Rollerball [1975] - Special Edition [DVD]

I remember sneaking into the cinema underage to see this. I seem to recall it was originally an X.The Good - the concept of the game of Rollerball has aged very well. It's fast and exciting. Although the violence is mild by today's standards, it doesn't detract from the game.Not so good - the plot feels a little stilted, in part due to the stylisation of 'the future' - which rarely ages well. The giant computer scenes seems laughably antique.Overall, I loved watching this again.

'Rollerball' begins with almost abstract shots of a sports arena in the half-dark, with workers assembling stuff. All we hear is J S Bachs timeless Toccata. After a while two teams of players enter the arena, some on rollerskates, some on motorcycles. It's Houston vs Madrid, and we hear their corporate anthems.Corporate anthems? Yes. And when the play begins we soon realise that this is not exactly a normal game. People are seriously injured, or even killed. This is the future, but we are not told when.'Rollerball' was made in 1975, directed by Norman Jewison and based on a novel by William Harrison. Harrison wanted to criticise the increasing violence in sports, and also what he saw as the rise of the corporate society. 'Rollerball' depicts a future when nations have been replaced by corporations, after 'the corporate wars'. When in the future the film takes place, or exactly how the corporations gained power and nations crumbled, is never stated. Rollerball is a game that has replaced wars, where the corporations can fight each other. But the game also fills more untold functions that we are shown later in the movie. The protagonist, the Rollerball-player Jonathan E (played by James Caan), is a star in this game. One day he is told to quit by his boss, the head of the 'Energy' corporation, but not why. The rest of the film is Jonathans quest for deeper knowledge of the game and the society, his wake up, and his fight against the masters. The film ends with the same chilling music as it began with.There is much to like about this film. The music: classical music all through which gives a timeless feeling. And the acting is superb. I also like the absence of cgi special effects. This film has a gritty feeling, and though it takes place in a modernised future, it is the future as envisioned in the 70s. Parts are shot inside and outside the BMW-building in Munich, then considered futuristic. This gives the feeling of an alternative 2000s which is interesting. I also like how the viewer is not told everything (like the year, the background, the future scenario...). Instead we are much in the dark, like Jonathan himself who can't figure out who really runs everything. And the characters are realistic, and the violence as well. There is not much blood, but there is neither any violence for entertainment. Here people are floored when they get hit in the head, sometimes for good. We also get interesting glimpses of the future society, like the use of drugs and entertainment, the new classes, the supressed anger and the sexism (women are treated very badly).This DVD is the double-disc 'special edition' from MGM, 2004. The transfer/picture is good, I think. The picture is stable but grainy, but I think it supposed to look like this. I watched it on a projector and it was fine. Maybe there will come sharper transfers someday. And there is a surprising lot of extras: no less than 2 commentary tracks, one by director Jewison and one by writer Harrison. They are both worth listening to and give insight to the ideas and how the film was made, and why. There are also trailers and two documentaries (I have'nt seen them, I think one is about a remake), and an informative booklet.Altogether this is a superb film and a DVD with superb extras. Highly recommended!

Very very late delivery. I'd almost given up hope of ever getting it...

The world taken over by elite communist apparatchiks while giving the people enough to be satisfied and not rebel. Not a problem unless you want the truth and to make your own decisions.Unfortunately, this is where we are now heading. The UN is aiming for global governance, and the people behind it are the Senior Executives in the film.Interesting that this concern was around in the 70s and sad to see it being made reality today.

A 70’s view of a future run solely by corporations dictating every facet of life. James Caan plays Jonathon E the star of Rollerball a game created by the corporation to teach the people that there is only 1 winner in life and it’s not the people’s favourite…

This is a Blu-ray specific review, for the Arrow release of Rollerball. I don't typically write film reviews as many talented reviewers have already reviewed this wonderful film. On to the Blu-ray....In Arrow's release of one of the strangest and most wonderful sports-centered films, which also happens to be one of the greastest, most wonderful science fiction films ever made, the artistic team really outdid themselves with a package of features and goodies that wowed even me, a person who has collected only the best releases and has become terribly spoiled when it comes to great features on Blu-rays. I was really surprised to see just how much they had packed into this release. The film, of course, looks spectacular and is the best transfer available for the film, anywhere, on any Blu-ray, in any region. On top of the beautiful transfer, they provided a really nice retrospective film documentary with the key participants in the making of the film, the original interviews and on-set footage from back in the day (everyone was very young and handsome), isolated music/effect track, Director commentary, Writer commentary, a great new interview with James Cann, an interview on the incredible motorcycle stunts in the film, and, one of my favorite kinds of special features, an original locations tour with one of the film participants, this one with unit manager Meyer and, then, of course, the standard Arrow features including reversible artwork and trailers and tv spots and a booklet and basically everything you have come to expect from one of the best Blu-ray distributors in the world.I can't recommend this release highly enough and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. If you are a fan of the original Rollerball (yes, there is a remake), this is the release for you. The Arrow team put in the time and effort necessary to craft a truly packed and entertaining collection of special features to augment their superior film transfer. The sound is wonderful. The picture is the best we are likely to see. The movie is great. The features are numerous and entertaining. Overall, this is one fantastic Blu-ray.Good luck finding the film that make you happy. This one certainly made my week. I've watched it twice since it arrived. Enjoy.

i love this old cool movie, very good quality =)

Sehr freundlicher und schneller Kontakt zum Verkäufer. Schnelle Lieferung. DVD gut verpackt und in einwandfreien Zustand. Ich werde ihn weiter empfehlen.

