Sci-Fi Classic Review: ROLLERBALL (1975)
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- čas přidán 27. 03. 2020
- Rollerball is a groundbreaking mixture of sports and dystopic science-fiction that managed to excite audiences that were turning away from sci-fi in the mid-seventies.
If you're looking for a "review" in the traditional sense, then let me just say I like this movie, but it's not one of my favorites. This video, however, is a "review" in the literal sense (using the Miriam-Webster definition "a retrospective view or survey"), in that I'm going over the history of the film and its place in sci-fi cinema history.
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"Roller Ball Murder" by William Harrison - classic.esquire.com/article/1... - Zábava
I was born in munich, 3rd april 1976. Some of these places that are in the movie, I visited first-hand. My father worked for BMW, so obviously I would visit the BMW museum at some point. You have to walk up, and the escalator would only move you downstairs, unlike in the movie.
The Rudi-Sedlmayer Halle, the place that all the games shots were taken, does not exist anymore. I never was there. But if you lived in munich as a child (I went to the olympic swimming pool regularly for example), you get the vibe that this movie was shot in YOUR city...
And I could recognize many more places. Some are historically more saddening, like the Olympia-Dorf, where Israeli hostages were taken.
Anyway, these places that are shown in the movie, still exist, and have their history.
But that is not all of it.
Some people get the vibe that this is just a movie about brutal sports in some dystopian future.
This movie is much more than that. It is about a future where people are (willingly or not) completely subject to the will of the government, or in this scenario, an ensemble of corporations.
We might, or might not, be close to this scenario. There is a scene where Jonathan realizes and says "At some point people had the choice between freedom and comfort, they choose comfort" or something like that, when he speaks to the woman he always loved.
The "system" never thought that an individual like Jonathan would appear. Jonathan himself seems to be a character who is rather unaware and actually randomly stumbles into a position that is a problem for the system, because the system has a problem with individual exceptionism. This is the deeper meaning of the movie, imo.
It is a brilliant movie, once you look past the brutal sports presented in it.
Obviously the remake lacks all of that...
Addendum 4:25 the bricks in the background are typical for facilities around the olympia structures.
Thank you for such awesome information!
“my daddy worked for bmw”
Rollerball is a underrated gem from the
70s. I appreciate your insights.
Norman Jewison spoke about the trees, they were being cut down and destroyed at another location for another reason not related to the movie so he moved them for that scene. They were already dead.
That is nice to know.
"They dream they are great roller-ballers. They dream they are Jonathan, they have muscles, and bash in faces."
I’m a huge fan of this film, and your review filled in some information I didn’t have. I was especially surprised to discover it was shot in Munich, where I lived for a while in 2019. Of course I now recognize those landmarks, so next time I watch the film I’ll be able to appreciate it in a whole new way. Thanks!
THANK YOU! One of my fave films. Harrison is one if my fave writers.
This short story was incredibly complex referencing everything from Nietzsche to Freud to Mcluhan. Philosophically it was almost as heavy as 2001. Both were laden with 60s references. It's one of the most believable depictions of the future as far as looks are concerned.
The sobering truth that as long as we are spectators to war we will cry for more blood until it is we who are on the battlefield dying and then the cries for peace will begin is straight out of Vietnam. It's pure Harrison to see that within every pacifist is a warmonger!
I could go on. Harrison seems to have read all 600 of the Everyman classics at some point in his young manhood. It shows. In Rollerball Murder he does such a deep dive into economics, Marx, the death wish, the will to power, etc., that I could go on for hours. But consider these to motors.
In the future there will be no war, but there will be Roller Ball.
In the future you will own nothing, and you will love it.
The latter is from the cultural Marxists of the World Economic Forum. It's run by a man named Klaus Schwab who bears a strong resemblance to Mr. Bartholomew. He wants to end want by government ownership of all property.
Like the totalitarian superstate of Roller Ball the danger is that everything you have could be yanked away from you if you don't behave the way the WEF would want you to.
