2001: A Space Odyssey - Horror of the Void (film analysis / commentary)

Detailed study of existential horror themes in Kubrick's classic space adventure. Supplying our own light - 2001: A Space Odyssey and the horror of the void. Written, edited and narrated by Rob Ager.
Like this, then watch ...
Hidden depths of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY • The hidden depths of 2...
ALIEN: The Chameleon Effect • Optical illusions in A...
The Kubrickian James Bond movie • The Kubrickian James B...
Dissecting HANNIBAL LECTER in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (character analysis) • Dissecting HANNIBAL LE...
2001: Meaning of the Monolith Revealed • 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY ...
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[@collativelearning]

Like this, then watch ... Hidden depths of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4ncn3loh7Z9htU ALIEN: The Chameleon Effect kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6DcoHmlqbSLnbc The Kubrickian James Bond movie kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ6Zc6qQe7hraZo Dissecting HANNIBAL LECTER in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (character analysis) kzbin.info/www/bejne/qYuwma2ed9dkqqc 2001: Meaning of the Monolith Revealed kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6G6fqGigq6Kd7c

[@SpiritGirlSF]

Bill Cooper tells a different story, hidden behind symbolism. Check it out on OccultAgenda channel's "Bill Cooper, Mystery Babylon playlist. He ties it all directly to events happening today..

[@DJ-Brownie-UK]

really mate research flat earth, eric dubay is an excellent channel, please take a look at 200 proofs the earth is flat, and yes remain sceptical, but just hear what he has to say kzbin.info/www/bejne/p3bEeZ2Ge5lqlac

[@rodneyboehner3007]

Mr. Ager, the title card to 2001 is much simpler than you explained. It shows the Sun evolving from the Moon which in turn is evolving from the Earth. Thus, it is a visual metaphor of evolution / revolution itself. Spheres evolving out or "hatching" from other spheres. Very simple in mis-en-scene.

[@wordforger]

I made the mistake of first watching this when my family was away for week on vacation and I was house sitting alone in the countryside without transportation. Those long sequences with no sound but the air compressor really got to me. It just drove the loneliness home.

[@tonym994]

and when he's really VERY alone ,is when he dismantles HAL.as he's doing it, the commander's videotape starts playing, having been recorded previously. THAT is sort of creepy. only a recording exists, as far as people besides himself. Dave is quite alone.

[@andrewlast1535]

Now try Moon.

[@nerfytheclown]

​@@andrewlast1535 moon was pretty great.

[@gusgrizzel8397]

@@andrewlast1535 Moon was good. Imagine being sent into space, and knowing most certainly, you will never make it back to earth. Everything you knew and loved is gone.

[@thereisnosanctuary6184]

You watched it in the best way possible.

[@panickingpagan4264]

I mean absolutely no disrespect by this but I actually use this video to go to sleep, I have really bad adhd and it often hard for me to sleep when my brain is bouncing around for lack of a better word, but something about your voice really helps me to focus on one thing, it calms me. Something about your deep analysis and clear passion for this film just helps me to settle down even during panic attacks. All this to say this video is incredibly well done and really helped me so thank you.

[@band1tt]

a lot of people suffering from adhd calm a lot down removing gluten.

[@kayakat1869]

This movie always reminds me of something I would have watched with my parents as a kid when it came on tv, but forget about it until I remember that weird feeling of not understanding again. Its so weird how this film is the most "family friendly" of Kubrick's films, but also asks us the deepest questions about ourselves.

[@exoplanet11]

In spite of being a horror film, as Rob describes, it was rated "G"

[@allenjones3130]

Indeed, "2001" is the most 'family-friendly' film Kubrick ever made. It doesn't have any of the sex, nudity, vulgar language or graphic violence that mars more recent sci-fi thrillers (such as "Alien" or "Saturn 3), and I think that's one of the reasons"2001" has endured.

[@MsAppassionata]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@allenjones3130 “Alien” is more recent sci-fi? Not by much. As for the violence, “Alien” is not nearly as graphic as some of the films that followed it. There’s basically that one scene and the film is still fondly remembered by millions of people, contrary to what you said.

[@exoplanet11]

Thanks for noting that one of the skeletons in the "Dawn of Man" sequence is human, or at least hominid. I hadn't noticed that. Burial their dead, either out of respect for fellow humans, or with some thought of the afterlife, is regarded as an essential characteristic of 'being human'. Thus it is particularly noteworthy that the crucial man vs. machine scene is initiated by Bowman's desire to properly retrieve & care for Poole's dead body.

[@robertbusek30]

It’s interesting that HAL relies on this desire to get Dave out of the way so we can terminate the crew members in hibernation and move on with the mission. He seems to know humans better than humans know themselves.

[@davidthomas3826]

I find 2001 to be an unsettling and creepy experience. The scenery and the music really do evoke feelings of loneliness and anxiety about encountering the unknown

[@davidthomas3826]

@@gvjudd1289 I was talking about 2001, not your sex life

[@theonewhoistornapart2506]

Yes it invokes the sort of feelings of Lovecraftian cosmic horror. Existential horror at it's finest.

[@SupraRy]

I absolutely have the same watching this movie alone at night. I just watched the sequel tonight for the first time right after 2001 and it actually made me cry at the end , I can't believe I never watched it in my 35 years but I really enjoyed it.

[@rafaelj8808]

@@davidthomas3826 you destroyed gvjudd holy shit

[@negativeindustrial]

@@davidthomas3826 If one’s sex life has not yet begun can it truly be considered “boring”? Clearly this man is still a virgin?

[@tph2010]

Wow, swapping out the optimist music for the creepy music (and vice-versa) in those space travel scenes completely changes the mood! Well done.

[@libre-tad6283]

That's why film makers use certain music for a scene. You could put Motorhead over any scene of any film with its own effect. So swapping music about within a film has no point except a rudimentary lesson in how music in films work.

[@marcusashley3428]

When my Dad took me to see it when I was 5 yrs old I found it very scary, especially at the end when he turned into an old man, that scared me to death!!

[@lorisewsstuff1607]

Same here. My parents thought a movie about space was going to be kid friendly like Star Trek. Aside from people making B movies about Martians I think Kubrick was the first director to do space horror. It was so unexpected.

