This was in fact James Caan's best performance as it was natural for him. Truly one of the best movies ever made and even to this day in 2022 it still looks and feels very futuristic. R.I.P James Caan. You will always be the great Jonathan E !
I can't agree that it was his best performance (The Godfather and Thief are the first two that come to mind), but he was awfully good. One of my favorite actors.
Saw this at the drive in as a kid in the 70's, and it changed me forever. Even before I understood the deep meanings as a kid I knew there was something important going on. Similar to Logan's Run they both show the dangers of losing individuality and freedom in exchange for safety and comfort.
Other than Star Wars and Alien... The 70's sure had some bizarre, but interesting sci fi movies... Logan's Run, Andromeda Strain, Silent Running, RollerBall, Soylent Green, Solaris, THX 1138, Capricorn One, Dark Star.
And of course Escape from New York (although that was a lready 1981) BTW, Solaris was 1968 (Stalker was 1971). What I miss is in modern SF movies is a seriousness coupled with a dystopian view. Modern SF movies are primarily stupid CGI-events that substitute seriousness for mindless cartoon action or are just junk, like Alita. Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy might be fun, but are completely forgettable, at least compared to all those timeless classics, you mentioned. Imho the last somewhat serious SF movie was Blade Runner 2049.
CaptainXJ Silent running is a terrible eco movie, accidentally set in an SF environment. It tries to hammer it's eco message into the brain of the viewer with the annoying subtlety of a sledge hammer (Phase IV or e.g. Frogs did the same thing, but much less annoying) and a clearly demented and not very smart protagonist (What .. plants require light ?). But I'll have to give to the movie that the performance of Bruce Dern is excellent, and Trumbull truly managed to show his FX capabilities, even with a small budget.
According to my in-laws, who were in Germany at the time of filming, after the movie was done shooting a number of extras and townsfolk continued to actually play the game for a few years
My friends and I (HS kids at the time) wanted to play, but there was no track and we didn't have any cash to make one. Probably kept me from breaking a few bones, but it would have been a lot of fun.
For the play by play announcers, they used those that called ice hockey games, as it's a really FAST paced sport, which fit Rollerball's style of play. I always thought of it as a pretty interesting fact, and figured I'd share. ☺
Actually, Dick Enberg was one of the announcers on this film. He was not a hockey announcer but did football, baseball, tennis, basketball, and many others. He was also one of the announcers in the movie, The Naked Gun.
I really appreciate the overall aesthetic of “Rollerball”. The 70’s futuristic vibe is so stylish and classic. The attractiveness of the two lead actors , Caan and Adams, only adds to the visual appeal of the film for me. Thanks for showing this movie some love. Please do consider featuring “Silent Running” it’s another pre- Star Wars Sci-Fi film. 😎👍🏼
Yes - there's actually very detailed rules for the game somewhere Like you get a yellow card if you kick over an opposition biker in zones A to D Bikers can NEVER run down a player, their only purpose is to help speed up the skaters .. The ball must never be hidden, it must be in full view at all times (which is why most posters show a gloved hand holding the ball aloft - not because it looks suitably heroic, but because it's an actual rule of the game) That sort of thing ... But the executives remove ALL of the rules by the end of the movie [no penalties, unlimited substitutions], in an attempt to kill off Johnathan E ... who has become far too popular!
Correct, and the thank the extras there was a game played between Houston and Rome I believe it was. It could have been a viable professional sport BUT, there were many logistics against it, namely there was only 1 round track in the world so they would have to build them everywhere.
I feel that James Caan was very underrated-ly used in Hollywood. It's a shame because every scene that he's in, he adds magic to it with his badassery.
The lady shooting at trees is Pamela Hensley, the infamous and sexy Princess Ardala in the "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" TV series, as well as the love interest in the infamous and cheesy Doc Savage movie. Amongst other things. Thanks Mr Minty.
Yeah, I'm more into Gladiator/Prize Fighting/Martial Arts/Cage Fighting contests myself. Plus, I think Alita started in the 80s or 90s, so it may have been inspired by Rollerball since it takes place in a dystopian future US.
Woo hoo! I am so glad you did a video for Rollerball. It is one of my all-time favorites. With the passing of Rutger Hauer, I wonder if you could do a video for Blood of Heroes? It is an underrated gem. Thank you for all of your hard work!
Mark Lowther I guess you have never seen Michael Mann's "Thief" from 1981, where Caan is the lead and has to deal with the mob. Great movie, one of Michael Mann's best (and that's saying something). If you don't know it, watch it. It's great. But I agree, that Caan was the perfect embodiment of Jonathan E.
@@ReclusiveDuck Tokyo were unlucky - that goal was never offside ... not in a million years! And Takahashi had an unusually bad game, gave the ball away far too cheaply on several occasions - deserved to come off much earlier than the 3rd period.
Roller Jam was a revival of Roller Derby (which existed long before the original movie), using most if not all of the old "rules" (it was pro wrestling on skates, after all).
The girl who was sad at destroying the trees was the amazingly lovely Pamela Hensley. She also played Princess Ardala in the short-lived Buck Rogers series.
There was a comic in the UK in the 1970's called 'ACTION'. One of the strips was an insanely violent version of Rollerball called 'SPINBALL'. It was great !
Something about this channel drew me in, and I like finding out things not just listed on Wiki or IMDB. This channel is outstanding and covers more in one point than most vids cover in total. I co-run the Lemon Amiga web site, and I couldnt help notice an Amiga reference in this one. Most people who would cover Rollerball would instantly point to Speedball 1 and 2, especially the image of the clenched hand around the ball - lifted straight from the movie. But what you found with the C64 and Amiga game is genuinely new to me, and I'll be checking them out for sure. :) cheers, Dan.
Minty mate, cheers for a terrific video about one of my all time favourite films. I remember going to see this on the big screen in Piccadilly Circus, London. I liked the film so much I went the following weekend too. The whole dystopian undercurrent of the film really did disturb me and like yourself, the tree shooting scene had the same impact. I'm in my 60s now and just so grateful that I came of age at a time of fantastic film making. The Omega Man and Soylent Green, along with the original Planet of the Apes, all starring the great Charlton Heston, then there's one of my top ten films, for me, the superb Westworld with Yul Brynner's magnificent malevolent performance as the relentless killer automaton, an idea 'borrowed' by the Terminator. Well I wasn't expecting to write this much lol Again, Cheers mate, HH 👍🏻
Considering the Manga takes place in a dystopian future US, I don wonder if this film inspired that game or not in the setting. Especially since the manga was made in the 80s or 90s.