Harrison's vision and philosophy remains relevant today.
I think the two themes click at the final match. When you and the crowd are passed the point of no return that you're more engaged with the brutal violence. Then you get to Johnathan and the last NYC player and everyone is silent. Even when the NYC player knocks himself out, there's still silence. You're kinda in shocked of the carnage on the floor. Also exemplifies Johnathan rise to immortality. He went through hell, every match the rules changing to promote more death, rose above everyone and the corpo overlords to prove that destiny is yours to take.
Rollerball is an absolute classic. Best sports movie ever in my opinion. A true gem from the 70's, as part of the pantheon of cerebral science fiction films of that decade. The ending is truly motivating. Can you check out Tarkovsky's Solaris? Would love to see a video on that.
Solaris is absolutely on my list. It was actually one of the first movies I put on my list when I started doing this. A part of me wants to do 2001 first, though, since Tarkovsky meant Solaris to be a kind of counter-point to Kubrick, but I'm honestly a little intimidated by the prospect of covering 2001. (I'm planning on doing it for my 100th episode or when I finally reach a thousand subs.) On the other hand, I don't *have* to cover 2001 first. We'll see!
You make a very good point. Solaris was touted as the "Soviet 2001," " An "anti-2001," and Tarkovsky's " answer" to 2001. So I completely understand where you're coming from. Maybe do a video on Stalker (1979) or Dark Star (1975 I believe) in the mean time? ☺ thanks for the response. much love, buddy.
I loved the Japanese teem on the track....
My Uncle Robert who was a Boston sports writer told me after viewing the film that he thought the fans were ready for such a sport already, it was the players who were not.
Or NBA or NHL or NFL or...... I'm sure ALL of the other professional sports team OWNERS would have hated having Rollerball as competition.
Great review! I forgot that was a Jewison film. A lot of similar camera work in Jesus Christ Superstar. Jewison is only a couple hours away from me in Toronto area. There's something about 70's flicks: They offer about 1% of the screen violence seen in movies today but affect you 99% more.
You have missed the point of Rollerball. Sad. It's quite a Millenial blocked-in outlook. Read the story, Watch it again and listen to Mister Batholomew's explanation.
Thanks for the review. "Rollerball" is one of my favorites. It does have many elements that were indicative of the '70s. I don't agree the themes of promoting a violent sport but supressing someone from becoming a star is incompatible. The corporations designed Rollerball with the concept that no player could excel at the game to the point of becoming bigger than the game. Nothing is perfect so when a Johnathan E crops up he is given a ceremony and a kiss off. He will soon be forgotten as people concern themselves with how their team is doing. One thing I find interesting is corporate inteansigence pushes Johnathan E into rebelling.
Wasn't the attack on the Japanese Rollerball player's revenge for putting his teammate in hospital with brain damage.
yep. Pearl Harbor equals two nukes ;) , tons of symbolism in this film.
I always wished rollerball was a real sport. The scenes of the game were so awesome and convincing. The banked track and motorcycles were brilliant. Loved the classics Silent Running, Omega man, soylent green and rollerball.
Nice breakdown for this underappreciated film. I love the 70's look of the future.
reminds me of A Clockwork Orange dystopian future outlook.
The lack of info on the world is not a flaw. We only know what Jonathan knows. And the point of the game was to undermine individual effort. And not every statement needs satire.
IMO, You got two things wrong and missed one big thing 1) Rollerball was developed by the Corporation-City-state "NWO", as a substitute for war, so that wars no longer occurred. It was a means of venting the feelings/emotions/lust of " The Crowd"*/public, rather than /countries/tribes/cultures fighting each other, as in the past.
IIIRC -George S Patton said something about 'Football"(American)/ a team sport being the closest to "War", without being war. He knew both , I'll take his word for it about physically violent team sports and what they mimic/reflect in the spectators watching them and how such sports are..
