50 YEARS OF 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - THE COMMEMORATIVE STAMP COLLECTION

Hello, Dave. Sorry. I mean, hello, folks. I do apologize for my slight confusion, but, to be honest, today has been one of those days where I'm not one hundred percent certain about life, death, and the state of the world in general. Well, I've just re-watched the 1968 Stanley Kubrick classic, '2001: A Space Odyssey', doing so in order to refresh my memory about the historical significance this movie has had on the film industry.


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It's been over 50 years since it first made its world premiere in Washington D.C., on the 2nd of April, 1968, and since that magical event took place, filmmakers around the world have tried their best to improve on the concepts, the techniques, and the technological advancements, both Stanley and the acclaimed science fiction writer, Arthur C Clarke, introduced through the making of this film. My problem with this, however, is that these improvements weren't always used with the intent of making a good story. Rather, they were used to highlight and showcase a bigger and larger cinematic-canvas or massage a directors ego.

Not all the time, mind you, and yes, I do admit, that there have been a number of occasions where the methods this movie introduced actually improved the quality of a film, although not always the story it was trying to tell. Either way, in order to commemorate the release of '2001: A Space Odyssey', The Isle of Man Post Office have announced that they will be launching a series of eight hi-tech stamps to celebrate the golden anniversary of this iconic British film, rated one of the greatest films of all time.

The Isle of Man Post Office have worked in conjunction with Warner Bros., the Kubrick family, and the SKFA, to create a set of stamps that are respectful of the genre, the film, as well as anyone associated with this project. Plus in true Kubrick style, each stamp will contain hidden secrets and a message embedded for fans to find.

You also might like to know that these stamps have received Royal Approval and were designed by Glazier Design, a creative design agency based in London that previously designed the Stephen Hawking Gravitational Theory range of stamps for the IOMPO. Now for further information please check out the Isle Of Man Post Office website as well as the official '2001' facebook and twitter pages. But before you go off and do that, here, check out the stamps in question.

FILM FACT: This film took over 4 years

to complete and it went over budget by 7

million dollars. When Kubrick first

approached Clarke in 1964 he told him it

would only take 2 years to make and cost 5

million dollars, give or take a couple of

thousand. Not 12 million dollars which

was its actual cost when it was released

in 1968.

FILM FACT: Ronnie Corbett, who was one

half of the famous British double-act, 'The

Two Ronnies', was originally cast to play the

main primate for the prehistoric part of the

plot. But unfortunately, after getting
involved in the numerous makeup and
costume tests required, he turned down the
role simply because it took too long and
was very-very confining.

FILM FACT: There was an un-shot

sequence included in the script which

predicted the development of the internet.

Basically, it involved one of the astronauts

looking at a newspaper via some kind of

TV screen, brandishing the New York

Times logo, similar to an iPad type device.

FILM FACT:  In an early draft of the script

the character of David Bowman, originally

named Bruno, rides along the highway in 

"a computer-guided Rolls Royce", i.e. a 

driver-less car, with his child and dog in tow 

while bisecting the great 

"Washington-New York complex".

FILM FACT: After watching MGM's big

cinematic production, 'How the West Was Won',

starring John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, and

James Stewart, both Kubrick and Clarke

privately titled their collaboration, 'How the

Solar System Was Won', and then 'How the

Universe Was Won'. Other possible titles they

also thought of included 'Universe: Tunnel

to the Stars', 'The Star Gate', 'Jupiter

Window', and 'Earth Escape', among others.

FILM FACT: Before deciding upon the

name HAL-9000, Clarke and Stanley came

up with two other possibilities for their

computerized creation: Socrates and Athena.

Funnily enough, you could say exactly the

same thing about the voice behind the machine.

They initially tried out such actors as Nigel

Davenport and Martin Balsam, before eventually

hiring Douglas Rain, who was the narrator of

'Universe', a black and white short that partly

inspired the creation of HAL.

FILM FACT: While MGM was drafting

up a contract for Kubrick's production company,

'Hawk Films', they included a clause where he

had to provide a short list of possible alternate

directors for his projects. The names he gave

them included three mavericks of the movie

industry: Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean,

and Billy Wilder.

***********************

FILM FACT: Unfortunately this film wasn't

successful when it was first released in 1968.

As a matter of fact, by the intermission of its

world premiere in Washington DC, attendees

were streaming out of the theatre in droves

because they didn't like it and thought it was a

disaster. Heck, even Clarke heard one of the

suits at MGM say: "That this was the end of 

Stanley Kubrick". But thankfully, within 5

weeks of opening in only 8 theatres, '2001' 

had grossed more than 1 million dollars

and gradually some critics began to see the light.

While releasing these stamps the Kubrick family & SKFA have chosen to highlight the work of the Jane Goodall Institute, which is a charity that encourages individuals to improve the environment for all living things. The Isle of Man Post Office is also pleased to include a profile of the charity to raise awareness of their important work.