2001: A Space Odyssey, A review
In Robert Ebert's review of this film, he says 'The film did not provide the clear narrative and easy entertainment cues the audience expected. The closing sequences, with the astronaut inexplicably finding himself in a bedroom somewhere beyond Jupiter, were baffling. The overnight Hollywood judgment was that Kubrick had become derailed, that in his obsession with effects and set pieces, he had failed to make a movie.' [Ebert 1997] The narrative flow within this film was almost non existent. From an audience perspective, it felt as if it was several different stories that had been stitched together. Kubrick was considered a great innovator in the film world, pushing the boundaries of what film could look like and how it can be made. However there is a point at which you are not making a commercially viable film anymore, and instead you are making something akin to a modern art piece.
While this is the case, 'snippets of its minimalist dialogue ("Open the pod bay doors, Hal", "See you next Wednesday", "Good morning, Dave") pop up in homages and cultural references left, right and centre' [Errigo, 2016]. The impact of this film can been seen within all scifi films released since.
Hi Ollie,
ReplyDeleteGood to see this :)
Be careful with saying things like 'there is a point at which you are not making a commercially viable film anymore'... - was the film not commercially viable? Do you have evidence to back this up?
I feel that you could have included a few more thoughts on the cinematography - you have used that fantastic image of the rotating corridor, but do not discuss it at all. (You also need to label the images, and include an illustrations list, don't forget!)
Keep them coming!