Donnie Darko and 2001: A Space Odyssey has central meanings that focus on science and religion. Richard Kelly's, Donnie Darko, introduces the protagonist as a teenage boy who is given the chance to live for twenty-eight more days after the mysterious jet engine crash that was intended to kill him. Donnie is plagued by visions of a giant sized evil-looking rabbit named Frank. Frank orders Donnie to commit acts of violence, warns of the impending end of the world, and is his guide throughout the movie. Donnie is portrayed as a Christ-like figure that will ultimately travel back in time not only to redeem his actions, but the actions of those he has affected. When Donnie dies he becomes a martyr and saves the world, like Christ. Stanley Kubrick's, 2001: A Space Odyssey portrays human evolution while being guided by a higher intelligence. Although this higher intelligence is anonymous throughout the movie, it has placed mysterious stone structures known as "monoliths" on the moon, Saturn, and Earth. These monoliths have purposively been around for over 4,000 years and are a symbol of evolution. At each new level of human achievement, the monolith is present. The scene in A Space Odyssey, where astronaut David Bowman lands on the enigmatic monolith, focuses on an evolutionary theme, whereas the montage scene in Donnie Darko shows the reverse of time followed by Donnie laughing in bed awaiting death, thus unraveling an underlying Christian theme in which Donnie is Christ-like for sacrificing himself to save the world.
The sequence that portrays the central meaning in Donnie Darko is disclosed in the montage, consisting of scenes throughout the movie being shown in reverse. During the montage the jet engine from Mrs. Darko’s plane is seen crashing through the sky. Normally an engine would crash into the ground, but it travels through a surreal portal, which is a sign of divine intervention. It is now known that the engine's destination is towards Donnie's bedroom, as indicated in the beginning and ending of the film. The ensuing shots are taken from scenes that occurred earlier in the movie, filmed in reverse, indicating that Donnie is traveling back into time. As the montage progresses, Donnie reads the letter that he has written to Roberta Sparrow. He says, "I can breathe a sigh of relief...
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...plaining how humans have accomplished and triumphed over the physical domain, a feat that can not be attained by animals. These elements attribute to the belief that humans have reached yet a higher level of evolution.
Donnie Darko and 2001: A Space Odyssey has two contrasting central meanings. Darko has a religious central meaning in which Donnie is Christ-like whereas A Space Odyssey is focused towards science and evolution. Both scenes have unique ways of portraying this central meaning. Donnie Darko uses a montage scene in which time is reversed and Donnie learns to accept his imminent death. A Space Odyssey uses a scene that takes place in a futuristic setting and the main character transforms from a physical being to a spiritual space baby.
Works Cited
2001 A Space Odyssey. Dir. Stanley Kubrick. Perf.
Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, and William Sylvester.
February 3, 2004. DVD. Warner Studios, 1968.
Donnie Darko. Dir. Richard Kelly. Perf. Jake Gyllenhaal,
Holmes Osborne, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Daveigh Chase,
Mary McDonnell, Patrick Swayze, Drew Barrymore,
and James Duval. September 7, 2004. Videocassette.
Fox Home Entertainment, 2001.
In the first 20 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey you see a group of monkeys going through evolution. The first change you see is that of a leader. In the beginning, each monkey did their own thing, and was not bound to any organization whatsoever. The monkeys did what they want when they wanted. Then the change begins. A single monkey, by himself, rises to the top of a cliff. He stands and screams. The other monkeys notice him screaming and began dancing and rejoicing. They scream and jump around, in what appears to be reverence for their new leader. Stanley Kubrick shows the change very simply, yet its message is still very clear. The monkeys had never shouted as loud or danced as much as they had previously in the film. Their actions confirm that something in fact had changed.
In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, created by Dr. Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, the plot sequences that are symbolic. The section of the movie called “The Dawn of Man” has many examples of symbolism. First, there are five things in “The Dawn of Man” that show the endangerment of a species. Bones, the search for food, a leopard easily killing an ape, the frightened eyes of an ape during the night, and the first invasion at the waterhole show the Australiopithicine’s weakness and their failure to fully protect themselves against predators and competitors. Next, the conjunction symbolizes an important event in human history. For instance, the eerie yet powerful music that is played during the image of the conjunction symbolizes the spiritual unknown. In addition, the Australiopithic...
