Rollerball (1975)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

William Harrison (short story "Roller Ball Murder") &
William Harrison (screenplay)

Release Date:

25 June 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Sport

Tagline:

In the not-too-distant future, wars will no longer exist...

Plot:

In a corporate controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of it's powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.

Plot Keywords:

Futuristic | Corporation | Applause | Handshake | Violence

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 3 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

James Caan	...	Jonathan E.
John Houseman	...	Bartholomew
Maud Adams	...	Ella
John Beck	...	Moonpie
Moses Gunn	...	Cletus
Pamela Hensley	...	Mackie
Barbara Trentham	...	Daphne
John Normington	...	Executive
Shane Rimmer	...	Rusty, Team Executive
Burt Kwouk	...	Japanese Doctor
Nancy Bleier	...	Girl in Library
Richard LeParmentier	...	Bartholomew's Aide (as Rick LeParmentier)
Robert Ito	...	Strategy Coach for Houston Team
Ralph Richardson	...	Librarian
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Miquel Brown	...	(unconfirmed)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (2000) | Finland:K-18 (uncut) (1975) | New Zealand:M (re-rating) (2002) | New Zealand:R18 (orginal rating) (1976) | UK:15 (video rating) (1987) | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) (re-rating) (1999) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Germany:16 (2002) | Netherlands:18 | Norway:18 (1976) | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Algonquin

Trivia:

Norman Jewison said he cast James Caan as Jonathan E, the champion Rollerball player, after seeing him play Brian Piccolo, the real-life Chicago Bears running back in Brian's Song (1971) (TV).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The chanting crowd in Tokyo, Japan mispronounces the name of their city. They chant "To-ki-o" instead of "Tô-kyô."

Quotes:

Moonpie: What do you want books for? Look Johnny, if you wanna learn somethin', just get a Corporate Teacher to come and teach it to ya'. Use yer Privilege Card.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "I Love the '70s: Volume 2" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Executive Party

Action-packed and insightful.

Rollerball is another of those great 70's cult sci-fi films. It features a great cast of actors and a smart script. It was notorious at the time for its violence, although that was greatly exaggerated in comparison to some professional sports and entertainment. It features a futuristic reimagining of the Roman Empire, with gladiatorial games to distract the populace from their bleak existence. It also predates cyberpunk literature, with ts depiction of a world controlled by powerful conglomerates, a world not too different from the present one.

James Caan is fantastic as Johnathan E, the Michael Jordan of Rollerball. He continues to succeed in a sport designed to show the futility of individual effort. The sport is constantly changed to stop him, yet he continues to overcome every obstacle.

John Housman is electrifying as the head of the Energy Corporation, owners of the Houston Team. He has conspired with his peers to keep the masses down and use this sport to both distract them and show them that the individual can't succeed. He grows more desperate as Johnathan E defeats his schemes. He tries every trick without success.

The supporting cast is filled with great actors, like Moses Gunn, John Beck, Sir Ralph Richardson (not John Gielgud, as one reviewer stated), Maude Adams, and Shane Rimmer.

The film demonstrates that the individual can triumph over insurmountable odds and cautions against corporate control of society. It uses both allegory and speculation beautifully, and packages it with thrilling action. The remake was destined for failure because it couldn't see beyond the action. The action was only window dressing for the greater themes. If only more recent sci-fi films were this thought-provoking, or other films for that matter.