2001: A Space Odyssey (film) Dawn" inspired the film's "Dawn Of Man" sequence. Kubrick and Clarke privately referred to the project as "How the Solar System Was Won", a reference to MGM's 1962 Cinerama epic "How the West Was Won". On February 23, 1965, Kubrick issued a press release announcing the title as "Journey Beyond The Stars". Other titles considered include "Universe", "Tunnel to the Stars", and "Planetfall". In April 1965, eleven months after they began working on the project, Kubrick selected "2001: A Space Odyssey"; Clarke said the title was "entirely" Kubrick's idea. Intending to set the film apart from the "monsters-and-sex" type of
2001: A Space Odyssey its scientific realism, pioneering special effects, and provocatively ambiguous imagery and sound in place of traditional narrative techniques. Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, "2001: A Space Odyssey" is today thought by some critics to be one of the greatest films ever made and is widely regarded as one of the best science fiction films of all time. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, and received one for visual effects. It also won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Best Director and Best Film awards of 1968. In 1991, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was deemed culturally significant by the