2001: A Space Odyssey

Dir: Stanley Kubrick, 1968 (10*)

AFI Top 100

[Updated: 12.31.11]

This groundbreaking SciFi epic was the first to feature totally realistic space effects, and changed forever the way SF films looked. The story, by Arthur C. Clarke, was written for this film because Kubrick wanted to film his incredible novel A Childhood's End, which could not be filmed at the time with existing technology. That book, and this film, are about the next step in the evolution of mankind, from a material to a spiritual being. The previous step, from animal intelligence to human intelligence, is shown in the beginning to give us a major clue, so its surprising that so many people are still baffled by this movie, which has only 20 minutes of dialogue and encourages us to think - what a concept!

Kubrick's film would have been even better had he been able to get phenomena filmmaker Jordan Belson to work on it, but he refused to ever work on commercial films. Belson makes short animated films about things like the birth of a star, or motion through space. All his short films are in the permanent archives at the Museum of Modern Art, and are much better than anything put into commercial SF films. At film festivals, these short films of 3-8 minutes always get standing ovations. Kubrick did make planets and spaceships finally look realistic together, and forever changed the way science fiction films looked going forward. It would be another 10 yrs before Star Wars, but all the action adventure space films that followed looked the way they did because of 2001, so in that regard it was highly influential on the entire industry. Not exactly an exciting film, it was nevertheless a visionary film, and for its time, like nothing else that had ever been filmed.

The sequel, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, attempts to explain the story further, a story which really needed no filmed postscript. That became more of an action film, with much more human interaction between Americans and Russian in a joint venture to activate the spaceship Discovery, and also check out Jupiter from closer range. Worth seeing, and well-done. Clarke himself wrote a third novel in the series as well, 2040, that has not yet been filmed, real SF fans should read the entire trilogy.

Ranked #1 at the Criterion networking film site, The Auteurs, with over 100,000 members.

Note: it's very similar to the parable of Jesus - it's about the birth of a spiritual being, not a corporal one. The awakening of one's spiritual self is a 'virgin birth' that doesn't involve procreation. In 2001, this is symbolized by the floating embryo at the end, a metaphor for the astronaut now being a spiritual being. In Clarke's novel Childhood's End, this happened to the entire race beginning with the current generation of children, so the adults were living out the last physical lives on earth, or the end of the childhood of mankind.

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The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Robert Ellis Miller, 1968 (8.5*)
The novel by southern author Carson McCullers makes for a heart-rending film thanks to a terrific Oscar®-nominated performance by Alan Arkin as a deaf-mute man renting a room from a family to be near a friend of his in a state mental institution, incarcerated for his uncontrollable desire for sweets. Sondra Locke, also an Oscar®-nominee for supporting actress, burst into stardom as the teenage daughter of Arkin's landlord, and this is really her coming-of-age story.

The entire cast sells this story, which is really about dealing with loneliness in its various forms, as each character is disconnected from the world in some way. McCullers' novels, and subsequent films, are not always pleasant but are usually rooted in reality, and most people can find some personal connection within her characters. Stacy Keach turns in a very good supporting performance here, as does comedian Chuch McCann as Arkin's friend in the hospital.

Though this seemed more like a 30's story, it still spoke to audiences when released in 1968 due to universal themes of personal pain and suffering while trying to find your place in the world. Alan Arkin won two critics awards for best actor for this performance.

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The Producers

Mel Brooks, 1968 (8.3*)
This wacky comedy by Mel Brooks is his best to me (Young Frankenstein and Twelve Chairs are also good), his humor can be mean-spirited like it is in Blazing Saddles and others and he's usually more silly than funny (Spaceballs).

This is about a theatre producer, hilariously played by Zero Mostel, who is losing money and nerdish accountant Gene Wilder comes up with a plan to make money by creating a losing play and selling shares in the profits to investors over and over, whom Mostel provides by romancing elderly widows, so no profits, one need be repaid.

They need a loser of a play and come up with a musical called “Springtime for Hitler”, and they select a riotous Dick Shawn in his funniest and most memorable part as a gay musical Adolph. Later remade as a musical play and film, this totally comedic version is still much better and Brooks’ high water mark, also Mostel’s. For some reason, Brooks never approached this level again, maybe it was Mostel and Wilder meshing perfectly.

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War and Peace

Sergei Bondarchuk, 1968, Russia (8.5*)
Best Foreign Film (AA)
This won’t be for all tastes, as it runs over six hours, but as epics go, it is the "most epic" of all, featuring over 250,000 extras (the Red Army), and costing at the time, a record 100 million dollars. They actually made the definitive film of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, maybe a little Hollywood influenced, but still far better than any other attempt at this novel yet.

If you haven’t read the novel, this film should suffice, it’s actually a little long and tedious so this shortens the effort by a few dozen hours, and you won’t miss anything! It is, of course, based on Napoleon’s invasion of Russia intertwined with the personal stories of some Russian aristocrats.

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The Graduate

Dir: Mike Nichols, 1968 (9.2*)

Best Picture (BAA)

AFI Top 100

Nichols' breakthrough film (for popularity) is a deft blend of sophisticated suburban comedy and seduction humor. Dustin Hoffman was made a star by this, and is perfectly nerdy as a recent college grad Ben Braddock, disillusioned with his career prospects. Anne Bancroft is polished and sexy as a jaded married friend of his parents who thinks Ben is physically good for her, but won’t be good enough for her own collegiate daughter, Katherine Ross. Murray Hamilton as her dad gets some very funny scenes. The novel by Charles Webb was reportedly autobiographical, causing a lot of finger pointing in his family circle. Look for Buck Henry in a tiny scene-stealing part, and terrific use of Simon and Garfunkel songs, "Mrs. Robinson" written for this movie, "The Sound of Silence" being reused for alienation. One of the great romantic comedies.
Quote: You're not one of them outside agitators are you? Cause I won't stand for that. (Normal Fell)

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