[@marcusashley3428]

@@lorisewsstuff1607 yeah that's like when Jaws came out , my Mom thought it was a documentary on sharks so she let me go see it, if shed known what it was really like, no way could i have see it ha

[@ThePitchblue]

I was also very young but never found it scary. I remember starting to watch it late at night and probably until 2 am or something. my mom said something like "you know, it's not a movie for kids", presumably trying to stop me from watching it? that failed of course. but I was not scared for a second. I was something like hypnotized, mesmerized. there are no words to describe the effect it had on me.

[@lordmalal]

Haha... Of course that part is scary, it's the reality of the human condition.

[@imodern]

"I wasn't a day over 40", says dad.

[@rabidhammer31]

I don't have words really with how much I love this. And seeing the other films and books you are into, I am so glad I found your content!

[@Deeplycloseted435]

When people ask me what my favorite movie is of all-time, I always say without hesitation, “2001: A Space Odyssey”. When they ask me why, I can’t really answer. It just makes me feel something, that I can’t really describe. Its something that no other film can make me feel. It is terror at times, isolation.....I mean, Dave is all alone, billions of miles from home, accompanied only by a homicidal AI computer. As Dave blasts himself back into the Discovery, the tension is fantastic. He makes his way into the computer, helmet on just in case HAL pulls anything. Its a long scene, drawn out, HAL pleading for his life. We almost feel for HAL momentarily, but absolutely must disconnect him as he cannot be trusted. Got a chance to see 2001 in an IMAX theater last year. It still looks remarkably good, despite being much older than I am.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

I saw it a couple of times in the theater back in the early 80's when it could be found on the midnight movie circuit along with such films as Rocky Horror, et al. I was only 5 when the movie came out but I can clearly remember how it impacted everything in popular culture and pretty much re-wrote the book on science fiction. In fact no one even attempted outer space science fiction on a grand scale again until Lucas came along almost 10 years later.

[@Thespeedrap]

I never seen 2001 in a Imax theater that looks awesome if you saw it.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

@@Thespeedrap No, not IMAX unfortunately. Just a rather beat up 35mm print.

[@u2mister17]

Well my older college student brother and his friend took me a 13 year old kid to THE FIRST SHOWING at a downtown theater. 3rd row just left of center in the balcony. 3 full screens and 70mm film. You needed to turn your head slightly to take the whole thing in. But the biggest memory was leaving out of the theater. We were totally open mouthed and zombiefied. As i walked through the exit doors we were met by a hundred next showing audience bright faces desperate for the answer..."was it good". My only awareness was how quiet the exiting throng was, trying to get their brains back together. One guy looked directly at me and asked, all I could do was nod. Kevin....I always felt "2001" was my favorite movie. I'm sorry more people couldn't experience that film the way I did. TV does nothing for the viewer.

[@bodhidharmashmarma5179]

Good story.

[@adceph]

Thanks for releasing this for free Mr. Ager.

[@holisticpsychologybyobrien]

He is the man.

[@Starduckvalley]

Agreed

[@rafac7384]

I still can't belive this movie is from 1968!!!

[@meta6797]

So ahead of it’s time yet will always be relevant

[@meta6797]

@Goggle products this comment is ahead of its time

[@douglasmilton2805]

Agreed. Still the most credible portrayal of the incredible loneliness of space travel. Hasn't dated one iota. I would put a word in for Alien too.

[@douglasmilton2805]

PS, should have added - I actually saw it in 1968! With my dad, at the Eglington Toll Cinerama, Glasgow. I was six years old!

[@PRH123]

@@douglasmilton2805 I saw it in 70 mm in a single screen theater with a huge almost iMax sized screen. Was an incredible experience. There were theaters like that back in the day, before the multiplexes began to appear.

[@michaeljacobson4844]

I always loved how during the second water hole scene, the apes that learned to use tools were walking upright, while the others were still on all fours. :-)

[@Empyrean55]

A nearly 2 hour video discussing my favourite film of all time? How could I say no

[@conw_y]

9:45 - This moment where the glorious melody emerges as the stars align perfectly seems almost like Kubrick saying: "perfection is as rare as a solar eclipse, and yet is guaranteed to exist in some space and time, by virtue of the laws of physics".

[@KitCalder]

@EramSemperRecta "A stopped clock etc.'

[@arbiterofreason2068]

the law of large numbers.

[@maestroadam]

And I mean... the choice of music? Impeccable.

[@richardmattocks]

The moment when we see the “life functions critical” and “life functions terminated” flash on the screen always freaks me out. So simple but somehow terrifying.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Know where the horror is? The EEG of the last man to die shows a huge peak in power; then flatline.

[@samanthaadams619]

I've always maintained that the scene where Hal kills the hibernating astronauts is the most chilling murder scene in all film, using just the screens to tell the story.

[@zachflame123]

One of the scariest movie moments when you have the volume high. It makes me jump every time. Death overtaking life. No escape. Doom.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

I think some of the scenes where the spacecraft seem to be in different positions around Saturn are done on purpose. I think it conveys large amounts of time passing and is also a preview of the hotel scene where time isn't linear.

[@npatrcevic]

Jupiter

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@npatrcevic Sorry, yes, Jupiter!

[@npatrcevic]

@@TheBonsaiZone Now go read the book! And for the record, I like your reasoning with the passing of time.

[@TheBonsaiZone]

@@npatrcevic Yes, it is Saturn in the book, I guess it was too hard to make the rings look good in the movie. Such a good movie, I think my favorite!

[@sumvs5992]

I just thought the same, it wouldn't make much sense if the spacecraft were to dock within a few minutes, it would make sense if for 20 minutes to an hour were spent lining up the spacecraft to be able to dock.

[@hippiecheezburger5457]

This is the deepest film ever made, it’s an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word, Kubrick thought it out so meticulously, like no other film compares to the monstrosity of the analysis here. You can try and decipher it for a lifetime and that is why it’s so brilliant. We can study it and study it but will never know exactly what it all means, true art.

