Soylent Green (1973)

[tangaloomababe]

Jack I have to agree, I wouldn't like to see a remake of Soylent Green, although I am surprised that we havn't. It seems to be the norm to do remakes or sequel followed by another sequel, for example the Terminator series, which should have stopped at two.
Sadly Chuck's other good sci films from 1968 ( hard to believe it is that old now) Planet of The Apes was followed by so many bad sequels and a remake and a series, yet the original film stands above all of them.

I have read Charlton Heston's The Actors Life and he mentions the following of Edward G Robinson.

The film is very good, not the least because of Eddie Robinson's superb performance. He knew while we were shooting, though we did not, that he was terminally ill. He never missed an hour of work, nor was late for a call. He was never less than the consummate professional he had been his whole life. I am still haunted, though, by the knowledge that the very last scene he played in the picture, which he knew was the last's days' acting he would ever do, was his death scene. I know now why I was so overwhelmingly moved playing it with him.

 

[unclejack]

I agree completely about terminator. I posted something on the terminator board saying that they shouldn't have made a third movie because they destroyed cyberdyne, the terminator and the chip and the end of the second one thus stopping judgment day. But because they wanted more money they went ahead and corrupted the memory of the second movie. Although i watched it, I never agreed with the whole premise and the only explanation we were given as to why judgment day was still going to happen was just a carte blanche, "Judgment day can never be prevented" statement made by the terminator. If that's the case then why did everyone risk their lives at the end of the second one trying to blow up that building? I also didn't agree with them making another men in black movie. It had a great ending with Tommy Lee Jones ending up with his wife again, but they started the second movie off with the premise that he had gotten divorced. I think hollywood fails to remember that the drama and the characters in certain movies are very important to people and it is a very natural feeling to take that personally when they go back and crap all over that just so they can make a few more bucks.

 

[Foxbat]

I think it's important to keep in mind that decisions to do sequels or remakes are rarely taken for artistic reasons.

 

[jenna]

I love this movie! I was fortunate enough that when I saw it I had never heard that Soylent Green is people, so I got to watch it without being spoiled. (I also managed to get to the Sixth Sense being released on DVD without hearing that Bruce Willis was dead!) I love weird old sci-fi like this, it was such a golden age for sci-fi movies...

 

[Foxbat]

I love this movie! I was fortunate enough that when I saw it I had never heard that Soylent Green is people, so I got to watch it without being spoiled.

Me too. It makes such a difference to find out for yourself and makes the movie that bit more special. Where Sixth Sense was concerned, folk kept saying you'll never guess what's really going on. Unfortunately I did

I love weird old sci-fi like this, it was such a golden age for sci-fi movies...

Another movie from around the same time as Soylent Green with Chuck in the lead role was The Omega Man - heavily flawed but still worth a watch.....it also had a very nice soundtrack

 

[unclejack]

I actually already knew the secret to Soylent Green when I watched it but I like it anyway. Also, I really enjoyed the soundtrack to the movie. In the opening of the movie when they are showing that montage of photos that breifly explains or at least indicates that something happened to the future of society and that musical score is playing, i actually think it goes really well with the movie. When I first watched it it kinda took me by surprise because the score didn't make the movie feel like a science fiction film, it was more touching and emotional than anything else. But after I watched the movie I saw that the music does go well with the movie because it does have a sad side to it and it's not all about action and suspense but it is about the tragedy of a broken society and people's effort to deal with it.

 

[Steve Jordan]

I almost hate to say it, but I could see a remake of Soylent Green. It was a fantastic film for its day (I remember seeing it on TV not long after it left theatres), but let's face it, it is somewhat dated now. However, the message is just as potent and important, and it could be updated for modern audiences.

That said, I have little confidence that Hollywood could do such a remake... they are too stunt-and-explosion-happy for such a film, it would come off too much like Bourne Identity or something!

 

[Foxbat]

One thing I do remember of watching Soylent Green - it was the very first time I heard the phrase 'Global Warming'......or maybe it was 'Greenhouse Effect'. It was so long ago I really can't be sure - certainly one or the other.

Time to watch it again methinks