prologue "The Dawn of Man"

E469475

The prologue "The Dawn of Man" is the opening prehistoric sequence of *2001: A Space Odyssey* that depicts early hominids encountering a mysterious monolith, symbolizing the evolutionary leap of human intelligence.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf film scene
opening sequence
prologue sequence
appearsIn film "2001: A Space Odyssey" NERFINISHED
associatedWith cosmic evolution
themes of human destiny
centralTheme evolution of human intelligence
intervention by unknown intelligence
technological advancement
chronologicalPosition first major sequence of the film
contains bone-as-tool scene
bone-as-weapon scene
match cut from bone to spacecraft
coWriter Arthur C. Clarke NERFINISHED
Stanley Kubrick NERFINISHED
depicts transition from animal behavior to proto-human behavior
use of tools for hunting
use of tools for violence
director Stanley Kubrick NERFINISHED
features discovery of tools
early hominids
mysterious monolith
tribal conflict
firstAppearanceOf monolith in "2001: A Space Odyssey"
genre science fiction
speculative prehistory
influencedBy anthropological ideas about human evolution
language non-verbal communication
medium motion picture
narrativeFunction establishes thematic framework of evolution and technology
introduces monolith motif
notableFor iconic bone-to-spaceship match cut
philosophical treatment of human origins
wordless storytelling
partOf film "2001: A Space Odyssey" NERFINISHED
portrays fear and curiosity toward unknown object
hominid group encountering monolith
moment of insight leading to tool use
settingLocation African savanna
settingTime prehistoric era
symbolizes beginning of human tool use
contact with higher intelligence
evolutionary leap of human intelligence
usesMusic Richard Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra" NERFINISHED
classical music
visualStyle emphasis on visual storytelling
minimal dialogue
naturalistic landscape cinematography

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

2001: A Space Odyssey structure prologue "The Dawn of Man"