Directed by Stanley Kubrick (1928–2000), the film 2001: A Space Odyssey was hailed as an artistic masterpiece when it opened in 1968. Based on a 1951 short story by British science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke (1917–), the beautifully photographed film took audiences on a wondrous journey through outer space. It also introduced one of Hollywood's most coldly menacing screen villains, the murderous supercomputer HAL 9000.

In a way, 2001 is the complete story of mankind. It begins in prehistoric times, among our ape ancestors, and ends with explorations into outer space. Tying the various parts of the story together is a strange object, a large black slab, which keeps appearing throughout space and time. Some have suggested that this object represents God, or some kind of alien civilization. The filmmakers deliberately left its true meaning unclear. The mystery of this object generated much discussion among movie-goers when 2001 first appeared, and continues...