was part of the 1964/1965 New York World’s Fair Exhibit and narrated by Rod Serling (Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_the_Moon_and_Beyond). The other film was titled “Universe” and put out by the National Film Board of Canada (Wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe_(1960_film)), and that one can be seen on the film board’s website or YouTube here: https://youtu.be/48gIN4hGOdI.

As noted on the show the author and director sought the help of other noted science fiction writers during the evolution of this unique project. Here is an article by Michael Moorcock for the New Statesman America titled “Close to tears, he left at the intermission: how Stanley Kubrick upset Arthur C. Clarke.” – https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2017/01/close-tears-he-left-intermission-how-stanley-kubrick-upset-arthur-c-clarke. Another article about Carl Sagan by Stefan Andrews for The Vintage News concerns how “Carl Sagan advised Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick on extra-terrestrial life for their masterpiece “2001: A Space Odyssey”” – https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/03/10/carl-sagan-advised-arthur-c-clarke-and-stanley-kubrick-on-extra-terrestrial-life-for-their-masterpiece-2001-a-space-odyssey/.

Ryan talked about noted special effects guru Douglas Trumbull who was recruited to work on the film. Although Trumbull couldn’t get effects together to make the rings of Saturn to the satisfaction of this director, he did it later for his own directorial effort in the science fiction film “Silent Running,” which starred actor Bruce Dern. Here is a forum discussion related to this topic: https://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/177/why-is-the-destination-of-the-discovery-in-2001-a-space-odyssey-saturn-in-the-b.

With regard to the final stargate sequence of the movie Rich couldn’t help, but cite the line “They went plaid!” spoken by comedy actor John Candy as Barf the Mog (half man/half dog) from the ultimate science fiction Star Wars parody movie “Space Balls.” Watch that full scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk7VWcuVOf0.

It should also be stated that “Douglas Rain,” who provided the voice for the computer Hal 9000 died after the recording of our podcast episode, but before it’s release so it was not mentioned during the show: https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/douglas-rain-voice-of-hal-in-2001-a-space-odyssey-di-1830379580.

Lastly, Dole mentioned his new band project “Theurgy,” which is a post-punk dark wave band. You can check out rough cuts of their music on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/theurgyband/sets/exit-strategies-rough-mixes?fbclid=IwAR13ja8J6euwpSHXAS05aIFnFuKcbd4z18TGWrMu0JK3c_-4vVW8VDBJlxw. At the end of the podcast episode their is a fully mastered teaser from their forthcoming song “Dreamcatcher.” They hope to have their music available on bandcamp soon: https://theurgytransmissions.bandcamp.com/. Until then follow them on facebook and instagram.

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Preview Episode (2001: A Space Odyssey)

PODCAST:

S4E11P – Preview Episode (2001: A Space Odyssey)

SUBJECT MATTER:

“2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)” by Arthur C. Clarke (book)

“The classic science fiction novel that captures and expands on the vision of Stanley Kubrick’s immortal film—and changed the way we look at the stars and ourselves.

From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man ventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other.

This allegory about humanity’s exploration of the universe—and the universe’s reaction to humanity—is a hallmark achievement in storytelling that follows the crew of the spacecraft Discovery as they embark on a mission to Saturn. Their vessel is controlled by HAL 9000, an artificially intelligent supercomputer capable of the highest level of cognitive functioning that rivals—and perhaps threatens—the human mind.

Grappling with space exploration, the perils of technology, and the limits of human power, 2001: A Space Odyssey continues to be an enduring classic of cinematic scope.“ (from Amazon.com)

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“2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)” by Stanley Kubrick (movie)

“The sci-fi masterpiece from acclaimed director Stanley Kubrick about a space voyage to Jupiter that turns chaotic when a computer enhanced with artificial intelligence takes over.” (from Amazon.com)

 

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “A Clockwork Orange” (Anthony Burgess) and “A Clockwork Orange” (Stanley Kubrick)

PODCAST:

Listen to the podcast here (click to play/right click and select “save target as” to download):

S1E2 – A Clockwork Orange (book & movie)

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

Ryan: 4 Stars “The paths of violence navigate through a forest of moral choices-what is the worth of the automatic man….”

