The director said that for 6 months before pricipal photography began, the production company got togather enough stunt men to put togather enough teams and they actually created Rollerball and for 6 months they actually played Rollerball! Obviously they played a slightly safer version, no killing was allowed!!
Ha ha ha ha! After reading some of the other comments, how crazy it is to hear that our group of friends on the block weren't the only ones inspired by this movie to create or own version of rollerball! We used skates, skateboards, bicycles, and a softball. I even have a few "action" polaroid shots from one of our tournaments. Those were the days indeed!
@@xyrzmxyzptlk1186 your right, I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia and I loved watching the Philadelphia warriors roller derby team which btw was the 1974 world champions
I remember when this movie came out on television in Belgium early 80's. I was 11 or so... Next Monday on school we played our version of Rollerball on the schoolgrounds during lunchbreak. It got brutal. Teachers did not understand were this violent game we played came from. Imagine 30 boys playing a 'game' beating the shit out of eachother, and how we looked 20 minutes later....A lot of injured kids... Ah the memories.... 😊 Still love the movie though....
We did the same and it lasted for years - every Saturday we’d get pulled along behind our buddies on bicycles… then eventually we did it behind buses through the streets of Geneva in the summer… 😂
I had a DVD back in the day. On one side was the movie, as released. On the other side was the movie, with the sound at a very low level, and a voice-over by the director about how and why certain scenes were the way they were. That second version is cinematic gold.
Ha ha ha ha! How crazy it is to hear that our group of friends on the block weren't the only ones inspired by this movie to create or own version of rollerball! We used skates, skateboards, bicycles, and a softball. I even have a few "action" polaroid shots from one of our tournaments. Those were the days indeed!
Take banked track roller derby, add in motocross, with football helmets and pads, and add in a ball that looks like a shot put. The game itself looks COOL!
underrated film. Its not a cheerful movie and is intelligent and brutal. Sadly a film like this would never be made today as it would be all CGI and light on politics and intelligence. The 70s probably was the best era
I was only 12 when this came out but, after watching the trailer, I absolutely had to see it. The trouble was it was an AA certificate and you had to be 14 to see one. Our local cinema had 3 screens. This was showing in screen 3 and a U certified film was on in 2. So I got a ticket for the U, which started before Rollerball, then, after a trip to the loo, which was next to 3, simply slipped into 3. Unfortunately, I was the only person in there, so I had to stay low and, when the film was over, I had to leave via the fire exit doors that came out round the back. I love the film as much today as I did that day. The story and violence blew my mind. Totally awesome.
I did that a lot as a young man. Would actually skip the purchased ticket part, which I'm not proud of now that I'm older. Would slip in through the exit on the side of the building as other people left, which bypassed the stewards who would check your tickets, then go see the movie I wanted. Serious design flaw, that. Sometimes would watch movies all day. After doing it many many times, someone watching the cameras must have figured me out, because they came in force and found me one day asking for my ticket. As it happened, because of my eternal good luck, it was the one time in years I had bothered to buy a ticket. They looked so befuddled when I produced it.
@@brucedavis3816 I saw it in the 70s. He was too short for b-ball at 5' 11". I was 6' 4'' and thought I was too short (a white guy) so I played pro baseball.
@Don R. Mueller, Ph.D. yea I'm 6 4 also. I had to guard a guy when I was in college who was 7 2 he dunked it on me 100 times so I quit bball that very same day!!!
If you have Comcast on demand it might still be on there. The only problem is when you get rid of Comcast the movies are erased too lol. That's what happened to me smh.
Norman Jewison was nominated for Best Director in 1967 for "In The Heat Of The Night" which won Best Picture. Unfortunately for Norman 1967 was the same year for the sophomore directorial effort of a fella named Mike Nichols. Fun trivia: James Caan turned down the role of Hawkeye Pierce in 1970.He was offered the part because he had worked with Altman two years prior in a movie called "Countdown" which co-starred Robert Duvall. Caan declined in favor of a movie called "Rabbit Run". Can you say "Bad Career Move"? Burt Reynolds wanted the role of Sonny Corleone but Coppola went with Caan because he had worked with him previously in a film called "The Rain People"(1969) which co-starred Robert Duvall. That guy Duvall got around quite a bit back in the day. Wonder what ever became of him.
I remember seeing this in 6th grade when it was on TV a couple yrs after release. was at my friend’s house and parents were out of town. Her older brother let us watch it. I was thinking ‘dam this is violent but not boring at all’
MOONPIE cried the coach as Johnathan watches from afar knowing what is possible in this game. Johnathan will get revenge on his friend who will dream for ever in a state of vegetable consciousness.
