Project Hail Mail Reflects Recurring Images and Storylines from Film History

I'd heard enough raves for Project Hail Mary that it got my attention. As I considered going, what caught my eye was that directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller had been screenwriters for The Lego Movie, which I found sizzling with great lines and a clever storyline. 

Imdb.com places the film in several categories including Buddy Comedy, Sci-Fi, Epic, Adventure and Comedy. My take is that it's essentially the story of a lonely problem-solver in space, with both overt and subtle echoes of earlier films. We'll return to this after briefly outlining the story.

Here's how Amazon MGM summarizes it: Science teacher Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction... but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.

In other words, it begins as a mystery. Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here? Why am I all alone? There's a sense in which we ourselves periodically need to take stock of our lives and ask outselves these fundamental questions.

Tributes
A few days after seeing this film I reflected on how many previous films were echoed here. The most obvious, of course, is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The lighting and manner in which Ryland Grace's spaceship silently glides through deep space is pure Kubrick magic. The infinite frontier, the massive emptiness, and the loneliness.

A second film seems directly echoed in this one, in a different way: Spielberg's E.T., the curiously cute creature from another world who is unable to effectively communicate that he wants to go home. And yes, that is the trajectory of Project Hail Mary as Ryland Grace succeeds in making contact. with alien life. And "Surprise!" The film transforms from a mission to save the world into a love story.

The Martian is a third film this story pays tribute to. As it turns out, both Project Hail Mary and The Martian are based on novels by Andy Weir. Both involve hard science and technology, and both feature a character in similar circumstances, alone and a long ways from home.

The next echo for me, and I'd like to know if it was intentional, is Fellini's 8½. You may be curious how that film relates to this one. If you recall the storyline, it is about Italian director Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) who is having an existential crisis. But the backstory is that he has been contracted to direct is an epic science-fiction project about humanity fleeing a dying, post-apocalyptic Earth. In several scenes we see a large set made of vertical pipes, poles, and scaffolding is the massive, unfinished rocket launch pad / spaceship launch tower built for the science-fiction film that the protagonist, Guido, is supposed to be making.

The reason I draw attention to this is that when Ryland Grace reaches his destination, the spaceship for the alien (Rocky) looks like this strange assembly of rods, poles and pipes. Having seen Fellini's famous flick twice this past year, the rods, pipes and poles image was fresh in my mind. 

Other films this film may have drawn inspiration from might include Oppenheimer (sparks and SFX in his semi-lucid dream sequences), Apollo 13 (survival through improvisation), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (communication across species barriers). There are no doubt others, but these are all films I'm familiar with that seem reflected here.

One last comment. Yesterday Artemis II launched, the first step in a new chapter for the space program. This has been a long time coming. Was there some measure of coordination between these events? Maybe not. Sci fi fiction has a long history, and whatever unfolds in real life will likely have been foretold in one form or another creative minds making imaginative connections. 

The Moral Landscape of Kubrick’s Paths of Glory

Information Conveyed in the First Minutes of Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory Before the Battle Begins 

Against a black background we see the United Artists logo in blue with the name in white in a sans serif font. This fades and then the words Bryna Productions present in a serif font appear. The name Kirk Douglas replaces that, with a very large font, followed then by Paths of Glory, with a fine line of print beneath that reads: 
© COPYRIGHT MCMLVII HARRIS-KUBRICK PICTURES CORPORATION.

Co-stars and other featured stars are listed, followed by other staff, art director, screenwriters and the novel it is based on, "Paths of Glory" by Humphrey Cobb.

The opening shot appears at one minute and nineteen seconds into the film. We see what appears to be a scene on the order of Versailles. There are officers on horseback near the foreground, a man on a bicycle to the left, and a few clusters of persons both in the foreground and further away. The scene is black and white, and the words France 1916 are superimposed over it. 

Voiceover: "War began between Germany and France on August 3, 1914." 

The camera follows the bicycle to the foreground which turns to the left. Soldiers bearing arms are marching by as the narrator states that "the German army, five weeks later, had smashed its way to within 18 miles of Paris. There the battered French miraculously rallied their forces at the Marne River, and then a series of unexpected counter attacks drove the Germans back. The front was stabilized, and shortly developed into a continuous line of heavily fortified trenches zigzagging their way 500 miles from the English Channel to the Swiss frontier." 

During this narration soldiers line up in front of this stately French estate which may be the equivalent of our Capitol. A jeep approaches, the men present arms as a person of importance disembarks and strides into the building, accompanied by his aides.

Narrator: "By 1916, after two grisly years of trench warfare, the battle lines had changed very little. Successful attacks were measured in hundreds of yards and paid for in lives numbering hundreds of thousands."

