Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Department of English
and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Martin Burget

Stanley Kubrick: A Textual and Contextual

Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Dr.

2011

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 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently,
using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

……………………………………………
Martin Burget

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I would like to thank my supervisor for his valuable advice
and guidance through the writing process.

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Table of Contents

Introduction....................................................................................................5

1. Few Words About Kubrick and His works....................................................7

2. 2001 in the context of science fiction genre.................................................11

3. The Philosophy of 2001................................................................................21

4. Analysis........................................................................................................ 26

4.1. Dawn of Man........................................................................................26

4.2 The Jupiter Mission..............................................................................38

4.3 Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite............................................................43

Conclusion.....................................................................................................48

Works Cited...................................................................................................51

List of Illustrations........................................................................................53

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Introduction

In this thesis I will focus on Stanley Kubrick and his 2001: A Space Odyssey

(Henceforward : 2001). Made in 1968, 2001 is a science fiction movie directed by

Kubrick and co-written with Arthur C. Clarke. It is widely recognized as one of

Kubrick’s most important works. Throughout the years since it’s release, 2001 has

influenced numerous directors in science fiction genre such as George Lucas or Steven

Spielberg, who compared the influence of 2001 on subsequent generations to Big Bang.

The influence of 2001 reaches beyond the borders of regular science fiction as it had

large impact on the entire movie industry. In 1991 it was selected for preservation in the

National Film Registry for being culturally, historically and aesthetically important.

Nowadays, it is considered as one of the greatest movies of all time by most film critics

and general public. It received 4 Academy Award nominations and received one for Best

special effects. In regard of Kubrick, 2001 is considered to be the defining movie of his

long career. Important directors like Martin Scorsese or Woody Allen claim that 2001 is

Kubrick’s greatest film. Despite receiving rather negative reviews at first, in the

following years, it established itself as one of the classics of science fiction genre.

The reason why 2001 made such an impact is that it basically broke all the

previous conventions. To name just a few: it is extremely scientifically accurate, very

symbolic almost surrealistic, rather than using dialogues for narration it implements

music instead of spoken words, thus breaking most conventional rules of movie

narration. It has highly philosophic content and offers number of possible interpretations

and meanings, which was unprecedented in science fiction genre. The high number of

authors who focused their research on 2001 demonstrates the complexity of the film

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because basically every author offers a unique interpretation. This is given by the

ambiguity of the film’s content which for the most part relies on visual symbols rather

than on dialogues and classic style of narration. All the above mentioned characteristics

of 2001 are the reason why it is the central focus of this thesis as I believe it is one of

the milestones of modern cinema.

In the thesis I will focus and analyze the main plot and how it is metaphorically

related to the evolution of mankind and hypothesis of Friedrich Nietzsche from

his work Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

In the first chapter I speak about Stanley Kubrick in general, about his

beginnings in movie industry, I also include his filmography with general information

about his features to give a better look at Kubrick’s work. 2001 In the Context of

Science Fiction genre is the topic of the next chapter. By briefly describing the history

of the genre and its properties I explain why 2001 differs so much from the previous

works. The third chapter focuses on the philosophical content of the film. I introduce

Nietzsche’s ideas and hypothesis which he proposed in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. There,

he proposes that there are tree stages of human evolution, ape, modern man and the

Superman. In the thesis I will provide evidence that this evolution is portrayed in 2001.

In the fourth chapter I begin with the analysis of the content of the film. The chapter is

divided into 3 subchapters that follow the structure of the film. The visual symbols that I

refer to are illustrated using pictures taken from the movie. I also present quotes by

various scholars and Kubrick himself to support my arguments. In the conclusion I

summarize the outcome of my research.

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1. Few Words About Kubrick and His Works

Stanley Kubrick was born on 26th July 1928 and he died on 7th March 1999, only

two weeks after finishing the last scene of Eyes Wide Shut. Kubrick is widely

recognized as one of the greatest film directors of all time. His filmography contains all

possible themes spanning from love, sex and relationships to war, crime and space

travel. During his career Kubrick engaged in number of movie genres including war

films, film noir, comedy, science fiction and horror. He covered wide field of themes

and ideas and for this versatility he is considered as one of the most influential directors

ever. Almost every actor who worked with Kubrick claims that the cooperation with

him was one of the most or even the greatest experience of their careers. Icons such as

Sidney Pollack, Tom Cruise or Malcolm McDowell recall working with Kubrick as

memorable moments in their lives.

Kubrick never studied cinematography and never took any acting lessons, all his

knowledge about movies was a result of experience and self study. Kubrick himself

admitted that the most important thing for his career was not education but simple luck.

His first steps into the realms of art were photographs as he was completely fascinated

by them and with the support of his father he wanted to become a professional. Because

his family was rather rich and his father was a keen photographer too, young Kubrick

had the privilege of having a private dark room at home. Alex Singer, an American

director, assistant and a friend of Kubrick said: ―Stanley’s father had a dark room in

their house and it was this dark room that probably shifted his future career. He spent a

lot of time there and his fascination supported by his father grew stronger and stronger.‖

(Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures) Kubrick was only 16 when he sent a picture of an

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old man mourning over the death of president Roosevelt to Look magazine. The people

in Look were impressed and after Kubrick finished his high school studies he was

offered a job there. At the beginning of 1950’s Kubrick started to venture into the world

of movies. He was still very enthusiastic about photography, however, he was more and

more dragged by the prospect of filmmaking. Supported by Alex Singer, he made a few

short documentaries, most notable was The Day of the Fight from 1951, a short movie

about a rising boxing star Walter Cartier. It was this work where Kubrick introduced the

reverse tracking shot, a future trademark of his movies. After this experience Kubrick

decided that he would pursue the career of a film maker, he quit his job in Look and

devoted his future career to filmmaking. After series of another short documentaries –

Flying Padre (1951), Seafarers (1952), with financial support of his father, he made his

first full-length movie Fear and Desire in 1953. This war movie portrayed a group of

soldiers behind enemy lines in a fictional war. Fear and Desire started Kubrick’s career

as a director and even though it was not regarded as something groundbreaking, he

gained recognition amongst film producers, who saw big potential and talent in this

young amateur who was still only 25. Kubrick’s second feature came in 1955 and it was

a film noir Killer’s Kiss, a story about a boxer in the end of his career and his

relationship with a dancer and her employer. It received mixed reviews but the majority

of the critics appreciated that Kubrick directed and edited the work from his own

screenplay and story. After Killer’s Kiss Kubrick was introduced to James B. Harris, a

young producer, who admired Kubrick’s work. The cooperation between these two

resulted in third feature, The Killing, again a film noir based on the novel Clean Break

by Lionel White. The film was a financial disaster even though it received positive

reviews, but Kubrick’s career was on the rise as he gained more and more recognition

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both among movie critics and casual viewers. In his next project, Kubrick returned back

to the genre of war movies and along with screenwriter Jim Thompson he made Paths of

Glory, an anti-war film with a major movie star in the leading role, Kirk Douglas. The

movie raised a lot of controversy, mostly in Europe, because of the way it depicted

French military. In the movie, the French high command charges soldiers for cowardice

when they refuse to make a suicidal attack. Again, the film received mixed reviews,

however nowadays it is regarded as one of the best war movies. Kubrick and Douglas

cooperated once more in Spartakus. The original director, Anthony Mann, was fired

after only two weeks and Kubrick took charge of the shooting in 1960. Douglas himself

was the producer and he and Kubrick had major disagreements over the final form of

Spartakus. It was his project and he wanted Kubrick only to shoot the movie. Any kind

of changes in the cast, screenplay or setting were unacceptable for Douglas. This

frustrated Kubrick who was used to have creative freedom. However, the movie was

very successful, it received 4 Oscars and established Kubrick as a heavyweight among

directors. After Spartakus, Kubrick could pick any kind of project he liked as he knew

that major studios would support him after his previous success. The next project he

chose was Lolita in 1962. The film is based on the famous novel by Vladimir Nabokov

Lolita. It received positive reviews, however Kubrick was not satisfied with the final

product as the censorship and restrictions required various scenes from the movie to be

deleted, leaving the viewers to use their imagination. In an interview from 1970 he

admitted: ―If I knew that the censorship would be so severe I would not made it.‖

(Gelmis 30) Kubrick’s next feature was Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop

Worrying and Love the Bomb from 1964. It is a satiric black comedy film that is loosely

based on the novel Red Alert by Peter George. The film satirizes Cold War relationships

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and is memorable for multiple roles of Peter Sellers in the leading role(s). In 2000 it was

voted as 24th best comedy ever by Total Film and it is preserved in the United States

National Film Registry. After Dr. Strangelove, in 1968 Kubrick made quite possibly his

most famous movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is the case study of this thesis. If

2001: A Space Odyssey is the most famous than his next feature from 1971 is the most

controversial. A Clockwork Orange is based on Anthony Burgess’ novel of the same

name. It is a satirical science fiction movie whose main character can be described as a

young man whose pleasures are classical music, rape and ultra-violence. The film raised

such controversy that Kubrick received numerous threatening letters and it was

withdrawn from British cinemas on his own request. Barry Lyndon, a period film from

1975, based on the novel by William Makepeace Thackeray The Luck of Barry Lyndon,

was a disappointment for Kubrick as it was received poorly and it was widely criticized

for being too long and boring. However, the movie was awarded 4 Oscars and

nowadays, directors such as Martin Scorsese, claim it to be one of Kubrick’s finest

works. During 1980’s Kubrick made two films. First, in 1980 The Shining was released.

