I think the delivery of Bowman and Poole is muted because they are functioning as trained astronauts. They make little small talk because they have already been on this mission for months. Since they are cut off from their external social construct, there is little new to talk about. They revert to the methodical transmission of information relevant to their mission. Artistically, this elevates HAL to their level of expression, enhancing our sympathy for him as a genuine character.
So, funny thing. I saw Blade Runner on cable in 1983. I was 12. The voiceover was as natural to me as gravity. When I would see a "Director's Cut" some ten years later. "I was like....OMG where is the voiceover?" But...I didn't have to worry....of course I knew the voiceover by heart.
I have watched both the movies and read all the books one of my favorite scenes is from 2010 when the Russian asks Dr Floyd "Have you checked the orbit?", and it is never explained why it is so important, we just understand that there is something critical within as the gears of the story shift from the "Us vs Them" cold war mentality to the Russians and Americans working together on the mission.
I think there is a version of bladerunner that has a voice over that works really well but the creatives on the film were against it so they phoned it in
Interesting question about Prometheus, and yes, I think Ridley Scott's plagiarism is unashamedly blatant. Then again, Kubrick's film overtly borrows heavily from Nietzsche and Homer, albeit far more creatively than, say, George Lucas' hamfisted insertion of Chewbacca and R2D2/C3PO into the Star Wars universe. Have you ever noticed how the Orion shuttle sequence - immediately after the deliberately opaque, (monolith-shaped) briefing room scene - slyly references the 'Wooden Horse of Troy', as Floyd and team approach the lunar monolith site? There's room enough inside the shuttle for the men to walk around and fetch food receptacles; and they talk at length about artificial meat like "ham, ham, ham" and "chicken", before turning their attention to the photos of the monolith site, labelled TMA-1, for Tycho Magnetic Anomaly #1. Why the number 1? There is only one (that they are aware of, at least). I think Kubrick was making a very subtle joke: If you substitute the numeral for text, you get TMA ONE, which is a simple anagram for NO MEAT.
That is fascinating! The "no meat" joke reminds me of the Dawn of Man sequence, where the hominids have "no meat" until they engage with the monolith. I just realized that Kubrick might've intentionally been drawing a parallel to the Dawn of Man sequence and showing the irony of how the humans are now complaining about their abundance of food which was invaluable to their ancestors. Wow...every time I watch 2001, it seems like there's so much I missed the last time!
@@LanguageFilm Definitely agree. The replacement of raw, unprocessed meat for synthetic substitutes neatly sums up how far the human race has evolved at that point. Also worth noting that the 'Dawn of Man' chapter doesn't actually end until the 'Jupiter Mission' title appears. The 'flying bone' jump-cut doesn't necessarily signify a new chapter, as much as it says "well, that interaction with the monolith (or the mighty Bow the Gods gave to Odysseus - in this case the gift of imagination, or creative thought,) was the start of it all; and now..." well it's not coincidental that the first line of dialogue we hear is the lady at the 'wheel' space station saying "Here you are" to Floyd as the door slides open. I think of that astonishing jump-cut as more like cinematic shorthand. Anyway, I thought your analysis was very well thought out and presented: right on the money! One other thing I'd like to draw your attention to, in terms of the civility of the relations between opposing factions at the space station - where the waterhole, and the battle to control access to it, has morphed into a stand-off at the moon (or Clavius). Smyslov switches seats as the group welcomes Floyd. He then reaches over and, ever so elegantly and slowly, slides his drink (on a napkin, of course!) over until it is back in front of him at his new position at the table. In the 'Jupiter Mission' chapter, the catalyst for Bowman/Odysseus' fight to the death with Hal/The Cyclops (or God, in the Nietzchean allegorical thread) is the murder of his 'twin' astronaut, Frank 'Poole' 🙂 As for that waterhole motif, I've long puzzled over the significance of Bowman accidentally knocking over the fine crystal glass of water. Note that he appears to be eating 'real' food at last. I think I get it now, but it's testament to Stanley Kubrick's true genius that he can make such profound inferences with the lightest of brushstrokes.
@@timstewart3844 I think you are definitely onto something about the recurring food motif throughout. I was vaguely aware there was something happening about food (from all the different scenes peppered throughout) but never thought about how they might fit together. And the "lightest of brushstrokes" is a perfect analogy!
Take note of when HAL says that “Mr. Langley” was his instructor. Of course, CIA headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia, so I think this is Kubrick’s way of saying that HAL was created and programmed by the CIA.