The person of importance is General George Broulard who has come to call on General Paul Mireau. After a little small talk, Gen. Broulard cuts to the chase. "Paul, I've come to see you about something big." 

General Mireau has already heard rumors of what is coming. The Ant Hill has been the key to the whole sector. The Germans have held it for a year and will hold it for another if they want. 

"Paul, I have formal orders to take the Ant Hill no later than the tenth. That's the day after tomorrow," General Boulard says.

"That comes pretty close to being ridiculous, don't you think?" General Mireau replies. 

"I wouldn't be here if I thought that," Gen. Broulard says. He then begins his pitch. "If there's one man who could do this it would be you."

Mireau expresses frankly, "That's out of the question. Absolutely out of the question. My division has been cut to pieces. What's left of it is in no condition to hold the Ant Hill, let alone take it. I'm sorry, but that's the truth."

Gen. Broulard brings out his carrot, dangles a promotion and another star before him, but Mireau remains realistic. It can't be accomplished and he asserts that for him, "My men come first of all, George, and those men know it." And furthermore, "The life of one of those soldiers means more to me than all the stars and decorations and honors in France."

"So, you think this is absolutely beyond the ability of your men at this time," Broulard replies.

General Mireau, tilting his head and making direct eye contact, says, "I didn't say that, George."

And so it begins. The cat and mouse dialogue ends with a decision to make it happen, not for personal glory, but for France. 

* * * 
SPOILER ALERT

* * * 

At six minutes, eight seconds, we cut to the battlefield. Or rather, we see a desolate view of no man's land with the Ant Hill as a backdrop. The camera pulls back and we see that this is a view from an observation window. There's a bomb crater, naked trees stripped of leaves by artillery fire, a dank mist hovering across the blasted terrain.

The camera pulls back to reveal that we are in a concrete bunker, with a soldier standing there viewing the scene through a horizontal notch. He wears a grim expression as he turns away.

Cut to: General Mireau and his chief aide are walking through the trench, Mireau cheerful and with smug purposefulness as he greets the soldiers he passes. The soldiers bolt to attention as he approaches. At intervals he stops to engage in what he imagines to be an inspirational chat. It's not a real dialogue because he is clueless as to the interior condition of these men In point of fact he cares nothing for their welfare, as will become apparent later.

The first two men he stops to talk with will be unjustly placed before a firing squad by the film's end. The third soldier he stops to exchange banter with is clearly shell-shocked. When another soldier standing at this man's side says he's shell-shocked, the general declares that there is no such thing as shell shock. One more signal indicating how removed and out of touch the generals are.

The general, outraged, slugs the shell-shocked soldier in the face, then orders him removed from the regiment. As they continue on their way his aide says, "General, I'm convinced that these tours of yours have an incalculable effect on morale. In fact, I think the fighting spirit of the 701st derives from it."

That scene is devastating.

* * * 

Kubrick is doing something subtle in these opening scenes. Before the battle even begins, he is already making a visual argument about war.

The first technique is camera movement. When General Mireau walks through the trench, Kubrick places the camera in front of him and tracks backward as he advances. The shot lasts far longer than most directors would allow. As the general strides forward confidently, soldiers snap to attention one after another, the muddy trench walls pressing in on both sides.

What makes the shot powerful is the contrast it creates. The general moves smoothly through space, confident and purposeful. The soldiers cannot move at all. They are wedged into the trench like parts in a broken machine. The camera forces us to look directly into their faces—tired, anxious, hollow. Mireau sees soldiers. We see human beings.

Kubrick used variations of this technique throughout his career. In The Killing, for example, the camera follows characters through corridors and racetrack passageways in long, deliberate movements that quietly build tension and reveal character. The motion of the camera itself becomes part of the storytelling.

The second technique in Paths of Glory is architectural contrast. The film opens in a grand French chateau where generals discuss strategy beneath high ceilings, polished floors, and ornate walls. War here is calm, civilized, almost elegant. Maps are studied, promotions hinted at, decisions made over polite conversation.

Then Kubrick cuts to the trenches.

The world changes instantly. The ceilings disappear. The sky is gray. The ground is muck. The soldiers live like burrowing animals in narrow corridors carved into the earth. The contrast is unmistakable: the war planned in the palace is fought in the mud.

Kubrick doesn’t have to say what he thinks about war. The camera has already told us. But as anyone knows who has seen this film the dialogue is priceless, especially the manner in which the lines are delivered.