[@bobcharlotte8724]

My brother bought 2001 on vhs, having both of us never seen it... we thought the tape was broken in the first 3 minutes lol

[@oliversmith9200]

LOL

[@h.ar.2937]

😂😂😂I downloaded the movie when I was younger and thought the same thing

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

The ape was broken to a T

[@rokaxiv]

I just recently bought this movie on blu ray and thought the exact same

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

@@rokaxiv Sorta shows how 0.8 second cuts in modern films have poisoned people

[@jahnbon]

You're a thoughtful human, and your perspective is most welcome and appreciated. Almost fifty years since my first viewing of this film (in a theater), I am still finding it open to interpretation, and your take on it is enlightening. Cheers!

[@BuzzBlackburn]

I always preferred to think that Hal‘s “malfunction“ was due to the monolith’s presence influencing his intelligence as it did the human’s. Like then, the result was murder.

[@rogerdoggett1991]

Nice

[@danielbretall2236]

Wow, you've totally colored my perception on this dynamic of the story. Is A.I. any less sentient as us? The fact that it would commit murder to secure it's own position says it all.

[@mrmeerkat1096]

Hal killing the astronauts was because of conflicting orders. His top order was the mission and the crew not knowing certain things. That's why he began to lie to them. Then he had to kill them. Kubricks assistant Jan harlan says Hal wasn't malfunctioning, he had a conflict of orders

[@noahegler9131]

I always thought the malfunction/mistake was just because Hal was stressed out by Dave catching him out in a lie. He's presented as being a very human character, but since the crew sees him as a tool they I interpret his mistake as a malfunction and react accordingly. Hal reacts in self-defense, and you know the rest.

[@brooklyngray1527]

@@mrmeerkat1096 exactly this. Junk data in, junk data out. During part 3, the phrase "it can only be attributed to human error" is repeated a lot. Machines don't work incorrectly, if there's a bad result it's because it was given poor data.

[@angelobrattoli4663]

In the book on making 2001, the anti-gravity toilet scene was put in for a bit of comic relief. The Blue Danube waltz was chosen for the docking scene simply because it was an easily recognizable piece of classical music signifying man's evolution into the Arts. The Pan Am logo was chosen as it was thought at that time to be a timeless brand, like Coke. The Discovery was designed to look like a bone, the first tool used in the film. It's shape was a metaphor.

[@nooneinparticular7980]

Everytime I’ve watched this movie, I’ve been too high to notice any editing errors and just appreciate it

[@arbiterofreason2068]

As kubrick actually intended!

[@saulorocha3755]

I always slept watching it. It is my childhood memory of it and my kind of trip!

[@2degucitas]

Is it a good movie if your not high?

[@kanyeeastlolz]

Lol

[@JT-gq8wv]

Koda Stoned _Everytime I’ve watched this movie, I’ve been too high to notice any editing errors and just appreciate it_ *In Washington DC, when 2001 premiered, the theater to see it was the UPTOWN THEATER.* *It had a unique screen 70 ft wide, 40 ft tall.* *Those of us in the know would wait for the STARGATE scene to start, run up to the screen, and watch it lying on our backs looking straight up.* Some guys smoked, but the management didn't seem to notice.

[@user-yl4lf9mh1w]

One thing that I always loved about Kubricks film Berry Lyndon was the feeling that the narrator was the universe itself. The entire story seems like we are watching the characters from a god like POV in the way the story is told. Kubrick is a master at that, which he has done in all his films to certain extent.

[@johnmc3862]

Barry Lyndon was beautifully shot but not a great movie.

[@AxelGizmo]

@@johnmc3862arguable

[@memilh]

1:02:54 The monolith emits an electromagnetic wave, that is how they can hear it inside their helmets.

[@jkdbuck7670]

Perhaps said wave is messing up the comms equipment in their suits?? They can't hear a wave, but the wave can mess up the speakers in their helmets?

[@22z83]

and people say 5g isn't harmful smh

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

How does one ascertain a radio signal's 'direction'? Was it a 'RASER'?

[@adityasanthosh702]

@@22z83 meh, EM waves aren't harmful. As a person who studied Electromagnetics, I stand by this statement. But you should avoid UV, X rays, Micro waves.

[@22z83]

@@adityasanthosh702 Bruh only joking

[@Lethgar_Smith]

The purpose of the overture, as used in some films, is intended to create atmosphere. The projectionist, if properly trained, is supposed to begin the film with the house lights still on or partially dimmed. If the screen is covered with a curtain, as many movie theaters were in those days, the curtain should remain closed and the title card, if included can be projected onto the curtain. This is intended to create the appropriate mood as the last stragglers are filing in from the snack bar. This is to provide a buffer so that those late arrivals dont disturb the opening of the movie. It's music to "find your seat by" That's its only purpose. The effect is repeated again during the intermission. When the title card for the intermission is shown the projectionist stops the projector and brings the house lights up for a 15 minute break for the audience to go the bathroom and the snack bar. When the intermission is over the projectionist restarts the film but keeps the house lights on or partially dimmed while the "overture" plays as the last stragglers get back to their seats. When the music ends, the house lights fully dim, the curtain is opened and the film resumes. That's how a properly trained projectionist would know how to run the film. Sadly, it's pretty much a lost art.

[@mikeb2375]

Yes the overture was used in this context Inn all the film's releases.

[@kaewonf8]

If we are to subscribe to Rob's theory that the monolith is the movie screen itself, rotated 90 degrees, then the Ligeti overture is a subliminal psychological cue to the audience.

[@Lethgar_Smith]

@Paul No no. The curtain opens just as that Blue MGM logo appears. In the town I grew up in one of my favorite theaters had a motorized curtain across the screen. It was always so cool to have the house lights go down and that curtain quickly slide open at the start of a film. The term "title card" refers to a photo slide with an image similar to a lobby card for the film that is then projected on the screen via a slide projector. This is just to have something on the screen before the movie stats. Most films did not include these little attributes. They were usually reserved for big budget epic films like Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur and Star Trek the motion picture.

[@pietrayday9915]

The whole thing has gotten somewhat programmed these days, with advertisements and trailers and PSAs queued up like a digital slideshow replacing the old projectionist-based tricks, and you've lost the old-fashioned bill of film shorts, other features, and so on left over from the Vaudeville era and before, that would have provided the pre-show leading up to the main feature with its overtures, intermissions, and so on as breaks for the audience. Going to the movies used to be an all-day adventure!

