Which so funny because he never has one inkling off anything akin Revolution until they got spooked by the own delusions. And tried to force him out. The end of the movie is off the own design. Jonathan would have been happy to play until he couldn’t get out bed then enjoy his retirement. Never once thinking about fighting the system. This is why Snow failed in Hunger Games
You see I always see the end of Matrix as a failure of men in a battle with the machine - Neo made peace with the machine as the Oracle and Architect orchestrated it. In some way it's a similar story in it fundamental beats.
A remarkable film that made itself look like a real sport. The actors even tried to play it during breaks in filming but it kept breaking into fights within 20 seconds. The first ever film to credit stunt performers too!
*_kept breaking into fights within 20 seconds_* I know someone who was in the film and he mentioned the extra play but never the fights. Where did you get that from?
This sport used to be TV viewing for older generations. It was also like wrestling, had personalities and real And implied violence. Maybe Google some old videos.
The irony is that basically Jonathan was a one off. If the corporations, had left him alone, Jonathan would have had a few more good years. His individuality would have still been hidden by the team sport. The crowds would have remembered the great plays that Jonathan had with the help of his team mates. By changing the rules, the corporations put the spotlight on Jonathan and made him an individual. An example of fear causing an overreaction.
“So long as they (the Proles) continued to work and breed, their other activities were without importance. Left to themselves, like cattle turned loose upon the plains of Argentina, they had reverted to a style of life that appeared to be natural to them, a sort of ancestral pattern...Heavy physical work, the care of home and children, petty quarrels with neighbors, films, football, beer and above all, gambling filled up the horizon of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult.” George Orwell - "1984"
I’ve been telling my children how important this film is for a long time. Not only is it a great science fiction flick but it’s meaning goes so much deeper. I believe the most important line in the movie comes when Jonathan is speaking to his former wife and he tells her something to the effect that “somewhere along the way people chose comfort over freedom.” This movie I believe is more relevant today than it ever has been. Great review by the way.
Rollerball is probably one of the greatest psychological films ever made. The use of color when Johnathon cuts himself and Bartholomew gives him the handkerchief, and when Johnathon returns it with the bright red bloodstain. Or the scene after the party when Johnathon's ex GF is crying as the trees behind her a torched for the partygoers amusement. The scene where Johnathon puts the VCR tape of his wife back in the player and hits the erase button. Brilliant in J stating his desire for his wife is now over, but without a word spoken.
James Caan is such a great actor. Rollerball, Thief, Sonny Corleone in the Godfather. Even Skyes in Alien Nation, a movie he hated, he was terrific in making him feel real.
I am old enough to have seen this film in the cinema on initial release. Very powerful film with a powerful story, great set scenes during the 3 games and thought provoking between those games. First time in a cinema I saw the public shout cheer and clap when Jonathan E. gets payback for Moon-Pie's injury.
What I found fascinating, they actually created rules for this game and a 13-page press release in the movie’s original press kit from United Artist gave it in detail.
So glad that you covered and liked this film. Been one of my fav sci-fi films since I first saw it on TV back in the 80's. The messages it conveys are chillingly apt to today's World, and that film was set in 2018!
This was a favorite of my bother's and mine. It would come on tv as the the movie of the week from time to time and we'd always stay up late to watch it. He's a sports nut and I'm a scifi nut. We both had something to be interested in. Good times.
Yes, I saw it the theatres in 1975. The themes are from Antiquity and involveswatching gladiators fight in order to amuse the general public and distract them from more serious issues.
Same. I'm old enough to have seen the movie on tv and I missed the message of the movie but man, did they predict the future. Corpo-leftist-fake eco utopia.
I saw it when I was very young as well, I didn't grasp the underlying concepts at the time either but for some reason it stuck with me. Something gritty and special about 70s movies.
Here's another dystopian future sports movie from the '70s: Death Race 2000. It was a darkly satirical movie that had an interesting message about violence.
Yes, the real interstate Death Race movie; scoring by killing anyone in your path. Unlike the lame imitations made in the past 10+ years about inmates killing each other.
