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The non-traditional critical reception of 2001 definitely played a large part in securing its place in the American cultural consciousness. The sheer amount of material that was published about the film far exceeded that of more mainstream “respectable” cinema, and drew attention to it not only from the mainstream media, but also from various academic and trade journals, where debates about the value of 2001 continued for several months. The battles between various film scholars also highlighted the generation gap and the growing power of younger audiences and critics, who seemed to connect with the film better than more seasoned veterans. Continued criticism over the next three decades would reveal that different audiences seemed to connect with 2001 often for very different and contradictory reasons. Changed Baby Boomer’s Lives Years later, many Baby Boomers who first saw 2001 in the theater at a young age have said that it was a major influence in their lives. As members of a generation searching for meaning and identity, the film’s cosmic questions resonated deeply with many. One viewer recalled, “I felt some connection with the film...some weird hopeful thing that climaxed when the Star Child made its appearance on the screen at the end. I remember going to bed that night after the movie unable to get that image out of my mind...and knew in that 14-year-old way that something had shifted for me in life.”[46] Filmmakers, artists, engineers, and early computer technicians all have credited the film for giving them direction in life and the motivation to aspire to their chosen careers. Some people were motivated to pursue filmmaking. Actor-director Tom Hanks has said that his first viewing of the film at the age of 12 was an experience that allowed him to appreciate the power of movies.[47] Director James Cameron has said, “2001 meant a great deal to me when I was 16 or 17 years old and it sparked my interest in filmmaking.”[48] Other people found inspiration in the film’s portrayal of futuristic technology. One electronics engineer recalled, “When I started college in 1974, I remember having my roommate drive me to a theatre that was running 2001, where I sat through four showings at a time, every weekend. As a result, I determined that I would do something technology related.”[49] Software developer Stephen Wolfram said that as a nine-year-old, he was impressed by the film’s futuristic technology, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has said that 2001 inspired his vision of the potential of computers.[50] Many others saw their horizons expanded beyond already existing interests. Geoffrey Alexander first saw the film on his ninth birthday. He writes, “While I've never lost interest in science, I knew after that my focus in life would really be more on those mysteries...that my favorite studies would become art, religion, philosophy, and (of course) poetry, literature, and film...and that, whatever the medium or form, I would be an artist.” Alexander, who maintains one of the Internet’s most comprehensive Web sites on Stanley Kubrick, speculates about the film’s appeal to Sixties youth:
While many of the Baby Boomers immediately identified some of 2001’s darker themes, it took several viewings for some young audience members to catch some of the film’s pessimistic elements. While most immediately caught the irony and satire of the film’s portrayal of a future dominated by corporations and technology, their appraisal of the film’s assessment of humanity was more mixed. One person, who first saw the film as a teenager, wrote 30 years later, “I felt 2001 was an optimistic film...aside from the jabs at technology and such. It was only later that I saw the ‘dark side’ of it all...my first dozen viewings or so were through the untainted eyes of a 14-year old.”[52] |
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