rollerball

Director: norman jewison

Actor: james caan,john houseman,maud adams,john beck

Data Published: Wed Jun 25 1975

Genres: Action,Sci-Fi,Sport

Key Words: dystopia,fictional sport,shower room,score,screech

IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073631/

WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollerball_(1975_film)

Description: Rollerball is a movie starring James Caan, John Houseman, and Maud Adams. In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who...

Plot: Jonathan E. (James Caan) is the veteran star of the Houston rollerball team. He has become the sport's most recognizable and talented player. After another impressive performance against Madrid, Mr. Bartholomew (John Houseman), chairman of the Energy Corporation, announces that Jonathan will be featured in a "multivision" broadcast about his career. Bartholomew tells Jonathan that he wants him to retire. He offers the Rollerballer a lavish retirement package if Jonathan makes the announcement during the special. He then preaches the benefits of corporate-run society and the importance of respecting executive decisions, never explaining why he must retire. Jonathan refuses, and requests to see his former wife Ella (Maud Adams), who had been taken from him some time earlier by a corporate executive who had wanted her for himself. Suspicious of a forced retirement, he goes to a library and asks for books about the corporation and history; he finds all books have been digitized and then "edited" to suit the corporations, and are now stored on supercomputers at large protected company locations. Rollerball degrades into senseless violence as the rules are changed to force Jonathan out. Houston's semi-final game against Tokyo has no penalties and only limited substitutions. The brutality of the match kills several players including Houston's lead biker, Blue. Jonathan's best friend and teammate, Moonpie (John Beck), is left in a vegetative state. Despite the violence, Houston is victorious and will play New York for the Championship. Bartholomew hosts an executive teleconference to discuss the game's future. They decide that the Houston–New York game will be played with no penalties, no substitutions, and no time limit in the hope that Jonathan, if he decides to play, will be killed during the game. They reveal why Jonathan must retire: Rollerball was conceived not only to satisfy man's blood lust, but to demonstrate the futility of individualism; Jonathan's popularity threatens this ideal. Jonathan make his way to Geneva to access the world's central supercomputer, known as "Zero." While revered as the repository of all human knowledge, Zero is flawed, which is revealed when the librarian mentions that Zero has "lost" the entire 13th century. Jonathan's goal is to find out how the corporations make their decisions, but the result is indecipherable computer double-talk. Afterwards, Jonathan receives a visit from his former wife Ella, who has been sent to convince him to retire and to make it clear the coming game will be "to the death." Jonathan decides, despite the dangers, that he will play. The Final match quickly loses all semblance of order as the players are injured or killed. The crowd, ecstatic at first, gradually become more subdued as the carnage unfolds and the game devolves into a gladiatorial fight. Jonathan is soon the only player left on Houston's team, while a skater and a biker remain from New York. After a violent struggle in front of Mr. Bartholomew, Jonathan dispatches the skater and takes the ball. The biker charges, but Jonathan counters, knocking him to the floor. He pins the biker down and raises the ball over his head, and pauses. Refusing to kill his fallen opponent, Jonathan gets to his feet and painfully makes his way to the goal, depositing the ball inside, scoring the only point. Jonathan skates around the track in silent victory. The coaches and fans of both teams chant his name, getting louder as he skates faster and faster. Mr. Bartholomew exits the arena hurriedly. The film ends on a freeze frame of Jonathan's face, as the beginning of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor plays over the scene.