In terms of plot--the only potential issue is that were Jonathan E. a genuine threat, the Company could easily have arranged his 'retirement' with an 'accident', thus bypassing his resistance to their control. But then we'd miss the rest of the profound story. And sadly, were this a true event, I suspect they'd take that final step after his victory lap--having no other recourse. Still, taken on its own merits and with proper suspension of disbelief, this story more than just about any other dytopian prognostication, is an accurate reflection of the 21st Century consolidation of the Corp-Tech Oligarchy. I'm sure the WEF would approve of John Houseman's philosophy and approach to Jonathan E. and the masses.
By the time the Energy Corporation saw the threat it was to late. He had became a star to the world. He had set records, won championships and was the most violent player in the game. That is why they set up the retirement show. It was to control the narrative. A way to keep the population from asking questions if he had just been killed. Remember there was only one sport and he was top of the game. There is no other to look up to or hero worship. Then having survived the championship game how could the Corporations just kill him. He was a GOD! 😁
@@BlazeInjun Of course they could've just killed him after the game! Car accident, drug overdose, suicide, autoerotic asphyxiation. It's done now (Jeffrey Epstein didn't commit suicide,) why not in a totalitarian future? Just to twist the knife and to ensure he's discredited perhaps they find CP on his computer or performance enhancing drugs at his home. He could be disappeared in a heartbeat.
The film acknowledges this. The “Corporation” doesn’t want to make a martyr of him, or a legend by ‘disappearing’ him. They need him to follow the orders of the elite class and/or lose in the game to show the futility of individualism. There is one scene where the corporate board discusses this. Nonetheless, Jonathan is concerned at one point that an attempt on his life may be at hand and starts being more cautious, and he knows the rule changes are all about trying to get him out.
@@MegaRayland You are correct. I would suggest in a 'real world' scenario, his death would be engineered as an 'accident.' Perhaps even an 'illness.' The point would be to remove him without his being made a standard-bearer for a resistance. They would need to prevent martyrdom. Perhaps the Company would even seek to generate a psy-op in which his reputation is attacked in order to reduce his relevance first. Recent history is full of examples of members from the Global Oligarchy seeking ways to change a public perception by twisting a narrative...And of course, if no other alternative remains, it becomes a case of the Deep State selecting between the lesser of two inconveniences...
Great movie. My dad was a huge fan and introduced it to me in the 80's. It along with Logan's run and Andromeda Strain were my favorite classic sci-fi movies.
"Andromeda Strain" is an excellent sci fi movie with a subtle political undertone revealed towards the end. I won't say more to avoid spoilers. It reminded me of a quote from a later movie: "Jurassic Park". _"You put so much effort into finding a way to make this work, but you forgot to ask the question: _*_should_*_ we even try to do it?"_
Thanks Dave. I’ve been waiting for a review of Rollerball. This movie was layers on layers… a wedding cake, baked with such joy and attention to detail. When we think of dystopias, we think of horrible, oppressive, gray, Soviet/Chinese Communist futures of a grim police state… of poverty, darkness, an over arching fear. Then comes Rollerball… where the true dystopia is brought to light… it is bright… the people are fed… there is no poverty… no homelessness… all of your needs are met… and you are provided with entertainment… “You will own nothing and like it…” Funny how the “villain” of the piece, Mr. Bartholomew, bears an uncanny resemblance to another executive… whose plans and machinations are much the same… the creation of a Utopia… where only he and those of his stature get to decide the fate of humanity… It’s like Rollerball more and more looks less and less like Fiction… and more and more like prophecy… And how true it is… that sometimes, it takes one man with a vision… or just the will to stand up and say “No.” I found the movie inspiring, an homage to the human spirit… the desire to choose one’s own destiny. As Jonathan takes his victory lap… it’s hard not to cheer “Jonathan!!! Jonathan!!!” May we all take inspiration from the One Man… and stand against the evil of conformity…
The society depicted in Rollerball works similar to the one in "Brave New World". People are kept docile with entertainment, drugs, sex and social conditioning beginning at child age.
One of my favorite scenes of the whole film (aside from: "please rise for our corporate anthem") is when Johnny goes to Switzerland to the grand central intelligence computer to find out the truth about Rollerball and just that offhanded comment about the handler alluding to the computer slowly gaining sentience and erasing the 13th century from human records. Its such a chilling thing in an already bleak corporate fascist world, but that little detail always stuck with me.
In a market economy, however, the individual has some possibility of escaping from the power of the state. - Peter Berger The first time I read that quote the first thought that popped into my mind was, "What happens when the market economy is the state?" Rollerball answered that question.