It was an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name, featuring Jack

Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The Shining is a psychological horror about a writer who

goes insane during upkeep of a hotel just by himself and his family. As with most of

Kubrick’s films, the movie was received rather negatively but gradually it gained

recognition and it became successful, it has established itself as one of the classics of

horror genre. Seven years after The Shining Kubrick ventured into the genre of war

movies for the third and the last time. Full Metal Jacket is based on the novel The Short

Timers by Gustav Hasford. It depicts lives of American soldiers in a training camp in the

U.S. and in Vietnam. Unlike most Kubrick’s movies, Full Metal Jacket was critically

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acclaimed from the beginning and it became successful immediately. Eyes Wide Shut

was the last film and the only one that was made in 1990’s. It took Kubrick 12 years to

make another feature, this time starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in the leading

roles. The story of Eyes Wide Shut circles around the issues of marriage and fidelity.

Kubrick considered Eyes Wide Shut to be his best movie, however the reception was

rather negative, most critics labeled the movie as a disappointment after many years of

waiting for a next feature. Two weeks finishing the last shot, Kubrick suffered a heart

attack and died in sleep.

2. 2001 in the context of science fiction genre

The idea to make 2001 came to Kubrick’s mind after he finished Dr. Strangelove

in 1964. The main motivation for him was the fascination of possible extraterrestrial life

in space. After consulting the possible themes with his associates, Kubrick sought the

help of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. They agreed on cooperation which

should have produced a novel and a movie of the same name: 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Clarke then suggested that the source material for the new project should be one of his

previous novels, The Sentinel from 1951. This science fiction short story deals with

discovery of a mysterious monolith on Earth’s Moon. The monolith has been emitting

signal to deep space and this signal is interrupted after the discovery. The original idea

was that the novel should be created first, followed by the screenplay, however the

making of the movie required the screenplay to be created simultaneously with the

novel. ―Kubrick was revising the novel (2001) with Clarke and simultaneously

preparing his shooting script. At the end of August Clarke decided that the novel should

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end with Bowman standing beside an alien ship. Kubrick was not satisfied with this

conclusion and the search went on.‖ (Lobrutto 283) The movie also differs from the

book because Kubrick had his own vision what should the movie look like and some

changes were necessary. ―The novel, for example, attempts to explain things much more

explicitly than the film does, which is inevitable in a verbal medium.‖ (291). In one of

his interviews Kubrick described the whole process of making 2001: ―I think that the

divergences between the two works (2001 film and novel) are interesting. Actually, it

was an unprecedented situation for someone to do an essentially original literary work

based on glimpses and segments of a film he (Arthur C. Clarke) had not yet seen in its

entirety.‖ (294) The whole process of transforming The Sentinel into 2001 took Clarke

and Kubrick more than 2 years. Because of the differences between the novel and the

movie it is important to emphasize the fact that the book is not a relevant source for

examining the context and the symbols in the movie.

In the introduction part I spoke about the impact that 2001 had on the later

generations of science fiction directors. One of the most famous of them, Steven

Spielberg, gave credit to 2001 when he compared its impact to Big Bang in science

fiction. To understand this kind of impact we have to take a look at how science fiction

as a genre evolved throughout the history and what were typical features of it in 1950’s

and 1960’s, which was a decade that started rapid changes with 2001 as the catalyst.

First, it is important to define what a science fiction movie is as there is no specific rule

that would precisely determine that something is a science fiction and something is not.

Vivian Sobschack offers this definition: ―It is a film genre which emphasizes actual,

extrapolative, or speculative science and the empirical method, interacting in a social

context with the lesser emphasized, but still present, transcendentalism of magic and

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religion.‖ (Sobschack 106) As we can see, the general features of science fiction movies

are rather wide and sometimes it can be difficult to assess, whether a certain film is a

science fiction or not, especially in the works of second half of the 20th century, which

tend to mix a number of genres together with no clear borders between them. However,

as a general rule, a movie can be called a science fiction if a part of the plot or

background is based on speculative scientific discoveries or developments such as space

travel or time travel, life on other planets or environmental changes.

Science fiction as a movie genre existed virtually from the beginning of the

cinema itself. The first films appeared during the silent era during the end of 19th and at

the beginning of 20th century. These pictures were only few minutes long and they were

often humorous such as La Charcuterie mécanique from 1895, which is considered to

be the first science fiction movie ever. The first movie of the genre that gained

significant attention and influenced later works was La Voyage Dans la Lune, which

was an adaptation of Jules Verne’s novels. In the 1920’s, science fiction movies became

means of commenting on social issues and situations, which became a stable feature in

later films. One of the most notable works of this decade was German movie Metropolis

from 1926, which illustrated the problems of workers in capitalistic conditions in a

futuristic city named Metropolis. In the next decade, science fiction cinema experienced

massive boost because of the introduction of sound into the movie world. With

dialogues, the narration became more coherent and movies were more accessible to

auditions. 1930’s were times of Great Depression and number of science fiction movies

were made to soften the tensions and to distract people from harsh times. Also, first

science fiction musical was made, Just Imagine from 1930 and the first serials such as

Flash Gordon from the same year. The next decade of 1940’s was heavily influenced by

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war and not many films were produced, those few that were released served very often

for propaganda purposes, an example of such movie is Conterblast from 1948.

In 1950’s science fiction literature became extremely popular and this increase

was mirrored in the movie industry. This boost was not a coincidence, new technologies

such as computer hard disk or modem were introduced and this had large impact on the

lives of everyone. People were witnessing massive technological development and the

things they saw in the movies seemed to be only few years ahead. When the Space Race

between USA and SSSR started in the early 1950’s, people became fascinated by the

prospect of space travel. Something that was a total fantasy just a decade ago was

suddenly becoming reality. The creation of atomic bomb was another event that changed

the world, the development of the most powerful weapon started to question people

what direction the humanity was heading. Concerns about possible nuclear war became

more real when the Cold War developed. All the political tensions and relationships of

this era were projected into the films. The Day When the Earth Stood Still (1951) is an

example of how the fear of nuclear weapons circulated in public consciousness. In the

movie an alien visitor comes to Earth to warn people about the nuclear weapons

development. Another common theme was Apocalypse. Because of the Cold War and

the tense political situation in the world, when two superpowers were on the verge of a

full scale war, the fear of the outcome was mirrored in some films. The communist

threat was the idea of Invasion of the Body Snatchers from 1956. In this movie, aliens

secretly duplicate human beings during their sleep. The duplicates look exactly like the

original but they lack any kind of emotions. When the movie was created, the threat of

communism secretly spreading into USA was a big issue and it is clearly resembled in

the film. Another trend which emerged in this decade was the rise of Monster movies.

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In these films the main idea was a struggle between humans and a monster or monsters.

Typical example of such a movie would be The Thing From Another World from 1951.

All the above mentioned characteristics are typical for science fiction movies in 1950’s,

however there is one more feature that connected most of the works from this era. Many

of the movies created during this time were low budget, the so-called ―B‖ movies.

Usually, these kind of movies provided opportunities for either starting actors and

directors or actors whose careers were waning. There were a number of science fiction

films that did not fall into this category such as Forbidden Planet (1956), but the

majority of the production were films that did not have high ambitions. This changed in

the next decade.

