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The Making of Kubrick's 2001
The critics loved it.
The critics hated it.
The Making of Kubrick's 2001 takes you behind the sets and scenes of the most controversial film of the decade. Here is the inside story of a monumental achievement conceded even by its enemies to mark a turning point in the art of cinema.
"If 2001 has stirred your emotions, your subconscious, your mythological yearnings, then it has succeeded."--Stanley Kubrick
The critics hated it.
The Making of Kubrick's 2001 takes you behind the sets and scenes of the most controversial film of the decade. Here is the inside story of a monumental achievement conceded even by its enemies to mark a turning point in the art of cinema.
"If 2001 has stirred your emotions, your subconscious, your mythological yearnings, then it has succeeded."--Stanley Kubrick
367 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 24, 2021
100218: a book i have owned used copy since i first saw the movie 2001 as a kid, then read the book as a teenager, then bought this as a teenager, sort of my critical introduction to the seventh art, at least as ‘art’, but bought so long ago i forgot to add this. this is not only my favourite sf film, it may be my favourite film. i had seen the movie first as a child, mid-seventies, at u when father the prof had read something about how the movie was best understood by images, by a child, so took us. did not work for my brother but definitely did for me. weird, effective, powerful images. and the madness of HAL terrified me, though this annoyed my father who worked with computers and had not then as he has not now ever met a computer going mad. so i read the book to understand how and why it went mad (perfectionism, narcissism, error, secrets...). then i watched it on dvd i do not know how often, while i worked at a video rental place, and after learning to take film as art as well through a u drama course, it became my ideal film. there is a contention that the greatest format of the movies is the silent movie: it tells the story by images. add a few intertitles and 2001 could be a silent movie. this book geeked me out and even so i will read or watch anything about this film... and if there is a film to watch again yes i will watch this one...
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2001: A Space Odyssey
The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey'
2001: A Space Odyssey
Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece
The Lost Worlds of 2001
more
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey'
2001: A Space Odyssey
Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece
The Lost Worlds of 2001
March 16, 2013
First read as a cinema-smitten 14 year old trying to sort out how and why the course of his life had suddenly been handed to him upon seeing this glorious film.
July 28, 2007
I skipped two classes reading this after finding it in the library. There's an entire chapter that consists of photocopies of ticket stubs sent specifically to Kubrick from angered audience members demanding their money back.
March 2, 2013
An off-beat, irreverent and genuinely informative take on the '2001' phenomenon. Not the definitive tome on the making of the film, but an excellent snapshot of its cultural impact in the late 1960s. Highly recommended for both cinema and serious SF fans.
October 7, 2020
The book is a printed equivalent of a 90s internet fan page, or given its breadth a web ring of fan pages. Most of the book isn't about the making of the film but about the reactions of people watching it. It's even got a rabbi to give his take on the possibility of extraterrestrial life.
January 3, 2020
A treasure of a book looking from many perspectives at one of the greatest films ever made.
September 24, 2023
It unveiled what Kubrick was trying to show us. Everything clicked with this book, even though at times Kubrick played cagey.
February 17, 2021
This quickly became one of my most referenced pieces of work when working on a project of my own. I knew before I read this just how amazing Kubrick was, but this book brought it to a new level. There are so many tips and tricks for anyone working in film or creating in any way that this book doesn't just make entertaining, but it makes it seem achievable.
August 26, 2015
A recent Wired article reports on a new book from Taschen about how 2001 came to be. Another book on that subject already exists, this one, which I read long ago, and which is apparently long out of print. It does contain information on aspects of the production—I recall descriptions of photographic and special-effects techniques—but reviews here and at Amazon remind me that it also contains a good deal of related material. A good summary (found here) labels the book “an excellent snapshot of [the film’s] cultural impact in the late 1960s.”
