2001: A Space Odyssey North

Alex North had his roots in the American stage but achieved his greatest fame in the epic film genre: his scores for Spartacus (1960), Cleopatra (1963) and The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) are beloved for their scope and grandeur. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was to be another North epic but ended up with Stanley Kubrick's selections of classical music. Later in 1968 North was able to use some of his 2001 ideas in M-G-M's The Shoes of the Fisherman, a colossal modern-day tale about the first Russian Pope. The Shoes of the Fisherman was based on a novel by Morris L. West and starred Anthony Quinn as Kiril Lakota, a political prisoner who rejoins the Vatican after his release. When the Pope dies, Kiril emerges as an unlikely successor, and must set the course for the Vatican's role in a current world crisis. The film also starred Laurence Olivier as the Soviet Premier, David Janssen as an American journalist, and Oskar Werner as a Jesuit philosopher and friend of Kiril's.

Stanley Kubrick's demanding perfectionism in all aspects of the filmmaking process has led to some of the most memorable soundtracks of the modern era. Kubrick's taste for the classics led to his scrapping Alex North's original score for 2001: A Space Odyssey in lieu of the "temporary" tracks he had used for editing, turning Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra into an unlikely 20th-century pop icon. For his 1971 adaptation of Anthony Burgess's cautionary future-shocker, Kubrick once again turned to the classics. Malcolm McDowell's protagonist Droog Alex's taste for Beethoven is given a nice tweaking by Moog pioneer Walter (now Wendy) Carlos's synthesized take on the glorious Ninth Symphony. Some have complained that the now-primitive electronics involved give it a dated feel. Disturbingly–and effectively–other-worldly is more like it. Kubrick also imbues repertory standards by Rossini and Elgar with dark, frequently hilarious irony, and makes Gene Kelly's sunny reading of "Singin' In The Rain" the underscore to an all-too-accurate prediction of societal nightmares to come. –Jerry McCulley

Stanley Kubrick (July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. He is frequently cited as one of the greatest filmmakers in cinematic history. His films, which are mostly adaptations of novels or short stories, cover a wide range of genres and are noted for their realism, dark humor, unique cinematography, extensive set designs, and evocative use of music.

Classical Music from Sci-Fi Films is a compilation album. Contains music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, V for Vendetta, Face/Off, and more.

Classical Music from Sci-Fi Films is a compilation album. Contains music from 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, V for Vendetta, Face/Off, and more.

6 CD + 1 Blu-ray box set comprised of the audio from four of the shows (and two rehearsals) that were part of Elvis' 1972 North American tour. Originally recorded for the Elvis On Tour concert film that was released later that year, the set features a total of 145 tracks, including 91 tracks that have been previously unreleased, as well as the award-winning concert film on Blu-ray.

UK collection that is comprised of musical selections from Kubrick's central masterpieces, complimented by pieces which the director used as 'temp tracks' during the production and by all accounts with every intention of using these in the film, only to decide to replace them late on. In 2001, the scherzo from Felix Mendelssohn's 'Midsummer Night's Dream' (used for scenes of weightlessness) and Vaughan Williams 'Antarctica Suite' (for the Stargate effects and scenes on the moon) were both used in preview showings of the film before being discarded. While on Eyes Wide Shut, Wagner's 'Lieder I'm Triebhaus' ('In the Greenhouse') from Wesendonck Lieder was a significant theme in the production for more than a year before being replaced. We have also assembled the complete vintage ballroom music from The Shining. The final movement from Berlioz's 'Symphonie Fantastique', with it's epic use of the chant from the Roman Catholic Requiem mass, the 'Dies Irae', and a Sibelius piece, 'Valse Triste'. Both were important to the evolution of the film. Finally, as a young man, Stanley Kubrick fell in love with Sergi Prokofiev's score for the Sergei Eisenstein's first sound film, Alexander Nevsky. He played it to death, and it would inspire him later in his own use of dramatic music. From the scintillating recording by Fritz Reiner with the Chicago SO, we include the movement, 'Battle On the Ice'.

A celebratory collection of the biggest composers and albums to grace the Varese catalog during an unparalleled 40 year history as the preeminent soundtrack label. The greatest composers; Bernard Herrmann, Alex North and Jerry Goldsmith of Hollywood's Golden Age to the Modern Age of Hans Zimmer, James Horner and Brian Tyler. These composers and more are represented with some of their finest compositions; Vertigo, Spartacus, Aliens, Driving Miss Daisy, The Matrix, The Omen, Whiplash and Star Trek.