Much has been said about 2001 as a 2-act or a 3-act film, or whatever. I
have always seen it as a four-movement symphony, much like the
Beethoven's 9th that Kubrick loves so much. The first movement is the
Dawn of Man, which (like a regular symphony) sets up the themes and is
echoed in later movements. The second movement involves the NASA-like
guys and their reaction to the monolith (chuckle). Beethoven's 9th's 2nd
movement is also a scherzo (joke).
Third, we have the HAL segment, containing much of the darkest and most
intelligent filmmaking of the movie. The 9th's third movement is also
slow, but innovative. The final movement is the trip into the Monolith,
and the special effects galore. Interestingly, the 9th's fourth movement
is the choral section, and for Kubrick, the fourth movement has no
dialogue at all. This is not surprising, since SK uses words as banal
expression, and images as real "choral" communication.
I think that 2001 is a film that sort of encompasses art as a whole
rather than just utilizing the cinema. It is a movie, it is a painting,
it is a philosophy book, and finally a musical symphony. What a triumph.
(Z.R.)
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