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2.0 out of 5 stars
Kubricks prophesy: A Guide to the Insights of 2001: A Spac, November 20, 2003
This review is from: Kubrick's Prophecy, A Guide to the Insights of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Paperback)
"Kubrick's prophesy: A Guide to the Insights of 2001: A Space Odyssey"
Like most people of my generation, I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey in my early teens, and not surprisingly, entirely missed the point of Kubrick's film. It is quite probable that if I had not read Mr. Bullard's book I might still be ignorant of the creative genius behind this masterpiece, and Kubrick's brilliant insights into the development of consciousness within our species.
Galen Bullard does his own masterful job of peeling back the layers of meaning in this movie to reveal the profound symbolism woven into the surface level plot of the story. Everything in this movie, from the enigmatic monolith encountered by the protohumans to the error in the chess game between HAL, the supercomputer, and Frank, the Jupiter mission astronaut, is hugely significant to the overall message of the film. And Galen goes to great lengths to point out these details and explain their place in the big picture (no pun intended).
The book not only discusses Kubrick's insightful perspective on consciousness and human development, it also does a thorough scene by scene analysis of the film; an equally detailed analysis of the symbolism Kubrick used and it's historical significance; a discussion of the "fractal" nature, or "nested structure", of the film's many dimensions; and a meaningful presentation of the film's potential for facilitating our own expansion of consciousness. As Mr. Bullard points out, "The movie itself stands as a monolith: an enigmatic device capable of expanding the consciousness of those who behold it." (pg.108).
Having read Galen's book, and having viewed the film again - this time with my eyes wide open - I feel like I have witnessed something truly extraordinary. Kubrick's supposition that consciousness expands as it encounters the unknown - the "alien" - is entirely in keeping with the cross-cultural perennial philosophy of our species: There is More, and we grow as we experience It, whatever It may be.
- Morgan Syvertsen, Director, Wild Honey Counseling Centre
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