Geduld, Carolyn

   Carolyn Geduld wrote Filmguide to 2001:A Space Odyssey (1973), one of the first issues of the Indiana University Press Filmguide monograph series, edited by Harry M. Geduld and Ronald Gottesman. This publication put STANLEY KUBRICK in a league with Alfred Hitchcock, Carl Dreyer, John Ford, and Buster Keaton, the other directors whose work was selected for the first books in the series. A standard format is followed, including cast and credits, a plot synopsis, a chapter on the director, an extended analysis of the film, and a summary critique, constituting a reception study of the film. The Kubrick film became a cult feature, despite negative reviews from such prominent critics as Pauline Kael, Stanley Kauffmann, and Andrew Sarris, all of which are summarized. Geduld captures both the controversy and the enthusiasm stimulated by the film’s release. George Rehrauer wrote in 1982 that any viewing of 2001 would be “greatly enhanced by use of this volume before and after the film experience. ” Of particular interest is the book’s annotated bibliography.

   J. M. W.