No glory here, just darkness. Sad that today's world is much, much darker than the world of the 1970s but all we get in cinemas now are cartoon superheroes and propaganda flicks.
That’s kinda how it works lol Ted lasso would have flopped in 2010 when everyone wanted dark gritty shows kinda like the 70s then Covid hit and everyone had enough dystopian in real life and wanted positive uplifting shows like the 80s
Fans of this movie who have not read the short story "Rollerball Murder" should consider finding it online and reading it. It's short, graphic and the origin of this great film.
Classic. Humans will always be fascinated with violent sport. Just like the days of Ancient Rome. In many ways we will never change. The bloodlust is the same only the games vary.
@@FreshTillDeath56 you know anything about a old computer game, circa 95-97, where you ride a rocket pack or something horizontally, while your competitors do the same, on this “playing field/court” and you have to knock people over or close line them with these harpoons that connect and detach from poles all over the field? I’ve been looking forever. Me and a friend used to play with the first Diablo.
@@jswin2084 Regrettably, I'm smack dab in the middle of my 20's, so my knowledge of retro games like that is not exactly an underground spring... :D Sorry! I do have plenty of great memories of classic games though, and several classic Atari games like Keystone Capers I hold dear to me. Bomberman was my favorite 90s franchise that I grew up playing. Great alone or with friends.
@@poindextertunes sarcasm I guess, I messed around and bought it, good thing the price was slashed in half. 2 hours was too long, wasnt tight enough, if you read the plot and watch a few clips you've seen it basically.
Its going to be a great game tonight, Command Prompt looks to be running amazing and not to far behind we have Microsoft Office followed by SimCity then Adobe Photoshop, we are going to see some spectacular crashes tonight.
@@Blodreina45 they are supposed to score with the ball. Those without the ball are supposed to.either take it by force and score or defend the ball holder until they score. The reason all the brawls is there are no penalties called dufing this match, and limited player replacements. By forcing more and more of your opponents out of the game, you are essentially shrinking their defence.
I wish they would make rollerball a real sport. I'm not that into sports, but I would pay to attend a rollerball game. I bet a lot of other people would watch as well.
Early in the film the sport is shown to be rough but tight on rules, as the season progresses and Caan's character Jonathan gets too popular the rules are rescinded one by one in the hope he'd retire early. By the final it is just a death arena.
Ordinarily yes. Most, possibly all the players, albeit some might be injured, would survive. They kept changing the rules in order to get Jonathan to retire or get killed and subsequently the game got more and more violent. The reasons for them doing this are one of the main themes of the film.
in tha short story tha movie is based on, matches is even more violent & gruesome: they remove all time limits, tha ball is made oblong so as to become more chaotic, & tha players is mandated to clean-kill anyone they cripple under threat of penalty. tha narrator, jonathan, describes players skating through ponds of blood by tha end of matches
Even in the future, there will be some sort of racism. Moon Pie joked about the little men but paid the ulitimate price for his comments. Johnathan touched his friend gently with his skates, knowing Moon Pie was gone forever.
Damn good film. people watch for all the action but it's a great film about one man standing up to giant corporations that control all our lives. A good take on the modern world.
This is comical in some ways ... a combination sport of players roller skating on a banked roller skate track, with players on motorbikes, with American football helmets and pads, contact like football or rugby, a goal as in hockey or soccer, and metal ball.
I was a kid back then and Big time wresting and Roller Derby were both popular on TV. Roller Derby was just like this movie only they did not use motorcycles. The movie was just feeding off the popularity of Roller Derby they added motorcycles for effect.
This Is A Political Film ,... Who Controls The Sport ? ... And Winning Is Bad For The Corporation . ....... ... Who Are The Corporation ,....... They Dont Want Jonathon Winning Anymore . ... To Keep On Winning Is Boring ........ ... YOU NEED TO LOSE !
*I wish they'd codify the rules and make this a real sport ....* *James Caan was on "Wide World of Sports" one time after the movie came out.* *He sat down with an interviewer explaining rollerball rules, method of play, etc.* *RIP, Jimmy ....* 😢♥️
Various companies tried to buy the rights to make it a real sport, but the whole point of the movie was to show the brutality and exploitative nature of contact sports, so the director refused.
