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Questions While Watching 2001: A Space Odyssey

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Based on the novel by Arthur C. Clarke.

Some Questions Compliments of University of Washington

Part 1 (THE APES)

1. What activities, no matter how trivial they seem, are the primates doing at the beginning of the film?

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2. While the primates are huddled together in the cave, one sits by himself. What kind of expression does he have? Does he seem different from the others? How? What's he staring at? (Hint: it's the last brief scene before fadeout.)

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3. How do the primates react to the monolith? What feelings do they express?

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4. Later that day, what does a primate learn for the first time? After using his new knowledge to kill for food, what does he do next? Does this bear a resemblance to anything in the first four chapters of Genesis?

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5. There is no dialogue in these opening scenes with the apes. How does this make you feel? Would Mamet be content with Kubrick’s use of “uninflected images?”

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PART II (THE ADVANCED APES)

6. After the film shifts to the future, notice the activities the humans are doing, no matter how trivial. Are they similar to what the primates were doing?

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7. When Dr. Floyd calls his daughter from the Moon, what is visible to his left? Does he pay any attention to it?

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8. When Dr. Floyd discusses "the most significant discovery in the history of science" to the committee, how would you describe his attitude?

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9. When the astronauts approach the monolith, how is their attitude at first similar, then quickly different, from the way the primates approached it? What were the astronauts doing when the monolith emitted a high-pitched whine?

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Part III: The Spaceship

10. What's the only part of HAL 9000 that you see during the film? What part of the human body does it resemble?

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11. During the voyage to Jupiter, when Frank and Dave are interviewed by the BBC, do they seem excited about their mission?

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12. What does HAL say is the one thing "any conscious entity can ever hope to do"?

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13. When Dave's parents send him birthday greetings, is their conversation interesting or boring? Why?

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14. Who is the most interesting character on the ship? Why?

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15. How does HAL figure out what Frank and Dave are saying in the pod? What does this indicate about HAL's personality and priorities?

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16. HAL traps Dave outside the mother ship. Dave then pleads with HAL to let him back inside, but instead HAL terminates their conversation after it becomes repetitive and boring. How does HAL differ in this regard from the humans you've heard in the film?

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17. HAL's speech grows repetitive and nonsensical while Dave tries to disconnect him. Does HAL start to sound more or less like the humans?

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18. After Dave enters the monolith he witnesses images of a tremendous explosion, gas swirling, land forming, etc. What do suppose these images represent?

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19. As Dave stands in the room, what is noticeable about his eyes?

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20. The room is filled with every modern comfort and the finest art. What do you suppose it symbolizes? What is noticeably lacking on the walls?

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21. Dave sees himself as an old man in the room. What things do you see the old man doing? Are they similar or different from the activities the primates and humans were doing? Does the old man seem happy?

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22. Just before Dave is about to die, he sees the monolith appear at the foot of his bed. For the first time in his life he reaches out with a gesture expressing what?

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23. The experience transforms Dave into a whole new kind of creature. He is made young again, symbolized by the fetus. What is most noticeable about the fetus' face as it looks at the Earth?

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24. It is often said that 2001: A Space Odyssey is a parable about humanity. What is the parable and the message?

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