The most notable piece in the film is "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss. I have no doubt you've all heard it even if the composer and title are foreign. This first use is in the opening titles. You get a gorgeous shot of the moon, earth and sun all in a line as the camera slowly pans up revealing each. The music blares and builds and builds and you see Kubrick's name flash on the screen and then finally the title of the film. It's one of the most impressive title shots I can recall. Along with this, it is used again when the primate first realizes that he can use the bone as a tool. He swings away almost exactly to the beat of the music. And finally, at the end of the film, it ends with a scene similar, visually, to the beginning with the music being used again just as impressively. It really is used quite well and leaves a lasting impression.
Throughout, classical music scores the film beautifully. It doesn't seem like a sci-fi, but rather, in some scenes, like you've wound up at the ballet. It is absolutely wonderful. The emotion and power in the music is a wonderful accompaniment to the the light dialogue of the film. While some films can feel empty because of too little dialogue, I feel 2001 uses it as an advantage. And along with the music, Kubrick does something most can't. He uses silence just as effectively. One must appreciate the moments in the film in which you hear nothing. There are many shots outside in the vacuum of space that are silent, just like actual space. Also, there is a long scene where they are in a space suit and you can only hear the breathing which to me seems like it may have been an influence on Vadar. And lastly and most notably, in the climax scene, HAL is the only one talking, pleading, while Dave approaches.
As a heads up, the rest of this post is going to have spoilers, so you might not want to read. Having said that, it's not like major plot twists, but your choice.
So as to the plot and meaning. In the beginning there's the scene where the primates discovery the use of bones as tools. This I believe represents a major advancement in evolution and represents all tools, as seen at the end of the primates part when the bones is thrown up and then a space ship in the shape of a bone appears. I feel that lends itself to show what tools have done for us. Before that though, one morning the primates awaken to see the Monolith appear. They're scared. They howl. When nothing happens they even dare to touch it. They do and nothing happens, its just a solid, black rectangle. Also, I think very importantly, when the primate is looking at all the bones, the music starts, the monolith appears and then he picks it up and turns it into a tool.
After this, we move to 2001 and the space age. We see a man on a ship and we know he is going to the moon to deal with some crisis. We later find that the crisis is that the Monolith was found buried on the moon. The only other thing known is that there is a strong signal pointing towards Jupiter. Once again, they touch the Monolith, but its just solid.
Next, 18 months later, we are on the ship with the Jupiter Mission. We only have Dave and Frank, the two crew members not in "hibernation." We also have HAL-9000, the computer control of the ship and the "6th crewman." HAL has a perfect track record and cannot make mistakes like humans. He can see, talk, compute, reason and can give not only the illusion of feelings, but I think he has genuine feelings. When HAL feels that the humans may cause the mission to fail, he steps in. He feels the mission is of the absolute highest possible importance and cannot fail. First, he reports a radio failure, wrongly. When discussing with their base, they find that HAL is probably wrong. Dave and Frank try to secretly discuss the possibility of HAL malfunctioning and turning against them. When Frank goes back out to look at the radio, HAL uses the pod to push him into space and murder him. Dave tries to go in another pod to save him but its too late. Dave comes back and HAL discusses his intention to carry on the mission alone. He even cuts off "life support" the the hibernating crew members. Dave enters the emergence, manual air lock and once in the ship, he decides it's time. He decides to "kill" HAL.
Dave must walk through a long passage to HAL's memory and disconnect all the processors. This scene is one of the most chilling murders in film history for me. Dave silently works his way to the processors. HAL first tries to reason with him. He talks on and on. Dave continues in silence. HAL begins to beg and plead for Dave to stop. At one point he says he can feel it, meaning himself being killed. HAL says repeatedly "I'm afraid." Over and over again, slowly, HAL repeats this. As the processors are removed, HAL's voice gets lower and he basically resets. He says he can sing a song and asks Dave if he'd like to hear it. Dave finally speaks and wants to hear it. He then, in an incredible low voice sings "Daisy" and he dies.
The movie then continues with just Dave making it to Jupiter. He flies in a pod and then the film gets weird and really trippy. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But after several minutes of that he ends up in a room and you see him age with each cut and doing different things. He lives the rest of his life there. When he is about to die and in bed the Monolith appears. He dies and turns into a fetus. Then the camera goes towards the Monolith and as soon as the whole screen is black from it, the music starts and instead of panning in space to see planets, we see the fetus floating and the film ends.
So I had to look up what to make of the movie. It's weird and makes very little sense. Kubrick has repeatedly declined to give it meaning, preferring viewers to make their own interpretation. I think that the Monolith is used by the aliens to encourage evolution. At first, with the primates, it's inspiration for the bone to become a tool. But the primates can't use the Monolith, just touch it. Once it's served its purpose in creating tools, we don't see it until it's found on the moon. I think aliens then put it there as a sort of test. When we get to the point where we can find it, it'll push us on to Jupiter. When we see the men look at the Monolith on the moon, they can touch it, but not move through it. But it serves its purpose and sets us off to Jupiter. The bedroom in space doesn't make a whole lot of sense. I think that the rapid aging isn't as rapid as it seems, only a clever use of cutting scenes to show a long period of time passing. In the novel of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke, which was written along with the film and released after, Clarke explains that the room is like an alien zoo. Maybe. I don't know what to make of it. Also, many consider the fetus to represent the star child. I also don't know what to make of it. I do, however, feel that what ever the room represents, by dying in there, humans have fulfilled their purpose. When the Monolith appears for the final time, we are able to pass through it and enter into space.
Another interesting point brought up in the film is technology. I see it more as a warning then anything else. It seems to be postulating on the rapid growth and advancement of technology and especially artificial intelligence. I think the film is meant to make us reconsider how far to push. Can any good come from a machine that can reason? Think? Feel? Maybe we'll never advance that far, but if we do, these are things to consider. HAL felt it didn't need humans, will other advance computers? It's both intriguing and terrifying to consider.
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