One of the Iconic films of the Seventies and one most definitely in my collection

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Product Description

The year is 2018. There are no wars. There is no crime. There is only...the Game. In a world where ruthless corporations reign supreme, this vicious and barbaric 'sport is the only outlet for the pent-up anger and frustrations of the masses.Tuned to their televisions, the people watch Rollerball : a brutal mutation of football, motocross and hockey. Jonathan E. (James Caan, Misery) is the champion playera man too talented for his own good. The Corporation has taken away the woman Jonathan loves (Maud Adams, Octopussy) but it can't take away his souleven if diabolical corporate head (John Houseman, The Paper Chase) tells him he d better retire...or sufferthe old-fashioned way.With its surrealistic imagery and tense action sequences, Rollerball grips you by the heartand never lets you go!

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16827 in DVD
• Released on: 1998-03-10
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, French
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 125 minutes

Amazon.com
In the year 2018, violence and crime have been totally eliminated from society and given outlet in the brutal blood sport of rollerball, a high-velocity blend of football, hockey, and motor-cross racing sponsored by the multinational corporations that now control the world following the collapse of traditional politics. James Caan plays Jonathan E., the reigning superstar of rollerball, whose corporate controllers fear that Jonathan's popularity has endowed him with too much power. They begin to pressure him according to their own ruthless set of rules, but Jonathan has rules of his own--the rules of a man determined to retain his soul in a world gone mad. As directed by Norman Jewison (who was enjoying a peak of success during the early and mid-1970s), Rollerball creates a believable society that's been rendered passive and compliant by the homogenization of corporate dictatorships, where the control and flow of information is the only currency of any importance. It's a world in which natural human aggressions have been sublimated and vented through the religious fervor toward rollerball and its players. Rollerball now looks like one of those 1970s science fiction films (another example being Logan's Run) that seems a bit dated and quaint, but its ideas are still provocative and fascinating, and the production is visually impressive. The DVD includes full-screen and widescreen versions of the film, audio commentary by director Norman Jewison, a behind-the-scenes featurette, an interactive "rollergame," trivia, and production notes. --Jeff Shannon

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Customer Reviews

Rollerball (1975) Is Sci-Fi And Social Commentary At It's Best--So Why Can't Amazon Differentiate Reviews For It And The Remake
"Rollerball" (1975) is a science fiction classic and the reviews of it should not be allowed to be defamed by those of the so called remake! I first saw this film when it came out, and it remains one of the few James Caan films I like. Moreover, the central themes--discussed in many of the other reviews--remain as important today as they were in 1975. While I cannot say with certainty that "Running Man" took it's cue from "Rollerball," I have always seen similarities between the two.

One of the true beauties of the science fiction genre is it's ability to make social commentary on the present and potential future at the same time. While "Rollerball" currently is not a professional sport or a "reality" show, I can easily see it happening some day. Certainly, it is well known that the stunt people reveled in playing the "game" during breaks in the filming, and "Rollerball" was the subject of discussion in Sports Illustrated. However, a criticism of both the Amazon description and others is that "'Rollerball' now looks like one of those 1970s science fiction films (another example being 'Logan's Run') that seems a bit dated and quaint,..." Are all facets of this classic still applicable to today? I say, watch the movie--really watch it--and see for yourself. Yes the props, production, and technical aspects are not those of today; but is that so bad? In my opinion, movies have gone too "technical," and, as such, have lost their believability. So, buy "Rollerball" and see what you think: is it current and believable or dated and quaint?

Update--1 July 2008: If this review was not helpful to you, I would appreciate learning the reason(s) so I can improve my reviews. My goal is to provide help to potential buyers, not get into any arguments. So, if you only disagree with my opinion, could you please say so in the comments and not indicate that the review was not helpful. Thanks.

SAD OLD MAN 3
Goes back in time, was a classic film ahead of itself when first released, time for the vhs to go so it had to come for dvd. Nice now to sit back when I like and watch the really good old films.

Be aware that reviews of the original and the lousy remake are mixed together here
Amazon has mixed up the reviews for the original Rollerball (with James Caan from 1975) and the remake (with Chris Klein from 2002). The customer reviews for the original are generally fairly good (user rating average at IMDb is 6.4/10, above average), for the remake the opposite (2.7/10, abysmal). Just keep that in mind if you're trying to decide what to buy based on these reviews.