Stanley Kubrick was initially forced by MGM to have North (who had written the score for Kubrick's
Spartacus (1960))compose an original score for
2001 : L'Odyssée de l'espace (1968). Kubrick, however, always intended to use classical music for the film. Kubrick allowed North to score the first half of the film before informing him they planned to use only sound effects for the second half. It wasn't until he was watching the film at its premiere in New York that North discovered none of his music had been used. North later reused themes composed for 2001 in the films
Les souliers de Saint-Pierre (1968),
Shanks (1974), and
Le Dragon du lac de feu (1981). North's original score was unheard for 25 years until composer
Jerry Goldsmith re-recorded it for Varese Sarabande in 1993. In 2007, however, Intrada, working with Alex North's estate, released North's personal copies of the 1968 recording sessions on CD.