[@davidsanderson5918]

Paul The curtain isn't closed for the iconic opening. The mention of 'title card' in the description above is on an otherwise black screen during the musical overture that precedes the film. Spartacus also has an long overture with a black screen before the epic film begins. Seen both at the cinema with the lengthy overtures in tact before the film starts....love it!

[@BPLOL]

I was a child the first time I saw this movie. To me, it was always scarry, specially the ending. Greetings from Brazil.

[@tomkiefaber4297]

All in fun, I'm compelled to note that you found the film, as I did, scary. While 2001 is a strange film for sure, with many scary moments, the fear factor really isn't sufficient to scar viewer's psyches. Then again...Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange"? That one can scar your prefrontal cortex, that's for sure, and Stanley agreed, withdrawing his Banned! film from further theatrical release in British theatres altogether. ;-)

[@chrishestand1]

Last time I saw this was at Alamo draft house at midnight. Strict rules on the door: if you’re talking, you’re walking. No warnings, no exceptions. The audio was turned up to a point where the monolith sequences penetrated your being. Disorienting, deafening, and horrifying. The front row made this experience larger than a movie. It was a sensory overload, and immersed me in Dave’s journey in ways I’d never thought possible. If you ever get a chance to see this film under these conditions I’ve described, do not miss that chance.

[@CLos93.]

Lucky I’m waiting for a screening I wanna see this in the big screen so bad

[@garymazeffa6819]

HAL does reach out to Bowman to talk about the mysterious stuff surrounding their mission. Like something being dug up on the moon and other personnel being added in hibernation. Bowman blows HAL off. Right after this... HAL provides a warning of a communication unit going bad in 72 hours. In essence, HAL was looking for someone to help him with a conflict built into his programming. An honest two-way communication would have led to a discovery of their true mission. It would have been eventually pulled out of HAL. They would have worked as a team. What pushed HAL over the edge was when the two astronauts wanted to solve a problem; they got together in the space pod and talked things through. Bowman denied HAL this outlet. Ergo sealed their fate. It was not just HAL's disconnect that threatens HAL but not being treated as a true conscience entity.

[@numbersix8919]

HAL was reading their lips as they discussed the procedure for turning him off (killing him).

[@awesomedallastours]

I saw 2001 52 years ago and its still fascinating to me. Thanks for all your hard work on this and all your other analysis videos.

[@WattsRaider]

it is a horror film. man is not in control. thats the horror element for me

[@Charon.1]

More Lovecraftian than any Lovecraft adaptation

[@Torgo1969]

Control? What the F's that?

[@d3l3tes00n]

Who believed we were in control anyway?

[@funnypicturescomics]

I have to agree with WATTS RAIDER.....Man has NO CONTROL...And is out of his league. This movie has no optimism for me but is a warning to not venture out too far.

[@PRH123]

Why would not having "control" be horrifying or even mildly scary or even an issue at all....?

[@WaterborneCamper]

This movie always gave me the creeps - I had always assumed that was the intention.

[@watermelonlalala]

Everybody came out of it saying "What the hell was that about?"

[@gabegu5102]

I love this movie but it used to scare me so bad as child.

[@user-pu5sk1zc8s]

I don't think many people can truly understand how frightening the experience of being alone out in space years away from the nearest living thing would be.

[@aquaticborealis4877]

Nearest equivalent is being in the deep sea, at depth with no light. An enormous black void all around you. That’s what space is. I’m not sure about stars, and how they appear out in space. But every star viewable to the naked eye is within our galaxy. I’ve heard that if you were transported outside our galaxy, into the space between galaxies, almost everything would be black, but maybe the nearest galaxy viewable only as a distant faint light, barely more than a star. Otherwise everything is black. A void that continues almost like an eternity.

[@lemurdream]

"Moon" is a great directorial debut by David Bowie's son Duncan Jones. It was obviously influenced by 2001 in ways but is still a very unique and thought provoking film. It's like a movie length episode of the Twilight Zone!

[@paulflores1144]

Sam Rockwell is such a great actor. Very underrated IMO.

[@annebruecks7381]

VERY good!

[@lisaspikes4291]

I also liked Mr. Nobody.

[@JillyBean860]

Moon was extraordinary!

[@virginiapicker]

Great movie. 👍

[@robertsolo5769]

54:37 I notice that the shuttle appears like a very creepy face, almost an evil clown, as it is lowered into the red landing bay. Yes, faces can be seen almost anywhere when one looks for them, but when you added the creepy music over the shot, it really jumped into my perception. I really enjoyed your interpretation of the film. Thanks!

[@tragiclantern]

This is a great analysis (as always, Rob). I've always felt uneasy watching 2001, especially when I saw the unrestored cut in the cinema. It's chilling in a very real way.

[@plasticweapon]

unrestored...?

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

I found that monolith on the Moon in Duke Nukem 3D, it made me happy.

[@coleozaeta6344]

It’s also in a moon cave in Destroy All Humans 2.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

@@coleozaeta6344 There is a gaming company named after it too, they made the game Blood in 1997 and now work for activition today. The company is called Monolith.

[@WesCoastPiano]

This is the first time I've heard anyone say Duke Nukem 3D made them happy. Maybe humanity is devolving.

[@TheStrayHALOMAN]

@@WesCoastPiano Nah, just you.

[@WesCoastPiano]

@@TheStrayHALOMAN ByeDon 2020!

[@Lethgar_Smith]

Another thing you got wrong is that the scene with the monolith on the Moon, when it sends its signal to Jupiter, occurs because the pit comes into the sunlight for the first time since the monolith was uncovered. That's why there is s shot of the Sun over the monolith while the signal is being heard. This is what triggers the signal. It was deliberately buried so that when it was uncovered it would signal to its builders that Man had reached the Moon.