For me, the 70’s were the golden age for sci fi, starting with Planet of the Apes/2001, and ending with Star Wars. Rollerball is my favourite, becoming more relevant as time goes by. The scene with the party guests shooting the trees - it demonstrates how the world has become a playground for the privileged few. Does that ring any bells?
@bigbadb10 I didn't know that about McTiernan! I hated that remake as well. And the worst part about it is that people expected it to be good since he was directing it. I actually met McTiernan in Manhattan when he was filming the car chase scene from Die hard 3 in Central Park with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson (who I didn't even recognize because at that time I had only seen him in Pulp Fiction where he looked totally different). I realized it was him when I actually saw the movie.
I watched it back in the 80s or 90s and put it on yesterday, thinking I would watch well getting some things done. Nope, I forgot how amazing it is. I watched it straight through.
Aaron Burr Atwood. It's one of the great dystopian SF Classics of the 70s, like Escape from New York, Soylent Green, Omega Man or Westworld. It's a true masterpiece, albeit probably too slowly paced for kids these days, and some very 70ish scenes. But the getting more and more vicious sport action parts (which make up a significant part of the movie) still hold up to this day. Nonetheless a great "must see" movie. If you have never see it, do so, you won't regret it. But be aware, despite a good cast (Jean Reno, Rebecca Romijn) and a formerly capable director (John McTiernan), the 2002 remake is one of the worst movies ever made, so avoid the remake AT ALL COSTS.
See 1973's Soylent Green with Charlton Heston if you haven't yet. Also 1975's A Boy and His Dog, if you are in this dystopian mode. (A Boy and His Dog should be still on CZcams, the full movie.)
One of the things I thought was fascinating was that it predicted the DVD. In one sequence he pulled out a little silver disk, put it in a machine, and started watching a home movie on his TV. As well as modern teleconferencing.
Initially it was thought that optical discs would be used for movies. But audio only discs debuted first and were much more popular than video discs before circa 2000.
Thank you for covering one of my favorite movies! For me a Rollerball is the antithesis to Mad Max. Rollerball as J Houseman's character states, "Heroes, we do not need heroes.". As opposed to Frenchie telling Max, "The world needs heroes Maxie!". To delve even deeper, Jonathan E finding humanity and Max losing his.
Wesley Snipes produced and starred in a TV film that ABC heavily promoted here in the states called Future Sport. It starred Dean Cain and Vanessa Williams. It used Everybody Wants to Rule the World as the promo music. Better marketing than the actual remake.
Love ALL your videos Minty..... It never occurred to me how much influence Kubrick's 'Clockwork orange' had on 'Rollerball' 😳 I always thought orange was an odd, but great, choice for the main teams colour.... But when you look at the pallet of both movies you can see more similarities.... Was orange a direct homage?
Such an underrated cult classic, here is an extra fact Rollerball inspired The burning coliseum fight in JJBA Battle Tendency and a whole arc in the Battle Angel Manga
I like your use of the terrific soundtrack in your video. I used to listen to it as a kid, when I made several Rollerball comics-- all before I ever saw the film!
Steve Tupiak The remake is (despite Jean Reno) unbearable rubbish, while the original is a classic SF masterpiece. Seriously, I's one of the best SF movies of the 70s.
Dorth Surreal Yeah, from 2002 or so. Despite featuring Mr Cool himself Jean Reno, as well as Rebecca Stamijn-Ramos and being directed by John McTiernan. I was pretty excited when it came out, as I love the original, but the movie is an utter mess. One of the worst remakes ever. If you thought that the 2005 remake of The Fog was bad, think again, because this one truly is. It makes Jaws 3D, Superman IV or Matrix 3 look like Academy Award nominees for best picture and best script. It's THAT bad. If you like the original, then stay away from that terrible piece of celluloid crap.
It is with the Klingon's that Rollerball achieved its full potential. I used to sometimes watch roller derby on b&w t.v. in the 60's. I remember the Kansas City Bombers.
Agree, one of the few older sci-fi movies which hold up well; as noted, the classical score, and not having to rely on cheap practical effects to the extent that, for example, 'Logan's Run' had to. Haven't read all the comments, but one of my favorite parts is - for all the violence that Jonathan endures, that crazy hanging decoration in Bartholomew's room draws blood!
Wide World of Sports on ABC, in the United States. Sure do miss those days... "Spanning the globe, to bring you the very best in sports!... " "The Thrill of Victory, and the Agony of Defeat!..."
Yes... that would be great. I'd like if he mentioned Split Second as part of it TBH, I thought that was a very entertaining and lesser-known action film. Another Rutger Hauer film (with The Hitcher) where I thought I'd predicted a plot twist, but then it never happened, come to think of it...
OMG! 😮 I first saw Rollerball in the theaters when it was released. The tree scene always left uneasy feeling in me. I couldn’t figure out why the tree scene disturbed me all these years. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Thank you for validating I wasn’t the only one that felt bad for the trees.
This is one of those movies for the last 30 years that I can remember going to a video store and seeing this on the shelf, always seemed to slip by me and I never saw it, though I knew I would want to. Gotta watch it some day.
What I like about the the sport of Rollerball is that it never drifts out of the realm of believability. Although the game is violent it is clearly a game which players can have a long career in and retire from. i.e. it's not just a murder fest but does actually have rules and penalties for transgression of the rules, such as striking a player when he is down. Moonpie does this and is 'sin-binned'. If the game regularly ended up with all the players dead it would be unsustainable and would, in my opinion, be completely unrealistic. It is only when Jonathan refuses to retire that the rules are changed or, indeed, abolished in an effort to bring him down that the game becomes ultra-violent and deadly.
