I hand him a letter written by a fan and addressed to Arthur C Clarke. He forwarded it on to Kubrick and wrote on the top, “Stanley. See P3!! Arthur.”
Jan turns to page 3, where Clarke had marked, with exclamation marks, the following paragraph:
“What is the meaning behind the epidemic? Does the pink furniture reveal anything about the 3rd monolith and it’s emitting a pink colour when it first approaches the ship? Does this have anything to do with a shy expression? Does the alcohol offered by the Russians have anything to do with French kissing and saliva?”
“Why do you think Arthur C Clarke marked that particular paragraph for Kubrick to read?” I ask Jan.
“Because it is so bizarre and absurd,” he says.
“I thought so,” I say. “I just wanted to make sure.”
printed in the Guardian’s film section, without byline, 27 March 2004