[@dannass5]

While this may as well be true, the monolith reacts to any kind of metaphysical contact, but good observation with the sunlight. I'm going to remember that the next time I watch this masterpiece

[@Lethgar_Smith]

@@dannass5 It's not real clear but just as the moon bus is landing there is a shot of the area they are landing in showing that the shadow of the mountain range is very close to the excavation area. Although no movement of the shadow is seen and there are no establishing shots of the sun light creeping closer to the pit but I believe this is what is happening. I am pretty sure I read it somewhere and it might even be in the original shooting script which I have a copy of (it's available on line).

[@pietrayday9915]

It's clearer in the book that the monolith is an alarm to alert the precursors that life in the solar system had evolved to a point where it could unearth the monolith: there is an explicit comparison of the precursor aliens to farmers who sowed the galaxy with the seeds of life, and then return to either harvest that life, or weed it out.

[@LuluLaRue]

@@pietrayday9915 🤘🏻🌌 Absolutely!💜

[@termination9353]

Except it didn't start sending it's signal when it was uncovered and presumably the sun rose on it several times while excavation was in process prior to the scientist Astronauts coming to take a look at it. It was when they tried to touch it that it sent out it's signal. And why would a "signal"[radio] cause the astronauts pain? The movie revolves around the enigma of the Monolith which DOES exist... is hidden inside the building called the Kaaba (not an ancient building) at Mecca Saudi Arabia. The dimensions 1:4:9 of the Monolith gives the correct decimal places of Pi. "piece of pi[e]" -2010 Odyssey "square of the first 3 integers" = progression of Pi decimals is always the progression of PRIME NUMBERS squared. First seven prime numbers squared added up = 666 = "Key of David" The Monolith is mentioned twice in the Bible. Once as King Og's "bedstead" "NINE cubits was the length thereof, and FOUR cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of A[1] man. 9:4:1/1:4:9 ....and once as captured by King David, the "Methegammah" (Meta Gamma) 2 Samuel 8:1

[@SamGuthrie1977]

The hero's journey is a spiritual one, full of struggle and trauma -- but in the end he overcomes and is born again.

[@gypsygypsy7185]

It’s exactly that but Stanley is also showing us the occult belief but the they pay for what ever they want to explore and do - just like a women’s body reference in eyes wide. .... there both about occult ones space fantasy and one sex.

[@gypsygypsy7185]

Jethro Derp is you think I’m wrong look up solar warden and all these space projects Stanley is telling us about the secret space programs about exploring and finding weird things

[@haraldharam9334]

@Jethro Derp Have you been listening to Jay Weidner?

[@50goingon15]

Bootiebodypody AFO l.

[@milton7763]

SamGuthrie1977 Does he, though? He overcomes HAL’s threat, but what does he overcome at the end?

[@3launch]

I adore this commentary. It’s hilarious to me that Rob speaks for almost two hours just to guide us through only the (textually canonical) surface layer interpretation of the film, only to casually mention the subsurface through-line (which he brilliantly explicates in “the meaning of the monolith revealed” video). It would be unthinkable to watch this video without also consuming the latter video. Cheers to Rob for making both of these wonderful presentations free for everyone; thank you for that great gift!

[@rivereuphrates8103]

I LOVE the sequences where you switched the soundtracks of 2001 and The Shining. They fit perfectly, beautifully even. Brilliant.

[@alback]

Rob, you should try out Tarkovsky’s work. Specially Solaris and Stalker. I would bloody love your take on these and other works by him. Some say Kubrick is the right side of the brain while Tarkovsky is the left (or something among those lines) and I must agree!

[@Keleu]

It's strange to see that he hasn't any analysis of Tarkovsky yet and he even doesn't mention him on his movie lists videos.

[@Maggerama]

Absolutely agree. While I personally don't like Solaris that much since Tarkovsky turned Lem's message inside out (it was never about how humans need humans, in the novel the protagonist settles for the Ocean), I consider Stalker an upgrade over its source of origin. And probably my favorite movie of all time.

[@joeinreallife6293]

Rob is a story-hunter first and foremost. If he makes any appeal to form it's only in service of the story (e.g. physical details in the set having tie-ins to the story's themes), Tarkovsky cannot appeal to him until he learns to appreciate how a narrative is presented as much as what is being presented. Only then can he truly appreciate the geniuses of a Welles, Tarkovsky, Kurosawa, Medem, Altman, Ruiz, or Kar-wai (or even "empty" stylists like DePalma or Argento).

[@Maggerama]

@@joeinreallife6293 I don't blame him though. It's too hard to talk about Tarkovsky without being experienced in all of the details of the Soviet model of life for a specific generation. Well, Stalker is more lenient in this regard, but I wouldn't try Mirror.

[@yourt00bz]

Kubrick considered himself a dilettante next to tarkovsky

[@ZrankFappaH]

This is an exceptionally deep analysis. Wow mate, truly good job.

[@urchy54]

Quite true Weezil Fappa. I was born in 1954 and when this movie was released I was enthralled... I have the DVD now and have noticed many of the errors spoken about in this dissertation; after many viewings. Nevertheless this insight has given me even more pause for thought. Until 2001 came out, I reckon 'Forbidden Planet' was the benchmark. Forget StarTrekWars and This Is. Earth Thank you sir. Most enlightening. From a fanatic, I guess. Or, as Spock would say... 'Fascinating."

[@urchy54]

Totally agree mate. I'm a '54 drop also, and found the film fascinating. Bought the book on "the making of..." and ignored the errors. Spotted them now on my DVD and I try not to let them detract from my enjoyment of this classic.

[@exoplanet11]

Check out Rob's "Message of the Monolith" videos if you haven't seen them yet.

[@tejp8318]

Rob, this is very in depth and entertaining to watch and really appreciate this upload.

[@patrickmckenna6391]

This is your best ever review/commentary Rob. I first saw this film back in 1975 at the cinema, and I was instantly fascinated and disturbed by the movie. What unsettled me was the fact that we are insignificant dust particles in the universe. However, the final scene was uplifting - if we dare to face the unknown and go to the outer limits and then look OUTWARD, we can realise our destiny.....but the process will be dangerous and terrifying!

[@marcosvelez4148]

Great video! The Bowman vision with the 7 octahedrons reminded me of the book of Revelation with seven seals, bowls, and trumpets. Also Ezekiel with the wheels within wheels with eyes on them. I guess maybe unreachable levels of perception might be implied.

