April 6, 1968 marked the debut of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Co-written by Kubrick and science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, the movie became a landmark in film history. To generations that have grown up on fast-paced, special effects laden space dramas, "2001" may seem ponderously slow, but as someone who saw it back in the day, I can attest to its incredible impact at the time. From the sublime soundtrack to the evocative cinematograpy, the film delivered quite a punch. The first section, "The Dawn of Man" concludes with a stunning visual effect that catapults early man millions of years into the future. And who, having seen the movie, can ever forget HAL?