2)Also your tree scene inference , - after the girl blasted the trees with the laser gun, her joy turned to sadness and regret of loss , in the moment ,her face and the burning trees at the end, It made the scene. Pamela Hemsley nailed that scene, supported well by the "party crowd' of actors and the filming of it. (Gorgeous chick too). watch the scene closer.
And how you missed really noting/talking about the totally bad-ass gothic evil pipe-organ playing Toccata Fugue in D minor by Bach, as the background music track ? IDK, that music set the tone and made the movie. That organ piece still sends shivers up my spine, The movie is worth watching just to hear it alone , beyond being a dystopian masterpiece of film..
*-There is something to be said for how the film contained alot of Gustave LeBon's book , _The Crowd, in it. How the sport crowds of roller-ball reflected the crowd/mob in his book .
Jonathan Eves was "The Leader" as covered near the end of LeBon's book. Another- Marius/Caesar/Napoleon/Hitler, type character, who rises to upset the established order.
BTW, great work -subbed :)
Columbia Pictures hired Norman Jewison to do “Fiddler on the Roof” partly because they thought the story would be better told by a Jewish director - only to find out that despite his name he was not Jewish but a Methodist from the midwest.
Good way to get a job in Hollywood by having that name, I'll say, LOL.
Brando wasn't lying ;)
It’s a much better film than the initial reviews initial reviews of the 70s
RIP to James Caan. One of my favorite actors since the 70s. Peaceful Journey!!!!
Man, Great stuff. I love the attention to the actors and production information.
I lived about one hour from Houston, Texas when Rollerball was released so, of course, I cheered for Jonathan E and Houston. I once again live near Houston.
"Hello, I'm William Shatner and this is Celebrity 911. Tonight, we devote the entire hour to police calls involving James Caan. CAAN!"
One of the best movies ever made!
Hockey, football, roller derby, sporty motorcycles, fans going crazy - all wrapped in one!
I was hoping by now, this would be a national sport as described in the story.
A super star like Johnathan E! - now THAT'S entertainment.
"Johnathan E! Johnathan E! Johnathon E!"
... cue in: Bach, Toccata in D minor.
Brilliant, really enjoy your insights.
One of my favourite movies. Under appreciated.
This was the first r rated movie i saw with my dad...in my opinion NOW it ranks with logans run..star wars..omega man..alien..dune..close encounters..predator..ET...Dark star( hillarious..must see!)....
.
I would contrast Jonathan's acceptance of violence with the prevalence of stories about 'soldiers' that want to continue the 'fight' without a psychopathic blood thirst. Even the violence against his girlfriends is set in the context of normalized fascist behavior. The story doesn't protray him as a perfect hero as much as someone questioning their own reality. The theory of hero worship being inherent to sports, therefore impossible to avoid, is valid, but this movie was also made in the era of motorsports gaining popularity despite incredible mortality rates. With very high physical demands on top of the risk, I would assume most rollerball careers are short.
Good points!
Been rewatching it on Pluto. My nee addiction. It converted me to 70s sci-fi.
I enjoyed your analysis of the film. One thing I remember, even watching as a young teen when the movie premiered was the game was not meant for individuals to be recognized. That is why Jonathan E. is so problematic for the corporation. Also noticed that although the fans wear the colors of their team there are no jerseys of individual players, which is common in all sports. Even your video featured a Crosby jersey.
Hearts up to James Cann.
Nice review, classic indeed! Have you considered doing a review of Moonraker? I feel like it's a very panned film among bond fans for being too otherworldly or trying to cash off the success of Star Wars, however it's a very original and creative film that really didn't need to incorporate bond.
I'll consider it, for sure. I am a Bond fan, and Moonraker does get more flak than it probably deserves. Any chance to talk about Jaws finding love is probably worth it.
I love the movie but...even as a 12 year-old I didn't get why the all-powerful corporations didn't just force Jonathon into a management role or just announce he'd suffered a surprise heart-attack and bury him in the woods. Plant some drugs or child porn on him and destroy his reputation as an individual. I did enjoy the violence but it made little sense to me then.
