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Space Odyssey™, Part 3
Hippies, intellectuals, science fiction fans, and cinema buffs went back
to see the film again and again, hailing it as a revolutionary work. While
sympathetic film critics and fans praised 2001 for its willingness
to ignore so many of Hollywood’s established conventions, pop philosophers
and members of the late ‘60’s counterculture were busy uncovering
new layers of meaning in Clarke and Kubrick’s mysterious vision.
For many, the film’s early scenes of an enigmatic alien monolith
accelerating evolution in prehistoric ape-people, coupled with the space
mission’s surprising conclusion, became a metaphor for humankind’s
spiritual journey. For others, this theme represented a challenge to orthodox
views, both scientific and religious, of who we are and where we came
from.
Like George Orwell’s Big Brother, the malfunctioning computer HAL
was everywhere and into all things, with electronic eyes and ears surveying
every inch of his domain. If 2001’s new creation myth was
the perfect affront to religion and science, HAL was seen by many as a
sublime metaphor representing the perceived evils of technology and government
Regardless of what meaning one attaches to Kubrick’s masterwork,
it holds up remarkably well when screened in front of modern audiences.
The special effects still look good, putting shame to many of the latest
computer animated big-budget science fiction epics. It is a testament
to the veracity of Kubrick and Clarke’s predictions that for every
piece of hypothetical gadgetry that seems dated, the film contains dozens
more which foreshadowed with uncanny accuracy the real technologies of
the new millennium.
The most enduringly relevant aspect of 2001, however, is not
technological, but philosophical. Futuristic computers and space ships
are peripheral to the tale’s underlying message. The film implies
that we are not alone, that there is a higher intelligence in the universe.
Whether one prefers to think of it as divine or extraterrestrial, 2001
asserts that this higher consciousness has been with us from the very
beginning, and it’s intimately involved in our evolution as spiritual
beings.
2001: A Space Odyssey is both cautionary and optimistic. It tells
us we must grow and seek out our higher consciousness, that itís not going
to do all the work for us. The disastrous fate of the Discovery mission
can be seen as a warning of what may happen if we donít make the effort,
while the filmís awe-inspiring finale serves as a hopeful statement of
humanityís potential.
If you like the exhibit and have any suggestions, you can contact me.
- Dennis Gonzales,
2001 consultant
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