1984 Essay, Research Paper

2001 Space Odyssey

The film segment chosen was the final scene from Stanley Kubrik^s 2001

A Space Odyssey made in 1968. As the name would suggest, the film is

set almost entirely in the future. Already having projected itself over

30 years into the future, it would be safe to assume that this motion

picture offers a wealth of imagery and futuristic vision. It does. It

is towards the end of the film, however, that Kubrik offers this to us

on a much greater scale. In these few minutes, we are presented with

the dawn of a new era: a near incomprehensible evolution of humanity.

Through many complex design devices, the set design successfully

achieves a vision for the future that is neither dystopian, nor

entirely utopian, yet extraordinarily positive on a revolutionary

scale.

Kubrik himself has never publicly discussed the ending to 2001 and

admits that this was a very subjective film, while many people claim

not to have understood it at all. Many interpretations have been made

as to the real meaning of this scene, many incredibly different and

most equally plausible. Despite their differences, however, all have

one thing in common: an overwhelmingly optimistic vision for the

future.

A few example interpretations include alien intervention: an idea that

alien technology has helped man progress to the ^next level^ of

consciousness; to an understanding beyond the physical realm. Others

adopt the idea of the emergence of man as pure thought completely of

his own accord.

It is for this reason that the futuristic vision expressed in this

scene cannot be labeled simply utopian. What viewers are offered during

this scene spans far beyond an idealistic version of the world we live

in today: various connotations found in the scene stretch the bounds

and horizons of humanity itself.

The problem faced by Kubrik, and indeed the set designer was how to

portray a near incomprehensible, purely conceptual journey on film. One

theory sits with the idea of a metaphorical shift of entities: the room

we see is a metaphor for the human body and respectively, Dave Bowman,

the main character, becomes a metaphor for the human mind.

One of the elements that makes this scene appear to be ambiguous is the

absence of dialogue and meaningful audio accompaniment. This absence

draws additional attention to the visual elements of the scene.

Furthermore, very little screen movement encourages us to study Dave^s

surroundings, in this case an elaborately decorated room.

Though the set is not intended to be a physical rendition of the future

itself, it does play a large role in channeling our thoughts and

emotions while we are offered these fantastic, conceptual, futuristic

ideas.

The set quickly becomes an overwhelming feature of the scene for one

main reason: the uncomfortable feeling of incomprehension encourages us

to look to physical features for familiarity; something solid to grasp

onto. Kubrik does not offer us this. Instead, we are greeted with what

appears to be an elaborately decorated hotel room void of doors and

windows, complete with renaissance-like artwork and glowing floor

tiles. This ambiguity heightens our sense of curiosity.

What we are first presented with is a somewhat illogical mix of

objects: a space pod sitting in the middle of a bright white room with

geometric space-aged glowing floor tiling and furniture, artwork and

wall decorations that appear to be centuries old. This immediately

communicates a mix of ideas including artistic creativity, high

technology, cleanliness and calculated precision spanning centuries and

continents. In all, these are elements which can be attributed to major

triumphs and accomplishments of mankind over the physical domain;

factors which distinguish the human race from the rest of the animal

kingdom. Already the viewer has received a universally positive

statement, whether or not they are aware of it on a conscious level.

The fact that this room is void of doors and windows reinforces the

idea that it could exist merely as a container, as we have no idea what

exists beyond it; where or when this object exists in time. The room

appears to exist independent of these factors: it transcends time and

space, and for this reason, one can begin to question its authenticity.

Could this be a metaphor for the container of the human mind? Is this a

tangible representation of our ability, as a human race, to manipulate

the world around us? Once again, this is an personally subjective issue

which was intended to be dealt with on an individual scale. In this

way, the set design encourages the viewer to open their minds, to

consider abstract concepts and relative impossibilities.

The glowing tiles which line the floor of the room are symbolic of

technology, the future and humanity^s yearn for innovation. The

combination of geometric lines, the definition of the x, y and z planes

and bright white light give an impression of calculation, purity and

precision: elements that are synonymous with high technology. It is

known that bright cross lighting, used throughout this scene, can be

incredibly revealing and in most cases can expose blemishes and

imperfections in the set. In combination with the white walls, ceiling

and floor, it can be seen that this set achieves nothing short of

perfection, another reason to suspect a shift of reality.

