Hear Stanley Kubrick Explain The Ending Of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY

Before we go any further, it should be made clear: you really don't need to have the ending of Stanley Kubrick's seminal sci-fi masterwork 2001: A Space Odyssey explained to you. Arthur C. Clarke's novel of the same name - which was written concurrently with the production of the motion picture (with the director's input no less) and published after its release - spells out the "meaning" behind the famed Star Child sequence and Dave's ascension to superbeing form (not to mention there's a plethora of academic texts out there that can help you along). 

With that said, there is some novelty to hearing the auteur himself offer up some words on the picture's somewhat cryptic finale, as Kubrick always kept up a notorious level of privacy, and very rarely indulged in commentary on his own movies. 

Now, this video should be prefaced by the fact that you don't actually see Kubrick in it, and the identification of the artist comes from voice recognition. According to the YouTube channel that posted the clip, the footage comes from filmmaker Jun’ichi Yaoi. Around '80, Yaoi was crafting a documentary about the supernatural and included Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, via a set visit and phone interviews. Yaoi's feature was never released but a VHS of the raw footage sold on eBay in '16 and has now made its way online.

Here's a near three-minute excerpt from the full video (which runs almost 90 minutes in length):

That's a neat little nugget, and pretty damn close to the finale that's contained in Clarke's book. Again, while many maintain that there's room for interpretation of "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite", this more feels like Kubrick re-iterating what fans of both the movie and the co-author of its screenplay already knew. But any excuse to learn a little more from arguably the greatest filmmaker to ever pick up a camera is always welcome. 

Speaking of Kubrick and 2001, that new "unrestored" 70mm print is making its way around the country. Austin gets it in two weeks, so you should start checking your local listings to see if you can catch one of the ultimate filmic experiences of a lifetime at a theater near you.