Great review, as always. Although I enjoy the movie. I do agree with you. It is a little uneven. Also, thank you for mentioning the part about the trees. That part always bothered me, as well. As you stated. Very sad to kill living things, to prove a point (Yes, trees are living things. If someone wants label me a “Tree hugger.” So be it.).
I read, somewhere, that the trees were earmarked to be taken down because they were infected with a parasitic disease. That was the only reason the sequence could be approved for shooting. The validity of that reasoning could be a bit sketchy...
read the book!!! only a 12 pg short story but 1 hour of screen time tent pole ideas!
Good job, looking past the flaws and getting under the skin of this movie. Do you think of Running Man as a direct descendant of this movie's formula-maybe a little more dragged along it's prophesied course of decadence?
There's plenty of connective tissue there, to be sure. Good catch! I hadn't thought of that.
I'm glad you brought up the point of the trees. It peed me off
great soundtrack as well !
Rollerball was a "CULT CLASSIC" in 1975 ... when it came out!
The theater priced this movie so much higher, all my friends and I had to go get change so we could get in! Everyone was pissed (angry pissed) about this, because it robbed us of our "popcorn" and beverage money!
... a fond memory!!!
Somethings I completely agree with you ... The BIZARE scene when Johathan's "wife" shot the trees with the fireball gun ... what whas the author thinking? Didn't mesh!
But, TOTALLY COOL to a 14 year-old!
My favorite of the 1970s dystopian films. Though not as socially conscious as either “Soylent Green” or “Silent Running,” “Rollerball” still serves as a warning about allowing corporations too much power.
I've always had a 50/50 opinion of "Rollerball" due to the reservations voiced by the reviewer. I'll take another look at this tale of Individuality vs. Corporate conformity some day. (But then, the memory of being bullied by two football linemen in high school colors my outlook on Blood Sports.)
It’s a great film
This is the third review that I've seen on this movie today. So far all reviews seem to agree on one point: although the movie attempted to convey some interesting and poignant messages and subject matter, it ultimately failed to make its point on several levels. I would love to see someone do a remake based on the original short story and make corrections based on the very things you and the other reviewers pointed out, it would be quite an impactful story. It talks about some issues that are very relevant today without being, as said, too preachy.
This is one of the first movies I point to when anybody asks for examples of classic films that deserve a remake. Unfortunately, I always have to answer for the terrible remake that already exists.
@@TheUnapologeticGeek Yes sir...I have repressed the memory of seeing the remake myself...
It's a good film, and probably the only "All Future Sports are Bloodsports" movie worth taking seriously. I agree there's dissonance between the two themes of the film, and I wonder if it should have had Caan complaining how he didn't like the game because it was getting too violent. Supposedly, the game was well designed enough the stuntment would actually play it after hours, which suggests the game could actually be made "safe."
One bit that's always bothered me: there are six corporations that run the world. Houseman is shown in a teleconference with six other executives. Doesn't that make seven?
I remember that Mad Magazine's satire of it included some dialog which would actually fit in the film.
Houseman: Rollerbrawl was developed to show the uselessness of individual effort, so we need to get rid of Jonathtan E.
Executive: Why? He's the most popular rollerbrawler.
Houseman: That's why.
Jonathan! Jonathan ! Go Houston !
Rollerball una increible pelicula y muy futurista ,de lo mejor de los años 70.
Great work
I think that the character Johnathan committing murder at the end is essential to the film.
It had a great poster.😊
It's so easy to imagine a world where corporations have replaced nation states because, in all but name, they already have. I would like to see a real live Jonathan E. wreak the kind of havoc he visits on the rollerball rink in the board meeting rooms of every corporation on earth. JON-A-THAN! JON-A-THAN! JON-A-THAN!
