A sound study of 2001: A Sapce Odyssey

2001: A space odyssey (1968) is a cinematic epic. Partially Inspired by Arthur C.Clarke’s ‘The Sentinel’, the screenplay was written by Arthur with Stanley Kubrick, who went on to direct and produce the film. The film deals with strong themes of human evolution, artificial intelligence and extraterrestrial life. This is portrayed through pioneering special effects and spectacular depictions of space and technology.

The film is a feast for the eyes and ears with its vast views of space and ’soon to be’ technology, partnered with large, powerful orchestral scores, they come together to form a science fiction spectacular. The visuals have a lot to be admired but I argue that Stanley Kubrick’s famous attention to detail, in regards to the use of sound is what has projected this film to the level of acclaim it holds.

The film can be divided up into four distinct sections, all of which, except for the second, are introduced via a title imposed onto the screen. I find for me it will be easiest to take these sections in the order they occur on screen and after a brief explanation of that part of the story I will go on to talk about the soundtracks that link these sections as well as any other interesting audio features the scenes carry.

Kubrick in a few of his films was known to prepare records that would be played before, after and in the intermission at the theatre, showing an interest in sustaining the feeling of the film for the audience as they get up and walk around. So concerned about these details, he sent scouts to theatres to check these conditions had been met. I recall seeing a letter regarding Kubrick’s drama ‘Barry Lyndon’ sent to the projectionist discussing similar conditions.

So before we reach the first se...

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...the audience at a deep level…’’

Jupiter Mission

Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite
Once at Jupiter, another monolith can be seen floating in orbit. Bowman leaves Discovery One in an EVA pod to investigate the monolith and in doing so is sucked into a tunnel of coloured light. The next 10 minutes shows a terrified Bowman travelling over vast distances of space witnessing strange phenomena and unusual landscapes.
Suddenly it stops and he finds himself, slightly aged, in his space suit, standing in a grand bedroom. Bowman sees progressively older versions of himself, switching his point of view to theirs each time, until he is seen as a very elderly man lying in bed. A monolith appears at the foot of his bed and as he reaches out to it, he is immediately transformed into fetus like form, wrapped in a transparent orb of light, floating in space overlooking the earth.