True Hollywood Stories

The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey

Modern Library, 326pp., $16 (paper)

And thus spake Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, actor Keir Dullea, critic Pauline Kael, even Jerry Lewis in The Making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Part of Modern Library's "The Movies" series, edited by Martin Scorsese, The Making of is a new collection of essays, memoirs, and reviews of the 1968 classic sci-fi film. (Other titles in the series include reissues of Vachel Lindsay's 1915 early film treatise, The Art of the Moving Picture, James Agee's film columns, compiled in Agee on Film, and Memo From David O. Selznick.) The Making of posits itself as the most comprehensive collection of musings on 2001 ever. Indeed, the book meticulously documents the film's evolution via recollections and insights from such key players as writer/director Kubrick, co-scripter Clarke, and 2001 actors and technicians. Handily divided into chronological chunks (Preproduction, Filming/Postproduction, Release, and Legacy), The Making of is nothing short of exhaustive in its scope. Among the entries are the original press releases, an account of Clarke's heady, grueling collaboration with Kubrick on the film's script and novelization, and a lengthy Playboy interview in which Kubrick tackles cryogenics, LSD, and the stars. Other fascinating additions include "The Sentinel," the original Clarke short story that inspired 2001, and the final chapter in his full-length book, which sheds light on the film's cryptic, hallucinogen-happy ending. The Making of is more than a little bit exhausting. The special effects artists' testimonies quickly become repetitive. And after 79 pages of reviews (mostly contemporary criticism from heavyweights like The New Yorker, The New York Times, and Sight & Sound), totaling 16 not-altogether illuminating pieces, one wonders if less would have been more. Adding further aggravation is the collection's failure to annotate its inclusions. Sure, there's the Playboy interview, but no mention of when it was first published or who conducted the interview. None of the reviews contain original release dates (some even omit the author); the same goes for the personal accounts. Quick bios and proper dating throughout would have been helpful in understanding just why each of these contributors had something relevant to say. Still, unwieldiness aside, The Making of is worth wading through.