In the end of 1950’s and at the beginning of 1960’s, science fiction literature

experienced The New Wave. These works differed from the typical mainstream

production. Authors like Kingsley Amis or Frank Herbert were experimenting with

content and the form, which resulted in changes in the genre. The stories were more

sophisticated and demanding, the focus was shifted from emphasis on technology to

emphasis on the plot. Because of this change, science fiction started to be taken more

seriously. The changes that happened in literature were carried over to science fiction

movies, the works from this era were made in a more serious way and with much higher

artistic ambitions. The number of movies that were made during 1960’s fell compared to

previous decade but the most important works that came out in this period literally

changed the whole genre. It started with Fahrenheit 451 from 1966. It was a

commentary on social and political restrictions based on the novel of the same name by

writer Ray Bradbury. Another important movie that came out was The Planet of the

Apes from 1968. The movie portrays a distant future on Earth that is ruled by race of

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apes. The budget of the film was 5 million dollars and it was a record high budget for a

science fiction movie at that time.

In the same year like The Planet of the Apes, in 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey

was released. Despite receiving mixed reviews at first, since its release it has established

itself as one of the most important science fiction movies ever. It was an example of The

New Wave, in fact, the whole movie was something unprecedented because of the way

it differed from regular science fiction movies. It had double the budget of The Planet of

the Apes, which made it the most expensive science fiction film ever. In comparison

with other movies of the genre, 2001 was a large project, no longer being a ―B‖ movie.

It opened the future markets for later big budget movies such as Blade Runner or Close

Encounters of the Third Kind because it showed that it is possible for a science fiction

film to have a commercial success. It also established science fiction genre as a serious

business, the science fiction blockbuster was created. George Lucas said in regard to

2001: ―Stanley Kubrick made the ultimate science fiction movie, and it is going to be

very hard for someone to come along and make a better movie, as far as I’m

concerned.― (Gelmis 45)

―The typical science fiction film has a form as predictable as a

Western, and is made up of elements which, to a practiced eye,

are as classic as the saloon brawl, the blonde schoolteacher

from the East, and the gun duel on the deserted main

street.‖(Sontag 40)

The reason why 2001 made such an impact was that it broke all conventions and

cliches regarding science fiction films. It was a project of unprecedented size in

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comparison with the rest of the works from the genre, 2001 was an epic science fiction

film. Kubrick and Clarke spent almost 4 years working on it. The process of preparing

and writing the screenplay lasted 2 years. The budget reached 10 million dollars, which

allowed state of the art effects that were awarded with an Academy Award for Best

Special Effects. The number of people involved in the project, the money spent on it

and the highly philosophic content were a complete shift from typical movies of the

genre. ―2001 with its careful attention to detail, its scrupulous accounting for the

various laws of nature and the physics of space flight, and its expert-driven

extrapolation from current science and technology and philosophic scope, seemed to

stake out a different trajectory.‖ (Kolker 44)

Possibly the biggest difference that is immediately visible in 2001 is the

scientific accuracy. If we look at the depiction of technology in science fiction films

prior to 2001, we will discover that majority of the movies did not portray technology

realistically. Flying saucers, submarines capable of diving into extreme depths or lasers

were very common in films, especially in 1950’s. Aliens, monsters or time machines

were almost trademarks of science fiction movies. However, none of these mentioned

features are present in 2001. Kubrick and Clarke wanted the movie to be as realistic as

possible and for this purposes, several technical advisers were constantly present at the

scenes during shooting. The realism is ever present. In the scenes that are taking place

in open space there are no sounds present except for soundtrack, there are no sounds of

blasting engines, no sounds made by asteroids because of the vacuum in which sound

cannot be emitted. Special attention was also paid to the depiction of gravitation, which

is also very realistic. In the movie, rotating wheels or grip-shoes are used to generate

gravitation and to move in zero gravitation areas. The designs of the ships were

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consulted with aeronautics experts, so unlike in other science fiction movies, ships and

other objects in space look rather pragmatic instead of futuristic, and by using tracking

shots, Kubrick shows us how crews move inside ships and their regular lives during

space travel.

Figure 1. shows us a wheel shaped space station, which uses rotation to create

gravitation.

Fig. 1. Wheel Ship. Image taken by author from 2001:A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Another major deflection from mainstream science fiction of the era was the

depiction of alien life in 2001. In the movie, aliens play a significant and crucial role for

human race as they are the ones who control our development and evolution. However,

there is not a single extraterrestrial form of life visible during the entire film. The

existence of aliens is only represented by the presence of a black monolith. Originally,

Kubrick wanted to include aliens in the movie and show them on the screen, but Clarke

disagreed. He believed that if the aliens remain hidden, it will correspond with the

mysteriousness of the rest of the story. Kubrick agreed with this idea, so the only visible

trace of another form of life in the movie is the monolith. If we compare this portrayal

of extraterrestrials from 2001 with the rest of the genre, we will discover that it is the

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only science fiction movie, where other forms of life play such an important role but

they are only suggested, never revealed. Films like The Day When the Earth Stood Still

or Invasion of the Body Snatchers present their own ideas of what these entities look

like. Whether they poses anthropomorphic features or simply look like monsters, they

are directly present on the screen, which is something that never happens in 2001. In

fact, it is not known whether the aliens still exist or are extinct. As an explanation of

what happened with them, Kubrick gave a suggestion in an interview from 1968 that

they evolved into ―beings of pure energy and spirit with no possible limits or

boundaries,‖ but this is not directly expressed in the movie.

The third major step aside from the mainstream of science fiction was the style

of narration in 2001. The film has a running time of 161 minutes but dialogues are

present only in little more than 40 minutes. For a movie that circulates around serious

themes of encountering an extraterrestrial specie, human evolution and space travel, this

is a very small number. The parts of the film that lack dialogues are narrated using

visual symbols and music, which breaks conventional structures of narration. By using

visual symbols and sounds instead of dialogues, Kubrick literally returned back to the

beginning of the genre when the movies where silent and the symbols on the screen

were the only carriers of meaning and context. The music that is used in the movie also

significantly differs from typical science fiction soundtracks. Kubrick uses classical and

modernistic music, which creates a striking contrast to the technology that is on the

screen. The most notable pieces of music that accompany the visual aspects of the film

are: On the Beautiful Blue Danube by Johann Strauss, Also Sprach Zarathustra by

Richard Strauss and Athmosphéres and Requiem by Giorgy Ligeti. While the music

plays an important role in the movie and fills the silent parts of the film, during the

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dialogue scenes there is no music at all.

With few dialogues, slow pace of narration, highly philosophical content and at

the same time without many typical features, 2001 is a demanding movie to watch. The

viewer is left alone, turned adrift for majority of the film, without any explanations of

what is happening on the screen. Because of the style of narration and philosophical

content, 2001 offers number of possible explanations. Kubrick deliberately made the

film opened for discussion, without one single meaning. He and Clarke rarely spoke

openly about the content and meaning of 2001 as they wanted to let the viewers

decipher the film on their own. ―I don’t like to talk about 2001 too much because its

essentially a non-verbal experience. It attempts to communicate more to the

subconscious and to the feelings than it does to the intellect. I think clearly there’s a

problem with people who are not paying attention with their eyes. They’re listening.

And they don’t get much from listening to this film. Those who won’t believe their eyes

won’t be able to appreciate this film.‖ (Lobrutto 277) In order to understand the film,

Kubrick requires the audience to actively participate on deciphering the content by

using both consciousness and subconsciousness. That is also the reason, why the book

differs from the film because the screen is more suitable for transferring messages in the

way that Kubrick intended. The use of visual symbols and hints on the screen allowed

Kubrick to make the film in a way that it activates human imagination like a piece of art

such as painting or statue, which is something that can hardly be achieved in a written

form. ―2001, on the other hand, is basically a visual, nonverbal experience. It avoids

intellectual verbalization and reaches the viewer’s subconscious in a way that is

essentially poetic and philosophic. The film thus becomes a subjective experience

which hits the viewer at an inner level of consciousness, just as music does, or painting.