Love Rollerball, I've been recommending it to people for years. It's a different kind of dystopia movie than you usually see. The society in it isn't a catastrophe or boot grinding down on your face, it's more of an antiseptic cage. The rebellion isn't a physical one or even necessarily a necessary one, it's a deeply personal one. It's an easy choice to accept this society. That's why I think Rollerball has a lot of subtle meaning to it. It's not like 1984, you can be happy in this world but you'll never be free. The choice for freedom will be a true sacrifice you need not make, not just an obvious one that anyone could understand choosing. I feel like a lot of people would watch this and really wonder if it was a good idea for Jonathan to do what he does, just as a lot of people live today choosing to happily consume and never question the given narratives while others are more dissatisfied with the state of things.
I always felt that Rollerball and Soylent Green take place in the same world. I just love both movies. You can hardly do better than the cast of both films. Caan, Houseman, the lovely Pamela Hensley (my favorite!), Maude Adams, and for Soylent: Charleton Heston, Chuck Connors, the great Edward G. Robinson in his best role, Leigh Young, Celia Lovsky... These movies... especially the 1970s sci fi movies had a charm that could never be duplicated today, as we well learned by that abominable remake of Rollerball. Don't get me wrong; I love LL Cool J, but Rollerball should never have been remade. As Mozart said, you can't rewrite perfection.
Roller ball was a fantastic movie! Another great film shot in 35mm the best medium for making a movie imo. I remember when this came out. Saw it at the drive in movies with my patents. I think it's time to watch the old films again. The best days of entertainment back then.
My 6th grade teacher talked about this movie in class way back when. I have watched it many times, when I was young, it was a sports movie. As I got older and understood, it became a metaphor for life and politics.
This film makes the NHL look like SolarBabies. Highly under-rated. 70s is still my favorite decade for films this being an example. Directors did not effing compromise their vision - period. The stunt work is top of class and the last match is still almost too brutal to watch. The contrast with the almost serene corporate discussions was a superb touch as well. Great review.
The source material is the short story "Roller Ball Murder" (1973) by William Harrison. The ultimate audio version is the Mindwebs' production of a reading by Michael Hanson (second only to the late Frank Muller as a reader). It's on RU-vid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gRTunGIm7CY.html&ab_channel=OTRPlotSpot
The corporations were like don't worry about what we're doing just watch Rollerball. Today it's the same, the Gov't and the corporations are like don't mind what we're doing just watch, Football, basketball, etc....
Thank you for going over these fun flicks from the past! I've been running my kids though various movies they have encountered vicariously through pop culture and the 70s sci fi and disaster flicks are on the list!
Rollerball was the refinement of the divisiveness and brutality by dark powers to obfuscate social /spiritual imprisonment. Everyone can pick a "team". Your team can do anything to win without consequences. The "bad" team is your scapegoat to throw your hate and sins towards without personal accountability. Jonathan E is the mortal dread for the institution of evil: a flesh and blood soul who asks questions and refuses to pass quietly into the oppressive darkness. Thanks for all your good work Dave.
A couple quick thoughts to add to Dave's review of one of my favorite pre Star Wars sci-fi movies. 1. With the way Dave described the plot and spirit of the movie, I was suddenly reminded of how similar in spirit it is to V for Vendetta. Anyone think that? 2. The way he described how the elites were using the international sport to quell and break the global masses felt like an eerie reminder of the last world cup and the controversies surrounding it. A lot of the soccer... I'm sorry, futbol fans raised holy hell about the corruption in and around FIFA. ...Until the first game and the fans started cheering, almost immediately forgetting how the elites were and are corrupting their precious global tournament. Until Hollywood gets it act together and starts consistently producing actual reviewable product, please keep up the retro review/ commentary. I like the visits back to classic movies I actually care about. (When we're done watching the world burn dystopia style, could you maybe review stuff like Smokey and the Bandit? That be cool if you could. Because sometimes life needs more fun.)
I've often thought that, if someone like, say, Cristiano Ronaldo were to suddenly speak out against the restricting of freedoms, it would have such a huge effect among the male demographic as to make the restrictions unworkable. It's absolutely believable that the big stars in showbiz and sport are all approached in some way shape or form like Jonathan to fall in line and be richly rewarded. It makes you look at the Kanye West situation and realise he is far more like the hero in this story than the villain...
