Arthur C. Clarke and others

2001: A Space Odyssey
Together c.50 items relating to the production and promotion of 2001: A Space Odyssey. A full list is available upon request.
largest: 22 x 14in. (55.9 x 35.6cm.)
smallest: 8¹⁄₂ x 5³⁄₄in. (21.5 x 13.5cm.)

A collection of rare production and promotional materials relating to 2001: A Space Odyssey. This group offers a panoramic view of the process behind the creation and dissemination of 2001: A Space Odyssey, with items ranging from special effects call sheets to marketing posters and on-set photographs. A large portion of the material is related to the movie's advertisement campaign, a tour de force in its own right, providing iconic artworks which would adorn the walls of enthusiasts for decades to come.

Included is an extremely rare complete set of advertising copy texts created by Arthur C. Clarke prior to 2001’s release, written for widely-distributed special cinema adverts and MGM promotional leaflets. An original advertisement, presented here in a complete 1968 copy of the UK’s Sunday Observer magazine, shows the almost word-for-word matching of Clarke's draft to advert copy. Also included are several examples of black-and-white on-set photographs, including a large print of Gary Lockwood in costume with Stanley Kubrick leaning over him, his hand on Lockwood’s shoulder as cigarette smoke catches the light above them.

The production materials included in the present group portray the talent, vision, and administrative excellence of the special effects army assembled by Kubrick. These materials include set schedules, progress reports, a list of required props, special effects daily progress packets, and a general schematic of the Discovery forward section. Kubrick’s own role in this process is wonderfully illustrated by two memos sent to him upon request by Frederick I Ordway III, one of the film’s scientific consultants. One memo is titled simply ‘Saturn Facts’ while the other details a proposed arrangement with Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. regarding prop manufacture.

From the colletion of Piers Bizony noted 2001 historian and author of 2001: Filming the Future.