Part of Science On Screen 2021.

Note: This film is preceded by a 3-minute overture. There will be a 10-minute intermission, followed by a 2-minute entr’acte.

A black monolith, present since the dawn of man, is discovered beneath the surface of the moon. When the source of the object is determined to be Jupiter, an expedition is launched to explain its mysterious origins. Dave (Keir Dullea) and crew must face off against the next stage in human evolution in the form of the ship’s sinister AI system — a sabotaging super-intelligent HAL 9000 computer — as they travel to Jupiter and beyond the infinite.

Long cemented in the annals of film history as one of the most truly cinematic works of all time, we’re happy to kick off this year’s edition of Science on Screen by offering this stone cold big screen classic as we welcome you all back to the theatrical setting.

Part of the Belcourt’s annual Science on Screen® series, a national initiative made possible through a grant by the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation — and tied directly to the Belcourt’s ongoing education and engagement programs.

Topic:
Video introduction by Tracie Prater, Technical management, Space Habitat Systems Development at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

About the speaker:
Tracie Prater supports technical management in the Habitat Systems Development organization at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Prior to this role, she was a materials engineer serving as the laboratory lead for the in-space manufacturing project and a subject matter expert for NASA’s Centennial Challenges prize competition program. She has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University and is a senior member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Her hobbies include travel, reading, and watching movies.

“Sometimes people tell you that a movie becomes an entirely different thing when you actually see it on a huge screen. (I am often one of these people.) Often, they’re (we’re) exaggerating; the movie may play better, and you may watch better, but what’s actually on screen rarely changes. 2001, however, is a different thing. It’s a film made for that huge screen, for absolute immersion.” –– Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice

“The film creates its effects essentially out of visuals and music. It is meditative. It does not cater to us, but wants to inspire us, enlarge us.” –– Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (March 1997)

“It's an overpowering experience, awe-inspiringly photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth, groundbreakingly enhanced by Douglas Trumbull.” –– Mark Kermode, The Observer