![]() Except for William Sylvester, as the scientist who reveals the project to investigate possibility of life on another planet, the other human roles are little more than walkons. Their complete lack of emotion becomes rather implausible during scenes where they discover, and discuss, the villainy of the computer. Hal (voiced by Douglas Rain, although originally done by Martin Balsam) is one of the film’s best effects and surprisingly acceptable, considering reaction to it is based on the use of a voice.ĭullea and Gary Lockwood, as the two principal astronauts, are not introduced until well along in the film. A computer named Hal that can talk is, initially, good for a laugh but when it turns out to be the villain, this attitude quickly changes. The little humor is provided by introducing well-known commercial names which are presumably still operational during the space age: the Orbiter Hilton hotel, refreshments by Howard Johnson, picture phones by Bell, and Pan Am space ships (although one shown is carrying only a single passenger). An important prop is also introduced but so sketchily that many viewers will scarcely note, and promptly forget it–a huge black monolith is shown briefly (to reappear light years later as the key to possible life on planets other than Earth). The surprisingly dull prolog deals with the “advancement of man,” centering on a group of apes (the makeup is amateurish compared to that in “Planet of the Apes”). ![]() The plot, so-called, uses up almost two hours in exposition of scientific advances in space travel and communications, before anything happens. Despite the enormous technical staff involved in making the film, it is almost entirely one man’s conception and Kubrick must receive all the praise – and take all the blame. A major achievement in cinematography and special effects, “2001” lacks dramatic appeal to a large degree and only conveys suspense after the halfway mark. Was all this painstaking research and work worthwhile? There will be many filmgoers, fortunately for Metro, who’ll think it was there’ll be others who won’t see this in the finished handiwork of Kubrick and his staff. Keir Dullea, for instance, completed another film (“The Fox”) and did a Broadway play (“Dr Cook’s Garden”) between completion of his role in “2001” and its current release. Much of the lengthy shooting time, of course, is attributable to the detailed special effects the story made necessary. Shooting actually began late December, 1965, in England and continued, if one counts added footage and retakes, until early this year. ![]() Clarke first conceived the idea of making a Cinerama film, neither had any idea that it would run into a project of several years. When Stanley Kubrick and sci-fi specialist Arthur C. One criticism that will be raised is that film cost too much for so “personal” (i.e. He’s taken up a new hobby–science-fiction–and his first effort comes close to running away with itself. ![]() Those filmgoers who have wondered what happened to the man who gave screen birth to “Lolita” and “Dr. Stanley Kubrick is alive and well and living in Outer Space. ![]()
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