This is true. The initial premise of the game - 'to show the futility of individual effort' - means that the game is a bit extreme in the first place - but that fits the reality of this future. The disintegration of the rules happens as they try to get the game to finally beat Jonathan and restore that original purpose. Then deadliness becomes an intended effect rather than a rare side-effect. If it was just crazy dangerous from the outset it would be harder to believe, it wouldn't support the story, and the movie would likely have just been a mediocre action film...
In 1997, Z-Axis Games was developing an official Rollerball video game adaption based on the film As part of MGM Interactive video game showcase lineup, The video game's promise was to recreate the action of the futuristic game played in the movie, and it was set 10 years after the events of the film in the 2098 Rollerball season, where the player would be in charge of managing their Rollerball teams around the world, made up of Rollerball players with roles such as strikers, enforcers, guard, and other players who compete using jet bikes and magnetic in-line skates. Rollerball: The Video Game was slated to be released for PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo 64 on the first quarter of 1998, but was delayed to mid-1998 and then was canceled due to the publisher, MGM Interactive, going bankrupt
I remembered this movie from back in the day when it was just released, it still holds up even today The 2002 remake wasn't that bad for what it was, though it was kinda lacking in the storyline, The sets of the remake were great, but if it still had the same plotline as the original it'd have been better
I saw Silent Running before Rollerball, this is why I felt sorry for the trees. I connected the two worlds in my mind. This movie was much better than the remake and closer to the short story.
Movies often depict a subliminal theme of a rebellious hero who is always associated with the number 6...This hero resists the totalitarian control of an Eye. This theme exists in many movies where you may never have noticed it before: A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - Alex is the rebellious character who is turned into a 'clockwork orange' by a mind-control treatment that destroys his freewill and forces him to be good. One Eye Symbolism dominates the film to indicate that this 'treatment' is really the All Seeing Eye. Alex is identified as '6' as he walks to the right of a policeman with the number 665 (making Alex 666). THX-1138 - This character's name is pronounced 'Thicks' which identifies him as Number 6. He sits next to a computer therapist as we see him say, "Please forgive me" to the therapist's ONE EYE. BLADE RUNNER - Roy Baty is a Nexus 6 which identifies him as Number 6...One Eye Symbolism dominates the film. ROLLERBALL - The character Jonathan wears number 6 and rebels against a totalitarian system controlled by John Housemen - who is identified as the 'Eye' subliminally as the camera quickly covers his face in shadows leaving only one eye showing. THE PRISONER - The character is directly called Number 6 and he directly rebels against an Eye. Not much interpretation needed. U.F.O. - Commander Straker is identified as Number 6 as he runs across a lawn and a huge hand is seen making the '666' hand sign. A studio executive is associated with the 'Eye' by a poster right behind him. He also rubs his eye and makes a One Eye Symbolism. czcams.com/video/XZYgDoCPE8Q/video.html
This is a great movie. Love your videos. It would be cool to see some videos on some lesser known low budget 90's movies. Prayer of the Rollerboys, Robot Jox, Crossworlds & Omega Doom .
@@karlsmith2570 It's absolute shite ... and I hate that people would type in "Rollerball" into a search engine [maybe somebody curious after watching this video ...] - and that would come up - and they would get completely the wrong idea. I watched Rolleball (2002) and it was dismal ... I can't understand why it was made. It fails on every level - even the game itself, and the action scenes. Absolute rubbish!
Thanks for this. Love it. One of my favourite films from my youth and still one of my favourite films, but for completely different reasons. Just one minor observation about the intro. You say this is about govt control vs free will. I think the point about the film is that geographical govts (ie country) are redundant and it is the corporations that govern us. Given the role of multinational corporations today (and also sporting franchises) this was a film way before its time. From a truly parochial perspective, Cameron Smith from the Melbourne Storm is entering into Jonathan E territory. 😀
It's halfpast midnight here in England ... my thermometer shows 30.8 degrees C - which is the coldest it's been for a week at this time of night. This has never happened before, since records began in the UK in the 1700s. We are SO fucked.
Yes, agree about stunt personnel being recognised; also think voice actors should be recognised for their contributions, too. Excellent video, Minty!! 💙
as a child I loved Silent Running... because of the robots, and my heart was broken by the little robot being all alone at the end (who knew I was psychic at the time...) But overall the movie was propagandistic garbage. The Isaac Asimov story "2430 AD" expressed the same idea far better. And its companion story "The Greatest Asset" refuted it beautifully.
Plenty of great thought provoking scifi since Star Wars. If you aren't noticing it, you aren't spending a drip of effort: Moon, Her, Primer, Ex Machina, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Arrival, Annihilation just to name a few of the mainstream releases in a small set of years. But whatever "hur-dur, New Sucks- Old Rules."
A little bit of sf movie trivia: The lady with the gun in the scene mentioned [4:48] was actress Pamela Hensley,who a few years later [1979] would go on to play Princess Ardala in Buck Rogers in the 25th century.
She also starred on the ABC private eye show "Matt Houston". She wound up marrying E. Duke Vincent a big producer who worked with Aaron Spelling to bring some of the best cop shows on TV during the 70's. Retired and living the life of Reilly. Not bad for a mediocre actress who started out shooting down tree's with a guilt complex!
Thanks for the review, Minty. I’ve seen Rollerball quite a few times and even though it’s gets lumped in with the other 70’s Dystopian movies, it does stand out on its own and reflects on violence in sports and what they does to a person who’s time is almost up. You want to go out on your own terms and not have an owner of a team push you aside like they did with the famous American football player Johnny Unitas, who played successfully for the Baltimore Colts in 60’s and was traded to the San Diego Chargers in the 70’s. Some of athletes don’t get that chance and James Caan’s character, even though his popularity in the sport surpasses the sport and the powers that Be don’t live that, he realizes his time is up and wants to go out fighting. I think that’s why the movie is still popular to this day and the horrible remake tanked. It’s was all style and no substance and I’m glad it failed, it was a terrible movie and doesn’t hold up at all.
Not like Unitas at all. Jonathan (Caan) was at the top of his game and was being pushed out because he was becoming too popular and powerful, threatening the power of the corporate heads. John Unitas was done. His arm was shot. He was only hanging on because he needed the money and loved the game.