March 21, 2010
Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" was a riproaring, glorious movie. Want to know how it was made and all the related issues of creating this movie? Jerome Agel's book does a fine job of providing the inside story of the making of this movie. If you enjoyed the movie and would like to know more about what went into it, this is a good read. . . .
August 6, 2016
An odd collection of commentary, reviews, interviews... The likes of which is completely unnecessary now with the internet. Nonetheless sections were fascinating, this being my favorite movie for the past 20 or so years
February 21, 2015
One of the most interesting "making of" books out there, especially given the subject matter: watching it today, it's hard to imagine how Kubrick could possibly have gotten the images he did in an era before CGI, and when prosthetic makeup effects were in their infancy.
Probably out of print.
Probably out of print.
May 21, 2008
an amazing artefact from the time, which was a gift to me from a friend, who found it in a second hand book shop.
July 16, 2008
and it doesn't actually explain it
October 18, 2017
I feel the title is a bit of a misnomer, as roughly a third of the book is strictly concerned with the making of 2001. Nevertheless, the essays and articles discussing the possibility of space flight and extraterrestrial life early in the book - still relevant to the film, of course - and the contemporary reviews of the film are really interesting, and add much to the themes of the film itself and how it was received at the time. All in all it's an insightful book about 2001: A Space Odyssey.
May 26, 2018
There's a lot of rubbish in this, mainly opinion based articles by people of little significance. It still gets four stars because of the sheer brilliance of Kubrick that comes across in the interviews, conversations and quotations throughout the book. The inserted still photos are great. I wish it would have focused more on the actual making of the movie rather than on the press the movie generated.
November 23, 2022
Everything you ever wanted to know about the film 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and more. The "more" is the problem. Lots of redundant material to wade through here. There are also some bits where you need to know more about special effects than is explained in the book to make sense of the information. Those bits aside, this book is an indispensable resource to anyone studying or writing about this film.
May 22, 2017
It's a curiosity for fans of the movie. Has a lot of 60s futurism that is of general interest, but come to it mostly for the middle section which details using photographs how different parts of the movie were achieved. Might be hard to find a copy. Borrow mine.
September 2, 2019
A work of art in itself, this historic paperback provides a deep, fascinating dive into one of cinema’s all-time classics from a variety of contemporary perspectives. If you love 2001, definitely get your hands on this book.
October 12, 2019
I own like six books on this subject. This is the best.
October 7, 2014
Interesting book on a collective history of 2001. Not too heavy on interviews but way too much on critic/audience reviews. The book was published back in 1970 and reactions to the film are quite fresh. Many found this masterpiece quite dull. Others, lost in its marvel. I recommend the book if you are a serious fan of Kubrick. However, do gloss over the various reviews.
July 26, 2011
I had to read this book. Two years after the movie was released, I was still trying to make sense of it. I hoped this book will help. Understand the movie? No. Learn about making movies? Yes. Fascinating.
March 29, 2009
Bet you did not know that Stanley Kubrick wished he had been born in New Orleans and wanted to play drum in a Brass Band.
I didn't either until I read this book. Far out!
I didn't either until I read this book. Far out!
January 23, 2018
Excellent! A book that each 2001 fan has to read
August 25, 2017
I've had this book since 1970. Over the years it has revealed new layers of access to the film and book as I've revisited the material. This is an essential document from the same period as the film.
Sits on the shelf beside a 1969 first edition of 2001, second printing, and a 1972 first printing of Clarke's Lost Worlds of 2001.
Sits on the shelf beside a 1969 first edition of 2001, second printing, and a 1972 first printing of Clarke's Lost Worlds of 2001.
November 10, 2018
I saw 2001 in Cinerama the summer of 1968 and bought this book right after it came out. I read it immediately after and enjoyed it but being so long ago I really can't say much beyond that. I am currently reading the new book about the making of a masterpiece and it is a great read if you are a fan of this exquisite movie but this one was right after the movie was released and as I recall probably more about the technical aspects than Kubrick and Clarke.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews