Archive of production photographs and ephemera from "2001: A Space Odyssey," from the collection of scientific advisor Frederick I. Ordway III

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1968. Archive including 20 vintage linen-backed production photographs, a trade advertisement, a film program, and a souvenir booklet from the 1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey." From the collection of NASA scientific consultant Frederick I. Ordway III, with images prominently featuring Ordway, production designer Harry Lange, Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, and others. One photograph has Ordway's name written on the recto, in silver marker. All photographs mounted on matte board, as issued.

Ordway and Clarke began working together on matters of science fact in 1951, and Clarke personally invited him to be the factual advisor on the film.

Kubrick's sprawling, science fiction epic traces the evolution of human intelligence under the influence of an unspecified alien force. Along with "Blade Runner," Kubrick's masterpiece forever altered the standard for visual and conceptual sophistication in science fiction and genre films. The pre-production for the film set standards as well, as Kubrick hired one of the greatest science fiction authors of the 1960s, Arthur C. Clarke, to be his screenwriter, and hired over 20 scientists like Ordway to consult on every detail of the film. The film's high degree of scientific accuracy, coupled with bleeding-edge special effects and minimal use of dialogue, make "2001" universally recognized as one of the most influential films ever made. The development of the film was kept strictly under wraps, and behind-the-scenes material of any kind is rare.

Winner of an Academy Award for Best Special Effects, and nominated for three others including Best Director. Set in space, shot on location in Scotland, England, Arizona, and Utah.

Photographs 8 x 10 inches, mounted on 11 x 14 inch matte board. Trade advertisement 9 x 12 inches, full-color, creased. Souvenir booklet 7.25 x 16 inches, full-color, 12 leaves, saddle stapled, folded. Program 5.5 x 8.5 inches, black and white, saddle stapled single leaf. Very Good to Near Fine.

[Book #137925]