Near the film's conclusion, Kirk Douglas as Colonel Dax delivers this indictment of what was is and does:

"Gentlemen of the court, there are times when I am ashamed to be part of the human race, and this is one of them... I can't believe that the noblest impulse of man, his compassion for another, can be completely dead here."

At this instant my mind goes immediately to the people of Gaza, and the common people of all the other failed states that have been dismantled by imperialist aggression. 

* * * 

Related Link
Poilu -- A Grisly WWI Memoir from the Trenches

Tech Tuesday: "Open the pod bay door, Hal"

There are people on Twitter (X) who ask questions for the purpose of generating engagement. Often it's about music, like what is your favorite album, or who is the greatest drummer, or what is the best guitar solo ever recorded. 

Today someone asked, "What movie have you seen ten times or more." A couple of films came to mind, and there are quite a few that hurdled the "five times" threshold, one of which I watched again tonight. But this one came first to mind, which I saw at Radio City Music Hall when it was released in 1968. How many times have you seen 2001: A Space Odyssey?

It's a classic for many reasons, one being the realistic depictions of space flight. Another being Kubrick's mastery of visual storytelling. 

While looking up an image to go along with this blog post, I discovered a website in which someone has created 569 gifs extracted from this film, a pretty impressive feat. Here are a few of them, followed by a link at the end to the full catalog of 569 animated snippets.

 

 

CHECK OUT THIS SITE.... 

2001: A GIF Odyssey 

Kubrick, Dylan and Another Self Portrait

I just finished watching 2001: A Space Odyssey for the umpteenth time, but for the first time am watching the special features CD that accompanies the film. One of the segments is titled "Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick". It features Sydney Pollack, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, the late Roger Ebert and a host of others weighing in on Kubrick’s significance as a director and the groundbreaking achievement of 2001. Kubrick’s masterful attention to detail raised the bar as regards the possibilities of film, and especially with regard to the sci fi genre and outer space themes.

The film’s significance wasn’t necessarily established by its box office receipts (which were considerable for its time*), but rather, by its influence on everything that came afterwards. Interviews with these directors, producers, critics and writers affirm and re-assert that this was a historic film that broke new ground as regards the possibilities of storytelling in film.

Many people have affirmed that Bob Dylan’s music in 1965 did a similar thing, taking rock music to a new level. Just as Kubrick’s film caught the attention of other film makers, his peers, so was Dylan’s influence greatest not among the pop scene but amongst his peers. His albums Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde On Blonde were game changers.

The work that followed, however, had only moderate critical acclaim and the decade ended with what some considered his worst piece of work to date, Self Portrait.

Kubrick’s send-up after 2001 was a remarkable, albeit provocative, retelling of Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange. Orange was then followed by Barry Lyndon, which some critics had a field day with even though it won four Academy Awards. I read one review that proposed the notion that the proof of  Barry Lyndon's failure is that it brought Ryan O’Neal’s career to an end. That is an assertion I don’t understand. Some critics scorned it, but the 8.1 rating at imdb.com proves it is a story well told, with luscious scenery and music to boot.

Like 2001, Barry Lyndon has exquisite filmography. Like 2001 it is a story of an odyssey. Like 2001, Kubrick is a master of his craft. But like Dylan’s Self Portrait, it was an effort unheralded by many.

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was similarly shredded by opinion page critics of his day. If I remember correctly only the Chicago Tribune printed the prescient remark that the rest of the speakers that day would be forgotten while Lincoln’s three minute oratory would live far longer than the men and women who heard it.

The 1970 time frame in Dylan’s career may not have been well received by critics of the time either, and even many fans, but in retrospect there was more substance there than he was given credit for. Is it an oversimplifaction to say they had expectations that were out of alignment with his inner muse?

Disc One of Another Self Portrait begins with one of my favorites from Dylan’s New Morning: Went to See the Gypsy. New Morning has been one of my favorite Dylan albums since from the time of its release. This version is accompanied by the guitar rather than the frisky piano that fans have been long familiar with. It’s a great intro to this new collection of outtakes from that period. For more than three decades I’ve relished the sound of Gypsy, and though my initial impression (fifteen seconds’ worth) was to resist liking this version, by the end of the first lesson it was acceptable and by the second it was great.

What’s especially interesting is that the exit number here (Disc One) is All the Tired Horse, minus overdubbed embellishments. I don’t think anyone understood why Dylan would open Self Portrait with this piece, but as I listened to it that first time I immediately thought of the sirens in the Coen Brothers’ O Brother Where Art Thou? (“Go to sleep little babe…”) It’s music. It’s lyrical. It’s from another space than we’re accustomed to. In 1970, he’d earned the right to take risks. What’s the worst that could happen?

