joefilmone Posted April 22, 2012 In some ways it's dated but the visuals are still intriguing and the script thought provoking. The director obviously had Kubrick on his mind- all that great classical music. My favorite scene is that decadent party- **** with the beautifully dressed people shooting those poor trees. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bongoBill Posted February 19, 2013 Another movie that was ahead of its time. Get beyond the actual game playing in the movie (which was pretty exciting) and explore the politics and roles that the game plays. No real books, everything electronic and 'controlled'. Way cool. That party sequence....LOTS of things going on there! People crying, **** of destruction, drugged out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faceinthecrowd Posted September 3, 2013 "It's not a game -- it never was a game!" With corporations replacing nations -- corporate anthems are played, not national anthems -- the message of the film becomes clear. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted September 14, 2018 I just watched this film for the first time a few nights ago. Like those poor trees, I was blown away. It's a true classic. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted September 20, 2018 On 9/14/2018 at 11:21 AM, TopBilled said: I just watched this film for the first time a few nights ago. Like those poor trees, I was blown away. It's a true classic. The killing of the trees a a great scene- these drugged out rich people destroying nature for fun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted September 20, 2018 3 minutes ago, jaragon said: The killing of the trees a a great scene- these drugged out rich people destroying nature for fun Yes...it's a timeless scene. It's probably the best scene in the movie, and it's interesting that the two main stars (Caan and Houseman) have nothing to do with it. The action outside is all intercut with them inside discussing Caan's career. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sgt_Markoff Posted September 26, 2018 I love this pic. And to me the only thing 'dated' about the flick is (1) the grenade launcher, (2) the 'giant' computer run by Ralph Richardson, and (3) the font-style on the players uniforms/game board during a match (they're analog numbers). Pretty much everything else is faintly redolent of today. The theme of 'corporate controlled culture' is either happening right now or still-to-happen. Its not yet as extreme as this movie but in case you didn't know there are just six companies in the banking industry, there are just six companies in the food industry, there are just six companies in the media industry...I'm talking about today, right now. Look at the party scene where everyone gazes into a giant flat-screen TV. That's contemporary. (There's a similar scene in 'Soylent Green' where Leigh Taylor Young portrays a dizzy waif who only knows videogaming; never read a book in her life. All variations on a theme of Ray Bradbury's "451" but that's indeed, what's happening around us). And that massive storage array tended to by Richardson--there's definitely people today who think exactly like that. "We lost the 12th century last year...eh, well...just one of those things". Du'oh! Convert all knowledge to digital 'so it will be safely stored'. Winds up exactly the opposite. To my way of thinking, it is the background society in 'Rollerball' which is the scariest. But yah the action scenes and the Bach Cantata in D Minor(?) are stellar. James Caan is always great and I liked his co-star too; umm his name is....ummm... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted September 26, 2018 10 minutes ago, Sgt_Markoff said: I love this pic. And to me the only thing 'dated' about the flick is (1) the grenade launcher, (2) the 'giant' computer run by Ralph Richardson, and (3) the font-style on the players uniforms/game board during a match (they're analog numbers). Pretty much everything else is faintly redolent of today. We should also mention that ROLLERBALL (1975) is set in the year 2018. So this is a good time to compare the ideas of 1975 with the realities of today. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
