Kubrick's space flight, and beyond

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

In my early childhood, two images stayed with me and frightened me. One was the Mona Lisa, a reproduction that was hanging in my bedroom wall. The other was the Star Child from "2001: A Space Odyssey." I am still not sure why the latter frightened me so but I think a giant baby inside a shimmering, circular sphere would be enough to impress any 6-year-old. "2001: A Space Odyssey" has many memorable images and, in my mind, it is still the best science-fiction film ever made - the only one to truly capture the essence of space travel, from Jupiter to the infinite where the ineffable mysteries of what lies ahead holds a certain fascination for many of us here on Earth. I think that we tend to forget that we're a small point of interest in the universe and "2001" makes us feel how insignificant we are.

Based on Arthur C. Clarke's short story, "The Sentinel," "2001" begins with the famous "Dawn of Man" section where numerous apes are seen living in cavernous surroundings. Leopards are predominant and hungry in the horizon. The apes shield themselves from other animals or fellow apes by mostly growling...but their peaceful existence is out to be demolished in one swift stroke. One particular ape, the Moonwatcher, develops the intelligence to realize that a bone can be used as a weapon - not only to eat meat by means of hunting and killing animals, but as a defense against other irate apes. And so, while his group of apes growls at the others, Moonwatcher strikes one ape with a bone. The peaceful, vegetarian apes have learned that violence can be instrumental in establishing order and change. And so the slow-motion shot of the Moonwatcher triumphantly throwing the bone up in the air segues to a magnificent transitional cut to the Orion spaceship of the 21st century - man has evolved and now space, which was a sight for the apes who gazed at the bright moonlit sky, has become the new frontier for more discoveries and perhaps new signs of intelligence.

It is the year 2001, as we see ships gracefully travelling through space. One of them carries Dr. Heywood Floyd (William Sylvester), an American scientist travelling from earth to a lunar space station. At the station, Floyd discusses with other Americans about the discovery of a monolith at Clavius, a station on the moon. There is a wonderfully subtle scene where, prior to the meeting, Floyd is reluctant to discuss the situation at Clavius to a couple of curious Russian scientists - he claims to know nothing about it yet admits he is unable to discuss it.

The Clavius excavation is followed by the mission to Jupiter where astronauts Dr. David Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) are travelling in the Discovery ship. On board are three scientists who are in deep hibernation for the length of the trip and the HAL 9000 computer (voiced by Douglas Rain), who is the brains and the eyes of the ship. Bowman and Poole are unaware of the purpose of the mission but HAL knows - unfortunately, HAL may have committed an error in judgment on a supposedly malfunctioning antenna. Bowman and Poole feel nothing is wrong with the ship's antennae, according to their thorough observations as well as that of another HAL 9000 computer's test from the U.S. Mission Control. Is HAL wrong, or are the astronauts erroneous in their calculations? Can a supercomputer like HAL make a mistake or are the humans at fault?

The final half-hour of the film is one of the most superbly suspenseful, thrilling, visionary moments in the history of film. After Bowman realizes that HAL has intent to kill before letting anyone jeopardize the mission, he quickly disconnects HAL and begins a journey into the infinite when a floating monolith makes contact with him. Thus, Bowman sees a dazzling array of formations of geometric shapes of lights, clusters of stars, an infinite number of colored rays and, finally, an eighteenth century bedroom where noises and laughter are heard bouncing along the corridors of the unique decor. It is here where Bowman sees himself as a dying old man and, ultimately, becomes the Star Child - the last evolutionary step for mankind.

Most audiences and critics were understandably puzzled by the film since more questions are drawn up than answers (imagine how poorly this film would have fared if it played in theaters today where implication is always eroded in favor of explicating). Does Dave Bowman become the Star Child? Is the monolith an alien intelligence or an evolutionary step in mankind, or both? In answer to that question, I interpret the monolith, as I always have, as the next step in the evolutionary ladder and a sign of evolving intelligence, as demonstrated in the Dawn of Man sequence. Strangely enough, I never thought of it as an alien intelligence, despite the fact that scientists in the film allude to it as such. Heck, they could be wrong since scientists do make errors.

Did HAL 9000 plan to fool Bowman and Poole with the faulty mechanism in the ship's antennae or did HAL really think there was a malfunction, thus making us believe that computers can make errors? I am willing to go with the latter since computers can make errors. Why? Well, they are man-made, aren't they? Humans make errors all the time so it is conceivable that a computer, like HAL 9000, could make an error. Ironically, as Kubrick seems to indicate, HAL is about as human and compassionate, to some degree, as most of the human characters in the film. Of course, HAL is also a murderer but he can express emotion - consider his final lines in the film where Dave is frantically unplugging his memory units ("Just what do you think you are doing Dave? Dave, I am afraid.")

