Thoughts On the 1975 science fiction Film Rollerball ?

I haven't seen the film in ages, but I remember it causing a mild sensation when it first came out. From what I recall, the film kind of shoots itself in the foot. Clearly the film makers are liberal in temperament and disapprove of the world they are portraying, yet the film itself only comes alive in the "Rollerball" scenes where the bone-crunching violence fills the screen with hyper-kinetic editing and action, leaving the moral of the tale somewhat lost in the blood and dust.
 
Ian said:
I haven't seen the film in ages, but I remember it causing a mild sensation when it first came out. From what I recall, the film kind of shoots itself in the foot. Clearly the film makers are liberal in temperament and disapprove of the world they are portraying, yet the film itself only comes alive in the "Rollerball" scenes where the bone-crunching violence fills the screen with hyper-kinetic editing and action, leaving the moral of the tale somewhat lost in the blood and dust.
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Apparently the director was appalled to discover that the stuntman used to play a version of Rollerball at night after the days filming had finished. Also a sports promoter toyed briefly with starting a league.
 
Rodders said:
Is the sport of roller derby based off of this?
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I think roller derby has been around since the 1930s of 40s so probably the other way round. Anyone who can remember the short-lived comic Action will probably remember the story Death Game 1999 which was heavily influenced by Rollerball.
en.m.wikipedia.org

Death Game 1999 - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
 
Danny McG said:
I always remember Charlie's Angels doing a roller derby episode, Farrah's white helmet was ridiculously small so it didn't ruin her iconic hairstyle.
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That Charles Angels Roller Derby bit was bit was satirized in either Mad or Cracked Magazine .:sneaky:
 
Ian said:
the film itself only comes alive in the "Rollerball" scenes where the bone-crunching violence fills the screen with hyper-kinetic editing and action, leaving the moral of the tale somewhat lost in the blood and dust.
Click to expand...
In a discussion I overheard the other day, someone said that Rugby fans don't fight each other so much because there is so much violence on the pitch, whereas Football fans fight each other because the players get carded for even an accidental touch. I'm not sure that I subscribe to that argument, but wasn't that part of the idea behind Rollerball? The game acted as a conduit for all of the aggression of the audience, therefore making the world outside the game a calmer and safer place. The chariot races and gladiatorial battles of ancient Rome were certainly violent, but the violence there remained inside the coliseums and didn't spill over outside. It's a working theory anyhow, but I think violence breeds more violence, and aggression just results in more aggression.
 
It reminds me of the last part of the book Those About to Die (by Daniel Mannix), about the modern world mirroring the gladiatorial past, with people eagerly looking at things like car accidents.
 
I was asked by a teacher to play rugby in high school--no way was I going to become a hooker!
 
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