At the Movies

I heard on the radio that this week is the fiftieth anniversary of the release of 2001: A Space Odyssey - or as Jake used to refer to it (and probably still does,) "the most boring movie in the world." (Though, come to think of it, I think he said that about other movies that I like, as well.)

Anyway, I remember seeing this movie with Dad shortly after it first came out. We saw it together at a movie theater in Boston. This theater had an extra wide screen which fit the screen ratio of the film's initial release. I'm pretty sure that this was the same movie theater where, a few years earlier, the entire family had seen The Sound of Music (which, for the record, happens to be the actual "most boring movie in the world.")

As we watched the movie, there were times where Dad would point things out to me - often small things, like the sequence where the stewardess walks in zero gravity, moving slowly and deliberately between the seats, as her shoes grip the floor. Or the directions for operating the zero gravity toilet. Neither of these were exactly crucial plot points, but they were cool, nonetheless - especially to my eleven year old mind.

I remember whispering to Dad throughout the movie, asking, "What's going on?" Often times, the answer came back, "I don't know."

One of the times that Dad came back with an answer was during this scene below. When asked, Dad whispered, "He's reading their lips." I always thought about that answer. It was "He", not "The Computer, not "It," but "He."

I would like this movie regardless, but I'm sure that I like it even more because I saw it with Dad. And I like the fact that, like always, Dad took the time to explain things to me - and when Dad didn't have an answer, that was ok, too.