The glowing tiles also serve as a source of high contrast to the

artworks and old furniture situated throughout the room. Here the

viewer is introduced to the featured colour: green. Green universally

represents harmony with nature and the environment. The choice of green

as a featured colour softens the intensity of the geometry of the floor

tiles. If, for example, were blue used as a substitute, the room could

risk appearing overly clinical, perhaps too futuristic, which would

emphasize a reliance on technology. The furniture itself appears to be

sophisticated and stylised, as though it came direct from an upper

class nineteenth century western European home. This furniture

implicitly suggests the idea of human sentimentality and an

appreciation for the old and the aesthetic. The artworks which appear

to be in the renaissance style put forth this idea also.

Countless explanations have been offered as to the reason for Dave^s

rapid aging, the meaning of the monolith and the star child. Despite

their differences, all share the idea of eternal optimism and divinity.

This can be attributed largely to the set design and its role in

channeling our thoughts and emotions during these bizarre encounters.

This scene was a successful rendition of an intangible journey on a

tangible, viewable scale.

Kubrik has been renowned for producing controversial films, 2001 being

no exception. Unlike his other films, however, 2001 offers us an

optimistic twist ^ a euphoric, revolutionary concept: that mankind will

eventually rise above the physical realm to a level of existence

incomprehensible to us at the present point in time.

———————————————————————-

Appendix I

Brief outline of Entity Shift Interpretation (base for semiotic

analysis)

In an effort to portray a spiritual evolution on a tangible scale, we

witness a shift in entities. Dave^s environment, the decorated white

room, becomes a metaphor for the human body. The body, Dave Bowman,

becomes a metaphor for the human mind.

At the beginning of the scene, as Dave taps into a new level of

consciousness, he is initially shocked. This can be seen by the

alarming contrast between the red space suit Dave initially wears and

the near pure white background. As Dave begins to accept his

surroundings, we can see his body ^age^ rapidly: the mind is maturing.

On a different level, this also offers to us the idea that the mind is

the only constant throughout life: while the tangible body ages and

decays, the spirit remains the common denominator that makes each and

every one of us an individual. It has been suggested that this is the

essence of humanity.

The room, which remains completely static and has no windows or doors

can be seen as a container, and in this way likens itself to the human

body, the container of the human mind throughout life. The room itself

appears highly constructed and artificial, an indicator of physicality.

In some cases this can be seen to represent pretentiousness and vanity.

On the other hand, the elements, namely the artwork, tiles and

furniture, that make up the contents of the room appear to indicate a

myriad of human achievements spanning centuries. Technology, a yearn

for innovation, human creativity, classical architecture and high art

are just a few elements that spring to mind.

Once Bowman accepts the mental transition, he begins to indulge

himself. On one level we can see Dave begin to eat, on another he

begins to consider his place in evolution, thinking, examining,

progressing, evolving, and spiritually maturing.

When Dave^s wine glass smashes we see that it is time to move on. This

action has been likened to the Jewish tradition of breaking glass at a

wedding ceremony: a symbol of great change occurring. Stanley Kubrik

himself is Jewish, which makes this parallel plausible. Aware of the

Jewish tradition or not, the sight and sound of broken glass alone in

the controlled environment holds enough contrast to shock us into

thinking that change is about to occur. Dave is thereby about to enter

the new level of conscious existence.

As we see Dave age once more, he appears to be near the end of his

^life^. We see mankind reach out to the monolith for the final time in

the film (the first time being when apes learned to use tools, the

second time to make mankind aware of the happenings at Jupiter, some

believe this was a call to announce Earth^s human race to the rest of

the universe).

With a new camera shot, we are introduced to the star child: Dave has

reached complete divinity, the sublime. Far more significant than

visually aging, Dave has been reborn. He has outlived his physical body

and has evolved to the beginning new level, hence we see the fetus-like

object. This, followed by the realignment of the Earth, moon and sun;

the discipline of space; a mystical frontier, represents a cosmic

acceptance, a coming together of entities.

This was Kubrik^s vision for the future ^ a euphoric, revolutionary

concept: that mankind would eventually rise above the physical realm to

a level of existence incomprehensible to us at the present point in

time.