*Oh wow, that's fascinating! I had no idea that that had happened* *The only story anything like that that I'm aware of is that during filming in Munich,* *they put on some exhibition matches for the crowds and they had to turn people away!* *Gee, I wonder if companies now are still interested in doing that and would Jewison react differently.* *Or maybe Jewison's estate'll have a change of heart once he shuffles off this mortal coil.* *Well, he's ninety-six now, so I guess we won't have that long to wait, I suppose ....* 🤷🏻
@@CaryMGVR The entire point of this movie was that the sport they're playing is inhumane and brutal, and it was meant to be a criticism of the way most major contact sports exploit their players for audience entertainment. If you walked away from this movie thinking "rollerball is so cool it should be a real sport" you entirely missed the point. Kinda like watching Fight Club and thinking Tyler Durden was a hero.
I read the rules somewhere on-line a while ago. The game seemed pretty well thought out. I think you had to circle the track three times with the ball before attempting to score. If you scored, or failed to score, a new ball was fired and the process started again. I think there were rules against hitting the riders and players who were off the ball, something like that, anyway. This kind of made sense to me because if the game was routinely as violent as the Tokyo game and the New York game even more so, who would want to play it? Teams would quickly run out of decent players and it would be VERY expensive. It is a team game after all and, as Bartholemew said, it was designed to show the futility of individualism., ergo the teams needed to be well drilled and skilful which wouldn't be possible if half the team got killed every time they went on the field. In theory a player could have a reasonable and lengthy career with a little skill and a lot of luck. That is, of course, until the Corporations started to change the rules to get rid of Jonathan.
@@davidcasper3746 *lol I didn't miss the point.* *How can anybody??* *I still want to see it as a real sport.* *The two aren't mutually exclusive.* *It'd be MMA with scooters.* 👍🏻
Nearly 50 years have passed and this movie is still one of the best ever made.
Damn right. I can remember it being released in the UK and it was all anyone who'd seen it could talk about - I was 24 at the time!
The look Jonathan has when they layout his friend shows Jonathan keeping his cool,saving his energy for the right moment.
AGREED HE TOLD MUMPHY TO STAY CLOSE HE DID NOT LISTEN
I had no idea this film existed. I've been missing out. Some of these older films are quality!!!
Where have you been?
youtube; A boy and his dog..1975 a...movie similar to Rollerball, but less violent.
James Caan hated this movie, but I thought it was the best of 1975.
Love this weird sub-genre of dystopian extreme sports like The Running Man and Death Race 2000 (the 1975 version)
@@fearlessfosdick160 See Dog Day Afternoon
R I.P. JAMES Caan
Super actor. Wish I could’ve met him- had great performances in comedies: honeymoon in Vegas & Elf, as the straight man. Shine on James♥️
The director said that for 6 months before pricipal photography began, the production company got togather enough stunt men to put togather enough teams and they actually created Rollerball and for 6 months they actually played Rollerball! Obviously they played a slightly safer version, no killing was allowed!!
Ha ha ha ha! After reading some of the other comments, how crazy it is to hear that our group of friends on the block weren't the only ones inspired by this movie to create or own version of rollerball! We used skates, skateboards, bicycles, and a softball. I even have a few "action" polaroid shots from one of our tournaments. Those were the days indeed!
We used a shot put. Kid you not.
The way Jonathan calmly and methodically gets his gear cinched up again...
I was 11 years old and loved it!!!
Best movie ever. When it came out, I was mesmerized
Roller Derby was pretty popular at the time too. Likely not a coincidence. 🔘
Same
@@xyrzmxyzptlk1186 your right, I was a kid growing up in Philadelphia and I loved watching the Philadelphia warriors roller derby team which btw was the 1974 world champions
I was 9 and remember this movie still till this very day.
I remember when this movie came out on television in Belgium early 80's. I was 11 or so... Next Monday on school we played our version of Rollerball on the schoolgrounds during lunchbreak. It got brutal. Teachers did not understand were this violent game we played came from. Imagine 30 boys playing a 'game' beating the shit out of eachother, and how we looked 20 minutes later....A lot of injured kids... Ah the memories.... 😊 Still love the movie though....
We did the same and it lasted for years - every Saturday we’d get pulled along behind our buddies on bicycles… then eventually we did it behind buses through the streets of Geneva in the summer… 😂
I had a DVD back in the day. On one side was the movie, as released. On the other side was the movie, with the sound at a very low level, and a voice-over by the director about how and why certain scenes were the way they were. That second version is cinematic gold.
Ha ha ha ha! How crazy it is to hear that our group of friends on the block weren't the only ones inspired by this movie to create or own version of rollerball! We used skates, skateboards, bicycles, and a softball. I even have a few "action" polaroid shots from one of our tournaments. Those were the days indeed!
