U.S., 1975, 125 min, Digital, Dir. Norman Jewison, Rated R, In English, Park Circus
Rollerball
Saturday, August 6
"Norman Jewison's sensational futuristic drama about a world of Corporate States stars James Caan in an excellent performance as a famed athlete who fights for his identity and free will." – Variety
"A fresh, unusual and stimulating movie. In its portraying of the vast and essentially stateless multinational corporations, Rollerball plays off developments which have come since Huxley's and Orwell's time." —Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times
THIS IS A FULL-CAPACITY SCREENING.
In a corporate-controlled future, the world's nations have been disbanded and war is a thing of the past—but blood continues to be shed with Rollerball, a brutal and wildly popular contact sport which pits players in a battle to the death. Legendary Hollywood director Norman Jewison (In the Heat of the Night, Fiddler on the Roof) tells the story of Jonathan E., captain of the Houston Rollerball team, whose prowess on the track has earned him worldwide acclaim...but his fame has attracted the ire of the games' corporate sponsors, who believe that such displays of individual achievement could incite a popular revolt. With the powers-that-be pushing for his retirement, Jonathan is faced with a choice: concede to the corporation's will or take a stand by continuing to compete in the increasingly deadlier games.
Shot in Munich to make use of the city's futuristic Olympic architecture, Rollerball is a classic slice of dystopian filmmaking, mixing high-octane action sequences with gripping (and thoroughly prescient) social commentary. The future is now...the future is Rollerball!
This screening is presented in remembrance of legendary actor James Caan.
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