This movie was shot in my town only 11 Kilometers from my apartment and only 1000 Meter from my (since 30 years) working place BMW Group Munich, the whole filming locations are still here
Another great vid, thanks Minty. I remember buying the soundtrack for Rollerball when I was a kid. I remember my friends and I hitchhiking to the next town to see it in the theater. Keep up the great work. Could you please do "The Phantom of the Paradise "?
Rollerball is the best sports movie ever made. I found the philosophy discussions a bit tedious after the third or fourth iteration, even if it is important to understanding how the game ramps up. I also want to applaud you, Minty, on looking backward for some inspiration in finding movies to dissect.
Well done! That was a very influential movie for me when I was but 13. It's worth noting that bc Caan mumbled so many of his lines (I assume on direction), I never learned what some of the lines were until getting the DVD with subtitles! Imagine not knowing, "I just wanted to know you were on my side" for 40 YEARS! Ah well. This was very informative. But I think a lot of younger folks would be fascinated to see clips of actual roller derby that used to be local in a few cities. They got into fights and came up with "reality" dramas to keep audiences interested. Certainly this was Morrison's inspiration.
This was in fact James Caan's best performance as it was natural for him. Truly one of the best movies ever made and even to this day in 2022 it still looks and feels very futuristic. R.I.P James Caan. You will always be the great Jonathan E !
Couldn't have put it better. R.I.P Jimmy
I can't agree that it was his best performance (The Godfather and Thief are the first two that come to mind), but he was awfully good. One of my favorite actors.
@@patrickmorgan4006 Thief is a terrific film and it's never been underrated by any true lovers of cinema, nor the great cinema actors / actresses.
great performance yes, but no way better than his role as Sonny in the Godfather !
He hated this movie.
I grew up with this,Logan's run and Omega man as my holy Trinity
Brian IWW dude!😀👍🏼
Watched the omega man with charlton Heston that film must have been his dream walking about a deserted city shooting liberals
still with the ducking off at the end!
What about Silent Running too?
(Not the crappy Steven "plank face" Seagal movie, the one by Douglas Trumbull)
Logan's run is one of my favorites.
Saw this at the drive in as a kid in the 70's, and it changed me forever. Even before I understood the deep meanings as a kid I knew there was something important going on. Similar to Logan's Run they both show the dangers of losing individuality and freedom in exchange for safety and comfort.
Other than Star Wars and Alien... The 70's sure had some bizarre, but interesting sci fi movies... Logan's Run, Andromeda Strain, Silent Running, RollerBall, Soylent Green, Solaris, THX 1138, Capricorn One, Dark Star.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Westworld, The Omega Man, Time after Time, Death Race 2000, A Boy and his Dog, Damnation Alley.
The 70's were a fun time to be alive!
Silent Running needs more love
And of course Escape from New York (although that was a lready 1981)
BTW, Solaris was 1968 (Stalker was 1971). What I miss is in modern SF movies is a seriousness coupled with a dystopian view. Modern SF movies are primarily stupid CGI-events that substitute seriousness for mindless cartoon action or are just junk, like Alita. Movies like Guardians of the Galaxy might be fun, but are completely forgettable, at least compared to all those timeless classics, you mentioned.
Imho the last somewhat serious SF movie was Blade Runner 2049.
CaptainXJ
Silent running is a terrible eco movie, accidentally set in an SF environment. It tries to hammer it's eco message into the brain of the viewer with the annoying subtlety of a sledge hammer (Phase IV or e.g. Frogs did the same thing, but much less annoying) and a clearly demented and not very smart protagonist (What .. plants require light ?). But I'll have to give to the movie that the performance of Bruce Dern is excellent, and Trumbull truly managed to show his FX capabilities, even with a small budget.
According to my in-laws, who were in Germany at the time of filming, after the movie was done shooting a number of extras and townsfolk continued to actually play the game for a few years
Germany has a habit of doing that. In the 90s they started up a real life version of The Game from "Blood of Heroes".
Honestly, I’d like to give it a shot. Looks like fun
My friends and I (HS kids at the time) wanted to play, but there was no track and we didn't have any cash to make one. Probably kept me from breaking a few bones, but it would have been a lot of fun.
For the play by play announcers, they used those that called ice hockey games, as it's a really FAST paced sport, which fit Rollerball's style of play. I always thought of it as a pretty interesting fact, and figured I'd share. ☺
I love cinema trivia and that bit of yours is now in my top ten.
Actually, Dick Enberg was one of the announcers on this film. He was not a hockey announcer but did football, baseball, tennis, basketball, and many others. He was also one of the announcers in the movie, The Naked Gun.
James Caan is criminally underrated, the man's a great actor plus he has a martial arts background so you believe he can kickass in real life.
Love this movie. Ahead of its time. My favorite James Caan movie too.
I really appreciate the overall aesthetic of “Rollerball”. The 70’s futuristic vibe is so stylish and classic. The attractiveness of the two lead actors , Caan and Adams, only adds to the visual appeal of the film for me. Thanks for showing this movie some love. Please do consider featuring “Silent Running” it’s another pre- Star Wars Sci-Fi film. 😎👍🏼
You were not even born in 1975.
I read that the stunt men, after they learned the rules,
actually played the game during breaks in filming.
Yes - there's actually very detailed rules for the game somewhere
Like you get a yellow card if you kick over an opposition biker in zones A to D
Bikers can NEVER run down a player, their only purpose is to help speed up the skaters ..
The ball must never be hidden, it must be in full view at all times (which is why most posters show a gloved hand holding the ball aloft - not because it looks suitably heroic, but because it's an actual rule of the game)
That sort of thing ...
But the executives remove ALL of the rules by the end of the movie [no penalties, unlimited substitutions], in an attempt to kill off Johnathan E ... who has become far too popular!
Correct, and the thank the extras there was a game played between Houston and Rome I believe it was. It could have been a viable professional sport BUT, there were many logistics against it, namely there was only 1 round track in the world so they would have to build them everywhere.
@@joewaldner6986 Well there's always Roller Derby:)
Did they kill each other? No wonder we have wars? Sad.
I feel that James Caan was very underrated-ly used in Hollywood. It's a shame because every scene that he's in, he adds magic to it with his badassery.