Very much like roller derby with the roughing, hitting and tripping.
Take banked track roller derby, add in motocross, with football helmets and pads, and add in a ball that looks like a shot put. The game itself looks COOL!
It's not a game, it's not a sport, it's war!
That's entertainment. Apperently
so many similarities of what WEF has implemented for the people of he world
You knew John Beck was going to get it: 6:36
underrated film. Its not a cheerful movie and is intelligent and brutal. Sadly a film like this would never be made today as it would be all CGI and light on politics and intelligence. The 70s probably was the best era
Saw this movie twice in the theater as a kid ..loved it
James Caan and John Beck were really a team in this movie...
Aaah, Rollerball. I give it five years till this is reality.
Top movie, I saw it as a kid.
The legendary Shane Rimmer playing the Houston coach! 👍
He's in 3 of my favorite movies: Rollerball, Star Wars: A New Hope, and Dr. Strangelove.
Uncle Shane
@@mickstan24yep, and a couple Bond movies!
@2:48 The legendary LA Kings broadcaster Bob Miller calling the game.
The orange and black Houston uniform is a nod to the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers aka Broad Street Bullies.
"They just don't make them like that anymore"...
I was only 12 when this came out but, after watching the trailer, I absolutely had to see it. The trouble was it was an AA certificate and you had to be 14 to see one.
Our local cinema had 3 screens. This was showing in screen 3 and a U certified film was on in 2. So I got a ticket for the U, which started before Rollerball, then, after a trip to the loo, which was next to 3, simply slipped into 3.
Unfortunately, I was the only person in there, so I had to stay low and, when the film was over, I had to leave via the fire exit doors that came out round the back.
I love the film as much today as I did that day.
The story and violence blew my mind. Totally awesome.
I did that a lot as a young man. Would actually skip the purchased ticket part, which I'm not proud of now that I'm older. Would slip in through the exit on the side of the building as other people left, which bypassed the stewards who would check your tickets, then go see the movie I wanted. Serious design flaw, that. Sometimes would watch movies all day. After doing it many many times, someone watching the cameras must have figured me out, because they came in force and found me one day asking for my ticket. As it happened, because of my eternal good luck, it was the one time in years I had bothered to buy a ticket. They looked so befuddled when I produced it.
yeah i don’t think they cared 😂
a real bloodsport for the 2020s
👊
1970s type movies at its best.
Hey Don you want to see a pure 70s movie watch one on one with robbie benson it is pure 70s!!!
@@brucedavis3816 I saw it in the 70s. He was too short for b-ball at 5' 11". I was 6' 4'' and thought I was too short (a white guy) so I played pro baseball.
@Don R. Mueller, Ph.D. yea I'm 6 4 also. I had to guard a guy when I was in college who was 7 2 he dunked it on me 100 times so I quit bball that very same day!!!
@@brucedavis3816 100 times in one day? Maybe 99.
@@drbonesshow1 no one quarter!!!
I've been hurting for many years to get this title in the Google Play store... This title isn't available. RIP
If you have Comcast on demand it might still be on there. The only problem is when you get rid of Comcast the movies are erased too lol. That's what happened to me smh.
Shiut factory is releasing it in UHD if thats an option for you
just rent it on youtube 😐
Yeah I purchased it last year..
RIP jimmy.
You could tell he was a natural athlete
It's so bloody realistic. It holds up well today. So many tiny, little, thoughtful touches to add that little bit of extra realism.
Keanu Reeves favorite action movie
Great movie
Norman Jewison made a lot of good movies, including this
Forgot how brutal this flick was.
Norman Jewison was nominated for Best Director in 1967 for "In The Heat Of The Night" which won Best Picture. Unfortunately for Norman 1967 was the same year for the sophomore directorial effort of a fella named Mike Nichols. Fun trivia: James Caan turned down the role of Hawkeye Pierce in 1970.He was offered the part because he had worked with Altman two years prior in a movie called "Countdown" which co-starred Robert Duvall. Caan declined in favor of a movie called "Rabbit Run". Can you say "Bad Career Move"? Burt Reynolds wanted the role of Sonny Corleone but Coppola went with Caan because he had worked with him previously in a film called "The Rain People"(1969) which co-starred Robert Duvall. That guy Duvall got around quite a bit back in the day. Wonder what ever became of him.
😂seen this as a double bill rollerball and death race 2000 now got both these classics on dvd .
that sounds like a great night. i like DR2K better though. Sly is so campy and over the top in that movie 😂
One of my professors at U of Arkansas wrote "Rollerball"
Does he like the movie?