Wilk: 4 Stars “Pretty good book. It’s nice to read something with an invented language that doesn’t involve elves…”

Beam: 3 Stars “This book sucks. I used to like it alot when I was young and stupid, because it was “ultra-violent” and all of that jazz…”

(Click the links to read full written reviews on Goodreads.com)

SUBJECT MATTER:

“A Clockwork Orange”
By: Anthony Burgess

Book: “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess

“A vicious fifteen-year-old droog is the central character of this 1963 classic. In Anthony Burgess’s nightmare vision of the future, where the criminals take over after dark, the story is told by the central character, Alex, who talks in a brutal invented slang that brilliantly renders his and his friends’ social pathology. A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and the meaning of human freedom. When the state undertakes to reform Alex to “redeem” him, the novel asks, “At what cost?” This edition includes the controversial last chapter not published in the first edition and Burgess’s introduction “A Clockwork Orange Resucked.”” (from Amazon.com)

*** * ***

“A Clockwork Orange”
By: Stanley Kubrick (Malcom McDowell)

Movie: “A Clockwork Orange” by Stanley Kubrick (Malcom McDowell)

“In a futuristic welfare state, Alex, a vicious young hoodlum, sleeps all day and spends his nights roaming the city with his droogs, assaulting innocent people in streets and in their homes.” (from Amazon.com)

WILK’S SHOW NOTES:

On the second podcast of No Deodorant in Outer Space there was a well-produced discussion of A Clockwork Orange. Somewhere. In Theory. In a multitude of Universes this must have taken place. However, on the one that you can listen to by clicking the link on this page, there is at the very least a cognate discussion of three bitter rivals speaking about a work of fiction that once again turned into a series of personal attacks that were likely edited out.

All three panelists enjoyed the book and the movie. It is important to note that the book that was read contained an additional chapter from the original version. It is also important to note that no one read the original version, or if they did, they just kept on reading the “new”  chapter after finishing the original publication.

The Author of the book was painted as a failed musician by Dave, who felt that the authors introduction to the book was a little self-serving. Ryan, a constant apologist for all things that may further his career (in this scenario perhaps he envisioned the estate of William Burgess approaching him and offering him a job), felt that the author was quite accomplished. However, Jim and Dave noted that he was really primarily known for this book-and Dave pointed out that he could be a “Harper Lee”- someone with one story to write and destined to be known for only that. It should also be noted that Dave’s irrational hatred of almost all things is Ryan’s fault; or alternatively Dave is just a curmudgeon that likes the smell of his own aggravation.

Despite these petty arguments, all parties agreed that the book was a worthy classic that had a deliberately contrived dialect that really took the reader into the realm created by the Author (click here to see the translation and comparison of the nadsat language to Russian as referenced in the show). The literary style was superb and made this medium a worthy venture for anyone to pursue. And by “venture” we mean “reading”. It has come to that. Reading is a venture. Aren’t you proud of yourself?

Jim made the point that he had read the book as a young man and now re-reading it he found that he had a different perspective-but never the less enjoyed the book. Jim stated that he was more in tune with the protagonist/main character when he was younger-but now he agreed with the other panelists in thinking that Alex was a horrifying human being. Dave pointed out that this was a “catcher in the rye” factor, and Jim agreed. Ryan was likely on Wikipedia learning about Catcher in the Rye while this discussion took place.

The discussion of the movie and it’s director, Stanley Kubrick, devolved into Dave desperately trying to point out facts that were not found in Wikipedia, while other contributors read aloud from Wikipedia in what was either an Andy Kaufman style piece of comedy or a shameless derivative of the lowest hanging piece of information about Kubrick. You be the judge (guilty)! The movie was well received and despite its controversial nature it actually presented a lesser amount of violence then the book and none of the pedophilia (no joke) of the main character. Ryan pointed out that Kubrick respected writers, which was immediately disputed by Dave. There was likely some scoffing as well.

So- to learn more about both works give our podcast a listen. And remember, pack some moist towelettes* because there is No Deodarant in Outer Space!

 * ”moist towelettes” is also the name of Dave’s band

– Wilk