But readers will be disappointed to expend this much time on 2001 and still come away knowing only part of the story. Clarke emerges far more vividly, with Benson, who befriended Clarke near the end of his life, offering a uniquely privileged glimpse of the author’s personality-“an earnest manner leavened by his quick wit”-and day-to-day life as a British expat in Sri Lanka. Even after 500 pages, the reserved, controlling Kubrick feels like a distant figure. In the end, this is very much Clarke’s story. Key figures, such as special effects expert Douglas Trumbull and actor Keir Dullea, are introduced quickly only to disappear for long stretches (helpfully, Benson does includes a list of major characters). Clarke Steamed as the Novel Languished Early in pre-production Kubrick proposed to Clarke that they co-write a. Unfortunately, Benson struggles to cover his protracted story, which is alternately sketchy and repetitive. Arthur Clarke, author of ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ (Credit: Sipa/AP Photo) 2. It plays out as a straightforward production history but one set apart by the project’s massive scale and extended gestation period, from Kubrick making first contact with Clarke in 1964, with a two-page letter proposing “doing the proverbial ‘really good’ science fiction movie,” to the film’s 1968 release. Benson ( Otherworlds) celebrates the 50th anniversary of the classic SF film 2001: A Space Odyssey with this wide-ranging, if somewhat lopsided, chronicle of the collaboration between director Stanley Kubrick and novelist-turned-screenwriter Arthur C.
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