Omg yes its sad he sadly never found his respect till misery also he was cool in the vegas show
He was great in Alien Nation(1988). 👽🛸🎬🎞🎭🚔👮🏻♂️...
Sweet ill have too check it out
Absolute badass in The Eraser.
Gotta love Brian's Song
The lady shooting at trees is Pamela Hensley, the infamous and sexy Princess Ardala in the "Buck Rogers In The 25th Century" TV series, as well as the love interest in the infamous and cheesy Doc Savage movie. Amongst other things. Thanks Mr Minty.
She was also the only character in Rollerball who genuinely loved Jonathan. His trainer may or may not have; but that's it.
@@Hiraghm Yep!
I was about to mention this but you covered the bases except this one . Pamela Hensley also starred in the Matt Houston (see irony ) tv series.
@@Hiraghm True
@@NDR-hn3ue Of course!
I never forgot how much that tree scene disturbed me as a little kid, still does.
RIP James Caan!!! This is one of my favorite Caan films
Grew up with this movie and it's quite simply brilliant. an understated and underrated masterpiece.
After watching Alita, I thought of how many futuristic movies have there version of Rollerball
Yeah, I'm more into Gladiator/Prize Fighting/Martial Arts/Cage Fighting contests myself. Plus, I think Alita started in the 80s or 90s, so it may have been inspired by Rollerball since it takes place in a dystopian future US.
The 'champion touched me' moment in the manga was so close to the final scene in Rollerball.
@@NodDisciple1 It was inspired by Rollerball.
Woo hoo! I am so glad you did a video for Rollerball. It is one of my all-time favorites. With the passing of Rutger Hauer, I wonder if you could do a video for Blood of Heroes? It is an underrated gem. Thank you for all of your hard work!
James Caan's best 3 movies: The Godfather, Misery, and Rollerball! Thanks, Minty! Another great job!
Mark Lowther
I guess you have never seen Michael Mann's "Thief" from 1981, where Caan is the lead and has to deal with the mob. Great movie, one of Michael Mann's best (and that's saying something). If you don't know it, watch it. It's great. But I agree, that Caan was the perfect embodiment of Jonathan E.
You should watch Freebie and the Bean check out the trailer
rollinthunder68x1
Never heard of it, but it looks quite interesting. Thanks for the tip.
The original Killer Elite was good,so was the remake!!!
Alien Nation was pretty badass as well.
Thanks For another great, classic minty video! Next can it be scilence of the lambs?
"JON-A-THAN, JON-A-THAN, JON-A-THAN, JON-A-THAN, JON-A-THAN!!!"
Tokyo! Victory! Tokyo! Victory! Tokyo! Victory! Tokyo! Victory! :)
@@ReclusiveDuck Houston! Houston!
@@ReclusiveDuck Tokyo were unlucky - that goal was never offside ... not in a million years! And Takahashi had an unusually bad game, gave the ball away far too cheaply on several occasions - deserved to come off much earlier than the 3rd period.
Roller Jam was a revival of Roller Derby (which existed long before the original movie), using most if not all of the old "rules" (it was pro wrestling on skates, after all).
better example czcams.com/video/MP6xT_ThxdI/video.html
Is there any connexion with "Whip It" ?
YES!!!👍👍👍
Yep. Minty may have gotten his info backwards on this one.
The girl who was sad at destroying the trees was the amazingly lovely Pamela Hensley. She also played Princess Ardala in the short-lived Buck Rogers series.
There was a comic in the UK in the 1970's called 'ACTION'. One of the strips was an insanely violent version of Rollerball called 'SPINBALL'. It was great !
@CHIGGS 58TH Actually, we are BOTH wrong. The strip was called 'Death Game 1999'
@CHIGGS 58TH No - it was ACTION. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_(comics) Go down to Major Stories and it's the third one down
Remember " Hookjaw" and strip about the UK were all the adults died of disease just leaving the kids ? All very violent
Something about this channel drew me in, and I like finding out things not just listed on Wiki or IMDB. This channel is outstanding and covers more in one point than most vids cover in total. I co-run the Lemon Amiga web site, and I couldnt help notice an Amiga reference in this one. Most people who would cover Rollerball would instantly point to Speedball 1 and 2, especially the image of the clenched hand around the ball - lifted straight from the movie. But what you found with the C64 and Amiga game is genuinely new to me, and I'll be checking them out for sure. :) cheers, Dan.
Minty mate, cheers for a terrific video about one of my all time favourite films. I remember going to see this on the big screen in Piccadilly Circus, London. I liked the film so much I went the following weekend too. The whole dystopian undercurrent of the film really did disturb me and like yourself, the tree shooting scene had the same impact. I'm in my 60s now and just so grateful that I came of age at a time of fantastic film making. The Omega Man and Soylent Green, along with the original Planet of the Apes, all starring the great Charlton Heston, then there's one of my top ten films, for me, the superb Westworld with Yul Brynner's magnificent malevolent performance as the relentless killer automaton, an idea 'borrowed' by the Terminator. Well I wasn't expecting to write this much lol Again, Cheers mate,
HH 👍🏻
One of my favourite films.
ALITA battle angel has a form of roller ball in that film
Anyone noted this when watching that film?
👍That struck me immediately. Similar plot too!
YES!!!😁😁😁
Considering the Manga takes place in a dystopian future US, I don wonder if this film inspired that game or not in the setting. Especially since the manga was made in the 80s or 90s.
For me, the 70’s were the golden age for sci fi, starting with Planet of the Apes/2001, and ending with Star Wars. Rollerball is my favourite, becoming more relevant as time goes by. The scene with the party guests shooting the trees - it demonstrates how the world has become a playground for the privileged few. Does that ring any bells?
love the original, and hate the remake....and why do hollywood keep making horrible remakes ???
...and no guts to try out a new idea...just coasting on a built in audience from previously successful films.
@bigbadb10 I didn't know that about McTiernan! I hated that remake as well. And the worst part about it is that people expected it to be good since he was directing it. I actually met McTiernan in Manhattan when he was filming the car chase scene from Die hard 3 in Central Park with Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson (who I didn't even recognize because at that time I had only seen him in Pulp Fiction where he looked totally different). I realized it was him when I actually saw the movie.
the only movie i wanted my money back. total garbage remake
to erase the originals.
