2001 : A Space Odysessy by Peter Kramer, reviewed

Published 28-05-2020, part of the BFI Film Classics series, 2001 : A Space Odysessy by Peter Kramer, reviewed

About 2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is widely regarded as one of the best films ever made. It has been celebrated for its beauty and mystery, its realistic depiction of space travel and dazzling display of visual effects, the breathtaking scope of its story, which reaches across millions of years, and the thought-provoking depth of its meditation on evolution, technology and humanity’s encounters with the unknown. 2001 has been described as the most expensive avant-garde movie ever made and as a psychedelic trip, a unique expression of the spirit of the 1960s and as a timeless masterpiece.

Peter Krämer’s insightful study explores 2001’s complex origins, the unique shape it took and the extraordinary impact it made on contemporary audiences, drawing on new research in the Stanley Kubrick Archive to challenges many of the widely-held assumptions about the film. This edition includes a new afterword by the author.

2001 : A Space Odysessy by Peter Kramer, reviewed

A good book about a film makes you want to go back and watch the movie again. Over four years in development, and, ultimately a very different, and more subtle story than the original one proposed by Kubrick’s writing collaborator Arthur C Clarke. Kubrick, at times a genius film maker, realised that the film needed less explanation rather than more, and so Arthur C Clarke’s voice over was cut. This propelled the movie into symbolic, evocative movie-making par excellence rather than a pseudo trip to the stars documentary.

Throughout the book, there are numerous stills from the movie which help to illustrate what a stunning and smart visual sensation it evoked. The bone thrown into the air, spinning, before flipping into the rotating spaceship is still one of the great moments in film. Similarly the chilling encounter with HAL and the red and yellow grill lights reflected in Bowman’s visor is also captured as a great visual reminder of the horror of an AI gone rogue.

The book covers some of the backstory, the film production, and it’s aftermath, not winning Oscars at the time, but, like Vertigo, gradually coming to be recognised as one of the great achievements of cinema in the 20th century. A fun, thoughful and enjoyable read.

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