There are so many reviewers who've already stated what this movie is about, I'd rather state the issues that made this movie a work of genius. In order to do that, I have to lay some insight. If you don't want to read it, skip it and go for another review. What I write here it to add validation and credence to this movie and why I think it should be shown in schools and universities - for its social-economical merit alone, not counting its great entertainment value.For those who did not live in the 60's and 70's, for those who grew up in Generation X or Y, they may not EVER understand the context or the insight to the social-economic concerns of the post war era that this movie brings to the screen. It is not filled with FX and foul language and a continuous bombardment of fast-paced sensory numbing violence and shock value like so many of the later movies we see today of which these later generations thrive on. No wonder so many people of the later generations cannot appreciate or understand what a great movie this is, ebbing with its soft and muted sequences and waves of unglorious violence which fills the sports world and society's lust for violence. However, there may be some from the later generations past the babyboomers who may really appreciate this movie and all it stood for and so I do not exclude those with that depth of insight.In order to support this movie's weight and value of its perspective, I write a bit to validate it. The movie implies that in the future, we border on a half capitalistic/half socialistic society where all people's needs are met but that some of the rights of individual freedom have disappeared at the cost of social equality. And to allow a relief valve for such social pressures and forced adaptations, violent sports are given as a mainstay for the daily diet to the world populations. Not far off from the truth in this century as we near social-capitalistic homogenation with a global economy, political correctness, socialized medicine, and the dark side of capitalism just short of thievery.Back in the 1940's boxing used to be called "modified murder". It was at one time the most popular sport in the world. We can see this advancement of modified murder in the "martial art" full contact competitions we see televised today with people getting their heads bashed in and their faces broken up while audiences watch on in a sort of sensory numbness. Society's lust for violence has not changed but rather increased over the last few decades. The movie addresses this beautifully in the rollergames where the games have become the only social outlet for violence, a relief valve for society.The movie addressed the power of corporate influences and control over society. This movie, "Rollerball" addressed these serious issues which would emerge in the future. Today, we have just that. We see corporate wars today, with corporations and their influence over government decisions, their brainwashing advertising influencing every walk of life and behavior of today's generations. And here in the new century, we see that the movie's major points of concern such as: corporations making decisions for society, limited access information, while feeding people on a diet of violent sports games in order to satisfy people's appetite for violence in order to maintain social order. Corporate wars, government bailouts using taxpayers money to reinforce corporate strength, while feeding people on a lust for shock and violence is exactly what we see today. What comes next in our own society is to put all books on computers and eventually do away with printed paper. In this way, all knowledge can be edited and controlled filtering down to the average citizen only what they need to know, not what they want to know. Rollerball forsees a day in the future where this control of all knowledge will be managed by corporations. And indeed, we see that on today's news, it is filled with local petty stories of actors and the latest gossip instead of showing us the world events that goes on outside our plastic bubble. Why is that? Because sponsors who buy airtime on television stations (corporations) do not want to sponsor anything that is less than tolerable for today's happy go lucky citizen. Who wants to buy products when they show up right next to a broadcast of people being shot in Iraq? So in some ways, we see that a filtration of information is of course a normal operation of our corporate society. Rollerball hit it right on the head again. Today's television is filled with superficial news in order to keep people buying and spending and supporting corporate interests.No longer do corporations pay people to wear their iconic logos (like in the 50's) but now people pay extra to buy and wear iconic logo name brands on their shirts and jackets and tennis shoes. Advertisers (owned by corporations) fill our minds daily on what to buy, eat, wear, drink, and invest, and what to watch. So as we can see, the insight of "Rollerball" was way before its time.About the criticism of the movie's "slow points". This movie has "normal" points of the heart where "think time" is given (unlike today's fast paced reactionary society which hardly know what think time is)the movie allows the audience to breath and reflect on the high cost of a near socialistic society where government decisions (corporate decisions which run the government) are made for people while giving them a life of comfort and safety. For Jonathan E. (James Caan's character), he faces life changing forces that he has no control over. About the movies lavish parties, filled with drugs and sex, well, is this any different from a Hollywood party where all the drugs and sex are upstairs and the drinks and coversation are downstairs? Not much different at all.The interesting thing, the slow grinding twist in the movie which tightens like a turnequet on a bleeding wound is that Jonathan E. becomes so popular as to stand out alone, breaking the bonds of corporate reinforcement that socialistic ideas of the team is more valuable than the individual. In Jonathan's refusal to retire and in his effort to understand why he has been asked to step down, he pushes beyond the boundaries of the deadly games and becomes a single hero of epic proportions. He brings back the calling of the individual, rather than the corporate team player.Rollerball is an incredible movie and is rich with the depths of human emotions and struggles on every level. This is a world class movie. Watching it with the director's commentary is very insightful as well.

Ah! Ya no se hacen películas así. Drama, anticipación, masas atrapadas por el juego (Como ahora por el fútbol!) y una salida con cierta esperanza ya que el individuo honesto parece vencer al gobierno manipulador. No se la pierdan, aunque no haya efectos de ordenador porque es una historia bien contada, no un catálogo de los llamados efectos especiales

Non pas du tout. Il n y avait pas de version françaises sur ce DVD. Je ne comprend pas l anglais. Dommage