2001:Analysis of the Last 10 Minutes.

This is an explanatory video looking at the final scenes of Kubricks classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
This gives my own reading of what's going on and is intended for those folks who are perplexed by the distinctly enigmatic nature of this film.
2001 is probably my favourite film of all time so I hope you enjoy this departure from my usual content.
Transcript available at my blog..
http://cynicalcelluloid.blogspot.com/2012/01/2001-analysis-of-last-10-minutes...
All images, video and sound are used under fair use to illustrate and comment upon the material.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Kubrick
• 2001
• space
• odyssey
• ending
• explanation
• film
• criticism
• lampyman101
• star
• child

[marcmitchell]

my interpretation is that we are seeing his own manifestations as he moves up to the 5th dimension as his soul departs from the cage of time, ever moment becomes eternal. Many religions mention the Merkabah, a vehicle of light that is used to travel at birth & death / ascend through the dimensions. i see this as a real time event not a trick to bypass a montage, here the visuals are replaced with the real journey, the rising of the species consciousness

[lampyman101]

@marcmitchell I do like your thoughts on the construction of the sequence however I do believe it was to side step the use of montage and members of the production have said more or less the same. People sometimes don't realise that Kubrics art was in part down to his inventive approach to film making. He often used striking ways of bucking the norm that have a tendency to make folks think he's doing more than he is. 2001 is very elegant, but a simpler film than most appreciate

[marcmitchell]

Aliens, as much as i luv them, im not really comfortable with that explanation here. id say Guardians, our multi dimensional selves.. , laboratory ? , id say more all manifested by dave's own mind as he transcends the 4th dimension, to me these last scenes are him still travelling through the star gate. its widely theorised in physics that above 4 dimensions time is viewable both ways & is not a cage we fall through like we experience here in the 4th..

[lampyman101]

@marcmitchell Aliens is what they are supposed to be. Kubrick explicitly asked Carl Sagan how they should look and Sagan apparently persuaded him to not show them at all. However, whatever you wish to call them. Guardians nicely decribeds an interpretation of what they function as in relation to humans so I can go with that. Laboritory, possibly not the right word but it was more to evoke the nature of the place IMO than it was to describe its function

[lampyman101]

@knjjhjghhg actually Kubrick encouraged discussion of the film, thats what I'm doing here. as for Dave being alone, maybe I should have mentioned it but I'd have thought it obvious considering people can see that from the footage, but bloody obvious really.I think if you look through some of the previous comments this video has helped at least a few people find some sense in the film.

I'm not sure why you feel the need to be so rude....D- for manners, must try harder

[YDDES]

@Graham7392 The bone is the first tool man creates. The first step on the path to technology that will ultimately lead man out from his home planet.

When man reaches Moon and uncovers the Monolith, a signal is sent to the aliens that it's time to make another contact to transform man once again.

[jert38]

lol. I don't think so.

[gmajor]

This is exactly what I thought was going on, although at the time I lacked the language of film to explain it.

[danbo1138]

Always thought it was the nearest thing to God,not an Alien made object just something that 'is',

[Graham7392]

The bone being throw....It's not a parallel between the bone and engineering etc, it's the first weapon and you'll find that the thing in space is in fact a weapon

[Kostly]

@ohsnapiam59 I am experiencing multiple consciousness filled beings in many different forms. I'm looking at the cat who is looking out the window. What is the cat seeing? What is it thinking? I can imagine what, but, the cat's experience is it's own. We don't plug into other consciousness, other consciousness plugs into us.

[Kostly]

@ohsnapiam59 Not to mention, I live in close proximity of many different species of birds/reptiles/mammals...Like the same room(s). Alex (dog), Frankie (pigeon), Ichiban (Euro Starling), Kitteh (fucking most pimp gray cat in the world. Not even joking...Well, other than teh odder gray cat I had around me during the first years of my life (21 y.o.), but this one rules, too! Dasss deh kitteh!), Giacomo the African spurred tortoise (inspriation incarnate! he's the better part of 6 years old).

[Kostly]

@ohsnapiam59 I mean, were you like, "whatever, thats just science fiction and might be true in a hundred years...."??? Now, and more, and HOW(!?!?!), have things become what they've become? CONSCIOUSNESS The most powerful energy in the universe. Guess what?  Science can't touch it. Unfortunately, science isn't equipped to examine consciousness in any meaningful way yet. We're getting clues, but, not any way to apply a test. We're conductors of consciousness, just as all other beings.

[Kostly]

@ohsnapiam59 What did you think of it and the concepts contained when it came out? Were you a skeptic?  A proponent? Did you contribute your consciousness energy into it or did you resist it? You felt alone? I don't understand?

[Kostly]

HAHAHAHAH "Analysis" of the last ten minutes...eh? The monolith is consciousness. That is all you need to understand.