12:40pm | I’m not a film critic. I’m a fan. Normally, the idea of writing something about a film, especially an old film that’s been celebrated by nearly every critic, seems rather pointless to me. Still, when I heard that our local Art Theatre was mounting a week-long showing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, I felt moved to share my personal feelings about this film.
First, if you’ve seen the film, read no further. I’m writing this to anyone who hasn’t seen it. For those of you still reading, let me give you a brief synopsis: When evolution reaches a stage where the eventual development of humanity is balanced on a knife edge, a mysterious object appears and, somehow, provides early proto- humans with a new technology that aids in their survival. Flash forward to the ‘future,’ when a government bureaucrat is called to the Moon to investigate a mysterious object millions of years old. The object points them to Jupiter and, a few years later, a journey to said planet takes a small crew of scientists there.
The film has little dialog. Mostly, it is music, sound, and images. The pacing is, at times, almost meditative, and the atmosphere unbelievably cold. People talk about the amazing visual style, and special effects (for which it won an Academy Award) but, for me, I find it to be an intensely emotional story. In the great span of human development, the future vision seems sadly familiar. We’re still facing the same stupid conflicts, relying on the same brute-force solutions, and suffering from the same delusions of grandeur. On the individual level, we see the main character, Dave, pushed to the limits of his humanity, and beyond.
Stanley Kubrick’s list of films include Dr. Strangelove (Or How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb), Lolita, Full Metal Jacket, The Shining, Sparticus, and A Clockwork Orange. Each reveals a great love of story, humor, a painterly visual style, a penchant for technical innovation, and the patience to allow actors to discover and embody the characters they’re portraying. In 2001, however, his patience seems to expand to excess. At times, minutes tick by achingly, but this is not caprice. Kubrick is using each moment to frame the next so that, when it comes, the viewer is ready.
I guess that it is important to state the significance of the film. Not only has it been hailed as a masterpiece, and one of the greatest films of all time, but it has woven its way into the cultural fabric. It is part of the ‘Zeitgest.’ It has been referenced in MAD Magazine, Robot Chicken, Futurama, The Simpsons, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, the game Spore, Zoolander, the recent remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Electric Company, Sesame Street, Farscape, South Park, and Roger Waters’ Amused To Death. (That’s a very incomplete list, by the way.)
Ultimately, it is a journey for the viewer and, if you let go of expectation and judgment, you might just find it very rewarding.
The film is running through June 10th, showing at 11 AM, and at 11:55 PM on Friday & Saturday nights, with a final 11 AM showing on Sunday, June 13th. It is unrated.
The Art Theatre is located at 2025 East 4th Street, and the box office phone number is 562-438-5435. Their website is www.arttheatrelongbeach.com.