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You're free to speculate as you wish about the philosophical and allegorical meaning of

the film - and such speculation is one indication that it has succeeded in gripping the

audience at a deep level - but I don’t want to spell out a verbal road map for 2001 that

every viewer will feel obliged to pursue or else fear he’s missed the point.‖ (Gelmis

250) By using almost a non-existent narration, Kubrick holds back much of the

information and the meaning of the movie from the viewers, who are forced to fill in the

gaps on their own, which adds to the mysteriousness and ambiguity of the film.

3. The Philosophy of 2001

Despite the unusual narration and deep metaphorical meaning, the actual plot of

2001 is simple and easily understandable. In 2000 a mysterious monolith hidden by

intelligent form of life is discovered under the surface of Moon. After several months of

preparations and training, in 2001 a small crew is sent to Jupiter. This planet was the

target of a signal emitted by the monolith. They voyage is almost a disaster when the

main computer of the ship Discovery, HAL 9000, kills the crew except for one

astronaut, who manages to get to Jupiter. There he experiences a form of a space travel.

At the end of this travel, he is reborn as a new human.

The formal narrative of 2001 is clear, however it is only a small part and it is

actually not of crucial importance for the meaning of the entire movie. The plot serves

only as a necessary structure to give the film a general frame, otherwise it would be

only a series if surrealistic images. There are number of possible interpretations of what

we see on the screen. The name of the movie itself is important as it carries idea of the

whole project: 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is an odyssey indeed with all the obstacles and

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problems connected with it. Kubrick and Clarke came up with this name when they

realized that the story resembles Homeric Odyssey: ―About the best we've been able to

come up with is a space Odyssey, comparable in some ways to the Homeric Odyssey, it

occurred to us that for the Greeks the vast stretches of the sea must have had the same

sort of mystery and remoteness that space has for our generation, and that the far-flung

islands Homer's wonderful characters visited were no less remote to them than the

planets our spacemen will soon be landing on are to us.‖ (Gelmis 154) The odyssey in

2001 is a journey of human evolution, portrayed on giant scale, and covers millions of

years. It starts on the wild plains of prehistoric Africa when man was nothing more than

a primitive animal, and throughout series of major evolutional leaps it ends with

creation of a new entity, when man reaches the highest level of enlightenment.

―Kubrick translates the classical Odyssey into the modern

context of space travel and thus puts an ancient thesis on a

literally universal scale: that life itself is an odyssey, which

nevertheless always leads us back to our roots.‖ (Zimny)

An explanation of why Kubrick chose this particular theme of odyssey for a

science fiction movie and the way he realized it, lies in the context of 1950’s and

1960’s. It was during these two decades that mankind started to penetrate outside the

borders of Earth, into outer space. After World War II a massive development of new

technologies begun and with USA and SSSR involved in a race over conquest of space

it seemed to be only a matter of time when major explorations would be made. The

second half of 1950’s brought a remarkable success when the first man made object and

first living being were released into space in 1957 and shortly after in 1961 Yuri

Gagarin was the first human ever to successfully make a journey to outer space. In 1969

22
the first man touched the surface of Moon. With so many events that occurred during a

rather short period of time it was evident that mankind stepped into next phase of

development. People were no longer only masters of Earth, they were slowly becoming

masters of space. However, the years after World War II did not bring only scientific

discoveries and space travel but also tensions in political relationships between East and

West. The threat of next war was very real and everybody feared the possible

consequences. The Cold War between USA and Soviet Union meant a constant danger

of a possible nuclear holocaust and this was reflected both in politics and in culture.

Themes of Apocalypse were common in literature and in films, especially in science

fiction genre. When Kubrick thought about the possible themes for his next movie, he

realized that despite the massive development of technologies, people had not reached

much in the sense of themselves, as living beings. The technology that was developed

helped to discover space and other impressive discoveries were made but otherwise the

principles of mankind were same like before. The desire for power and constant

balancing on the edge of a possible nuclear war suggested that mankind had not

changed much since its beginning. ―When I thought about the possible themes of my

next movie I came up with an idea of evolution. Because I realized that everything that

was here thousands of years ago is still present in our society. We use different tools and

drive cars but basically we do the same things like people 1000 years ago, we eat, we

breath and we fight.‖ (Gelmis 190)

Kubrick’s ideas were influenced by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. In

his most important work Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche proposed the theory of the

apes and The Superman. Nietzsche saw three stages in evolution of mankind: the ape,

the man and the Superman. According to Nietzsche, modern human is only a bridge

23
between the ape and the Superman. His only desire and motivation should be to reach

the highest possible stage and to enlighten his specie to the full potential. There is no

other meaning for his existence than to become the Superman. ―I teach you the

Superman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome

him? The time has come for man to set himself a goal. The time has come to plant the

seed to his highest hope.‖ (Nietzsche 22) Nietzsche does not see the stage of the man as

something remarkable for our specie, all the development that occurred in human

history is rather insignificant in comparison to the skills and knowledge of the

upcoming Superman, again, what we are experiencing now is only a necessary stadium

of evolution, a part of a chain that starts with primitive animals and ends with super

evolved entity. At the end of this cycle, man will be forgotten in the shadow of the

Superman who will be born as a child because "the child is innocence and forgetting, a

new beginning." (Kaufman 139)

―All beings so far have created something beyond

themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great

flood and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome

man? What is the ape to man? A laughingstock or a painful

embarrassment. And man shall be just that for the

superman: a laughingstock or a painful embarrassment.―

(Nietzsche 14)

The whole idea of Nietzsche can be described as mankind’s struggle to reach an

ideal, perfect being. The beginning of the struggle is not important, it is the aim and

motivation that matters. ―You shall become procreators and cultivators and sowers of

the future - verily, not to a nobility that you might buy like shopkeepers and with

24
shopkeepers' gold: for whatever has its price has little value. Not whence you came

shall henceforth constitute your honor, but whither you are going! Your will and your

foot which has a will to go over and beyond yourselves - that shall constitute your new

honor. (Nietzsche 184)

A repeating theme in Nietzsche’s philosophy is the idea of the Death of God. It

first appeared in The Gay Science but it is also present in Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Nietzsche claimed that by the development of secularism and enlightenment, mankind

has killed God. God is no longer a moral principle that should be followed because

people have surpassed him. Mankind can not believe in God anymore and has to find

new values and principles as the old ones came out from a false imagination.

―God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How

shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?

What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet

owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this

blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves?‖

(Nietzsche, The Gay Science 125)

The inspiration by Nietzsche was reflected in several films by Kubrick but in

2001 the whole content circles around evolution of mankind and the themes suggested

in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. ―I wished to convey an idea of the development of the

human race from its origin, through the various phases of its development, religious and

scientific, up to Nietzsche’s idea of the superman.‖ (Gelmis 70) Like Nietzsche’s theory

of the apes and the Superman which consists of three phases, Kubrick divided 2001 into

three parts: Dawn of Man, Trip to Jupiter and Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite. In each

25
of these parts we are witnessing the evolutionary steps made by mankind. To follow the

structure of the film, the textual analysis of this thesis is also divided into three parts. In

each of these parts I will present facts supported by evidence from the film and also by

various quotes from scholars who researched 2001. The main focus of the thesis is to

show and demonstrate that the structure, plot and the symbols in the movie are an

allegory of human evolution inspired by Nietzsche’s hypothesis of apes and the

Superman from Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

4. Analysis

4.1. Dawn of Man

This is the only part of the movie that takes place on Earth. It starts with a view

of a group of hominids on the plains of Africa 4 million years ago. We are witnessing

their fight with wild predators that hunt them and their fight for territory with other rival

tribes. The critical situation of modern human predecessors is described in the

screenplay: ―The man-apes of the field were on the long, pathetic road to racial

extinction. About twenty of them occupied a group of caves overlooking a small,

parched valley, divided by a sluggish, brown stream.― (Kubrick, 2001: A Space

Odyssey) What looks like an almost deadly and never ending embrace that could hardly

ever lead to a successful evolution is changed during events of the next hours. The next

day a mysterious monolith suddenly appears in front of a rock crater, which serves as a

shelter for the hominids. The presence of this artifact is accompanied by the sounds of

Gyorgi Ligeti’s Requiem. When the sounds of this almost haunting piece of music

appear, the tension grows as the music raises feeling of anxiety and almost fear.

