Stanley Kubrick’s perfectionism is nearly as famous as his films. The auteur was notorious for demanding complete creative control over his projects, insisting on numerous takes, clashing with actors, and bickering over final cut. The resulting films, of course, stand as a testament to genius. His perfectionism led to a handful of cinema’s finest works.
READ MORE: Watch: New Video Essays Ask If David Fincher Is The New Stanley Kubrick
To take a more in-depth look at the creation of one particular film, the iconic “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Cinema Tyler put together a three part video essay exploring the making of several key elements of the Kubrick classic. “How Kubrick Made 2001: A Space Odyssey” needles in on three of the most essential and innovative moments from ‘2001’: the dawn of man sequence, the Floyd section, and the lunar surface.
Each of the three parts is packed with details about the production and inspiration for scenes and shots, those both consequential and insignificant — which, of course, highlights the care Kubrick put into every frame of his film. One of the more enchanting tidbits is the rumored moment of inspiration for the famous bone to satellite cut, which purportedly came after Kubrick finished filming the skull smashing scene while he was walking back to the studio flipping a broom above his head.
For casual fans and cinephiles alike, the masterful work packed into each scene of ‘2001’ is absolutely riveting, and ‘How Kubrick Made 2001’ peels back the layers to eloquently reveal the genius marionettist behind the curtain, who, no matter how meticulous his plan, never shied away from the strike of inspiration.
Check out all three parts of “How Kubrick Made 2001: A Space Odyssey” below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments.
