2001: A Space Odyssey - 30 Years On: Extras

Underman's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - 30 YEARS ON
EXTRAS

Mr Kubrick's masterpiece, in retrospect
Extras

	Kubrick's inspirations (1)...		...and (2)		British Airways highlight Arthur C. Clarke
	What do these put you in mind of?		Deep Blue comes of age		Kubrick's inspirations (postscript)

Kubrick's inspirations (1)...

References to 2001 turn up in all sorts of interesting places, sometimes far removed from what might usually be associated with "the only science- fiction movie ever made". For example, a book published by W.H. Allen, London, in 1984: "Doctor Who - The Key To Time", by Peter Haining.
Here is the entry dated December 11, 1965 (remember, this was the time when production of "2001: A Space Odyssey" was getting into gear).

"The 'Counter-Plot' episode of the epic 'The Daleks' Master Plan' is screened. A few days later producer John Wiles receives a phonecall from MGM's studios at Borehamwood, North London, where Stanley Kubrick's new film, 2001: A Space Odyssey, is in production. Having watched some of the previous week's episodes, the Visual Effects team, headed by Wally Weevers and Douglas Trumbull, are intrigued by the Doctor Who crew's achievements both in the illusion of weightlessness - as seen with the death of Katarina in episode four - and in matter transportation, demonstrated when the Doctor, Sara and Steven are projected to the planet Mira. Giving credit to director Douglas Camfield, Wiles explains that the space- travel scenes were accomplished by techniques involving the use of special transparencies and video-effects generators, and that the weightless shots were done simply by aiming a camera vertically upwards at an actress suspended immediately above by a wire from the studio ceiling. Curiously enough, when 2001 is eventually released in 1967, permutations of those same techniques, pioneered by Camfield in Doctor Who, are clearly in evidence."

...the favour returned...

This entry from the Doctor Who book (see above) appears for December 15, 1973 (well after the release of 2001).

"A new season of Doctor Who...introduces...a new set of title graphics, again designed and executed by graphics specialist Bernard Lodge but this time using rostrum camera animation for the 'time tunnel' background...Lodge confesses to being influenced by Douglas Trumbull's 'Star Gate' effects in 2001, and to using the same technique to create the patterns which swirl out of nowhere and past the camera for the Doctor Who titles."

...and (2)

Chesley Bonestell is perhaps the only astronomical artist whose work commands as much, if not more, respect as that of Robert McCall. His work through the formative years of space rocketry was an inspiration for many, just as Kubrick's own work on 2001 inspired others to find their own places in the world of cinema. Compare these paintings (click the icon at left) by Bonestell with familiar scenes from 2001. Can there be any doubt that Kubrick was influenced by these stirring visions?

British Airways highlight Arthur C. Clarke

Articles about Arthur C. Clarke are not exactly rare and I have no intention of duplicating the extensive coverage of Clarke available elsewhere on the Web. However, when something turns up "out of the blue", so to speak, it seems ungrateful to ignore it, so for the benefit of the several billion people in the world who did not travel anywhere with British Airways in August 1997, their in-flight magazine, "Highlife", featured an interview with Arthur C. Clarke: "Of planets and ping- pong balls". I must confess it was the main illustration that really caught my eye - the space station from 2001.

Writer Andrew Eames describes his nervousness at meeting the man who, despite his enthusiasm and openness, is doubtless fed up with answering the same old questions "many, many times over". Eames' opening is about as banal as any could be (I mean, would you care to ask the great man a question about the Spice Girls (whoever they may be)?).

Nevertheless, travellers weary of leafing through pages of standard airline yuppy trivia can learn of Clarke's criticism of unsympathetic development of his adopted home, Sri Lanka; the potential of virtual reality technology in bringing the world to people in their own homes; his reasons for settling in Colombo in the early 1960s; his passion for diving; and the early crossing of his path with Stanley Kubrick's.

"In 2001", writes Eames, "he foresaw the arrival of a global electronic information service that is now with us in the shape of the Internet", of which, says Clarke: "'I shall have to give it up'". Eames continues: "In 3001 he takes the virtual reality headset to its logical conclusion, portraying an era where we no longer have to feed our brains directly through the media of our senses". "'I used to say that mankind has a 51 percent chance of survival'", continues Clarke. "'I'd put the figure now at a solid 55 percent'".

Clarke, writes Eames, remains almost wholly certain that life exists elsewhere in the universe (he now speculates on the likelihood of contact occurring by the year 2030) and is determined to see in the year 2001 while he continues to work, despite health problems, "'just ten hours a day'".

What do these put you in mind of?

The following items have appeared in an IBM news circular.

Researchers are developing computer systems that can speak in a particular person's voice. A person's voice is recorded, which the system breaks down into individual sounds, like those of syllables. The computer then strings these sound elements together in new sequences to utter sentences in the person's voice that the person never actually said. In the future, people might choose a "voice font" in which to listen to computer speech in much the same way they now choose a type font for printing a document. New York Times, April 21 1997

IBM's new Fastgate system helps speed airplane passengers through immigration checkpoints by using travelers' fingerprints, hand geometry and voice prints. The system should be installed at North American, European and Asian airports in 1997.

Deep Blue comes of age

Deep Blue's ability to analyse 200 million chess positions every second, up to 74 moves ahead, proved enough to effectively become the new world chess champion, by defeating Garry Kasparov in their well- publicised rematch. Where to, now that computers are able to defeat human beings at their highest levels of intellectual challenge?

For Deep Blue, home in the world of "doing something useful for a living" is to be the Tokyo- based research laboratory, Riken, where those millions of calculations per second will be put to use halving the twelve- year testing cycle time for pharmaceuticals. And the name "Deep Blue" will be history. From now on, its name is to be MD-Grape II.

Kasparov is reported to have sought a second rematch, this time to be decided over twice as many games, but, having achieved their original aim of gaining huge publicity and the consequent commercial benefits, IBM has effectively closed the book.

Kubrick's inspirations (postscript)

The Bonestell paintings featured above are reproduced from "Blueprint for Space: Science Fiction to Science Fact". Edited by Frederick I. Ordway III and Randy Liebermann, with a prologue by astronaut Michael Collins (of Apollo 11 fame) and an epilogue (for a change!) by Arthur C. Clarke, this book was published in 1992 by the Smithsonian Institution Press.
Ordway was one of the advisors to Kubrick on 2001, and the book contains contributions from over 20 well known figures. It covers the entire history of spaceflight, from the fanciful visions of early dreamers to the space shuttle and beyond.

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