I watched it back in the 80s or 90s and put it on yesterday, thinking I would watch well getting some things done. Nope, I forgot how amazing it is. I watched it straight through.
I haven’t seen this movie in a minute! I’m on a dystopian movie kick right now too so I think I’ll have to revisit “Rollerball” shortly.
Wow dude your comment just triggered my de ja vu lol
Aaron Burr Atwood.
It's one of the great dystopian SF Classics of the 70s, like Escape from New York, Soylent Green, Omega Man or Westworld. It's a true masterpiece, albeit probably too slowly paced for kids these days, and some very 70ish scenes. But the getting more and more vicious sport action parts (which make up a significant part of the movie) still hold up to this day. Nonetheless a great "must see" movie. If you have never see it, do so, you won't regret it.
But be aware, despite a good cast (Jean Reno, Rebecca Romijn) and a formerly capable director (John McTiernan), the 2002 remake is one of the worst movies ever made, so avoid the remake AT ALL COSTS.
@@frankschneider6156 Escape from New York was made in 1981
See 1973's Soylent Green with Charlton Heston if you haven't yet. Also 1975's A Boy and His Dog, if you are in this dystopian mode. (A Boy and His Dog should be still on CZcams, the full movie.)
@@undergroundwarrior70Boy and His Dog, starring Miami Vice's Don Johnson before he became famous.
RIP Jonathan. Need to go watch this again tonight...
One of the things I thought was fascinating was that it predicted the DVD. In one sequence he pulled out a little silver disk, put it in a machine, and started watching a home movie on his TV.
As well as modern teleconferencing.
Initially it was thought that optical discs would be used for movies. But audio only discs debuted first and were much more popular than video discs before circa 2000.
@@ryanjacobson2508 no, the LaserDisk came out in 1978. The CD in 1982. So the movie version was first by several years.
Great vid on one of my all time favorites. Truly a landmark film! thanks for the awesome job!
Thank you for covering one of my favorite movies! For me a Rollerball is the antithesis to Mad Max. Rollerball as J Houseman's character states, "Heroes, we do not need heroes.". As opposed to Frenchie telling Max, "The world needs heroes Maxie!". To delve even deeper, Jonathan E finding humanity and Max losing his.
May I cite Tina Turner from Mad Max beyond Thunderdome: "We don't need another hero".
Jonathan E is one of my fav main characters of all time.... great video Minty you always make great videos! keep it up dude!
Johnny Bach on the keyboards ladies and gentlemen!
Come on folks!
Give it up for him, he’s got two hands! And he knows how to use them.
Wesley Snipes produced and starred in a TV film that ABC heavily promoted here in the states called Future Sport. It starred Dean Cain and Vanessa Williams. It used Everybody Wants to Rule the World as the promo music. Better marketing than the actual remake.
Love ALL your videos Minty.....
It never occurred to me how much influence Kubrick's 'Clockwork orange' had on 'Rollerball' 😳 I always thought orange was an odd, but great, choice for the main teams colour.... But when you look at the pallet of both movies you can see more similarities.... Was orange a direct homage?
Such an underrated cult classic, here is an extra fact Rollerball inspired The burning coliseum fight in JJBA Battle Tendency and a whole arc in the Battle Angel Manga
One of my favourite movies of all time. RIP James Caan (Jonathan E) 1940-2022
Minty, you forgot to mention one game that was a spiritual successor to this movie. Speedball and Speedball 2: Brutal deluxe.
I like your use of the terrific soundtrack in your video. I used to listen to it as a kid, when I made several Rollerball comics-- all before I ever saw the film!
Minty On The Ball...After JUST Watching The Remake and Telling My Wife I Need to Find This Movie Thinking Back to Watching It as a Kid With My Dad 👍
Steve Tupiak
The remake is (despite Jean Reno) unbearable rubbish, while the original is a classic SF masterpiece. Seriously, I's one of the best SF movies of the 70s.
Remake?!?! E×wwwwwwwwww
Dorth Surreal
Yeah, from 2002 or so. Despite featuring Mr Cool himself Jean Reno, as well as Rebecca Stamijn-Ramos and being directed by John McTiernan. I was pretty excited when it came out, as I love the original, but the movie is an utter mess. One of the worst remakes ever. If you thought that the 2005 remake of The Fog was bad, think again, because this one truly is. It makes Jaws 3D, Superman IV or Matrix 3 look like Academy Award nominees for best picture and best script. It's THAT bad. If you like the original, then stay away from that terrible piece of celluloid crap.
One of the best films from the 70's
It is with the Klingon's that Rollerball achieved its full potential.
I used to sometimes watch roller derby on b&w t.v. in the 60's. I remember the Kansas City Bombers.
"Kansas City Bomber" starring Raquel Welch :)
Agree, one of the few older sci-fi movies which hold up well; as noted, the classical score, and not having to rely on cheap practical effects to the extent that, for example, 'Logan's Run' had to. Haven't read all the comments, but one of my favorite parts is - for all the violence that Jonathan endures, that crazy hanging decoration in Bartholomew's room draws blood!
Wide World of Sports on ABC, in the United States. Sure do miss those days... "Spanning the globe, to bring you the very best in sports!... "
"The Thrill of Victory, and the Agony of Defeat!..."
Right, not the World Wide of Sports.
A rutger hauer minty tribute take would be nice!?👍
Yes... that would be great. I'd like if he mentioned Split Second as part of it TBH, I thought that was a very entertaining and lesser-known action film.
Another Rutger Hauer film (with The Hitcher) where I thought I'd predicted a plot twist, but then it never happened, come to think of it...
@@seanseanston ...never heard of that film!,will check it out.thanks👍
Forgot about that movie. I love it. Great choice Minty.
OMG! 😮 I first saw Rollerball in the theaters when it was released. The tree scene always left uneasy feeling in me. I couldn’t figure out why the tree scene disturbed me all these years. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Thank you for validating I wasn’t the only one that felt bad for the trees.
Senseless destruction.
When I saw it in the 70s, probably the TV version, I felt band for the trees too. Such a waste. My friends in high school seemed to feel the same way.