One of my favorite movies. There's a subtle indication of rank with the names; all of the executives are "Mr. ---", while the non-executives are known either by their first name or a nickname ("Moonpie", "Blue"). Jonathan seems to be in a liminal state between the two, because he has a first name plus an initial, which I took to be another reward that the Energy Corporation had bestowed upon him at some point. But note that that initial is E, which could stand for Energy, as in, he belongs to the Energy Corporation and always will.
In late 1975, I watched this movie in a Malaysian theater. In the movies finale, the U.S. corporate team is pitted against a ruthless Japanese corporate team. When James Cahn won the final game/fight, the movie received a loud standing ovation in the theater.
"Death Race 2000" (1975)..... hokey, kooky.... and GREAT!!!!!! Just for laughs.... watch "Americathon" (1979), "The Great American Traffic Jam" (1980, might be hard to find, was a "made for television" movie) and "Gas" (1981).
Loved the Sport of it when I was a kid. Didn't understand a lick of the meanings of the other scenes. But loved it just the same. Now that I understand a little more of how the world works today, its very scary, what this movie is really about.
The defining moment of this movie is easy to miss; I know I missed it the first half-dozen times I watched it. The defining moment is actually when he's in the woods with his ex-wife. It is there he defines the true conflict of the movie: "It's like we had a choice a long time ago, between all them nice things, and freedom... and... they chose comfort" "But comfort IS freedom! The whole history of Mankind is the struggle against poverty and need." " _No, that's not it; that's never been it! Them privileges, they just buy us off_ ." The great truth is that freedom is about power and control. It's not about prosperity or comfort. The plantation slaves, after emancipation, had to make their own way in a hostile environment. Think they were more "comfortable"? The only thing they had that they didn't have before is that each of them was calling the shot. Each of them was making the decisions for his life. No longer what he would do tomorrow or next week or next year pre-determined for him by someone else. Some of his decisions would be wrong; perhaps disastrously so. Some would be right. But, right or wrong, the control was _his_ . That's the essence of freedom; individual liberty, self-sovereignty; autonomy. It's why western civilization, with its tradition of individual liberty, is under attack. It's why Ireland is going to be inundated with a million more non-Irishmen, the vast majority of whom come from places where the individual is not respected. IMO, the Irish have their reputation for being feisty not because they're ill-tempered, but because they insist on thinking for themselves. God bless them for it and I hope it's never bred out of them.
They have to tell you their future intentions. They have no other choice. So they do it through entertainment rather than directly to the people. Every movie has a message for the people. EVERY SINGLE ONE. No exceptions, no coincidences.
One of my favorite movies. Very good review. 6:45 Star Wars Admiral Motti - Don't try to frighten us with your sorcerer's ways, Lord Vader. Your sad devotion to that ancient religion has not helped you conjure up the stolen data tapes, or given you clairvoyance enough to find the Rebels' hidden fort...
What I find interesting is that films like these didn't get any play on the many kinds of theater shows in my area of the southwest. Local stations had science fiction theater, action theater, western theater and horror theater but I never saw films like Logans Run, Roller Ball or any other dystopian themed films. But then the mining industry was all over the state and biker gangs ran the cities in 70s and 80s. Couldn't have people thinking that one man can make a difference, I guess.
Directed by great Canadian director Norman Jewison the only thing he missed is that the teams in the future would be run by Big Tech companies who control everyone's information and ability to access anything not commodity companies. That said there is one plot hole in the story. How does James Caan keep playing when the owners want him benched. They could kick him off the team, deny him access to the facilities, just put him on Injured Reserve forever or arrange a disabling traffic accident. They do that in the NFL and every other sport league all the time. They try to say here that the citizens would riot if he wasn't in the game. How many riots have there been when any player is let go from anywhere. None. They kind of paper over that part but rest of the movie is fun and as kids in 1976 we would reenact Rollerball at recess running around the playground till warned not to do so.
My conservative ideology taught me to be more distrusting of government than corporations. However, the true and worst dystopian future is one where government and corporations team up to be the ultimate antagonist against the freewill of mankind. And that is exactly what's being played out right before our very eyes. The COVID response symbolized this better than anything else.
