Reflections on "Rollerball" (1975)
Directed by Norman Jewison
Screenplay by William Harrison
Starring James Caan, John Beck, John
Housemen and Maud Adams
In the early to mid-twenty-first century, Rollerball is a game which has replaced war and which provides an outlet for feelings of aggression and violence, and which, most importantly, is designed to show that no individual is greater than the whole. Team work is essential with each player accepting his place and working toward the greater good. Jonathan E (James Caan) has lasted longer than any other player in the sport. His career has spanned ten years during which he has established many records and, crucially, something of a following as a cult hero.
Life in general has become ordered and comfortable - the only price citizens are asked to pay is that they should accept without question executive decisions. Society is managed by a series of corporations, run by anonymous, wealthy and extremely powerful suited executives who put up a facade of acceptability, respectability and dignity to cover control and corruption.
Jonathan is pressed to retire and he doesn't understand why, so he resists and uncovers some unpleasant truths about society and the way it is run.
Men are seen as fairly high-minded, asexual, power-hungry conformists who are afraid to disagree or make waves, while women are by and large reduced to the status of playthings for whom relationships are "assignments", constituting an essential element of control and manipulation by corporate society.
Jonathan is the responsibility of Mr Bartholomew (John Houseman), and their conversations are charged with menace and eventually threat, subtle to begin with, but becoming quite unsubtle as desperation sets in because Jonathan is seen as a threat whose actions emphasise the importance of the individual, and who is seen as having a potential influence that could challenge that of corporate society.
There is a considerable contrast between the pace and style of the scenes within the rollerball dome and those out with it. Often criticised as dull and "boring", these scenes are nonetheless absolutely essential to the import of the piece and to truly understanding it. The "society" scenes are deliberately sterile and dull, contrasting with the action and excitement of rollerball, and giving the audience a taste of barren and dreary corporate existence.
The dull but dangerous reality of corporate society is brilliantly captured in the interview between Bartholomew and Jonathan after the first match. As Jonathan enters the comfortable but dull "office", he touches the decorative strands descending from the ceiling, only to cut his finger. In many ways, the discussion that follows sums up the film, with Jonathan resisting politely but firmly while Bartholomew appears reasonable but determined. Of course, the disagreement will carry over into action in the rollerball dome.
The greatest pressure on Jonathan to conform will come in the shape of deadly rule changes to the game, until in the end it becomes a barely disguised assassination attempt. Since no individual is to be seen as greater than the game, the game must destroy him.
Along the way, there are several other criticisms of
the way in which life may develop under a corporate umbrella. With his
ex-wife’s visit, Jonathan realises she is no longer the person he loved, but
even more importantly, he realises the extent to which the individual has lost
his or her freedom. He discovers that there are no longer any books, and that
all information from books is stored centrally in a computer which has become
"subjective" and so cannot discriminate adequately to give a clear
answer to a simple question. Of course, there is also the destruction of the
trees which indicates a decadent society devoted to business and indulgent pleasure
showing scant appreciation of nature and beauty.
When it comes to the last game, the corporations underestimate Jonathan, and man's need for a hero or a role-model, leading inexorably to the cult of the individual and the potential breakdown of corporate society as they see it.
Rather ironically, their aim would probably have
eventually been fulfilled without their efforts to ensure the outcome, and
indeed it is exactly because of their efforts that Jonathan becomes an even
greater hero and threatens their order.
Rollerball (2002)
Directed by John McTiernan
Screenplay by Larry Ferguson and John Pogue
Starring Rebecca Romijn, Chris Klein and
Jean Reno
Oh dear.
This version of "Rollerball" is youthful, exuberant and polished. It is also chaotic, shallow and inconsistent even within itself.
The scale and import of the original are gone. Rollerball has now become a game to attract huge television audiences and consequently to attract advertisers and money.
It is actually tiring to watch this version as we jump from one action scene to another but without the advantage of seeing character growth, plot development or purpose.
Even the rollerball dome is over elaborate and complex. There is plenty of action, but it is hard to tell the teams apart, far less tell who is winning or feel involved in any way.
At first, I thought this might have been done deliberately, in order to contrast with some genuine interest and development when a player was hurt. Unfortunately, there was something of a build-up to nothing as characters were not affected by trauma beyond a few seconds.
This production actually seemed camp, so devoid was it
of discipline and any serious intent.
My thanks for
taking the time to read this article. I hope you found it of some value.
Stuart Fernie (stuartfernie@yahoo.co.uk)
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