Rollerball is definitely a cult classic thats deserves much more credit than it has. fact its so 1975 version of a 2018 future is a creepy and flat, yet is actually spot on to a degree. love the old school 70s font used throughout the film. there should of been an ATARI 2600 game version. it would of been so horribly good. the cartridge artwork would of been totally 🔥
Thought it would have been a huge hit with more action and less talking - always wondered why a remake was never done this way.
They did do a remake in 2002. It was absolutely horrible.
You miss an important point... no other Rollerball player LASTED as long as Jonathan. Their popularity was always fleeting, because their careers were always fleeting.
Its a comment on systems of life. How the individual DOES matter. If your society prides itself on its collectivism and it allows a single man to express that he is the difference between victory and defeat and prove it on telly in front of everyone. They realise they can make a difference too and as a result you lose that power you had over people. The spell is broken if you like. Cheers for the vid.
You and all content creators are helping this dystopian future fast because a reality
2022 a relevant movie for today. More so than when it originally hit movie houses.
This is excellent work - a very thoughtful analysis of an interesting but flawed film. I agree that Jonathan E is too unlikeable for the film's "individual vs authority" theme to work effectively, and that's the film's main flaw.
The themes, vacuous materialism, distraction, mindless obedience.....we are now there.
Ever seen a Handball match?
Without the motocycles and spiked gloves it might be a real sport.
What A Movie
Everyone mistakes the ‘burning down the trees’ scene. The scene is suggesting that, even in the future, humans aren’t too far from chaos, revolution, and upheaval. In fact, that is what the movie is about. The corporate haunchos are afraid that, with Jonathan’s popularity, he could replace them? The fear the people will revolt, choosing Jonathan as some kind of new leader. Far-fetched, to us in our age. But a new country was being formed or announced every day during the 1950’s to 1970’s. Viewers not noticing this, the main theme of the movie, just shows how effectively we are under control today.
ROLLERBALL Predicted the future that we live in now
I found ROLLERBALL extremely boring, as a young teen. Maybe it's because I don't care about sports? Caan seems to be nearly catatonic, acting in this. Lots of slow dialogue scenes. A close friend loved it however, and wrote a fanfic short novel in that Universe.
RiP James Caan
This movie was sooooooo accurate.
A bit like the WEF at the moment. Scary.
Enjoy your CZcams videos. This movie is so similar from another film made 12 years later called The Running Man that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger about bloodsport in a dystopian future. Again enjoy your programs
That's a really good catch. I'll have to mention Rollerball when I eventually get around to covering The Running Man!
@@TheUnapologeticGeekso much things both films have in common. Very uncanny
Only a matter of time till this sh!t will become real
(1:00) I'd love a poster of this. 😉
I will take that as an amazing compliment. Thank you! If I ever start doing merch, maybe I'll make some of these graphics into posters.
@The Unapologetic Geek I would LOVE that! Take care! 😀
This is how you make a movie
Understand?
No Special Effects
Real Fuck!
Warnings like this movie are ignored...proven by the remake...we are so stupid
You miss something else in your critique of the movie. The section where Jonathan E investigates the computer library to better understand how corporations came to rule the world was not well executed, or for that matter conceived. To have a computer just overload its circuitry was an over simplification of the society rollerball depicts. It just doesn’t work and was a major miss in the script.
Agreed!
I thought of him overloading the computer was more of an attempt to show that GIGO and how even the supercomputer was basically another tool of
the Establishment. Johnathan E goes to the alleged highest intelligence of the society, and when he asks for answers, it basically spits out gibberish instead of giving him a relevant answer to his penetrating questions. The supercomputer was basically nothing but another apologist for the status quo. I took it as more of that than a total miss. I do agree that it was done somewhat clumsily, but we must take into account that this was done before personal computers were mainstream.
Caan = Khan 3:34
Get with it...its reality.
I can't hear a word James Caan mumbles in this movie. Mumble-mumble grumble. Cut.
I would be lying if I said I watched this movie without subtitles.
Ur "insights" are tapeworms...
Rollerball 1975 Is the pure garbage and a bore fast.