Date: Thu, 16 Jun 2005 15:11:59 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] 2001 [WAS Re: [WSFA] Re: Take that Darth Vader, thwack!]

At 01:14 PM 6/16/2005, Michael Walsh wrote:

>The scene in 2001 where Bowman blows open the hatch to reenter
>Discovery, with only his breathing being heard is a stunning piece of
>filmcraft.  And if Joe Average doesn't "get it"... their loss.
>
>Kubrick made very effective use of silence.

Agreed.  While Star Wars was a space opera movie 2001 was a stunning film.

Even better use of the just breathing, I think, are the two scenes where he
had to let the body of his partner go and when shutting down Hal.  The
memory of the first still terrifies me as an icon, if that's the word, of
loss and being forced into abandoning someone on his part and of
abandonment on the part of his partner.  Seeing the movie first as a child
to me the body was a helpless being, set loose in the emptiness of space.

The latter, as HAL first reasons from his limited world view, then pleads,
and then regresses in steps to infancy before being made simply a thing
rather than a being, still makes me want to cry.

I hadn't realized it before but throughout the film there are images (which
isn't the correct word, as I mean something other than pictures but can't
think of the correct one) of being and not being; understanding the world
as it is and what's going on vs. not doing so and trying to make sense of
it and act appropriately; and infancy and childhood.  You have the
progressing from cave men to space flight; people killed while sleeping;
the death of Bowman's partner and the letting go; HAL as a child with a
tremendous amount of information but very little experience.

All the people on the ship except Bowman died, in effect, young.  But the
cave men grew up into modern man.  And Bowmen, a modern man, grew, aged,
and perhaps died before becoming the star child.

All of this, I should add, is based on the film rather than on the
books.  That said, the concept of facts vs. knowledge, the problems
inherent in that, and growing in the latter intrigues me.  I'm going to
have to watch it again.

Meanwhile, I have a bunch of work to do and also want to get out of New
York before rush hour.  It's a long drive and I'd like to have a night at
home with the cats -- although unfortunately probably with more work to be
done -- before getting to WSFA tomorrow so I may not follow up on this.

(FWIW part of the work is sending off letters to the Guests of Honor I'd
like to have for 2005.  But once again there's other stuff to be dealt with
first, darn it.)

Elspeth