2001 between Kubrick and Clarke: The Genesis, Making and Authorship of a Masterpiece

by Filippo Ulivieri, Simone Odino

The story of how '2001: A Space Odyssey' came to be made is in many ways as epic as the events portrayed in the film itself—and until now, just as mysterious. In 1964, with 'Dr. Strangelove' ready for release, Stanley Kubrick was uncertain about what his next project would be, and considered making a film dealing with several contemporary themes. It was only when he encountered Arthur C. Clarke that he decided to make a science fiction film. Yet it took more than four years for '2001: A Space Odyssey' to reach the screen—a productive and creative odyssey that involved experimentation, last-minute rethinks, strokes of genius, quarrels, ultimatums, feats of will, and mental breakdowns. Drawing extensively from never before seen material, including production documents and private correspondences, '2001 between Kubrick and Clarke' gives for the first time a complete account of the two authors’ creative collaboration; one which casts lights on their on-again, off-again relationship, as well as revealing new information about the genesis, production, and reception of the first and most important film about space, the origin of humankind and its destiny among the stars. "Wow! What a great book. I was there for over a year and I learned things I didn't know from it. The interplay between Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke is detailed as never before. Bravo Filippo and Simone!" –– Dan Richter, 'Moon-Watcher' and coreographer of the 'Dawn of Man' sequence. "Much like the film itself, this book by two leading Kubrick researchers takes its readers on a journey. By sidestepping the accumulated mythology about the making of '2001: A Space Odyssey' and by letting the meticulously researched facts speak for themselves, '2001 between Kubrick and Clarke' takes us deep into the creative process behind one of the greatest of all cinematic masterpieces. We are introduced to a wide range of collaborative relationships, none more complex and intriguing than that between Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke. Our appreciation of their enormous achievement is enhanced – but as to what it all means, the book, like the film, challenges us to come up with our own answers." –– Peter Krämer, author of the BFI Film Classics volume on '2001: A Space Odyssey.'

178 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 7, 2020

About the author

Born in 1977, Filippo Ulivieri is a writer and a teacher of film theory. He is the leading expert in Stanley Kubrick’s cinema in Italy with 15+ years of research on the subject: his features on the director’s career have appeared in several newspapers and magazines. Stanley Kubrick and Me has been published in Italy in 2012. He is co-scenarist of Alex Infascelli’s documentary S is for Stanley (2015).

Reviews

[Ignacio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tres son los textos que contiene este libro. El primero se centra en la búsqueda de Kubrick de un nuevo proyecto tras el rodaje de Teléfono rojo, interesante para descubrir su gusto por la ciencia ficción y qué facetas le resultaban más atractivas. El segundo, el más extenso, es un pequeño diario de pre, producción y post de 2001, con la mayoría de sus hitos clave. Ambos son un excelente repaso a toda la complejidad que hay detrás de la creación de una obra cinematográfica; un proceso continuo de búsqueda, experimentación, errores, cambios y aciertos donde el impulso creador de una persona queda modelada por una maquinaria que Kubrick terminó domeñando. El tercero me ha resultado el más atractivo; un breve artículo que plasma la relación entre Clarke y Kubrick, particularmente revelador una vez el guión estaba más o menos finiquitado. Ahí comenzaron las tensiones por la escritura de la novela, una labor conjunta cuya redacción y publicación demorada por el segundo hasta extremos enervantes terminaría siendo el gran escollo entre ambos.

Este material, ineludible para cualquier fan de la película/novela, tiene en español el handicap de la nefasta edición de Dolmen, con una corrección deleznable que hace plantearte si había alguien al volante en la revisión del documento de traducción. El libro entra en franca competencia con las peores ediciones del grupo AJEC, y esto son palabras mayores.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The primary feature of this book is essentially a day-by-day accounting of the complete process of the production of the film, beginning with the search for a new film topic by Kubrick after the release of Dr. Strangelove, many fascinating elements of the production itself, and the agony of the initial critical responses upon release, followed by a very quick critical and public reassessment. It was also revelatory in terms of being reminded to what a great degree Arthur C. Clarke is truly a co-author of the film in that he was involved in so much more than just collaborating on the initial story. If you love Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, you MUST read this book!

[JIMB · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kubrick , Warts and All

2001 is the quintessential film that science fiction film directors all wish they could be compared . Read how it was fashioned.

[Nico Merino]

Salvo por el último ensayo, es un libro más o menos prescindible.