Moonwatcher’s Memoir, a Diary of 2001 A Space Odyssey, by Dan Richter (book review).
One of the things about reading books is that they sometimes point to other books that need attention. Before you ask, I don’t skim all the bibliographies unless they are small ones, but a book written by a key cast member from ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ seemed like a good choice and more amazing than I’d ever heard of it before. Dan Richter, as the book title should make clear, was the mime choreographer and lead man-ape, Moonwatcher, in the film. The Dawn of Mankind’s opening 20 minutes underwent a year of planning, recruitment, and filming, following the completion of the rest of the film.
Director Stanley Kubrick sought a mime expert, requiring the man-apes to be more than men in monkey suits. Richter demonstrated the technique by donning a black catsuit and towels, initially joining the production as a choreographer, and carefully selecting and preparing slender individuals for the roles. Stuart Freeborn, the master of makeup, collaborated to create the ideal hairy skinsuits and a face that the wearers could manipulate.
Oh, and they conducted extensive research on apes to achieve the desired feel. I don’t know how many times you’ve seen ‘2001’, but what you take for granted on the screen was a lot of work to make it look natural and, to quote Kubrick, not look like men in monkey suits. Oddly, ‘Planet of the Apes’ won the Oscar make-up award, mostly because people didn’t realize ‘2001’ was make-up and prosthetics. There is no mention of the American makeup team popping over to compare notes.
I hadn’t realised that some dancers from TV’s ‘The Young Generation’ were among the recruits. There were also people eager to steal Freeborn’s work, although all they got were hand gloves and feet. We all know Stanley Kubrick’s reputation for looking for the right moment, although he decided two with the leopard was enough.
There are two glossy photo sections, and although I wish there were more of the man-ape costumes and heads, the rest should be more than satisfying. I always thought it was a shame that Stuart Freeborn never wrote a book on his make-up techniques, but Richter provides a lot of insight into just how groundbreaking the make-up artist was.
There may not be many copies out there, but if you’re into ‘2001’, this book is worth tracking down.
GF Willmetts
May 2024
(pub: Carroll & Graf, 2002. 156 page illustrated medium-size softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 0-7867-1073-X)