Review of Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
I was charmed by this film the first time I saw it, and every time since. It was the synthesis of the journey of mankind into the future and an argument for space as mankind’s ultimate destination. It was the best science fiction film I had ever seen, as it presented several different possibilities and scenarios of what could happen as well as what might happen to man in his quest to conquer space. The introduction of the computer as an artificial intelligence was an added plus. The idea of a machine making the same mistakes as any human being proved out in its own statement: that any glitches in its operating parameters had to be due to human error. Given that machines are incapable of emotions like guile, hatred, fear and sorrow, HAL was nearly as emotional as any organic being. This in itself was a glorious foil for man’s ambitions to discover the wonders of deep space.
2001 takes a long-term view of development, human and otherwise. The story traces the development of man from man-ape. Uniquely, 2001 considers not only the evolution that has led to the development of man, but also the evolution that man might undergo in the future. 2001: A Space Odyssey explores technological innovation, its possibilities and its perils.
With the shift from industrial to postindustrial capitalism, our culture has become increasingly concerned with the problem of how to represent subjects in a technologized world. Traditionally, dominant conceptions of the subject have relied on Western metaphysics; naturalized monolithic categories arranged in hierarchic binary oppositions: male/female, human/machine, subject/object, etc. In this system, the discourse of science maintains an isomorphic and mutually reinforcing relationship with the discourse of heterosexuality, since each posits an active, masculine subject and a passive, feminine object. However, the sciences of contemporary capitalism are marked by technologies of reproduction and simulation which transform the world into a web of interconnected, overlapping information codes, asking us to reconsider our “natural” binary distinctions. While these questions have sparked a lively debate concerning technology and the representation of “naturally” gendered bodies, there has been less discussion about the specific ways in which the term “reproduction” links the discourses of science and gender. Reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization, test tube conception, and genetic manipulation challenge our concepts of human reproduction, transforming bodies from unified organic units to strategic and manipulable systems. Furthermore, these new ways of thinking about human bodies undermine the biological justification for traditional heterosexual gender identities: if all reproduction is redefined as technological, then normative or “natural” gender roles must be reconsidered as well.
He points out that elements such as non-diegetic music and the topics of some conversations between characters make up life in the 1980s. Trainer highlights the dinner conversation at the beginning of the film in which Donnie’s sister Elizabeth and his father Eddie discuss who they support in the upcoming presidential election. According to Trainer, the film’s social commentary extends to its use of non-diegetic music, both Echo & the Bunnymen's “The Killing Moon” (in the original theatrical release) and INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” (in the director’s cut) help establish a temporal location; the 1980s. Throughout his article Trainer presents Donnie Darko as a film about coming of age, science fiction, psychology and drama, but also as a commentary to life in the 1980s and about the dysfunctionality behind the 1980’s neo-conservative, middle-class, suburban
I love having the Blue Danube waltz in 2001; it's my favorite part of the movie. What I find most amusing about it is that it ties in so well with the smoothness of a space orbit. In the first space scene, anything that is free floating, like the pen or the ships themselves, is perfectly in balance with the music. Nothing in orbit is ever rushed, and at no time does it ever falter from its halcyon state of existence. The Blue Danube matches this perfectly, and it contrasts sharply with the forced human stellar endeavors that are also present. For example, when the attendant is attempting to walk along the spacecraft aisle, she looks like a toddler who is just learning to walk, and the music that accompanies her is so sublime and unencumbered. Even the pen she is reaching toward looks like a champion athlete in comparison to her awkward movement. On one level, this can be seen as a symbol for the general idea of humans fighting with nature itself. Humanity has always tried to separate itself from the "beasts;" we have intricate eating customs that involve utensils, we wear clothes that are much more intricate than those that would be required by basic needs, and most importantly, we do everything we can to make our societies totally disconnected from nature. If this message is, in fact, a part of Kubrick's statement, then it is directly comparable to Nietzsche's ideas on science and technology. Specifically, I refer to the story on science in "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," where Zarathustra discusses the aspect of science that acts as a security blanket for mankind. As a race, we develop theories and inventions to understand our existence and force our e...