"2001" was once considered the ultimate acid trip back when it was released in 1968. There are also some who felt the film was too slow-paced and boring (Although I have heard the quote that Kubrick wanted to show that space travel was boring). I must disagree with the slow-pace - sure, it moves slowly but it needs to. This is not the kind of story that requires the fast-paced, action-per-minute theatrics of "Star Wars." Instead, Kubrick moves his story leisurely to show the beauty and mystery of space, the vastness of it, accompanied by the waltzes of composer Richard Strauss. Also noteworthy is the soundtrack, which is silent when Poole and Bowman investigate the antennae on the Discovery - occasionally you'll only hear them breathing which heightens the suspense.

"2001" is not my personal favorite of Kubrick's (that honor would go to "A Clockwork Orange") but it is an extraordinary film of sights and sounds, and certainly the purest, most poetic and electrifying science-fiction film ever made. In its story of the vastness of space and beyond the infinite, we realize that in the end, our planet Earth is only a microcosm of the big picture. 

Heinz 57

THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"The Manchurian Candidate" is one of the strangest, eeriest Hollywood films ever made, all the more so for starring Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh and the late Laurence Harvey. I can't say for sure what it is ultimately about but I will say that it is about as paranoid and nightmarish as any film on politics I've ever seen.

Frank Sinatra is Major Bennett Marco, a member of the Korean patrol that has just arrived in the United States. The Korean War is over yet a new war seems to be brewing in the United States, specifically Communism. Marco's superior, Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), has just won a Congressional Medal of Honor though he does not seem appreciative of it. Instead of working with his stepfather, Senator Iselin (James Gregory), Raymond opts to work for a newspaper in New York. You see, Raymond hates his mother, Mrs. Iselin (Angela Lansbury), and the Commie-hating senator. But Raymond can't seem to get away from the war or his own nightmares, especially one where he is hypnotized to kill members of his patrol. This just might seem a surrealistic nightmare drawn from repercussions of fighting in a war, but the other members of the patrol are having the same nightmare. Maj. Marco wants to investigate further, realizing that he feels hypnotized for having called his superior the warmest, kindest man ever - a man he clearly detests.

It turns out that Raymond is a trained, brainwashed assassin, and when he plays Solitaire and sees the Queen of Diamonds, he is instantly in a robotic, killing phase. To add even more complexity, Ray's mother, Mrs. Iselin, is behind it all - she wants her son to kill the Democratic presidential candidate and continue the war on communism. The mother is the grand manipulator, even convincing her husband, the McCarthy-like senator, to arrive at a reasonable figure of how many Commies are in Congress. 57 is the most likely number, thanks to a Heinz ketchup bottle.

The most famous sequence in the film is the actual nightmare, shown three different times. We see the Korean patrol seated, all looking dejected and listless. We also see the Chinese Communist hypnotist telling the soldiers what acts of murder to commit. A host of party officials are seen in the audience. But then director John Frankenheimer does a clever thing - he crosscuts between the hypnotist and a gardening lecture full of women, as if both are in the same room speaking the same words to the same patrol. If anything were to suggest the antecedents to the surreal world of David Lynch, this would be it.

There is also another strange sequence between Maj. Marco and the mysterious Rosie (Janet Leigh). They meet in a train headed to New York. He is unable to light a cigarette. She offers to help and they start a conversation about different states like Ohio and Delaware. At one point, he asks her, "Are you Arabic?" She says no. Huh? This is supposedly explained in the Richard Condon book, but I think it pinpoints Marco's own declining sense of reality, maybe increased disorientation. After all, can Raymond be the only one who was truly brainwashed?

The first-rate performances all lend the necessary credibility to the proceedings. Frank Sinatra, in his most powerful role, is a commanding presence, always direct and authoritative as the major. Janet Leigh lends a touch of class and something almost preternatural as Rosie. Laurence Harvey is like some sickly, grow-up Catholic schoolboy, unaware how he is being used and abused. But it is truly Angela Lansbury who rises above as the frigid, domineering, stifling Mrs. Iselin, completely understated and chilling in her demeanor. She is certainly one of the great villainesses of American cinema.

"The Manchurian Candidate" was released in 1962 but was then pulled out of circulation by Frank Sinatra, who was one of the producers, because the film barely made enough profit. It was then re-released in 1988. Some have alluded this film to the Kennedy assassination as proof that maybe Lee Harvey Oswald did act alone. I find it is a polemic of its times, yet it is also as relevant today as it was then. Yes, communism is no longer a threat and assassinations of presidential candidates are certainly not as common as they were forty years ago. What we have today is a world of nightmarish paranoia, seeking the enemy who remains elusive and invisible and fighting a war on terrorism that seems possibly unwinnable. In the 1960's, the soldiers were brainwashed. Today, as possibly evidenced by the 2004 remake, it is the people who may be brainwashed.