"The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error."

Novelist Arthur C. Clarke and celebrated director Stanley Kubrick both shared a common goal: to create what they called "the proverbial good science-fiction movie." Clarke's short story "The Sentinell" served as an inspiration for their ambitious project. Kubrick was still basking in the success of Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, so Metro-Goldwyn Mayer committed a budget much higher than any previous space movie. Kubrick consulted with leading experts in the air and space industry to make sure that his vision of the future would be credible and technologically valid. 2001: A Space Odyssey wasn't what anyone expected, a grand, open-ended vision that dazzled the senses, even as it challenged (or confounded) the intellect.

The epic story begins with the dawn of human intelligence. Primitive, ape-like ancestors of man struggle daily to survive, facing attacks from wild animals and fighting over the dwindling water supply. Moon Watcher and his group wake one morning to find an oblong black monolith, smooth and geometrically perfect. They gather around and touch the alien object. Moon Watcher, endowed with new awareness, discovers that the rib-bone of a dead animal can be used as a weapon for killing other animals... even their own kind. A brawl ends in murder, and Moon Watcher triumphantly wields his instrument of death, and hurls it into the sky.

Transition to the year 2001: Nuclear weapons now orbit the earth. Scientists have discovered a mysterious black monolith buried deep beneath the moon's surface, probable evidence of an alien visitation. It emits a piercing signal, pointed toward Jupiter. Dr. Dave Bowman (Keir Dullea) and Dr. Frank Poole (Gary Lockwood) launch a mission to Jupiter, accompanied by colleagues traveling in hypersleep. Their ship, the Discovery, is monitored and guided by an advanced computer, the H.A.L. 9000 (voiced by Douglas Rain).

When H.A.L. appears to have made a mistake-- something he is supposed to be incapable of-- Poole and Bowman decide to disconnect H.A.L.'s higher functions. They are unaware that H.A.L. has read their lips and discovered their intentions. Like the humans and their hairy ancestors, H.A.L. finds itself capable of homicide.

The film culminates with the strange visions of the sole survivor as he follows another black monolith toward one of the moons of Jupiter, where he finds himself the subject of observation by an unseen alien presence.

Popular and critical reaction to 2001 ranged from ecstasy to outrage. Everyone loved the visual effects, which were unprecedented. On the other hand, what was the ending about? Was it some kind of religious or philosophical metaphor? Was it just an excuse for some hypnotic visuals? Plenty of ink was spilled by critics and cineastes having a go at their own interpretation. Arthur C. Clarke published his novel of 2001, written concurrent with film production, and it offered a more concrete account of the story's final act. (Even so, speculation and alternate readings remain a popular response to viewings of the film to this day.)

2001: A Space Odyssey was no mainstream show, but it played extended runs, as word of mouth spread among science buffs, artists and sophisticated moviegoers that here was an exceptional event, a big budget art film that demanded multiple viewings. It also became de rigueur for the counterculture crowd, who often used drugs to enhance the already hallucinatory experience.

2001 cemented the auteur status of Stanley Kubrick, allowing him to call the shots on all of his remaining films. It stands as a uniquely visionary film, admired not as much for its narrative or entertainment value (though that is considerable) as for its rare example of commercial cinema as fine art. (The special effects earned a well deserved Oscar, and nominations went to Kubrick for Best Director, and to Kubrick and Clark for Best Original Screenplay.)

Arthur C. Clarke has written three sequel novels, one of which became a movie in 1984, 2010: The Year We Make Contact.