I think the delivery of Bowman and Poole is muted because they are functioning as trained astronauts. They make little small talk because they have already been on this mission for months. Since they are cut off from their external social construct, there is little new to talk about. They revert to the methodical transmission of information relevant to their mission. Artistically, this elevates HAL to their level of expression, enhancing our sympathy for him as a genuine character.
So, funny thing. I saw Blade Runner on cable in 1983. I was 12. The voiceover was as natural to me as gravity. When I would see a "Director's Cut" some ten years later. "I was like....OMG where is the voiceover?"
But...I didn't have to worry....of course I knew the voiceover by heart.
These video essays are great
I have watched both the movies and read all the books one of my favorite scenes is from 2010 when the Russian asks Dr Floyd "Have you checked the orbit?", and it is never explained why it is so important, we just understand that there is something critical within as the gears of the story shift from the "Us vs Them" cold war mentality to the Russians and Americans working together on the mission.
I think there is a version of bladerunner that has a voice over that works really well but the creatives on the film were against it so they phoned it in
Interesting question about Prometheus, and yes, I think Ridley Scott's plagiarism is unashamedly blatant. Then again, Kubrick's film overtly borrows heavily from Nietzsche and Homer, albeit far more creatively than, say, George Lucas' hamfisted insertion of Chewbacca and R2D2/C3PO into the Star Wars universe. Have you ever noticed how the Orion shuttle sequence - immediately after the deliberately opaque, (monolith-shaped) briefing room scene - slyly references the 'Wooden Horse of Troy', as Floyd and team approach the lunar monolith site? There's room enough inside the shuttle for the men to walk around and fetch food receptacles; and they talk at length about artificial meat like "ham, ham, ham" and "chicken", before turning their attention to the photos of the monolith site, labelled TMA-1, for Tycho Magnetic Anomaly #1. Why the number 1? There is only one (that they are aware of, at least). I think Kubrick was making a very subtle joke: If you substitute the numeral for text, you get TMA ONE, which is a simple anagram for NO MEAT.
That is fascinating! The "no meat" joke reminds me of the Dawn of Man sequence, where the hominids have "no meat" until they engage with the monolith. I just realized that Kubrick might've intentionally been drawing a parallel to the Dawn of Man sequence and showing the irony of how the humans are now complaining about their abundance of food which was invaluable to their ancestors. Wow...every time I watch 2001, it seems like there's so much I missed the last time!
@@LanguageFilm Definitely agree. The replacement of raw, unprocessed meat for synthetic substitutes neatly sums up how far the human race has evolved at that point. Also worth noting that the 'Dawn of Man' chapter doesn't actually end until the 'Jupiter Mission' title appears. The 'flying bone' jump-cut doesn't necessarily signify a new chapter, as much as it says "well, that interaction with the monolith (or the mighty Bow the Gods gave to Odysseus - in this case the gift of imagination, or creative thought,) was the start of it all; and now..." well it's not coincidental that the first line of dialogue we hear is the lady at the 'wheel' space station saying "Here you are" to Floyd as the door slides open. I think of that astonishing jump-cut as more like cinematic shorthand.
Anyway, I thought your analysis was very well thought out and presented: right on the money! One other thing I'd like to draw your attention to, in terms of the civility of the relations between opposing factions at the space station - where the waterhole, and the battle to control access to it, has morphed into a stand-off at the moon (or Clavius). Smyslov switches seats as the group welcomes Floyd. He then reaches over and, ever so elegantly and slowly, slides his drink (on a napkin, of course!) over until it is back in front of him at his new position at the table. In the 'Jupiter Mission' chapter, the catalyst for Bowman/Odysseus' fight to the death with Hal/The Cyclops (or God, in the Nietzchean allegorical thread) is the murder of his 'twin' astronaut, Frank 'Poole' 🙂 As for that waterhole motif, I've long puzzled over the significance of Bowman accidentally knocking over the fine crystal glass of water. Note that he appears to be eating 'real' food at last. I think I get it now, but it's testament to Stanley Kubrick's true genius that he can make such profound inferences with the lightest of brushstrokes.
@@timstewart3844 I think you are definitely onto something about the recurring food motif throughout. I was vaguely aware there was something happening about food (from all the different scenes peppered throughout) but never thought about how they might fit together. And the "lightest of brushstrokes" is a perfect analogy!
@@timstewart3844 do you have any ideas about the crystal glass motif ?
Take note of when HAL says that “Mr. Langley” was his instructor. Of course, CIA headquarters is located in Langley, Virginia, so I think this is Kubrick’s way of saying that HAL was created and programmed by the CIA.