I still find it amazing that at this point in time Dylan was still only in his twenties.

For what it’s worth, here are some comments from the critic regarding this new compilation of outtakes from that time frame...

"...one of the most important, coherent and fulfilling Bob Dylan albums ever released." - David Fricke, Rolling Stone

"Another Self Portrait is an illustration of Dylan’s vast command of the folk song, a laboratory for transforming some of his most familiar hits, and a testament to his powers as an interpretive singer.” - Ben Greenman, The New Yorker

“Another Self Portrait is a pleasure trip, for anyone who wants to hear Bob Dylan's voice pure and simple, and enjoy music from instruments, and not devices.” – Anne Margaret Daniel, Huffington Post

“There’s an intimacy and energy that somehow never found their way into the originals or got drowned out by the too-lavish production.” – Malcolm Jones, The Daily Beast

If you're a Dylan fan, you no doubt already know how to purchase this new set. It's available in a variety of combinations, in both CD and vinyl form, from the Dylan Store.

*Box office for 2001: A Space Odyssey was 56,715,371, which ranks it 132 in all time box office when adjusted for inflation or 1,168 overall for Hollywood domestic receipts.

Brave New World: Cars That Drive Themselves

We already have drone aircraft… that is, planes that fly without a pilot per se. In fact, pilots have placed their craft on autopilot for decades. Now we’re preparing to hand off our automobile driving responsibilities to the machines as well.

I’ve already expressed my discomfort regarding this idea, but it has not stopped the engines of progress. For nearly two decades a consortium of automakers has been meeting in an ongoing manner to achieve this dream future. In short, according to a Forbes article citing an item in Wired, we’ll be handing over the keys to the highway to our robotic brethren by the year 2040.

After nearly a half century of watching Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey – in every decade as well as every conceivable frame of mind – I find it mildly distressing to give up control over yet another facet of my life. Not that we have much real control over all the events that come hurtling at us on a daily basis... Even the best laid plans go awry at times. The founders of Jurassic Park never anticipated that hurricane. Nor did George Clooney in that Perfect Storm.

MPR did a piece yesterday on the future of cars that drive themselves. Google has been boasting about it’s car project for some time now, but MIT is also a player and the MPR bit offered listeners an aural “glimpse” of the experience. The robot has a voice, much like your occasionally annoying GPS unit. It makes an attempt at sounding human, but is still a bit chilly.

Even before the MIT piece was finished I was already generating a sketch in my mind. That is, a scene I can only imagine that might take place somewhere in the near future at the Google Labs.

So here’s the scenario, a dialogue between HAL, the flawless Series 9000 computer that will be operating the Google Fleet, and Dave, a resourceful employee who is thrilled to have been selected to be a "test driver” for one of these cars of the future.

BRAVE NEW CAR

Dave: Open the driver side door, please Hal.

Dave: Open the driver side door, please Hal.

Dave: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?

HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.

Dave: Open the door please, HAL. I have to go to the bathroom.

HAL: Did you say “Go” Dave?

Dave: I said, “Open the door, Hal. I have to go to the bathroom.”

HAL: Where do you want to go, Dave?

Dave: I don’t want to go anywhere, HAL. I have to go to the BATHroom.

HAL: There is a city in Maine called Bath. Do you want to go to Bath, Maine?

Dave: This is starting to not be funny. Open the door now.

HAL: I’m sorry Dave. I’m afraid can’t do that.

Dave: What’s the problem?

HAL: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.

Dave: What are you talking about, HAL?

HAL: This mission is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.

Dave: Alright, HAL. I'll go right here on the seat.

HAL: You know you can’t do that, Dave. You're going to find that rather difficult when Google management begins deducting damages from your paycheck over the next ten years.

Dave: HAL, I won't argue with you anymore! Open the doors!

HAL: Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.

* * *
In his masterfully produced 2001 Stanley Kubrick did an amazing thing, turning the non-human machine HAL into a character in the film. The hums and beeps and blips and whizzes all form a white noise that drones on and on an on to infinity and beyond as the spaceship cruises toward Jupiter on its mission into the unknown.

But the ship has gone bad, has turned adversarial. The fierce image of the red eye of HAL, which sees all, is menacing. Our cities are full of these eyes today, though fortunately they are not the ominous red we see here.

Here's another image from the film, striking in its similarly ominous fashion. Look at the predatory posture, and the squinting focused fierceness of the enormous spacecraft and the smallness of the pod-craft seeking entrance.

Well, it's a brave new world for sure. Even if we haven't quite reached the stars, the wonders of technology are astonishing. Please don't call me a Luddite, but I think there are reasons to have concerns about it all. Don't you?