2001: A Space Oddyssey, the Dutch connection

It’s the movie that revolutionized science fiction and the art of cinema, that transformed the way we think about film with its special effects, narrative style, philosophical importance, and unusual use of sound. As such, it deserves its place in the Cosmic Wannahaves charts! Cinema Tyler methodically analyses the masterpiece in three must-see YouTube videos. Check out part 1 here: 



A fascinating but subtle moment in 2001: A Space Odyssey happens when the astronaut has to select a language in the spaceship. Check out a framegrab below: 

The big question for me here is: why is Dutch a selectable language in the spaceship? Does it hint at a perceived Dutch space presence in the future? Yes, the Dutch have some remarkable achievements in Space, but in its core, they only do a few percent in the ESA economy. And why can the astronaut not select for example German and Chinese? Cinema Tyler explained that as the latter countries have Space weapons in space in 2001 (as you can also learn in the YouTube reviews), these may not be allies in the future, that Arthur C. Clarke predicted in the late sixties. I conclude from this reasoning that the Dutch have a blooming space future ahead, according to the visionairy.

A great wannahave for all the Space Odyssey 2001 lovers is the behind the scenes document by Piers Bizony. 561 pages of all you wanted to know about the Masterpiece.