It's great to see so much response to my original query. Not very often does the audience come away with so many different reactions and interpretations to one film. Many people have pointed to Arthur Clarke's novelization of 2001 as an explanation for the film and its symbols. I suppose I should have stated in my original message that that I am familiar with the book. However, once read, I was extremely disappointed because I felt it broke everything down so literally that it ruined the poetic mystery of the film. I have since disowned the book as an interpretation to the film because I believe Kubrick's vision is so much different than Clarke's. Take for example, the docking of the spacecraft just after the match-edit with the ape's bone. In the background, The Blue Danube Waltz is playing while we witness this magnificent, and obviously sexual, docking of the ship. There is such power and grace to the scene which is crushed by Clarke's unimaginative re-telling/interpretation. Whether Kubrick, intentionally or not, included all of the symbolism as a farce requires an entirely different reading of the film. Personally, I see the satire of the second half as a dominating element in regards to theme: Are we creating machines that will ultimately kill us? Do we care that we are destroying ourselves? Satire has been a prevalent or underlying theme in almost all of Kubrick's films. DR. STRANGELOVE is the obvious parallel to 2001 because they both deal with the annihilation of the human race. In a similar manner, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE predicts the ultimate degradation of society while poking fun at the politics which created the disorder. If 2001 is a joke, then Hal might represent our fear of homosexual domination - there is indeed some sort of repression at work. The monolith may signify nothing, or a place saver as Mr. Desilets pointed out; but it might simply mean that we require something other than our own race to lead us, thus degrading human capabilities. I still don't believe the monolith is a form of intelligence because it doesn't show any signs of real communication. I like the idea of it simply filling the void for something, although we're not sure what that something is right now. Has anyone else looked closely at the satire in 2001? My next task will be to look up THE MAKING OF 2001 because of its numerous mention in the replies. =========================================================================== ====== Philip Spagnolo Loneliness has followed me my whole life, everywhere. In bars, cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape; and God is only man. [log in to unmask] --Taxi Driver (1975) =========================================================================== ====== ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]