HALF a century ago, wrote to Arthur C. Clarke about a movie idea. Clarke was enthusiastic: 鈥淭he 鈥榬eally good鈥� science-fiction movie is a great many years overdue.鈥� So began their collaboration on Journey Beyond the Stars.
The film acquired several nicknames (鈥淗ow the Solar System was Won鈥� was a favourite), before its release in 1968 as . As a vision of the future it stands the test of time: a tribute to a writer who dreamed up communications satellites long before a satellite was launched, and a director who, even as Sputnik circled the Earth, was working through reels of Japanese sci-fi to find the effects he would need to imagine his way into space.
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(All Images: Artwork: Oliver Rennert/Taschen. Photographs: Stanley Kubrick Archives/Taschen. 漏 2014 Turner Entertainment Co. 2001: A Space Odyssey and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and 漏 Turner Entertainment Co. (s14))
Above: the faux-luxurious bedroom in which the final scenes were shot. This comfortable 鈥渃age鈥� constructed by aliens got uncomfortably hot, thanks to the underfloor lighting.
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Above: a painting by shows how the various interiors would fit into the habitation sphere of the Jupiter-bound Discovery.
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Above: data and communications technologies were the most difficult to cast into the future. But this briefcase, designed by the Honeywell company, is essentially a modern laptop, complete with camera, stylus and modem.
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Above: Kubrick鈥檚 special effects are legendary but would have fallen short had it not been for some subtle yet very physical performances, including that of Kier Dullea, here miming weightlessness.
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Above: a typically scruffy Kubrick (right) and dapper Clarke pose for publicity photographs on the passenger deck of the Aries lunar ferry.
These and other images are collected in The Making of Stanley Kubrick鈥檚 2001: A Space Odyssey. All together now: 鈥淚鈥檓 sorry Dave, I鈥檓 afraid I can鈥檛 do that.鈥�
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淗ow the future was won鈥�
