Herb Kane
Screenwriter
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Soylent Green
Studio: Warner Brothers
Year: 1973
Rated: PG
Film Length: 97 Mins
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic Widescreen)
Audio: DD Mono
Subtitles: English, French & Spanish
The Feature:
The year is 2022. New York has grown to 40 million people and all luxuries are basically non existent. Food has become a luxury. Civilization has changed. Even trees are all but extinct, so there is no paper for books. Food is provided by way of a cracker type substance called “Soylent”. There is Soylent Yellow, Soylent Red and the new “high energy miracle plankton called Soylent Green, collected from oceans around the world”. Apartments are even a luxury but they come with their own “furniture”…. In the way of young good looking girls who are afforded luxury and privilege for keeping their landlords happy. Detective Thorn (Charlton Heston) has been assigned a homicide case where a wealthy Soylent board member (Simonson played by Joseph Cotton) turns up dead. Robbery is quickly ruled out as the motive since nothing from the luxurious apartment has been taken. He is aided by his close friend and roommate Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson) who is a retired professor. During the investigation, Thorn locates a bottle of bourbon, becomes romantically involved with “the furniture” and unravels a conspiracy that eventually explains the murder of Simonson.
Not that it should come as a surprise to any of us, but in my opinion Edward G. Robinson’s performance (which by the way, was his final film), was superb. He was never lost for a quick retort or quip.
The movie hosts a bevy of stars including Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Chuck Connors, Whit Bissel and Brock Peters (Tom Robinson of “To Kill A Mockingbird” fame).
Video:
While the film definitely had a look of “70’s” to it, I was quite impressed by this transfer. Colors were extremely vibrant. There are many facial close-ups and skin tone is excellent. The image was extremely sharp and I could detect no evidence of any dirt or film noise. Film grain was slight – almost non existent. I did notice the occasional shot which was softer than most of the film but I have to assume that was the intent. Overall, I found the transfer to be most pleasing.
Audio:
The disc is presented in a DD Mono soundtrack which is very solid. No sign of any hiss or popping (I could detect a slight hiss during the end credits). Dialogue was exceptionally clear. The audio comes through crystal clear and is well demonstrated during a few scenes when we hear a crowbar type tool slamming against a concrete wall, tables getting knocked over, and shell casings hitting the ground. Without giving too much away, there is a scene when Sol “goes home” and there are a number of classical pieces during the scene which are very impressive. For a DD Mono track, that speaks volumes.
Special Features:
There are a few special features which include:
-Commentary by Director Richard Fleisher
-Commentary by Leigh Taylor-Young (“Shirl”)
-A Look At The World Of Soylent Green
-MGM’s Tribute To Edward G. Robinson’s 101st film
-Charlton Heston Sci-Fi Legend
-Theatrical Trailer
-Cast & Crew
The tribute was a short film clip shot at a party to celebrate the actor’s 101st film. The Heston Legend clip simply shows a listing of many of the movies the actor starred in.
Final Thoughts:
I had never seen this film prior to today and I have to be honest, I was skeptical initially. It looked like a cheesy 70’s low budget Sci-Fi flick which generally, isn’t my cup of tea. After a few minutes into it, I found myself engrossed beyond my expectations. Is it dated? Sure. What movie made 30 years ago trying to project the future by 50 years, wouldn’t be! While I am not a huge fan of movies of this genre, I suspect fans of the film and those with a new interest in this genre will be extremely pleased with Warner’s offering. Highly Recommended.
Release Date: August 5th, 2003
