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Stamps mark 2001: A Space Odyssey 50th anniversary

iSle of Man Post Office 2001: A Space OdysseyiSle of Man Post Office
The Isle of Man Post Office said the set of stamps are "respectful of the genre, the film and its makers"

A series of commemorative stamps have been released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of director Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Spacey Odyssey.

Each of the eight stamps, launched by the Isle of Man Post Office, contains a hidden message for fans to find.

They feature Kubrick, stills from the science fiction film, behind the scenes images and typography inspired by original graphics.

His daughter said she "can't wait to get [her] hands on them".

Katharina Kubrick said: "They are beautiful... What a lovely tribute on this momentous occasion."

'Very flattering'

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is a film inspired by Arthur C Clarke's short story The Sentinel and the pair wrote the screenplay.

It follows a voyage to Jupiter with the intelligent computer HAL after the discovery of a mysterious black monolith buried beneath the lunar surface.

Getty Images Keir Dullea, Katharina Kubrick and Jan HarlanGetty Images
Keir Dullea, Katharina Kubrick and Jan Harlan have praised the stamps

The Isle of Man Post Office said it had worked with Warner Bros, the Kubrick family and the Stanley Kubrick Films Archive (SKFA), to create a set of stamps.

They were designed by Glazier Design and are "respectful of the genre, the film and its makers", the post office added.

In addition to images relating to the film, one of the stamps features Arthur C Clarke and others depict the Monolith, Star Child, Dr Dave Bowman and the HAL 9000.

Keir Dullea, who played astronaut Dr Bowman in the film, said: "What a beautiful way to celebrate this film and a man whose imagination soared in the films that he made.

"Save your stamps or send them soaring."

Jan Harlan, who was Kubrick's producing partner and brother-in-law, added: "Stanley loved all types of stationery. He would find this highly amusing, but also very flattering."

Born in 1928 and raised in New York, Kubrick lived in Childwickbury Manor, on the outskirts of St Albans, in Hertfordshire, which he bought in 1978 and became his workplace.

He resided there until his death in 1999.

His other films include The Shining (1980), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Eyes Wide Shut, completed shortly before his death.