RR (make-up) (Group A): “Introductory readings for 2001: A Space Odyssey by Kubrick” Robert Poole, in his article "2001: A Space Odyssey" explores how the film was edited, edited for better responses from viewers and critics, and how our culture and politics of the 1960s influenced its making. Poole describes how Kubrick's avant-garde special effects set the stage for future science fiction films and inspired many. Poole gives his readers a summary of the film, describing how man evolved from ape to man who took up space flight. Kubrick's film was not a great success when it first premiered. At a celebrity premiere, Kubrick recalls the shock of his initial release, saying, "I've never seen an audience so agitated... By the end of the film, some were already leaving, and I'll never forget my irritation at the sight of the Star Child's enormous eyes staring at their backs as they walked up the aisles toward the exit” (CP 174). This didn't stop Kubrick, who then proceeded to edit more of the film and remove large chunks of dialogue. What he did had worked. And Poole writes: "2001 succeeded because it was (as Kubrick put it) 'a non-verbal experiment' or (in Clarke's words) 'a realistic myth'" (CP 174). The main demographic the film spoke to was young people. Poole writes, "...Kids loved the movie while their parents complained about its darkness" and "'You're not supposed to understand it, you're supposed to watch it!' reprimanded a young person” (CP 172). And for hippies and Vietnam veterans, it had become cult. They filled the cinemas with marijuana smoke and, according to Poole, had the “…psychedelic sequence of the ‘ultimate trip’” (CP 172). Regardless of how... middle of article......, according to Fry, "...tells the story of the genesis of humanity, quite appropriately through the ironically presented visual suggestion of a post-Darwinian garden, an anti-Eden…” (CP 178). Fry also compares the opening scene with that of the biblical story of Cain and Able. He says: “…Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him” and “The shots which follow, however, show the figure of Cain triumphant, not excluded, like the biblical Cain” (CP 181 ). This is also an “anti” biblical example. While Cain was excluded and punished by God, the ape-man triumphed and his violence helped to continue his evolution. In conclusion, Fry and Poole made an excellent case for Kubrick's film. Although I saw this film several times as a child in the 1970s and early 1980s, the articles make me look forward to seeing 2001 again. I look forward to this "visual" story".