Tuesday, February 28, 2012

On P 50 of 2001

In the introduction, I learned that, although the book appeared in publication a few months after the movie, the two were actually written simultaneously.  Kubrick was filming during the day.  Arthur C. Clark was writing the book during the day.  Then they were working together on the screenplay during the evening hours. 

At the time of the publication of the edition I am reading, there were three books in the series.  The fourth book wasn't to appear for several years yet.  TR has all four and they are in my sci-fi pile...

Most people who love the movie love the cinematography, which, I agree, was really stunning.  However, I never understood what was happening in the first scene with the apes.  The book totally clarified it.  Arthur C. Clark's prose is a treat to read.  Beautiful visualizations like "One of his strangest, and most enchanting, memories of the entire trip (to the moon) was (the stewardess') zero-gravity demonstration of some classical Balinese dance movements, with the lovely, blue-green crescent of the waning Earth as a backdrop."  It would appear that I have a great journey in front of me.

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