[@UnkleKnuck]

Merkabah

[@jerryshunk7152]

There is nothing in Revelation about this movie except 12: 9!

[@mrplume2651]

Your videos are amazing Rob

[@paul41to45]

saw this masterpiece for the first time when i was 12 at the Cinerama dome in Hollywood, will always be my favorite cinematic experience. Watching it now, the movie never ages

[@vikingchad44]

Some good stuff here. You definitely took a deep dive. I enjoy your commentaries even when I don't 100% agree with all of it because it comes from intelligence and a sense of wonder. I love how act 2 and 3 are replays of the Dawn of Man sequence in their own way. You went a little deeper than Ive ever gone on some of the FX. Knowing the constraints they were under at the time it's hard for me to read that much in to it but it's still an interesting take. The ending has the feeling of a DMT trip, which itself feels like you've taken a journey into the source of everything or the control room of the cosmos and had a glimpse at the cogs and wheels that run everything. And there are beings there that greet you and watch you as you go through the experience before you return a changed human. Very overwhelming. Cheers

[@MichaelVLang]

49:13. There is a parallel with the scenes of the monkeys. Monkeys in their natural habitat, rocks and such. Man in his natural habitat, plastic and very bright red synthetic "formations". Great vid Rob. Thanks for doing this!

[@androconium3393]

They weren't monkeys. They were apes.

[@morlockmeat]

This enlightened ape thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Thanks, Rob.

[@TheDarkWizard666]

This is truly a great analysis and an excellent film in general, very well done Rob, been a fan for a long time.

[@jonperkins]

You have reintroduced me to something I always enjoyed. However now I enjoy the films you critique on another level. Thank you you sincerely for your work Rob!

[@ll-tr7hh]

man thanks for uploading this, always appreciated your takes on my favourite movie.

[@mrmegachonks3581]

The smaller landing craft at 52:10 looks like a skull, tying in with the bone iconography and acting as an indication of hazard regarding space exploration.

[@yourt00bz]

The novelisation and the quote are very tellling clues that Kubrick was creating post modern meta narratives. One day you and another might publish such a great work

[@KevinStriker]

This is my favourite analysis video you've made because it puts into words better than any other the existential dread I feel watching this film. It's an oddly hypnotic feeling too, which is what keeps me coming back to this film time and again. It's beautiful, majestic, well crafted, and leaves me with a greater feeling of primal fear than most full branded horror movies.

[@morlockmeat]

One of the simplest analogies is, of course, the Discovery representing a penis, penetrating the void. When it approaches Jupiter, the egg, it releases the seed that produces new life - the Star Child.

[@opheliarolle5393]

You have said alot in this one simple comment. Also foretelling.

[@daveqr]

Guess we know where the pink hole is.

[@morlockmeat]

@@daveqr - 😆

[@AFRoSHEENT3ARCMICHAEL69]

Who's the Star Child?

[@evanabbott2737]

Ugh, yep, that works.🤷‍♂️😁

[@TimZandbergen]

I always thought the initial massive dessert surrounding the 'island' on which the apes live, represented 'space' in this primitive state of evolution. It is lifeless, an impassable frontier, until we find the evolution stone to evolve the next stage. Then space becomes the lifeless, impassable frontier, until we find the next stone. This coincides with each step of that evolution and conquering the next frontier requires new weapons, that are discarded in favor of news ones at the next step. Ultimately, the space child represents the conquest of space: the final frontier, and thus weapons are no longer needed - symbolized by it destroying all the nukes

[@Archetype77]

Great points! Although I think the "Weapons are no longer needed" part you said at the end could just stay as, "Weapons from the previous era are not needed". In the space era, eventually a new form of weaponry may arise and space may not be the final frontier.

[@swordierre9341]

I never thought about the discarding of old tools aspect until this video, and this comment solidified it as an intended part of the message for me.

[@KutWrite]

When were all the nukes destroyed?

[@swordierre9341]

@@KutWrite in the book version that what happens

[@SurlyInsomniac]

mmmmm massive dessert

[@benbrownjr.7626]

A brilliant series of observations and essays. It unfortunately also tells me that there are few films like it that deserve such an analysis. Very well done, sir.

[@gerrydepp8164]

Great analysis Rob. I was riveted to SciFi when I was kid and read the book at least 10 times before I saw the film at the movies in the late 70's. I felt sorry for the audience as few understood anything. I was awestruck and disappointed at the same time as one of my fav sequences (in the book) was when Dave in the pod comes over the horizon in low orbit over Saturn's moon Iapetus - which in reality has a black burnt looking non reflective surface covering one hemisphere and a white or much more reflective surface covering the other. This was where the signal from the Moon was directed and so it was logical to go there and investigate it. The Monolith is placed in the middle of this reflective surface and is the same exact dimension but kilometers long; so as Dave approaches it looks as if it grows out of the moon until he is right over it and his perception changes abruptly to the Monolith being a bottomless shaft into Iapetus and he begins to fall in and he is gone."The Eye of Saturn has blinked" - he sees his chronometer begin to race as time speeds up and -"Oh my god its full of Stars" and the voyage begins. This is the star gate and a signal repeater at the same time - alerting the aliens that we are ready. All this logical beauty was lost in the movie (and IMO is why so many people were baffled) and I wondered why for a long time. Now after 55 (!) years at last I have a theory: After reading "Worlds In Collision" by Velikovsky and being convinced that he was right about Saturn's role in our evolution; I think Clarke believed this too and chose Saturn as a tribute to him and that this was too hard or controversial (Velikovsky was hounded and persecuted like all great visionaries) to convey not mention too long. Now there is ample evidence that he was indeed right and we have completely misunderstood our entire history and that of the Solar System but this in nowhere in conventional "Science" and is why Astronomers are continuously baffled by every new discovery so are in crisis as one theory after another is invalidated. This is because the role of Electricity has been completely left out and the word PLASMA is never mentioned in spite of 95% of all the matter in the Universe consisting of it. Look up The Thunderbolts Project if interested - A LOT will be demystified.