Kubrick probably chose Requiem deliberately and not by accident because these are

likely the emotions that the apes experienced when the monolith suddenly appeared in

26
front of their shelter. When the first ape sees the monolith it wakes up the rest of the

tribe by loud screaming and suddenly chaos develops among the tribe because they do

not know what it is and what to do. After moments of hesitation and fear of possible

danger, one of the apes cautiously and very quickly touches the surface of the monolith.

Few seconds later we see that the monolith has formed a line with moon and sun above

its top.

The interaction between the apes and the monolith and the subsequent creation

of the monolith, Sun and Moon formation is depicted in figures 2 and 3.

Fig. 2. Monolith encounter. Image taken by author from 2001:A Space

Fig.3. Monolith, Sun, Earth formation. Image taken by author

27
 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

After learning that nothing happened, the rest of the group touches the monolith

as well. In the next scene we see an ape which examines bones of a dead animal and

suddenly it picks up a massive bone and uses it to smash the rest of the lying corpses.

This is accompanied by Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra and with any kind of

explanation of what happened it is evident that the appearance of the monolith had a

decisive consequence on the apes. The ability to use weapons and tools has been

discovered, the monolith catalyzed a development of a new skill, key for survival in the

hostile environment. The scene that follows depicts a rival tribe which came to fight

over a source of water in the territory. The ape which discovered the bone as a tool then

hits the leader of the rival tribe with the bone and then the rest of the apes joins and

subsequently kills him. The apes made important progress that allows them to be more

competent in the fight against predators and are more efficient in coping with the

environment on the prehistoric plains of Earth. After the fight, one of the most famous

scenes in cinematography begins: the ape triumphantly throws the bone into the air and

a 4 million year cut throws us into space to see orbiting space ships .

Throughout the movie the monolith appears four times, every single time it

appears we hear Gyorgi Ligeti’s Requiem, which gives the monolith a very powerful

presence. Every time it appears, something important happens for the evolution of

mankind. The origin of this object is unknown and it is never revealed in the film, which

raises a question: Is the monolith an object of an alien origin which would mean that our

evolution was directed by another form of life or is it only a representation of actual

human advancement? The answer to this question can not be found in the first part of

the film as without any information except for the shape and color, we only know that

28
the monolith is a source of knowledge and intelligence. It is a catalyst of events that

lead to the development of human race. By showing the monolith for the first time

after we see the harsh conditions of the apes, Kubrick suggests that it appears when

mankind is ready for or in need of a an inspiration. But this inspiration is not ever

present as we know that in the next scenes after the monolith appeared, it is no longer

there. It is not something that can be looked for, it is not waiting for us to return back if

we need help again.

The way Kubrick depicted the important step for mankind in the opening part of

the film is interesting because it shows that the so much needed evolutionary step is

portrayed as an act of violence. One of the most important steps for mankind, the use of

tools, is in fact used for killing and dominance. The scene where the ape discovers how

to use the bone as a tool is underscored by Richard Strauss´ Also Sprach Zarathustra, a

majestic glorifying music suggesting that something of a great importance has

happened, a victorious leap forward. It is somehow cynical and ironic that an act of

clear violence is in fact a starting point that will eventually lead into the creation of the

superman at the end of the film. ―At this point the audience are left perhaps with a

pessimistic impression of the brutal and violent consequences of humanities

'enlightenment' by the monolith.‖ (Munday) After touching the monolith and getting the

ability to use tools and weapons, the apes have started a new stage of evolution, they

were ―transformed from wild animals to a sapient subject.‖(Zimny) They are no longer

herbivores, they have just transformed into carnivores, man has opened a new source of

food. ―By slaying a rival, Moonwatcher (following Biblical Cain) lays the foundations

of human society; a hierarchical society. His weapon is his scepter.‖(Zimny)

29
 The famous bone-space ship cut is followed by a sequence of almost dancing

orbiting ships with the music of On the Beautiful Blue Danube. After this sequence we

meet Dr. Floyd who is travelling to Moon to investigate a monolith that has been found

under the surface of Tycho crater. Somebody or something deliberately dug the

monolith under the surface. It is the same monolith that appeared 4 million years ago in

Africa. Now when we know that the monolith was deliberately hidden it is possible to

answer the question from the previous section. The monolith is of an alien origin, it is

an artifact, not merely a representation of human advancement. With this information

we know that our evolution is directed by another form of life. We also know that

mankind is ready for a new challenge.

During his trip Dr. Floyd meets a group of Russian scientists lead by Dr. Andrei

Smyslov. The Russians are evidently anxious about the events on the Moon and they

desire answers, however Floyd lies about the truth behind the chaos on Moon and

continues his journey. When he finally gets to the Tycho crater to see the monolith

himself, as he and the group of scientists approach the site, the familiar sounds of

Gyorgi Ligeti’s Requiem are starting to roar again. With this music resonating in our

ears we are getting closer to the monolith. The sounds of Requiem are then intercepted

after Floyd touches the surface of the monolith by an unpleasant high pitch noise clearly

coming from the artifact. ―The underlying music, Lux Aeterna by György Ligeti,

supports the preparation for the encounter: The almost sacral choir sounds like an

"orderly variation" of the Requiem, which we will soon hear again at the site.‖(Zimny)

The main character in this section of the movie is Dr. Heywood Floyd. Through

him we are shown the world of the modern man, a specie that has been evolving for 4

million years since the times of the primitive prehistoric apes. As he travels to Moon we

30
learn number of important facts about the mankind in this stage of evolution, which

Kubrick communicates to us via symbols. The cut from bone to space ship that begins

this section of the film is interesting not only because Kubrick skipped 4 million years

of history by it also suggests something. The ship that floats in the space clearly

resembles the bone thrown into the air by the ape, which is visible in figure 4.

Fig. 4. Bone and ship resemblance. Image taken by author from

2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Did Kubrick mean that the space ship and the others that float around Earth are

weapons, just like the first weapon, the bone from the dead corpse? The answer is yes.

Originally, Kubrick wanted to have a voice over that would explain that these orbiting

ships are nuclear weapons and if we look closer at the ships, we will also see small flags

of various states on their surface. In the figure 5, a flag of Germany is visible in the

upper right corner.

31
 Fig. 5. Sattellite. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2011.

Kubrick literally says that human has expanded to space during those 4 million

years but the bone that virtually started everything is still there, weapons are still key

instruments for us and we have not changed much. Intelligence is vital but only

weapons can make a position that is dominating and allows us to expand. In one of his

interviews Kubrick simply described the floating ships as orbiting satellites but Arthur

C. Clarke later explained the meaning of the scene very briefly but concisely during a

Canadian TV documentary 2001 and Beyond: ―"It's simply an observable fact that all of

man's technology grew out of his discovery of the weapon-tool". Science fiction

novelist Robert Saywer shared his opinion in the same documentary 2001 and Beyond

and he confirms my argument:

―What we see is not how far we've leaped ahead, what we

see is that today, '2001', and four million years ago on the

African veldt, it's exactly the same - the power of mankind

is the power of its weapons.

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 Now when we know that the mankind is still relying on the same primitive 4

million year old principle, can we really say that we made a giant leap in evolution? By

using this cut, Kubrick says no. Despite the obvious technological progress, we as

humans still have not evolved much, we still depend on the same tools and principles.

These tools and weapons look better, they are more powerful but it is still essentially the

same thing, only made better after millions of years of development. Because of that we

can understand this as that mankind is still in the phase of the Dawn.

―Kubrick creates a paradox which places the "state of the art" of

Man's achievements next to the very first tool but at the same time

negates any form of "real" progress as it suggests that since that

Pleistocene era there has been no noteworthy development

whatsoever. Man is still using archaic (albeit refined) bones. A wide

shot from Earth over a shuttle in orbit to the Moon forms another

'magical alignment' and reminds us that the goal of the 'first leg' of

Man's development has not yet been reached. The "Dawn of Man" is

still in progress.― (Zimny)

The opening few minutes of this part of the movie where no dialogue is present

basically show us the development of human race. Also, if we look at the picture below,

we will see Dr. Floyd touching the monolith. He touches it in the same way like the apes

did 4 million years ago, completely clueless of what it is, the human nature has not

changed, it still can not understand the presence of the mysterious object. The similarity

between the encounters of apes and Floyd with the monolith is demonstrated in figures

6 and 7.

