Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Paperback)

~ (Author), Arthur C. Clarke (Foreword) "Stanley Kubrick wants to pick my brain..." (more)
Key Phrases: front projection system, baby chimps, The Dawn of Man, American Mime Theatre, Dan Richter (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Richter was a poor, vagabond mime when Stanley Kubrick plucked him from obscurity to choreograph and star in the remarkable "Dawn of Man" sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Determined not to rehash the hackneyed tradition of "men in monkey suits," Kubrick was seeking vivid characterizations by believable prehistoric man-apes whose discovery of weapons and violence presages the future of humanity in space. Since the sequence had no dialog, Kubrick felt that mimes could best express the man-apes' motivations and emotions, and Richter's brief audition quickly confirmed the notion. In this disarming and engrossing day-by-day chronicle of the blossoming of rudimentary ideas into a finished masterpiece, Richter effectively captures the novice's constant sense of awe regarding the complexity of filmmaking. In the process, he spends hours observing primates in zoos and struggles with heroin addiction. Currently a film industry executive, Richter is planning a similar memoir on his subsequent work with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Highly recommended for cinema and academic libraries. Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., Reno
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

It is . . . startling to learn of the effort that went into . . . the opening 18 minutes, where man-apes do battle. . . . -- Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078671073X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786710737
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,062,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moonwatcher talks!, September 17, 2002

By A Customer

There have been several making-of-2001 books (Jerome Agel's "Making of 2001" in 1970; Piers Bizony's "2001: Filming the Future"; Arthur C. Clarke's "The Lost Worlds of 2001"; probably others). But the Dawn of Man prologue hasn't gotten a lot of coverage.

"Moonwatcher's Memoir" rectifies this oversight, and then some. Richter had a great, exhausting time during his year (!) working on apes with Kubrick, and tells all. In doing so, he throws new light on the movie's timeline; it started shooting in Dec. 65, yet the long-planned ape scenes weren't shot until very late in the game: fall of 67 (the movie came out in April 68). How Kubrick kept his poise during such a long project remains, as the film might say, "a total mystery."

To use book review jargon, this book is a must for all Kubrick completists. You know who you are.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moonwatcher's Memoir: A Diary of 2001, a Space Odyssey, August 6, 2002

By	Kelly Zuckerman (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I always wondered who was the man in the Monkey Suit and now I know. A fascinating easy to read memoir. An insiders view of the making of one of the most influential movies of all time. A must read for all 2001 fans.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing both for the main subject and background on the making of 2001., August 13, 2006

By	Steven Lynn "Hermetic neo-Taoist" (South Pasadena, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Recommended reading for any 2001 fan, movie critic, and especially the members of the nominating committee and members who gave an Oscar to the makeup designer of Planet of the Apes (1967) (POA).

There is an apocryphal tale that the next year, after 2001 came out, that a member of The Acadamy nominating committee was asked "How could you give an award for the "ape" costumes in POA but pass over the hominids in 2001."

The telling answer was along the lines of "Those were actors in costumes? We thought they were real apes!" Even it the story isn't true, it's not totally unbelievable.

Some tidbits in the book detail the "ape" costumes, and the question of who to get to be in the costumes. Kubrick decidely did not want them to look like a human in a costume. They tried actors, but that didn't work out. Finally, they hit upon dancers, espescially skinney ones who would still look wild and hungry with a layer of costume over them.