[@georgelea4297]

Thank you Rob my evening's entertainment has been settled

[@stevesharief7]

once again an excellent in depth look at this mysterious art Kubrick's, and u know what, now that i have time and money I'm gonna delve into this dude's patreon videos

[@pauliedibbs9028]

Same here, especially considering all the time we have still with the quarantine.

[@Luke101]

Thank you for everything you do! your videos are so great to listen to while I work in my shop

[@SupraRy]

My guy I am ALL IN with you video at almost 40 mins in. Amazing job. You took a lot of the same things from the movie that I did.

[@Tiberius_Productions]

Thanks for showing us that quote from Leggetti (sorry if I butchered the spelling) about how he approaches his music, it truly inspired me as a musician that he infused such precision into his score for 2001. I always put a lot of care into my music and added layers of symbolic meaning as well, and I’m glad Kubrick understood picked a composer as articulate as I would like to be. It’s just inspiring to me that he could put it into words so well.

[@playbackproductions1]

Hey Rob, I've always thought the name "Bowman" had to do with a bow and arrow. The bow-man being the first human to project an object/ weapon beyond the simple means of merely throwing it.

[@alanteare1603]

Yes, but more broadly represents the “man” whose reach exceeds his grasp. Hence the movie itself whose comprehension is achievable, but is beyond common reach.

[@leehodge9741]

Bow = arc

[@georgeanthony4834]

or it refers to the hero from the original story ,homers odyssey.both about retuning home . HAL 9000 = the cyclops

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

Obv that is where the old English surname of Bowman originated from, historically. A similar surname is Archer.

[@exoplanet11]

Yes, you can certainly imagine those apes moving on from using bones as weapons ("Bonemen"?) to bow and arrow. Another ancient connection is the goddess Diana, (an original "bow-woman") as goddess of the hunt. She was associated with the moon because its crescent shape (seen numerous times in 2001) looks like a bow.

[@DrZootie]

"The drought had lasted now for ten million years ... in the continent which would one day be known as Africa, the battle for existence had reached a new climax of ferocity, and the victor was not yet in sight."

[@MrMacattack11]

Rob, I'd say you are more Enlightened than anyone who spends their time contemplating Enlightenment. Listening to your analysis of movies has actually shifted my understanding of reality, allowing me to see significantly more meaning behind mere appearances. Keep them coming, man, what youre doing is phenomenal.

[@pawel4099]

Thank you sir! My quarantine time just got way bearable. LONG LIVE!

[@Pericalypsis]

That object described by Clarke as a "star cluster", and shown at 1:35:52 in your video, looks closest in appearance to a globular cluster (look it up in Google, they are incredibly beautiful). Our own galaxy hosts around 200 of them, a few can be detected with the naked eye, and most can be seen with a small hobby telescope. But I like your interpretation of that scene as the opening moments of the Big Bang. 2001 is ultimately a very positive and optimistic movie, with its "create your own light" message emerging from the existential horror.

[@JackbenImbel2274]

Great analysis Rob, I enjoyed your humor insert around 40:00, very insightful into your personality, but also a rare out take from the extreme professionalism shown in your work.

[@drumeshopeth]

Kubrick was an absolute genius, as evidenced by the critical analysis of his films still today. Rob Ager is also brilliant for this and his other excellent examinations. He is outstanding. I am grateful for the capacity to appreciate his explanation for that which is beyond me, like this film.

[@shaggycan]

1:03:04 The signal was described as a broad-frequency radio transmission of incredible power. So it makes sense they could hear it over their comlinks.

[@collativelearning]

2010 isn't canon to Kubrick's film. Can humans hear radio transmissions?

[@shaggycan]

@@collativelearning I edited my response because Floyd says in the message at the end it was a radio transmission and they are going to have radios in their helmets for sure.

[@collativelearning]

@@shaggycan Aahhhh, hahahaha. That's a nice response, but there are no examples of astronauts on the moon in this film having radios in their helmets. In fact their group photo by the monolith is ushered by a hand gesture, not a "say cheese" radio chat.

[@shaggycan]

@@collativelearning You are totally correct there is no proof that they have radios, that is an assumption based on what we know of real life space suit helmets, but they don't seem to use them in the film.

[@lihtan]

There is a known phenomenon of the microwave auditory effect. It's possible to directly trigger the auditory cortex in the brain with modulated microwaves. A broad spectrum EM emission may have directly effected their brains instead. On this subject, many astronauts have reported seeing pinpoint bursts of light even with their eyes closed, from gamma rays directly hitting their eye. Perhaps this was symbolic that one of the dangers of going outside the protective bubble of our planet's electromagnetic field, is that our senses and biology can be easily overwhelmed by different types of invisible radiation that exist in space.

[@ducky-1944]

Rob.. great job. One of my all-time favourite films, I cannot help checking out any new analysis of this complex film. Something I noticed a year a two back and I don't think anyone else has commented on this before, while it is little trivial and somewhat nerdy, I've always had a problem with the computer disconnection scene. While the build-up to it is deliberately powerful particularly the sense, you get of bowman going to a restricted closed off area of the vessel. For Bowman and Poole, this part of the ship was well beyond their paygrade, and I guess being 12 hours on and 12 hours off taxi drivers (maybe lighthouse keepers, is a better representation of their job ) they knew just enough to get the scientists to their destination. But for me, it is the removal of the clear acrylic memory blocks that has always bugged me, every time I see it I think, couldn't Kubrick has come up with some better!, even the close cooperation with NASA must have failed that time I thought! With this, in mind, I came across a youtube video about a group of engineers rebuilding an Apollo Guidance Computer. At the same time, NASA didn't use acrylic for the memory modules they certainly look very similar. The fitment and particularly the removal of the modules in the AGC video is almost identical to the film representation. And Kubrick's version is just a future styled extrapolation of this early space flight system. Anyway, check this out, see what you think. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHy2kpt3pLR_mrc (AGC, Part 1. Around the 9.08 Mark)

[@collativelearning]

Very interesting. I have a different take on these modules and why they look as they do, but it's getting into hidden narrative stuff. I think it's referred to in the 2001 article on my site.

[@therenewedpoet4292]

Thank you for uploading a full study. You do a great job

[@MYPOWERSTATION1]

This is my third viewing of this video. I think its my favorite so far. Great job! Love Kubrick!!