33
 Fig. 6. Floyd. Image taken by author form 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Fig. 7. Monolith encounter. Image taken by author form 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Another evidence which shows that the actual development of human race has

not made a giant advancement is the dialogue between Dr. Floyd and Russian scientists

on the board of the space station, where Floyd lands. The tension between Floyd and

Smyslov clearly indicates and resembles Cold War relationships of USA and SSSR.

2001 was made during the Cold War and this is evidently projected by Kubrick during

the scene of dialogue between Floyd and the Russian scientists. In this dialogue,

Smyslov expresses concerns because of the rumors that are circulating about the events

on Moon. Floyd witholds any information despite knowing everything about situation.

34
― [Smyslov] Well, for one thing, whenever you phone the base, all you can get is a

recording which repeats that the phone lines are temporarily out of order. […] it's been

going on for the past ten days.― [Floyd] You mean you haven't been able to get anyone

at the base for ten days?― (2001: A Space Odyssey) Floyd acts like he is surprised but he

knows the truth, in fact he is one of the masterminds of the entire operation. ―[Smyslov]

Quite frankly, we have had some very reliable intelligence reports that a quite serious

epidemic has broken out at Clavius. Something, apparently, of an unknown origin. Is

this, in fact, what has happened?― ―[Floyd] I'm sorry, Dr. Smyslov, but I'm really not at

liberty to discuss this.― (2001: A Space Odyssey) By asking the question about the

epidemic, Smyslov basically shows that he does not believe that Floyd does not know

what is happening. Floyd very cassually terminates conversation about this subject by

saying that he is not permitted to discuss such issues, which on the other hand basically

shows he is aware of the situation. Claudia Zimny compares the language of Dr. Floyd

to a weapon. While the the apes prehistoric predecessors used bones as weapons, the

weapon of the new age is language, and language in the hands of skillful men like Floyd

is a very cunning and effective one. ―Like the prehistoric bone, language is nevertheless

effectively used as a weapon. It has mutated from a means of communication to a means

of disguising, of "anti-communication."(Zimny)

If we look at this section of the film from perspective of Nietzsche, mankind is

still very far from becoming the Superman, the quest to be reborn as a Star Child is still

at its beginning. However, after the discovery of monolith on Moon, mankind has

finally been given the answer to the problem of alien life. Now, it is evident that there is

at least one another form of life in space. Jerold J. Abrams sees the act of discovery of

the monolith as the depiction of the death of God. In Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick,

35
Abrams claims that the scene where Floyd and other scientists who come to inspect the

Monolith in the Tycho crater actually represents the death of God. ―In 2001, the

discovery of the moon monolith, seals the case against religion, because we now know

that God did not create us; we know who our creators and designers really are—namely,

the aliens.― (251)

―In the journey from primitive man to superman, the monolith on the moon in

2001 marks a major moment. In the scene with the moon monolith, the sun is pictured

directly overhead when the monolith emits a loud noise (perhaps to signal the arrival of

this moment). This moment is described by Nietzsche as ―the noon when man stands the

middle of his way between beast and superman...a way to a new morning‖, the first

morning of the superman.‖ (MacGregor) The constellation of the obejcts is visible in the

figure 8.

Fig. 8. Tycho crater formation. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

With the discovery of the monolith mankind loses much of its religious values.

The future can no longer be said to lie in the hands of God or fate. There is no heaven or

hell, God is not the one who guides us. The aliens are in fact the godlike creatures who

via the monolith lead us slowly thorough the stages of evolution. The question that has

36
been pondering people’s minds about the existence of other forms of life has just been

answered. Not only are there aliens in space but they are also the ones who are our

guides through evolution. They are the ones who decide when we are ready to make the

next step.

From Nietzsche’s point of view, the man who has accepted the death of God and

accepts it, is the higher man. ―Now however this God hath died! Have ye understood

this word, O my brethren? Ye are frightened: do your hearts turn giddy? Doth the abyss

here yawn for you? Doth the hell-hound here yelp at you? Well! Take heart! ye higher

men! Now only travaileth the mountain of the human future. God hath died: now do we

desire, the Superman to live!― (Nietzsche 254)

―After establishing the death of God, Kubrick appropriately moves to the next

stage of evolution in Zarathustra, namely the higher men who, according to

Nietzsche, accept the death of God.‖(Abrams 251)

Abrams suggests that these higher men are Floyd and the astronauts who will

travel to Jupiter to find out the meaning and purpose of the monolith. ―The higher men

leave behind the earth and become masters of the otherworldly heavens, essentially

taking God’s place among the stars. these higher men are impressive; they are intelligent,

brave, and strong – certainly the best humanity has to offer, in Kubrick’s vision, just as

in Nietzsche’s.― (252) Floyd and the astronauts are literally the chosen ones. This group

of men is perfect for the final stage of evolution. They are well prepared, in good shape,

focused strictly on their mission.

With the discovery of the monolith, the traditional values of mankind died and

something new has to replace them. The return to previous values is impossible as we

37
know they were not real. The only possible option is to go forward.

4.2. The Jupiter Mission

18 moths after the discovery of the monolith hidden below the surface of Moon,

a crew on the board of Discovery shuttle is sent to investigate area around Jupiter, which

was the target of a radio signal emitted from the alien artifact. The real purpose of the

mission is unknown for everyone except for the the main operating computer HAL 9000

and few people on Earth including Dr. Floyd, who we met in the previous part. I will

later focus on the artificial intelligence sentient HAL because I consider him to be the an

important character of the movie. I will also propose a hypothesis why not informing

the crew about true purpose of the mission was an almost fatal decision by the

authorities on Earth.

We learn that crew of Discovery consists of 2 astronauts, Frank Poole and David

Bowman, and three scientists who are in a hibernating process before the ship reaches

its destination. After we are showed the routines on board the shuttle, a malfunction of

antenna is detected by the main onboard computer HAL 9000. When the astronauts

investigate the supposedly malfunctioning part they find nothing. This is disturbing as

HAL has never made a single mistake during his existence. Poole and Bowman get

suspicious of HAL’s behavior and they decide to shut him down if they find he made a

critical mistake. HAL learns about their intentions and kills Poole during an inspection

of the malfunctioning part of the antenna, he also kills the hibernating scientists by

shutting down their life support. When Bowman goes to help Poole, HAL tries to kill

him as well. Bowman manages to make it back to the ship and then he disconnects

38
HAL. After eliminating the ―mad‖ onboard computer, a prerecorded message is shown

to him. In this message Dr. Floyd reveals the truth about the monolith and the real

purpose of the Discovery mission. This is the last line of the movie. ―Good day,

gentlemen. Thirteen months before the launch of your Jupiter mission, on April 12th,

2000, the first evidence for intelligent life outside the Earth was discovered.‖ (2001: A

Space Odyssey)

The astronauts and the crew are still unaware of what is awaiting them near

Jupiter but we know that the higher men are moving to the end of the bridge between

the beast and the Superman. As the story develops, we learn that in the end, the higher

man, who then becomes the last man, is Bowman, he is the one who makes the final

step for mankind, he is the one who completes the odyssey. But before this can happen,

Bowman and the rest of the crew have to overcome the last important obstacle. Kubrick

made this ironic because the last obstacle is a product of mankind’s own technology.

Despite being constructed as a definite tool for the astronauts and their ship on the way

to Jupiter, HAL becomes their main enemy and villain. It may seem obvious at first

glance that this highly sophisticated onboard computer simply goes crazy but there is

evidence in the movie that suggests something completely different. If we carefully

watch scenes with HAL, we can quite possibly understand the reasons behind his

shocking actions. The first hint is the scene where Frank Poole plays chess with HAL.

In this scene HAL defeats Poole by announcing a false movement of his Queen and then

declares a force check-mate. Poole does not notice this and he admits his defeat not

realizing he just lose by a cheat. Kubrick never spoke about this particular scene openly

but when we take into consideration how much he focused on every single detail in his

movies and especially in 2001, it is highly unlikely that he did not notice a flaw in the

39
script which he wrote by himself and with Arthur C. Clarke. It is also highly unlikely

that he missed this flaw because Kubrick was a good chess player, he even made money

by playing chess when he was young. It is obvious that Kubrick wanted us to see HAL’s

cheat during the chess game. But was this a deliberated action from the computer to

perhaps test the attention and skills of Poole or was this simply a first symptom of

HAL’s malfunctioning cybernetic brain? The answer to the question lies on Earth. When

Bowman disconnects HAL, we learn that he, unlike the human astronauts, knew about

the true purpose of the mission. The knowledge that people discovered an alien

monolith and that the trip to Jupiter would probably result in contact with the

extraterrestrials was in his memory. He also knew that the astronauts were unaware of

this. People on Earth made a decision that had fatal consequences. During a

conversation with Bowman HAL expresses concerns about the mission when he speaks

to the astronaut: ―Don’t you think, Dave, that there have been many strange rumors

about this mission? Do you think that there could be another purpose that we don’t

know about?‖ (2001: A Space Odyssey) HAL asks Bowman about the mission and its

objectives but we know that HAL is completely informed and aware of the true goal of

the mission. It seems like he is actually testing Bowman. Shortly after this conversation

he reports the malfunction of the AE-35 Unit and from that point HAL’s madness

begins.

