Our first glimpse of the Discovery spaceship features a sombre piece of music that is totally at odds with the uplifting music featured in the space scenes before this part of the story. Let’s now assess the complex interactions that lead to open warfare between HAL and the astronauts. In fact we can’t even tell what point in human history Bowman has returned to. Though this does not happen in the movie its significant that when the starchild returns to Earth there are no satellites or spacecraft to be seen. It was apparently intended in an early version of the script that the starchild would simultaneously detonate all of these nuclear devices upon returning to Earth thus bringing an end to the space warfare threat. So right away we have technology depicted as a threat to human existence. The musical composition of this scene is called The Blue Danube, which was also the name of Britain’s first nuclear weapon. and another air force type insignia appears on the satellite that is travelling toward a rising sun (possibly French or Bulgarian). a Chinese air force insignia on the satellite in which the shot scrolls up to show the Moon. The other satellites include a German flag alongside what appears to be a black Maltese cross. The very first one, which we cut to from the flying bone shot, has a bone shaped feature at the top, signifying it as a weapon just like the bone. The sequence of satellites orbiting the Earth gives itself away as a representation of space warfare. Now we come to an aspect of 2001 that has been written of extensively in relation to the HAL 9000 computer, but has largely been ignored regarding other aspects of the movie – the concept of humans being trapped or enslaved by their own technology. GradeSaver, 14 December 2016 Web.2001: A Space Odyssey - in-depth analysis - by Rob Ager 2008 "2001: A Space Odyssey (Film) Symbols, Allegory and Motifs". Next Section Irony Previous Section Analysis How To Cite in MLA Format Sexton, Timothy. Will review the submission and either publish your submission or provide feedback. You can help us out by revising, improving and updatingĪfter you claim a section you’ll have 24 hours to send in a draft. It is a symbol heavy with optimism that humans will survive their tendency toward self-destruction at least long enough to make the jump from their state in 2001 that is equitable with the leap that was made on a desolate landscape millions of years earlier. The transformation of astronaut Dave Bowman into a star child floating in orbit over earth is final evolutionary step presented in the film. In the blink of an eye, the bone has transformed from mere prop to a symbol invested with all the entire evolutionary history of the human species. The single most iconic image from the film is the transformation of a pre-historic bone throw into the air that turns into a spaceship as it begins its fall back to earth. The cosmic influence may be divine or perhaps it may be aliens so advanced as to seem divine, but the dance of the cosmos is clearly not entirely coincidental. The symbolism of planet, satellite and stars coming into rare moments of perfect spatial situation is one that carries an intense suggestion of a cosmic plan for humanity on some level. The alignment of heavenly bodies accompanies key moments in man’s evolution in the film. HAL thus becomes a symbol for the frustration felt by anyone who can’t get to their destination because the car broke or who can’t get vital information to someone because their cell phone battery has died. In the absence of the ability to perform the processes that ensure they don’t die, they have quite literally put their lives in the hands of a machine. The astronauts have essentially turned over the most primitive requirements for their survival to the machine. Beyond that, however, it is in the area of the astronaut’s dependence upon the computer on a more primitive level that is more to the point. The computer that runs the Discovery spaceship has also become an iconic symbol of man’s technology turning on its creators. Of course, the monolith has also become an iconic symbol for the unknowable mysteries of the universe. The precise literal meaning of the monolith is never adequately explained, but suffice to say that it is infused with symbolic associations to knowledge and intellectual progress. The central symbol and recurring motif in the film is the big black monolith that heralds important evolutionary moments in the development of the human species. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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