This is one of those movies for the last 30 years that I can remember going to a video store and seeing this on the shelf, always seemed to slip by me and I never saw it, though I knew I would want to. Gotta watch it some day.
What I like about the the sport of Rollerball is that it never drifts out of the realm of believability. Although the game is violent it is clearly a game which players can have a long career in and retire from. i.e. it's not just a murder fest but does actually have rules and penalties for transgression of the rules, such as striking a player when he is down. Moonpie does this and is 'sin-binned'. If the game regularly ended up with all the players dead it would be unsustainable and would, in my opinion, be completely unrealistic. It is only when Jonathan refuses to retire that the rules are changed or, indeed, abolished in an effort to bring him down that the game becomes ultra-violent and deadly.
This is true. The initial premise of the game - 'to show the futility of individual effort' - means that the game is a bit extreme in the first place - but that fits the reality of this future. The disintegration of the rules happens as they try to get the game to finally beat Jonathan and restore that original purpose. Then deadliness becomes an intended effect rather than a rare side-effect. If it was just crazy dangerous from the outset it would be harder to believe, it wouldn't support the story, and the movie would likely have just been a mediocre action film...
In 1997, Z-Axis Games was developing an official Rollerball video game adaption based on the film As part of MGM Interactive video game showcase lineup, The video game's promise was to recreate the action of the futuristic game played in the movie, and it was set 10 years after the events of the film in the 2098 Rollerball season, where the player would be in charge of managing their Rollerball teams around the world, made up of Rollerball players with roles such as strikers, enforcers, guard, and other players who compete using jet bikes and magnetic in-line skates. Rollerball: The Video Game was slated to be released for PlayStation, PC, and Nintendo 64 on the first quarter of 1998, but was delayed to mid-1998 and then was canceled due to the publisher, MGM Interactive, going bankrupt
Rollerball is a classic, I love it.
Love this minty. Please keep this kind of stuff coming!!!
I remembered this movie from back in the day when it was just released, it still holds up even today
The 2002 remake wasn't that bad for what it was, though it was kinda lacking in the storyline, The sets of the remake were great, but if it still had the same plotline as the original it'd have been better
Me too. I remember the good old days of great story telling and awesome science fiction.
That's funny! I always felt that way about the trees too.
I saw Silent Running before Rollerball, this is why I felt sorry for the trees. I connected the two worlds in my mind. This movie was much better than the remake and closer to the short story.
You should do Solarbabies, Arena, Hell Comes To Frogtown and Robot Jox next. I love 80s and 90s b scifi movies.
He already done Robot Jox.
excellent choices...still have solarbabies on vhs (somewhere)
@@khathaway414 Whoops. Where is that? I typed it in the search on his videos to try to make sure i didnt' repeat one he did.
DEFCON 4
Excellent. Couldnt agree more that it was more than just an action movie. I'll have to rewatch it soon!
😎I remember going to the theaters and watching the remake of rollerball in 2001 because Slipknot had a cameo in it
Are you serious!? I LOVE Slipknot!
I Am Hated
Dig the name
Thank god Iam not the only person who loved this movie.loved and lived in the 70’s
6:42, a badass poster!
Ty Minty i loved this film saw it in theater when i was 10. Loved it. Fell in love with the music.
Movies often depict a subliminal theme of a rebellious hero who is always associated with the number 6...This hero resists the totalitarian control of an Eye. This theme exists in many movies where you may never have noticed it before:
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE - Alex is the rebellious character who is turned into a 'clockwork orange' by a mind-control treatment that destroys his freewill and forces him to be good. One Eye Symbolism dominates the film to indicate that this 'treatment' is really the All Seeing Eye. Alex is identified as '6' as he walks to the right of a policeman with the number 665 (making Alex 666).
THX-1138 - This character's name is pronounced 'Thicks' which identifies him as Number 6. He sits next to a computer therapist as we see him say, "Please forgive me" to the therapist's ONE EYE.
BLADE RUNNER - Roy Baty is a Nexus 6 which identifies him as Number 6...One Eye Symbolism dominates the film.
ROLLERBALL - The character Jonathan wears number 6 and rebels against a totalitarian system controlled by John Housemen - who is identified as the 'Eye' subliminally as the camera quickly covers his face in shadows leaving only one eye showing.
THE PRISONER - The character is directly called Number 6 and he directly rebels against an Eye. Not much interpretation needed.
U.F.O. - Commander Straker is identified as Number 6 as he runs across a lawn and a huge hand is seen making the '666' hand sign. A studio executive is associated with the 'Eye' by a poster right behind him. He also rubs his eye and makes a One Eye Symbolism.
czcams.com/video/XZYgDoCPE8Q/video.html
Fascinating. This is my favorite film of all time. Many thanks.
Rollerball is slowly becoming a reality. When I think of the corporation depicted in the film, Amazon of the future comes to mind.
Also the super powered gun has obviously influenced Elon Musk and his flamethrowers. Let’s all destroy earth so I can sell you tickets to Mars!
This is a great movie. Love your videos. It would be cool to see some videos on some lesser known low budget 90's movies. Prayer of the Rollerboys, Robot Jox, Crossworlds & Omega Doom .
Here's a fun fact: Don't watch the 2002 remake.
ABSOLUTELY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually have seen the remake
It's an ok movie, but it's a little lackluster
never will.
@@karlsmith2570 It's absolute shite ... and I hate that people would type in "Rollerball" into a search engine [maybe somebody curious after watching this video ...] - and that would come up - and they would get completely the wrong idea.
I watched Rolleball (2002) and it was dismal ... I can't understand why it was made. It fails on every level - even the game itself, and the action scenes.
Absolute rubbish!
I bootlegged it and even though it cost me nothing, I deleted it after 15 minutes of watching it.
Johnathan Bach.....geezus
Thanks for this. Love it. One of my favourite films from my youth and still one of my favourite films, but for completely different reasons. Just one minor observation about the intro. You say this is about govt control vs free will. I think the point about the film is that geographical govts (ie country) are redundant and it is the corporations that govern us. Given the role of multinational corporations today (and also sporting franchises) this was a film way before its time. From a truly parochial perspective, Cameron Smith from the Melbourne Storm is entering into Jonathan E territory. 😀
Roller Jam was really related to the real sport Roller Derby (a weekend UHF TV staple in America back in the 70's).
