Arthur C. Clarke was one of the most renowned science fiction writers of the 20th century. He became particularly famous for his collaboration with Stanley Kubrick on the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey, widely considered to be one of the most influential films of all time. The film was based on Clarke’s short story “The Sentinel,” and led to him developing a big interest in filmmaking. While on the set of director Peter Hyams’ 2010: The Year We Make Contact (a sequel to 2001) in 1984 he was asked to list his favourite science fiction movies of all time. It’s difficult to say whether the films are listed in any particular order.
1. METROPOLIS 1927 (DIRECTED BY FRITZ LANG)
2. H.G. WELLS’ THINGS TO COME 1936 (DIRECTED BY WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES)
3. FRANKENSTEIN 1931 (DIRECTED BY JAMES WHALE)
4. KING KONG 1933 (DIRECTED BY MERIAN C. COOPER AND ERNEST SCHOEDSACK)
5. FORBIDDEN PLANET 1956 (DIRECTED BY FRED M. WILCOX)
6. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD 1951 (DIRECTED BY CHRISTIAN NYBY)
7. THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL 1951 (DIRECTED BY ROBERT WISE)
8. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968 (DIRECTED BY STANLEY KUBRICK)
9. STAR WARS 1977 (DIRECTED BY GEORGE LUCAS)
10. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND 1977 (DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG)
11. ALIEN 1979 (DIRECTED BY RIDLEY SCOTT)
12. BLADE RUNNER 1982 (DIRECTED BY RIDLEY SCOTT)
The Making of Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (Hardcover)