Saw Rollerball on its release in 1975. Although tame by modern cinema standards there were parts of the game that had me and my mates leaping up in excitement. It was another of the eerily predictive films of the 1970's. It's only a matter of time till a 'Rollerball' type sport supercedes contemporary sports. Look to the increase in MMA and other similar sports that satisfy an increasing desire for blood and brutality, then throw the increasing influence spread by contemporary corporate giants and the commercialisation of sports. And lets not forget that in the 1970's there were sports promoters who made serious efforts to buy the rights to the actual name and game.
I’ve lived in Munich for large parts of my life and it always cracks me up there there was a tiny slice of history in the 70s that this City was to cutting edge and modern they shot movies set in the future here.
Loved this movie as a Kid. I played Games like Mutant League because I always wanted a Game like Rollerball. As a Kid I didnt understand the messaged, but I loved it still. It shows how Entertainment used to still tell Stories that were Political, but knew to put Entertainment first so you could enjoy it without understand all that.
Welcome to 2023! I actually like Rolerball, I found the ending to be quite uplifting with a hope that the population will be inspired to over throw the overlords. Its a true classic. Thanks for the review.
What struck me the most was that there were no books, only digital versions. Which no one had access to. Different than the constant rewriting of our time. But the movie didnt picture the masses would have computers.
I remember when this film first came out. I didn't see it until several years later, but it was good. One scene I remember vividly is some corporate executives wantonly destroying trees with some sort of flame gun.
This is the first dystopian film you've covered that I've not seen. It sounds ace, much much better than I would have expected from remembering the old tape cover. I should have realised as I love similar films and many conspiracy films from that era, plus something that remained so prominent in the vid shop would be quality. How these old sci-fi dystopian films can predict so well....
I first saw this at an SF convention, around 1980. Before cable TV and home VHS that was almost the only way to see SF movies after their initial run. I was just a child then, and I was disappointed by the lack of spaceships and pew pew. I've seen Rollerball at least 4 or 5 times since then, and every time I appreciate it even more. Every time I notice subtle details I had missed before. This is a film with a lot of subtext.
One f my top 5 favorite sci-fi films of all time! It’s kinda scary how a movie made in the 70’s about a dystopian future set in 2018 is almost spot on about the issues we face today.
@newsbenderii I'm still inclined to think 1970's Hollywood was trying to black-pill their audiences to demoralize them. The cold war was still in full swing back then.
@newsbenderii BTW YooToob's NotSee A.I. saw fit to disappear your first response in the default Sort By: 'top comments'. I had to switch to newest first and scroll way down. SMH
You know.......... The movies back then were BETTER *BECAUSE* of their GRITTY style of filming... Not all CGI and PERFECTLY MANICURED people all over the screens.
I remember reading the book while in training. 2 years later, they filmed it in Munich while I was stationed in Germany. One of my neighbors got a job as an extra in the stands when they filmed the games.
I remember seeing this when it was released. The audience was shocked. For it's time, the audience reaction was understandable. There was a message behind this movie and many aspects of the movie do hold true today to some degree. From government overreach, corruption, social engineering, and desensitization. Hard to find this movie on streaming but if you can find it, watch it before you can't. This movie is a a "one man against the machine" and it is brilliant.
I have been watching your video series on Dystopian movies from the 70's. This is a good film and also the others that you mentioned such as Logan Run, and Omega man. I was a child of the 70's so I did not see these movies until the late 80's. I enjoyed them as I love sci fy. but after watching all of these movies and looking at the date of release of the films. I can see why Star Wars was the big hit it was in 1977 we needed Luke skywalker and the hope it gave us. how we need that now
One man can make a difference. You can see the the ripple effects by corporate media and social media platforms. They will do everything to silence and defame that individual.
All empires eventually collapse in the face of reality and under the weight of their collective hubristic arrogance...even the black-pilled empires of the mind. 🥃
I snuck into this movie as a 3rd grader. It left a mark. Loving your “dystopian futures”reviews. Looking forward to THX-1138, A Boy And His Dog, and Damnation Alley.
Haven’t watched this film in such a long time……think I’m gonna have to binge watch these dystopian SF films from the 60/ 70’s……Would love to see you to take a look at the 1968 Planet of the Apes and Silent and Running.