[@andrewbutler9533]

Brilliant Rob! That was a Marathon not a sprint. I always thought when he breaks the wine glass, it's symbolises man's spirit leaving it's vessel, as he no longer needs it, and then evolves to become the enlightened being/star child.

[@cocharles563]

The monolith reminded me of my childhood fear of the unknown the darkness behind my open closet door after bedtime. The dark bathroom at the end of a dark hall.

[@rsvp9146]

Rob, thank you for the time spent analyzing my favorite film. Lazy Sunday in the Pacific Northwest here, thinking of the great times I had in the UK. Cheers.

[@ryebread7224]

This commentary is A++! Thank you for this very in-depth presentation!

[@chaosmatic404]

Here I am, at home trying to get some work done and you had to go and post this!

[@jamessmithe5490]

I was very surprised upon learning the opening scenes with the apes were all shot on a studio set.

[@danielwylie12]

I saw this film in 1969 at the age of four at a huge luxurious theater in Manhattan. The film was being replayed at this theater one year after it's original release in 1968. My mother and I watched this film immediately after being taken to observe the final stages of construction of the World Trade Center Towers by my father, who worked in Manhattan for Shell Oil. Though I was only four years old, I remember the film extremely well, and was taken for a near-hallucinogenic experience for a young child. Near the end of the film when Dave Bowman is in the process of turning off HAL, I had an overwhelming sensation that Dave Bowman was my future self. I couldn't figure out how anyone could have ever made a movie about myself in the future. On a psychological level, I was changed on a level I cannot define by being exposed to this film. I suspect much of this psychological alteration was accomplished through various unrevealed strategies.

[@Boogenhagen100]

best channel on youtube hands down. your expertise and presentation are unparalleled. that being said, how about an analysis of sorcerer (1977, freidkin)? that would be epic

[@Scott_Raynor]

Just what I needed during lockdown.

[@bandfromtheband9445]

Your post is fascinating! You have covered more ground than I thought possible. I try to break things down into the simplest components. Bowman, as the "Star Child" here, was nothing but the Alien's simple but effective transformation from observing human life from afar (wherever they are situated in the Universe) and they simply weren't finished (nor satisfied) with their observations. They transformed a dying human into one of their own to keep on discovering human beings (some life form that was clearly not as advanced as their own). I wonder about the events that were going on, below on the planet when this "thing" showed up on radar. One subject that the film doesn't pick up on, but was described in the novel, was that this entity "preferred a cleaner sky." So, it detonated ALL of the nuclear weapons orbiting the Earth. I wish Kubrick could have found a way to film a sequence like that. Clarke made it very clear! I also would love to know what happened after. Did the entity just disappear? Did it hang out orbiting the earth? I don't recall the after-effects from the "2010" novel. I should perhaps look back at the aftermath by reading that book again before I say anything else. However, I remember the explanation as being vaguely lame...

[@xbox5922]

Thank you for the upload. I have a much greater appreciation of this piece of art.

[@Indubitably14]

40:10 This joke and Peter Griffin laugh caught me completely guard. You got me hahaha

[@FEJK82]

When I first saw those last scenes, I found them profoundly disturbing. Probably because they made perfect sense to me, and realizing what is was, was terrifying. Not that it itself was good or bad, but just the scale of a new thing was enough to shock me. I have 'Depersonalization' - a type of Dissociative Disorder, and that hotel room sequence was like the was I have always seen the world, and that is the first time I have heard or saw any other human 'get it.' It stuck with me for months afterwards. Whether you liked it or not, unless you're and idiot, you'd have to admit that it is deep.

[@3launch]

I believe Kubrick was on the spectrum or possibly dissociative identity disorder, and his brain found these story and visual patterns for 2001 due his brain wiring… but interestingly, he was also a family man and was somehow able to maintain a stable and productive personal life. I only wish we had gotten 3 or 4 more films from him.

[@cowebc]

The eye and visuals in the Stargate sequence suggests to me the changing of Bowman into something else. The changes in colour in the eye and the landscape seem to mean to represent that Bowman remembers who he was and those things familiar to him but now with a different perspective and comprehension which we can only imagine.

[@heioca9556]

Love the content man. Recently went back and rewatched both films. They're both good in their own rights. The orchestral pieces bring so much to 2001. Absolutely genius choices on Kubrick's part. The dissonant uneasy strings that give that ominous subtext. The epic majesty of Sprach Zarathustra. Blue Danube bringing this kind of patient drawn out dance with the the introduction of the transport meeting the orbiting station. Mankind bungling its way through technological advancement, ever reaching toward the unknown. "My God, it's full of stars!"

[@luckyotter623]

One of the most underrated science fiction films of all time. It has held up extremely well, and the special effects are impressive, even today.

[@bengszy8124]

40:21 This laugh gives me more chills than the void.

[@collativelearning]

Peter Griffin approves :)

[@saltygrasshopper]

@@collativelearning Giggity

[@ike25young]

I want to send you money. What percentage goes to Israel? The movie industry, music and journalism are the tentacles of the global secret police. They're not there to entertain or inform. Family guy references? Moron.

[@crimsonwallace5508]

@@ike25young yikes

[@sandy_the_hippy]

Smith don't you know they control youtube too? They've got got you cornered pal, grab your tinfoil hat, quick

[@glandau8059]

Great content superb commentary love the inner thoughts Mr. Ager so much in depth critical thinking.💖💯

[@MindiB]

The first modern sequence following the bone-toss, set to ornate orchestral waltz music, always seemed to me suggestive of man’s efforts to distract himself from the constant presence of danger and death we’ve just watched the apes try to master. Whether with frivolous parties or ever more complex engineering, we are merely engaged in elaborate avoidance of the ultimate truth of mortality.

[@soroush42]

thanks rob for this great film analysis keep doing these types of analysis .

[@david21216]

hype something to get me through the rest of this final portfolio, cheers!

[@mariadam9157]

- Kubrick is the master manipulator! - and we love it! - also my fav film - and thanks for great video!

[@milton7763]

The one thing I always like best about space movies is when they really get across that oppressing void that emanates from space while also having this promise of discovery