2001 Space Odyssey Essay
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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 1984 essay
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