ABC Wide World Of Sports '' The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." FYI
👍 I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt sorry for the trees 🎄🎄. ✌️ 💖 🙏 Levent 🦁
I felt sorry for and about the trees as well.
It made me fear the future.
It's halfpast midnight here in England ... my thermometer shows 30.8 degrees C - which is the coldest it's been for a week at this time of night.
This has never happened before, since records began in the UK in the 1700s.
We are SO fucked.
Yes, agree about stunt personnel being recognised; also think voice actors should be recognised for their contributions, too. Excellent video, Minty!! 💙
Please do if u havent allready silent running a highly underated sci fi movie !!!
That is such a sad and depressing movie
@@thomash4578 thats why i like it lol
as a child I loved Silent Running... because of the robots, and my heart was broken by the little robot being all alone at the end (who knew I was psychic at the time...)
But overall the movie was propagandistic garbage. The Isaac Asimov story "2430 AD" expressed the same idea far better. And its companion story "The Greatest Asset" refuted it beautifully.
Wow great job. Now going to find my copy and watch this been 20yrs. Love this movie, thanks minty
another great review !!!!! Minty you should review "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" 1974 is a very underrated movie but is great movie
Agreed! I have the dvd
Never mind about mucky Mary cheesy Larry,with Peter Fondue and Doris Cheddar.PHANTASM Thats a film worth checking out.
Yeah great idea. What an ending that film had...
Some suggestions: Southern comfort(1981), Deliverance(1972),The Quiet Earth(1985) youre the best Minty keep it up! :)
Star Wars kind of killed that interesting, intellectual kind of SF film.
Rick Hobson that’s why Star Wars was so extensively promoted by the mainstream media of the time, we don’t want the masses thinking anymore.
stan broniszewski maybe you could track the great dumbing down from there.
Plenty of great thought provoking scifi since Star Wars. If you aren't noticing it, you aren't spending a drip of effort: Moon, Her, Primer, Ex Machina, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Arrival, Annihilation just to name a few of the mainstream releases in a small set of years. But whatever "hur-dur, New Sucks- Old Rules."
This is one of my favorite films!
JONATHAN Sebastian Bach??? It's JOHANN (pronounced Yo-han) Sebastian Bach. Lol
Another mintyism...
Just like ABC World Wide of Sports? A drinking game could/should be made for his mistakes.
I was JUST about to make the same comment, but figured i'd scroll through first, to see if anyone else beat me to it.
You're right, Liza.
Minty has many strengths but pronunciation isn't one of them. In fact he's a mighty butcherer of words but he's cool in my book.
I highly recommend the short story Roller Ball Murder. It's very good and shouldn't be too hard to find.
Can you do Jesus Christ Superstar? One of my faves from the '70's
A little bit of sf movie trivia:
The lady with the gun in the scene mentioned [4:48] was actress Pamela Hensley,who a few years later [1979] would go on to play Princess Ardala in Buck Rogers in the 25th century.
She also starred on the ABC private eye show "Matt Houston". She wound up marrying E. Duke Vincent a big producer who worked with Aaron Spelling to bring some of the best cop shows on TV during the 70's. Retired and living the life of Reilly. Not bad for a mediocre actress who started out shooting down tree's with a guilt complex!
Thanks for the review, Minty. I’ve seen Rollerball quite a few times and even though it’s gets lumped in with the other 70’s Dystopian movies, it does stand out on its own and reflects on violence in sports and what they does to a person who’s time is almost up. You want to go out on your own terms and not have an owner of a team push you aside like they did with the famous American football player Johnny Unitas, who played successfully for the Baltimore Colts in 60’s and was traded to the San Diego Chargers in the 70’s. Some of athletes don’t get that chance and James Caan’s character, even though his popularity in the sport surpasses the sport and the powers that Be don’t live that, he realizes his time is up and wants to go out fighting. I think that’s why the movie is still popular to this day and the horrible remake tanked. It’s was all style and no substance and I’m glad it failed, it was a terrible movie and doesn’t hold up at all.
Not like Unitas at all. Jonathan (Caan) was at the top of his game and was being pushed out because he was becoming too popular and powerful, threatening the power of the corporate heads. John Unitas was done. His arm was shot. He was only hanging on because he needed the money and loved the game.
You got it spot on Mark...you're supposed to feel bad for the trees!!!!
The composer's name was Johann sebastian Bach. Not Jonathan. Otherwise great video
This movie was shot in my town only 11 Kilometers from my apartment and only 1000 Meter from my (since 30 years) working place BMW Group Munich, the whole filming locations are still here
10 Things You Didn't Know About Enter The Dragon (1973)
Another great vid, thanks Minty. I remember buying the soundtrack for Rollerball when I was a kid. I remember my friends and I hitchhiking to the next town to see it in the theater. Keep up the great work. Could you please do "The Phantom of the Paradise "?
Rollerball is the best sports movie ever made. I found the philosophy discussions a bit tedious after the third or fourth iteration, even if it is important to understanding how the game ramps up. I also want to applaud you, Minty, on looking backward for some inspiration in finding movies to dissect.
TuttleCapt second best sports movie. James Caan is cool, but he’s no Paul Newman in Slap Shot, the greatest sports movie in the history of ever.
@@chadkimmel8957 It's a great movie, very funny, too. But the games don't keep me on the edge of my seat in the way Rollerball matches do.
Touché
Well done! That was a very influential movie for me when I was but 13. It's worth noting that bc Caan mumbled so many of his lines (I assume on direction), I never learned what some of the lines were until getting the DVD with subtitles! Imagine not knowing, "I just wanted to know you were on my side" for 40 YEARS! Ah well.
This was very informative. But I think a lot of younger folks would be fascinated to see clips of actual roller derby that used to be local in a few cities. They got into fights and came up with "reality" dramas to keep audiences interested. Certainly this was Morrison's inspiration.
*JOHANN* Sebastian Bach (pronounced "Yo-han")... not *Jonathan* FFS...!!!
Great job on this video as always minty. Fun old fashion quick ass movie.
Um, Roller Jam was just a 90's version or Roller Derby.