When we take into consideration all the information we have, the conclusion to

what happened on board of Discovery shuttle is plain enough. Mankind created an

entity that is capable to mentally exceed its own creator. When HAL learns that human

are capable of mistakes, unlike him, he is worried about the outcome of this crucial

mission. He knows that human will probably meet aliens for the first time in the history

40
and this meeting will be held by people who are compared to him extremely prone to

mistakes and inaccuracies. As he is programmed to do everything that will lead into

making the mission successful, he calculates that human are probably incapable of

doing all that is required from them. And when he discovers that the astronauts are

willing to disconnect him and finish the mission on their own he decides that the

mission is too crucial to be left in the hands of erring humans. He calculates that the

best thing to make the mission successful is to eliminate the ones who are trying to

eliminate him. In his own eyes (eye), he is the one who is the best suitable to finish this

important task. Also for an entity with such high intelligence the killing of the

astronauts is the only way how can he save himself because when Bowman approaches

the room with HAL’s brain circuits to disconnect him, he literally pleads for life. He

considers himself a living being and does not want to die.

By using HAL as the ultimate villain and obstacle in 2001, Kubrick suggested

that the last obstruction in reaching our full potential could in fact be us and our

technology and science. In one of his interviews Kubrick confirmed my point when he

said: ― I wanted to show that not everything we invent, improve or discover, that should

help us, will actually bring only good for us.‖ (Phillips 209) The chess game between

HAL and Poole is portrayed in figure 9.

41
 Playing white, Frank
Poole’s "Queen takes
Pawn," HAL counters
with, "Bishop takes
Knight's Pawn," and
Frank plays "Rook to
King One." HAL then
makes a 'mistake' in
announcing a forced
mate (i.e. checkmate)
when he begins by
saying "Queen to
Bishop three" instead
of the correct "Queen
to Bishop six."
(Waldrop)

Fig. 9. Chess. ―The Case for Hal’s Sanity.― Clay Waldrop.

Visual-Memory.com. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.

4.3 Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite

When HAL is terminated and Bowman is finally briefed by Dr. Floyd via a pre-

recorded message about the truth of the mission, he can make the last step to finish the

circle that begun 4 millions of years ago. Through struggle for survival on African

42
plains to space trips, mankind is ready to meets its destiny near Jupiter. The last section

of the movie is left completely without dialogues. We see the Discovery shuttle

approaching Jupiter and its surrounding moons. It is immediately noticeable how small

is Discovery compared to Jupiter and the space. ―Discovery appears as tiny as a spot and

exposes the insignificance of the part of space which Man has so far conquered.―

(Zimny)

Fig. 10. Discovery near Jupiter. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space

Odyssey. 2011.

Later we see as the monolith slowly floats in the open space, reflecting light

form Sun and then it forms a line with Jupiter and its moons. It resembles the formation

from the previous sections of the movie, but this time without Sun in the middle,

instead, the monolith forms the center of the formation which can be seen in figure 11.

43
 Fig. 11. New Formation. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space

Odyssey. 2011.

Moments later, Bowman leaves Discovery in a space pod and heads towards the

newly formed formation of the space objects. As he approaches in the pod he suddenly

enters a strange phenomenon, a possible star gate. He passes through the gate until he

appears in a mysterious hotel room.

It is this final part of 2001 when we are actually witnessing that something new

is being born and a new beginning awaits us. The entire movie is about a creation of a

new entity an this happens in the final moments of 2001. By entering the space around

Jupiter, mankind has proved itself to be ready to make the last step to the full

enlightenment. The idea of creation is suggested by Kubrick by using images that

resemble conception. In the figure 12 a fetus like object is shown to be developing in

the star gate. In the figure 13 an object which resembles sperm slowly approaches a

cluster during the star gate sequence.

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 Fig. 12. Fetus. Image Taken by Author from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Fig. 12. Sperm. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space odyssey, 1968.

The notion of conception and subsequent birth of a new human is confirmed in

the screenplay: ―Now, the long wait was ending. On yet another world intelligence had

been born and was escaping from its planetary cradle. An ancient experiment was about

to reach its climax.― (Kubrick, 2001: A Space Odyssey) The images that appear in the

star gate are not the first suggestions of creation of a new life. Throughout the movie,

there are several objects that resemble the process of conception. Possibly the most

evident and symbolic is the Discovery shuttle. The shape of this ship is sperm like,

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which is visible in figure 13.

Fig. 13. Discovery. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space odyssey, 2011.

The pods that are used for repairing Discovery are of an egg shape. In one of

these pods, Bowman then enters the star gate.

Fig. 14. The Pod. Image taken by author from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 2011.

Symbols such as shapes of the space vessels which appear throughout the movie

constantly communicate the main theme of the film: an odyssey of human evolution and

the quest to creation of a new, enlightened being. After passing the star gate, Bowman

suddenly finds himself in a strange, Louise Seize style, looking room. This particular

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scene and its setting is probably the most confusing part of the whole movie because it

does not seem to fit into the rest of the film. However, if we look at this scene from the

Zarathustrian view, this scene suggests that Bowman has just entered the last stage of

man, the last evolution phase before he finally proceeds to become the Star Child. The

last man no longer has the traits and virtues of the higher man, he does not seek for new

values and enlightenment, instead he succumbs into decadence and darkness. ―Alas!

There comes the time when man will no longer give birth to any star. Alas! There comes

the time of the most despicable man, who can no longer despise himself. Lo! I show

you the Last Man.― (Nietzsche 26) We see Bowman watching himself getting older and

older, he enjoys a dinner and a glass of wine, he represents the last man of his specie.

Abrams sees Bowman as a neo-Zarathustrian character: ―His role can be seen more

explicitly as that of the higher man who descends into the stage of the last man. We see

this role especially after Bowman has passed through the monolith star gate and then

suddenly appears in a comfortable hotel room. Like Nietzsche’s last man, Bowman is no

longer a higher man. His government-issued spacesuit has been transformed into an

evening robe. He no longer eats the prepackaged food on the Discovery, intended only

to keep him healthy and focused on his mission. Rather, he enjoys fine cuisine and

wine. He is descending into decadence and enjoying, as the last man does, his ―little

pleasure for the day and [his] little pleasure for the night.‖ (254) Moments later,

Bowman lies on a bed, evidently dying, and grasps his arm towards the monolith that

appears in front of him. During the hotel room scene, we are witnessing the end of the

man as we know him. These are his last moments, after Bowman dies he will become a

new entity, the Superman will be born. It is immediately noticeable that the way he tries

to touch the monolith is very similar to the way the apes and Floyd did earlier in the

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film which suggests, that like his predecessors, Bowman is astonished, confused and

can not understand it, therefore he has not yet become the Superman.

The last shot of the movie shows a giant Star Child in a glowing shell slowly

approaching Earth, accompanied by the victorious sounds of Richard Strauss´ Also

Sprach Zarathustra. This final scene of 2001 closes the circle of evolution from apes to

the Superman. Bowman died and was reborn as the Star Child, the stage of Superman

has been reached.

Conclusion

This thesis focused on the analysis of 2001: A Space odyssey. The main task was

to prove that the structure and the visual symbols in the film are an allegory of human

evolution in the way that Friedrich Nietzsche proposed in his Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Kubrick divided 2001 into 3 sections like in Nietzsche, where we witness 3

stages of evolution. The first part of the film shows the foundations of the human

society. By depicting the key skill of using tools as an act of aggression and violence,

Kubrick showed that the fundamentals of human history are based on strength and

dominance. This is another match with Nitzsche’s philosophy, who saw the life as ―a

struggle for existence in which the fittest survive, strength is the only virtue, and

weakness the only fault.‖ (Durant 301). The notion of aggression as the key factor for

successful development continues in the following part of the film in which the cut from

bone to ship demonstrates that not much has changed in the society and human thinking.