Three million B.C. The gunpowder for a smashing evolutionary hit was amassing for a long time, but the necessary spark came from an outside help, which soon set the whole world ablaze. From this heated inferno, came the most proficient species ever to grace the planet. And now man has to be prepared for what comes next. Arthur C. Clarke skillfully proves the point that 'truth is stranger than fiction' in his remarkable book - 2001: A Space Odyssey. He also carefully examines the point that in spite of their intelligence and curious mind, humans lack the capacity to be a complete species on their own. Without the assistance of concerned alien species humans would never had climbed the evolutionary ladder. Devoid of the outside help they wouldn't had escaped their self made prison, explored the enormity of the universe and known their place in it.
“Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” “Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb” is a movie that portrays the situation during the Cold War in comical fashion. The movie is about the United State’s attempt to recall the planes ordered by the paranoid General Ripper to attack the Soviet Union and essentially save the planet from destruction. Producer and director Stanley Kubrick, basing the movie on the novel Red Alert intended the movie to be a straightforward drama but was unable to without using crucial scenes of the story that seemed to give the movie a more comical view of the plot. The first scene of the movie is the mid-air refueling of a fighter plan, where the refueling is depicted as a sort of sexual intercourse. The movie then shifts over to Burpleson Air Force base where General Jack D. Ripper, played by Sterling Hayden, gives his planes flying over the USSR the order to attack.
“Donnie Darko? What the hell kind of name is that? It’s like some sort of superhero or something.” (Donnie Darko 2001) This movie takes place in a space that does not exist in our world. This wondrous place is connected with wormholes, which is a passage to a parallel universe. There is one person who has the ability to travel through the wormholes. Donald Darko is a mentally ill teenager that happens to sleepwalk often and ends up outside in strange places, such as a field in the mountains. Sleepwalking genuinely saved his life, due to the fact that a jet engine landed in his room at night, but he was meeting his special friend for the first time. An imaginary friend named Frank, although he is not a typical friend. A six foot tall man in
2001: A Space Odyssey is just that: a long wandering voyage of the body and mind. Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clark collaborated brilliantly. In examining both works, the film and the novel, there are certainly differences, yet the theme and overall idea coincide thoroughly. That this was made in the 1960's augments both accomplishments. The visuals, seen in 2004, are still captivating. What they must've seemed like in 1968! I flout those who received this movie poorly in those days. Would I have received it as well without having a preconceived idea of its greatness? I can only hope I would have known what I was watching.
The human nature can be seen to have adapted to all the situations in the environment while showing whatever the circumstances, there is always an advancement in the human nature as they get smarter and adapt to their own surroundings. They also shape their own surroundings according to will. Driftglass tries to lay the power lines about humanity on an ocean floor habitat with a better precision at hand . Such a message depicts that there is no failure or rather, the human kind often tends to possess a greater ability for adapting towards their own environment and surroundings (Delany, p. 109).
Humans are extremely complex and unique beings. We are animals however we often forget our origins and our place in the natural world and consider ourselves superior to nature. Humans are animals but what does it mean to be human? What are the defining characteristics that separate us from other animals? How are we different? Human origins begin with primates, however through evolution we developed unique characteristics such as larger brain sizes, the capacity for language, emotional complexity and habitual bipedalism which separated us from other animals and allowed us to further advance ourselves and survive in the natural world. Additionally, humans have been able to develop a culture, self-awareness, symbolic behavior, and emotional complexity. Human biological adaptations separated humans from our ancestors and facilitated learned behavior and cultural adaptations which widened that gap and truly made humans unlike any other animal.
Twenty-eight days…six hours…forty-two minutes…twelve seconds, that is when the world will end. The movie Donnie Darko, Frank tells Donnie that the world will end in just a short time. Throughout the movie, different literary devices are experimented to give the movie a deeper meaning. This provides the audience with a hidden message that gathers the viewer’s attention while keeping them entertained. Donnie Darko is a movie that has imagery, symbolism, and foreshadowing and by merging these devices creates a film that holds their audience’s attention.