[The following article appeared in The Herald-Sun in February 2002.]
Just gimme that ol' time 'Rollerball'
The remake may be awful, but the original "Rollerball" deserves another look
Where are the guys from "Mystery Science Theater 3000" when you need them?
The snarky robots from the defunct show that made watching bad movies fun would have shredded the recent remake of "Rollerball" faster than you could say "Enron."
Chintzy, puerile and laughably bad, the new version actually has players in what is allegedly the meanest game on the planet dressed in tutus, moving around on what looks like a habitrail set. Badass it is not.
If you have to see a movie about a dangerous sport set in a dystopian future, go rent the original "Rollerball." At least it was classy enough to have Andre Previn arranging Bach and Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack.
Released in 1975, "Rollerball" has become something of a science fiction cult hit, as its ardent warning against a corporate-controlled world becomes more prophetic with every passing year. Directed by Norman Jewison ("Fiddler on the Roof," "The Hurricane"), with James Caan and Academy Award winner John Houseman, it envisioned a future where nations have been replaced by a few all-powerful companies that keep tight controls on information and people. The masses vent their frustrations through vicarious violence by watching the only sport left: a deadly concoction of football, roller derby, and motocross played with a steel ball shot from a cannon.
One of several heavy-handed sci-fi "message" movies made in the early to mid-'70s, "Rollerball's" striking set design, effective symbolism and spectacular action scenes set it apart from more moribund social commentaries of the period such as "Soylent Green."
Caan plays Jonathan E., a superstar for 10 years in a sport where most players don't last 10 weeks, and a champion in a game designed to show the futility of individual effort. Lead by the Machiavellian Mr. Bartholemew (John Houseman), the corporate executives who run the game -- run everything in fact -- have become anxious over Jonathan's worldwide popularity and try to push him into retirement. When he refuses, the rules of the game are slowly eliminated in the hope that the sport Jonathan loves will kill him off, and a final showdown ensues.
"Rollerball" is full of ironies, not the least of which is that director Norman Jewison originally set out to make a film against violence, yet crafted fight scenes so well made even peaceniks say, "Hey, back that part up and play it again." And for a movie that is so over the top, the script has layers of symbolism woven into it (my favorite: the game track as giant roulette wheel.)
Probably its biggest accomplishment is pulling off one of the hardest tricks in fiction: creating an imaginary sport and successfully convincing an audience they are somehow watching a real game.
"Rollerball" is not without its problems. Some scenes in the middle tend to drag, and its message can get a bit self-important at times, overshadowing the subtler elements in the story. While the cinematography and stadium sets are still stunning, the fashions and tres '70s hairstyles haven't aged well.
Hair isn't the only thing dating "Rollerball" to the pre-blockbuster 1970s. This is a bleak cautionary tale with an ambiguous ending, a film of high ideas made without fast food tie-ins or pandering to test audiences.
These days, that alone makes it worth watching.