2001: A Space Odyssey

You are correct.

In the beginning of the film, one of the monoliths made some improvements in a tribe of our primitive apelike ancestors, resulting in them learning to use clubs. The aliens who put the monolith on Earth then buried one on the moon, so that it could be determined when Man would reach the stage of elementary space travel. The loud electronic sound that the astronauts heard on the Moon (with their suit radios) in the middle sequence was a signal indicating that humans had dug up the lunar monolith being sent by it to the monolith in the outer solar system. That monolith, when it encountered Bowman in deep space and created the simulation of a hotel room, did essentially the same thing to him that had been done to the man apes - it evolved him into something more advanced than he was. The "star child" seen orbiting the earth at the end was the transformed David Bowman, followed somewhat more in "2010."

By the way, one thing that I really liked in "2010" was Hal's moral redemption at the end in the scene where Dr. Chandra offers to stay with him and die too. Hal say, "No, it is better for the mission if you leave." This is the opposite of what he did in "2001," when he killed most of the Discovery astronauts in an effort to preserve his own life.

The best thing about the film is that there is no 'explanation' of the plot - you just have to ride with it and absorb it from the action onscreen.

It is still one of the finest sci-fi motion pictures ever - the spacesuits are still so 'modern' looking.

10 out of 10.

I remember back in 1968 having a discussion with friends about the movie 2001. It was generally agreed that by 2001, yes, we'd have a space station and flights to the Moon; but there's no way there'd be a talking computer...

That's hilarious, Equus -- in junior high I told some classmates that we'd be on the moon by the end of the Sixties and they laughed. The 1970 class reunion was very interesting to be sure -- I had prepared enough crow for a crowd.

Brandon has a good analysis but I wonder where he though the final room was in a hotel? I thought it was an overdecorated NY flat.

Once you've seen 2001, the Blue Danube (Johann Strauss Jr) will never sound the same again.

I used to see stuffy, gilded ballrooms when I heared that piece as a kid.
After 2001, I find it hard to believe that Strauss didn't write it as a theme for space travel.
(who knows, maybe he did).

Kubrick certainly breathed new life into a couple of pieces of classical music.

More than a couple, Brandon -- the Wendy Carlos electronic version of Rossini being one of the most pungent use of any classical music ever utilized as a film scoring in "A Clockwork Orange."

A little over my head. I remember that classical music was a recurring theme of the story because Alex loved Beethoven.

The Beethoven was an example of more than a "couple of pieces of classical music" that Kubrick used and, as a matter of fact, sales of recordings of these works increased. The soundtrack of ACO, of course, enjoyed a brisk sales but also recordings of the Beethoven 9th Symphony.

"2001" alone sparked sales of Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathrustra" as well as the other namesake composer's "The Blue Danube Waltz."

Here was the classical music Kubrick used to accompany his sumptuous cinematography in "Barry Lyndon:"

Johann Sebastian Bach (from "Allegro of concerto for two harpsichords and strings, c-minor, BWV 1060")
Georg Friedrich Händel (from "Sarabande of suite no. 11") (as Georg Friedrich Handel)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (from opera "Idomeneo")
Giovanni Paisiello
Franz Schubert (from "Piano trio op. 100")
Frederick The Great
Antonio Vivaldi (from "Cello Concerto in E-Minor")

"Eyes Wide Shut" depends heavily on classical, most dominated by the Shostokovitch.