By Darius KADIVAR

Visionary science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke dies at Age 90 …

photocomposition©DK

"When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible,

he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible,

he is very probably wrong." - Clarke's First Law

Payvand.com -- His name will forever be associated to that of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 visual masterpiece: 2001: A Space Odyssey based on his novel turned screenplay The Sentinel. British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

The collaborative effort between the late Sir Arthur Charles Clarke and the ultimate film genius to date, Stanley Kubrick was to lead to one of the most extraordinary films of all Time. Never has a movie been most troubling, dazzling, hypnotic, desperate and hopeful. Watching it is not merely a film experience but the experience of a lifetime. One does not come out of its projection without feeling enriched and yet you remain helpless for answers to the film's true message. Far from delivering an answer, Kubrick and Clarke only prepare you for more interrogations as to the mystery of creation and the destiny of mankind a mere mortal in the equally mortal kingdom of Animals. The brilliant opening with the music score of Richard Strauss Thus Spoke Zarathustra, set at the dawn of Time is only pretext to one of the most brilliant transitions in time and space ever illustrated on film: The moment when a bone is thrown in the air, by an Ape like ancestor, only to be followed by a straight cut into a space sequence where a spaceship in the year 2001 floats to the rhythm of Johannes Strauss' Blue Danube. No Computer CGI graphics or morphing techniques involved in rendering this powerful transition between the past and the future. Students in Cinema fascinated by the digital wizardry of George Lucas' Star Wars should rightfully feel puzzled by the stroke of imagination and genius involved in this cinematic illustration that has never been matched by ANY Sci-Fi movie to date. An Irony that Kubrick and Clarke's masterpiece was ONLY awarded for its Special Effects at the 1969 Oscars® but not surprising for a film that was and still is regarded as far beyond its Time. An eternal work of Art for generations to come and a testimony that the medium of film can achieve the same level of universal quality as any other work of Art be it literature, Sculpture, Music or Painting for 2001: A Space Odyssey masterfully combines all these disciplines into one and becomes not only an enduring tale on the genesis of mankind and its destiny but also a brilliant statement about Cinema as an Art form through the lens of its director Stanley Kubrick. Thus Kubrick takes over Clarke's imagination and virtually absorbs his literary work into his own cinematic illustration and thus extends the original material into a personal work without betraying the author's initial intentions but on the contrary by masterfully enriching it in both interrogations as well as possible interpretations. What makes the cinematic experience of the Odyssey unique is that it will remain an endless exploration in that the more you will watch it the more you will find hidden messages that enrich your appreciation of the movie. I invite you to watch this brilliant analysis by film critic Roger Ager on one of the hidden symbolic representations in the film that of the black monolith which appears throughout the film:

Watch Part I and Part II

A Day Apart in Death: A thought for the other talented British Artist : Anthony Minghella the Oscar Winning director of the The English Patient (for which French Star Juliette Binoche was also awarded as best supporting Actress) and Cold Mountain. Anthony Minghella died accidentally during surgery of benign tumor.

Also a thought for another British author turned director who also contributed to the British Motion Picture History with his Oscar® winning The English Patient in 1997. Anthony Minghella passed away, a day before his British compatriot Arthur C Clarke, shortly after being operated for a benign tumor in the neck and tonsils due to a fatal internal bleeding.

The World of Cinema and Literature Mourns their Loss …

"Let the Awe and Mystery of a Journey Unlike Any Other Begin"

–         Intro to 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Below Terry Pratchett of the BBC pays tribute to Arthur C. Clarke:

Writer Arthur C Clarke dies at 90  

Terry Pratchett pays tribute

British science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.

The Somerset-born author came to fame in 1968 when short story The Sentinel was made into the film 2001: A Space Odyssey by director Stanley Kubrick.

His visions of space travel and computing sparked the imagination of readers and scientists alike.

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse paid tribute, hailing the writer as a "great visionary".

Since 1995, the author had been largely confined to a wheelchair by post-polio syndrome.

He died at 0130 local time (2000 GMT) of respiratory complications and heart failure, according to his aide, Rohan De Silva.

©imdb

Far-seeing scientist

"Sir Arthur has left written instructions that his funeral be strictly secular," his secretary, Nalaka Gunawardene, was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.

She said the author had requested "absolutely no religious rites of any kind".

A farmer's son, Sir Arthur was educated at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton before joining the civil service.

A great science fiction writer, a very good scientist, a great prophet and a very dear friend

He served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and foresaw the concept of communication satellites.

Sir Arthur's detailed descriptions of space shuttles, super-computers and rapid communications systems inspired millions of readers.

When asked why he never patented his idea for communication satellites, he said: "I did not get a patent because I never thought it will happen in my lifetime."

In the 1940s, he maintained man would reach the moon by the year 2000, an idea dismissed at the time.

He was the author of more than 100 fiction and non-fiction books, and his writings are credited by many observers with giving science fiction a human and practical face. He collaborated on the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey with Kubrick.

The most Enduring and Brilliant Transition

in Motion Picture History

Set to the Music Score of the Strauss Bros ©imdb
 

'Great prophet'

British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore had known Sir Arthur since they met as teenagers at the British Interplanetary Society.

Sir Patrick paid tribute to his friend, remembering him as "a very sincere person" with "a strong sense of humour".

Tributes have also come from George Whitesides, the executive director of the National Space Society, where Sir Arthur served on the board of governors, and fellow science fiction writer Terry Pratchett.

He moved to the Indian Ocean island of Sri Lanka in 1956 after embarking on a study of the Great Barrier Reef.

From Visionary writer to Visionary director: 2001: A Space Odyssey is the result of the creative minds of two genius' ©imdb

There, he pursued his interest in scuba diving, even setting up a diving school at Hikkaduwa, near the capital, Colombo.

"Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," he recalled recently.

"I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these, I would like to be remembered as a writer."

A statement from Sir Arthur's office said he had recently reviewed the final manuscript of his latest novel.

The Last Theorem, co-written with Frederik Pohl, will be published later this year, it said.

VIVE LE CINEMA !

&

 LA LITERATURE !

Authors notes:

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About the Author: Darius KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist, Film Historian, and Media Consultant. He is international Correspondent for OCPC Magazine and contributes to the IC publications of The Middle East. and Persian Heritage.

... Payvand News - 03/21/08 ...