Movie Details
Soylent Green (1973)
Director-: Richard Fleischer
Cast-Charlton HestonEdward G. RobinsonLeigh Taylor-Young
Movie type- Sci-fi/Thriller
Release date- 09 May 1973
IMDB Rating-7
Languages- English
Duration-1 Hour 40 Minutes
Trailer
Synopsis
The agony of civilization may be a slow but steady process. Not a comet, not a nuclear explosion, but progressive famine resulting from overpopulation, environmental pollution and depletion of the Earth’s natural resources – this is what our end may look like.
However, there is always hope. It is assumed that its symbol is green. In 1973 , Richard Fleischer , then a specialist in great shows, whose credits included such films as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Fantastic Voyage , used the symbolism of this color in a very perverse way. The titular Green Food is both a symbol of the hope of the human race, but also of its moral decline…
In April 2018, exactly forty-five years have passed since the premiere of this extraordinary science fiction film representing post-apocalyptic fantasy . A film whose message is still relevant. In fact, I even have the impression that they are only now gaining in value, as the world shown in the film becomes more and more familiar to us. And it’s terrifying.
Green Food takes us back in time to 2022. The action takes place in New York, where society has become one dense mass due to overpopulation. Literally. People are strewn about in the streets and stairwells like garbage because there is simply no room for them anymore. The smell of decay hangs in the air – including the moral one. The image of decline is sealed by the fact that environmental pollution has led to the disappearance of all natural food sources. Only produced by a secret corporation called green food, which is synthetic food, keeps people alive. And in this decaying world, Robert Thorn, a private detective, had to investigate the murder of a famous personality. However, he does not know that untying the knot will lead him to discover a terrifying truth about the food people eat.
The film script was based on the novel Przestrzeni! Space! by Harry Harrison, one of the most important science fiction writers. However, the title of the film was changed and the action was moved to a slightly more distant future – the original took place in 1999. The money – approximately four million dollars – was provided by MGM. Apparently, Charlton Heston , the main actor, was most interested in making the film . This is not surprising when you look at his filmography – the actor clearly likes fantastic spectacles. After Planet of the Apes and Omega Man , The Green Food was his third major science fiction film. How can you not love him?
this is one of those films whose quality largely results from the bluntness of the commentary it creates. Therefore, it is impossible to honestly review it without revealing the content of the surprising finale. The finale, which went down in cinema history thanks to the famous line. When the wounded and battered Charlton Heston shouts at the very end of his crusade that “the green food is people!”, revealing the macabre practice of turning human remains into food, it is supposed to be the final testimony of the end of civilization. However, there is no certainty as to whether this message will be heeded – a montage cut puts a question mark over the sense of Thorn’s fight, making it clear that there are no chances for such a corrupt future society anyway. The metaphor hidden in cannibalism makes us terrified by the modern, constant expansion of the boundaries of consumption
Richard Fleischer’s gloomy vision is also nostalgic. It stimulates a longing for a matter that may soon be forgotten – the wealth of nature. Nature, whose inextricable feature is transience. In the most touching scene of the film, the character played by Edward G. Robinson stares at images of flowery meadows, rushing streams and clear skies appearing before his eyes. This is how he planned his death – by going to a room specially prepared for this, where saying goodbye to the world has the character of salvation. However, Charlton Heston’s tears as he watches his friend leave are genuine. Edward G. Robinson was at such an advanced stage of illness during the filming that many expected that he might not finish filming. He finished. But the scene in which his hero dies was the last one in which he appeared. He died ten days after leaving the set. He gave himself a beautiful farewell.
this film is certainly one of the most outstanding science fiction films of that period. There is no exaggeration in this statement. Great acting and efficient, high-quality production are one thing. An intriguing story, a variation of a detective story, hiding surprisingly current truths – the latter. Forty-five years have passed since its premiere, and Fleisher’s dystopia still works, still overwhelms with its realism.
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