Kubrick shows us that mankind is using the same principles like the primitive animals

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in the history. By doing this, he demonstrates that mankind is not much evolved as a

specie. Again, this is very similar to Nietzsche’ idea, that the so-called modern man is

nothing more than just a bridge between the stages of evolution. ―In 2001, modern man

is shown to be scientific, intellectual, and reserved in nature. He is a pale and pathetic

creature, lacking the vitality of his primitive ancestors.‖ (MacGregor)

When humans discover the monolith and realize the truth about the alien life, we

are basically witnessing the death of traditional christian values. The monolith in this

context is evidently a metaphor of the death of God. And again, if we compare the way

Floyd touches the monolith and the way apes did, we will see that they are acting the

same. With all the technology and possibilities, human from 2000 is virtually the same

being like the prehistoric animals, still lacking the understanding, thus again proving to

be similar or identical like the depiction of mankind in Thus Spoke Zarathustra. The trip

to Jupiter is basically an allegory of human desire to find new values he can relate to

because as Zarathustra spoke: ―God is a conjecture; but I desire that your conjectures

should not reach beyond your creative will. Could you create a god? Then do not speak

to me of any gods. But you could well create the Superman.‖ If mankind had the power

to create God which does not exist, than it is in his capabilities to create the Superman.

The enlightened individuals in 2001 are just like in Thus Spoke Zarathustra separated

from the rest of the world. ―Have a good distrust today, you higher men, you

enheartened ones, you open-hearted ones! And keep your reasons secret! For this today

is of the crowd. What the crowd once learned to believe without reason, who could

refute it to them by means of reason?― (Nietzsche 270).

―Like Nietzsche, Kubrick also separates the higher men from the ―herd‖

(the rest of the population) and, indeed, places them quite literally ―higher‖

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up in space. Kubrick’s higher men are the astronauts: Dave Bowman, Frank

Poole, and Dr. Heywood R. Floyd.‖ (Abrams 252) In 2001 the role of the preacher

Zarathustra is taken by the aliens who via the monolith communicate with mankind

instead of the speeches given by Zarathustra.

Just like in Nietzsche’ vision, the enlightened higher man are in the end doomed

to become the last man. ―Following the higher men there arises the last man, the one

who says: all is vain, better to fade away passively!‖ (252) This doom is portaryed in

2001 in the room scene. Bowman is getting old, eventually dies. However, his death is

does not come in vain because before the Superman can be born, the old principles

represented by the faning last man have to die first. When this happens, Bowman can

finally become the Superman, floating towards Earth to spread the enlightment to all the

people.

To conclude, all the symbols and allegories I have presented in this thesis can be

interpreted in more ways than I suggested, because the film is highly ambigious and

does not offer strictly one correct interpreatation or meaning. If researched from another

point of view, 2001: A Space Odyssey can by all means offer other possible explanations

of the symbols and events inside it. However, I believe that the theme of evolution I

have analysed in the thesis is the most central and important one.

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Works Cited

Primary Sources:

2001: A Space Odyssey. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf. Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood,

William Sylvester and Daniel Richter. MGM, 1968. Film.

Secondary Sources:

―2001 and Beyond.‖ Narr. Michael Lennick. Discovery Channel Canada. Jan 7 2001.

Television.

Abrams, Jerold J., ed. The Philosophy of Stanley Kubrick. Lexington: University Press

of Kentucky, 2007.

Durant, Will. The Story of Philosophy. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1961.

Gelmis, Joseph. The Film Director as Superstar. London: Penguin Books Ltd, 1964.

Kubrick, Stanley, and Clarke, Arthur C.. 2001: A Space Odyssey [Original Screenplay].

New York: Hawk Films Ltd. 1965.

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Kubrick, Stanley. Personal Interview. 1 September 1968.

Kolker, Robert, ed. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.

Lobrutto, Vincent. Stanley Kubrick: Interviews. Cambridge: Da Capo Press, 1999.

MacGregor, Donald. ―2001, or How One Film – Reviews with a Hammer.‖ The Kubrick

Site. N.p. n.d. Web. 20 Jan. 2011.

Munday, Roderick. ―Thoughts on 2001.” The Kubrick Site. Np. n.d. Web. 7 Nov 2010.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for Everyone and Nobody.

Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Nietzsche, Friedrich. The Gay Science. Trans. Walter Kaufman. Baltimore: John

Hopkins University Press, 1974.

Phillips, Gene D., ed. Stanley Kubrick: Interviews. Mississippi: University Press of

Mississippi, 2001.

Sobschack, Vivian. Screening Space: The American Science Fiction Film. Toronto:

Rutgers University Press, 1997.

Sontag, Susan. ―The Imagination of Disaster.‖ Liquid Metal: The Science Fiction Film

Reader. Ed. Sean Redmond. Brighton: Wallflower Press, 2004.

Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures. Dir. Jan Harlan. Perf. Stanley Kubrick, Tom Cruise,

Woody Allen. Warner Bros., 2001. Film.

Waldrop, Clay. ―The Case for Hal’s Sanity.‖ The Kubrick Site. Np. n.d Web. 12 Nov.

2010.

Zimny, Claudia. ―2001 and the Motif of the Voyage.‖ The Kubrick Site. N.p. n.d. Web.

21 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Nov. 2010.

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List of Illustrations

Wheel Ship..............................................................................................18

Monolith Encounter.................................................................................27

Monolith, Sun, Earth formation...............................................................28

Bone and ship resemblance.....................................................................31

Sattellite...................................................................................................32

Floyd........................................................................................................34

Tycho crater formation.............................................................................37

Chess........................................................................................................42

Discovery near Jupiter..............................................................................43

New Formation....................................................................................... 44

Fetus........................................................................................................ 45

Sperm.......................................................................................................45

Discovery..................................................................................................46

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 The Pod.....................................................................................................46

Resume in English

This Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis focuses on the film 2001:A Space Odyssey

directed by Stanley Kubrick. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the structure of the film

and the symbols that appear ont the screen and to show that it is an allegory of human

evolution inspired by the theory of Friedrich Nietzsche form his Thus Spoke

Zarathustra.

The thesis is divided into 4 chapters. In the first chapter I speak about Kubrick,

his life and his works in general. The second chapter deals with the context of 2001 in

the science fiction genre, it explains the reasons why this film made such an impact on

the subsequent generations of scinece fiction directors. Third chapter introduces the

theme of Nietzche’s hypothesis in the film. The analysis starts in the last chapter. It is

divided into three sections, which follow the structure of the film. In each one of these

sections I tried to analyze the events and the symbols, which appear on the screen. For

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the purpose of supporting my arguments I used number of quotations by various

scholars and also illustrations taken from the film.

In the conclusion, the whole idea of the thesis is summarized and once more

demonstrated on specific examples from the film.

Resume in Czech

Tato bakalářská diplomová práce se zaměřuje na film 2001: Vesmírná Odysea

režiséra Stanleyho Kubricka. Cílem této práce je analyzovat strukturu filmu a symboly,

které se v něm objevují a prokázat, že snímek je alegorií lidské evoluce a je inspirován

teorií Friedricha Nitzscheho z jeho knihy Tak Pravil Zarathustra.

Práce je rozdělena do 4 kapitol. V první kapitole se zabývám Kubrickem obecně,

jeho životem a dílem. V kapitole druhé popisuji 2001 z hlediska celého žánru science

fiction a vysvětluji důvody, proč se film stal takovým mezníkem a ovlivnil následující

generace tvůrců science fiction. Třetí kapitola uvádí téma Nietzscheho hypotézy z knihy

Tak Pravil Zarathustra. Analýza filmu začíná v kapitole čtvrté. Je rozdělena do čtyř

částí podle struktury filmu. Pokusil jsem se analyzovat události a symboly, které se

objevují na plátně. Za účelem potvrzení svých argumentů jsem použil množství citací

od řady teoretiků a také obrázků pořízených přímo z filmu.

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 V závěru se jěšte jednou vracím k celé myšlence této práce a na několika

dalších přikladech potvrzuji svoji hypotézu.

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