Q Pootle 5

2001: A Space Odyssey still leaves an indelible mark on our culture 55 years on

Retrieved on: 
Monday, July 10, 2023

It is a work of extraordinary imagination that has transcended film history to become something of a cultural marker.

Key Points: 
  • It is a work of extraordinary imagination that has transcended film history to become something of a cultural marker.
  • It is not an exaggeration to say that 2001 single-handedly reinvented the science fiction genre.
  • The visuals, music and themes of 2001 left an inedible mark on subsequent science fiction that is still evident today.
  • You just don’t do that.” By that point, the golden age of science fiction film had run its course.
  • The narrative was linear, but radically, spanning aeons and ending in a timeless realm, all without a conventional movie score.

Vietnam

    • The war in Vietnam was already a highly divisive issue and was spiralling into a crisis.
    • The Tet offensive, which began on January 31 1968, had claimed tens of thousands of lives.
    • As US involvement in Vietnam escalated, domestic unrest and violence at home intensified.
    • They fuelled what Variety magazine called the “coffee cup debate” over “what the film means”, which is still ongoing today.