Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
|
Loading... Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece (2018)by Michael Benson
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  steve02476 | Jan 3, 2023 |    ) Shrike58 | Dec 27, 2022 | There, now that I've got that out of my system, we can talk about the book. Once he hits his stride, Michael Benson does an excellent job of telling all you need to know (and some things you probably never realized that you needed to know) about the making of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Like the movie, the book has its flaws and (hmmmm) its longeurs. Benson's attention to detail can occasionally become self-parodic; sometimes his word choice and phrasing can seem ... odd. But Benson has done a fantastic job of gathering together the people, where they are still with us, and the information, and has rendered it into a genuinely fascinating, and at times genuinely moving chronicle of the creative process, the making of a movie that is never anything less than challenging and ground-breaking -- and the genius of Stanley Kubrick. Benson teases out all sorts of fascinating factoids -- and creates the ghostly image of an alternate-reality version of a 2001 that might have been. The iconic use of classical music was a last minute decision by Kubrick, much to the distress of MGM, which had commissioned a composer for an original score. Right up the last minute, Arthur C. Clarke thought he was writing a voice-over explication of what was going on -- which Kubrick decided not to use. Actor Martin Balsam recorded HAL's lines, but Kubrick thought he made the rogue AI sound "too emotional." And there are wonderful soundbites -- some of Benson's own I have already transcribed into the quotes here on Goodreads. This one, from Colin Cantwell, who joined the production late on as special photographic effects supervisor, really captures some of the insights into Kubrick's techniques -- and his inspiration. He was dedicated to what he was creating, he was listening for it, finding where it was, continually trying to build it to this complete thing. That film is what Stanley is. And the great thing was, the "is-ing" of it -- the verb of doing it-- we all got sucked into that. How can this be done, and he excellence that had to be there. Everything had to have that excellence, or it couldn't happen at all. (  ) maura853 | Jul 11, 2021 | ) podbay | Aug 13, 2020 | Benson’s book covers the whole production of the movie from the initial pondering of Kubrick in 1964 and first contact with Arthur C. Clarke through to the eventual release in late 1968. There is some discussion of the film’s impact, mainly concerned with early audience reaction, and a fairly cursory follow through to the eventual passing of both Kubrick and Clarke. The meat of the book concerns the development of the ideas and what was to pass for a script and a detailed look at how those ideas were translated into actual filmed scenes. The technical parts of the book are pretty good and there is lots of incidental detail that was new to me - the Young Generation dancers as apes? The focus is very much on the (very) young team of technicians that Kubrick hired to achieve his vision and the input they had in refining what that vision ultimately was. Surprisingly, Kubrick himself remains a quite distant figure in all this, floating in and out with a thumbs up or down (and we see that it was mostly down, pour encourager les autres) and handling lots of filmic admin that we never really see. A really good book that lifts the lid on exactly how such a great piece of art was made. ( ) pierthinker | Jul 19, 2020 | no reviews | add a review
AwardsNotable Lists
"Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the film's release, this is the definitive story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey, acclaimed today as one of the greatest films ever made, including the inside account of how director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clarke created this cinematic masterpiece. Regarded as a masterpiece today, 2001: A Space Odyssey received mixed reviews on its 1968 release. Despite the success of Dr. Strangelove, director Stanley Kubrick wasn't yet recognized as a great filmmaker, and 2001 was radically innovative, with little dialogue and no strong central character. Although some leading critics slammed the film as incomprehensible and self-indulgent, the public lined up to see it. 2001's resounding commercial success launched the genre of big-budget science fiction spectaculars. Such directors as George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and James Cameron have acknowledged its profound influence. Author Michael Benson explains how 2001 was made, telling the story primarily through the two people most responsible for the film, Kubrick and science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarke. Benson interviewed Clarke many times, and has also spoken at length with Kubrick's widow, Christiane; with visual effects supervisor Doug Trumbull; with Dan Richter, who played 2001's leading man-ape; and many others. A colorful nonfiction narrative packed with memorable characters and remarkable incidents, Space Odyssey provides a 360-degree view of this extraordinary work, tracking the film from Kubrick and Clarke's first meeting in New York in 1964 through its UK production from 1965-1968, during which some of the most complex sets ever made were merged with visual effects so innovative that they scarcely seem dated today. A concluding chapter examines the film's legacy as it grew into it current justifiably exalted status"-- No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)791.43The arts Recreational and performing arts Public performances Film, Radio, and Television FilmLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.41)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia in English
2
I’d only recommend to people who loved the movie and have seen it many times (like me) or else I guess major league film buffs.
One great factoid, the little girl who communicates over a video link with her astronaut father Heywood Floyd in the middle section of the movie was Kubrick’s youngest daughter, Vivian.
Actually there are a million great factoids in this extensively researched book. (