@@etiennesickleton1483i don’t believe he does. says they fxcked up the ending
I remember seeing this in 6th grade when it was on TV a couple yrs after release. was at my friend’s house and parents were out of town. Her older brother let us watch it.
I was thinking ‘dam this is violent but not boring at all’
MOONPIE cried the coach as Johnathan watches from afar knowing what is possible in this game. Johnathan will get revenge on his friend who will dream for ever in a state of vegetable consciousness.
Agreed 😊
When attendance began to drop, Houston drafted "Roller Girl" from "Boogie Nights"!
Just without the spikes
ok
Somebody should make this a real sport
No glory here, just darkness. Sad that today's world is much, much darker than the world of the 1970s but all we get in cinemas now are cartoon superheroes and propaganda flicks.
That’s kinda how it works lol Ted lasso would have flopped in 2010 when everyone wanted dark gritty shows kinda like the 70s then Covid hit and everyone had enough dystopian in real life and wanted positive uplifting shows like the 80s
And snuff films on alternate media of combatants in American Imperial wars.
Imagine thinking the 70s had no propaganda films
The best
🥇
People smiling in the stands as if a friendly baseball game being played.
The Wall looks like the formation we would form in first grade. . .
It's possible to find the houston vs New York rollerball scene on TH-cam ?
Fans of this movie who have not read the short story "Rollerball Murder" should consider finding it online and reading it. It's short, graphic and the origin of this great film.
I wonder how many people just watched this first degree and missed the political message of the movie.
Classic. Humans will always be fascinated with violent sport. Just like the days of Ancient Rome. In many ways we will never change. The bloodlust is the same only the games vary.
Great movie 😊
0:56 That was a cool entrance!
This should be a video game
It's Rollerdrome
check out "Speedball 2" Pretty good inspiration anyway.
@@FreshTillDeath56 you know anything about a old computer game, circa 95-97, where you ride a rocket pack or something horizontally, while your competitors do the same, on this “playing field/court” and you have to knock people over or close line them with these harpoons that connect and detach from poles all over the field?
I’ve been looking forever. Me and a friend used to play with the first Diablo.
@@jswin2084 Regrettably, I'm smack dab in the middle of my 20's, so my knowledge of retro games like that is not exactly an underground spring... :D Sorry! I do have plenty of great memories of classic games though, and several classic Atari games like Keystone Capers I hold dear to me. Bomberman was my favorite 90s franchise that I grew up playing. Great alone or with friends.
@@FreshTillDeath56 thanks anyway bro 🤓
Pure class a true movie
Lol
wtf does that even mean? 😂
@@poindextertunes sarcasm I guess, I messed around and bought it, good thing the price was slashed in half. 2 hours was too long, wasnt tight enough, if you read the plot and watch a few clips you've seen it basically.
Would've been funny to see some English football hooligans pile into that crowd 🤛🏽💪🏽🤣🤣🤣
Oy!! 😂😂
Only a matter of time till this sh!t becomes real
Never seen this repeated on the telly - anyone else??
Great film,talking about violence and collective hysteria in a modern World 🤕
AWESOME
Panem et Circenses ( Bread and Games ) Thats what the people always like ;- )
Its going to be a great game tonight, Command Prompt looks to be running amazing and not to far behind we have Microsoft Office followed by SimCity then Adobe Photoshop, we are going to see some spectacular crashes tonight.
lol
Is Clippy playing?
This was the Battle Royale of the 70’s
So confused, are they supposed to be fighting each other or scoring with the metal ball?
@@Blodreina45 they are supposed to score with the ball. Those without the ball are supposed to.either take it by force and score or defend the ball holder until they score. The reason all the brawls is there are no penalties called dufing this match, and limited player replacements. By forcing more and more of your opponents out of the game, you are essentially shrinking their defence.
One of the players of the Tokyo team knew he fucked up after he gave Moonpie that fatal death blow to the back of his head
I wish they would make rollerball a real sport. I'm not that into sports, but I would pay to attend a rollerball game. I bet a lot of other people would watch as well.
I concur. This shit is like roller derby on FUCKING ROISS
That's fucking insane
This movie was made to detail how ridiculous and exploitative contact sports are, the whole point is to not make such a game
@@DieTreppenwitz But it looks fun.
@@DieTreppenwitz I thought it was about a group of despotic shadow rulers attempting to demonstrate the futility of individual effort.
If the military went this way USA and Russia, I would die for my country.
Wow, the year 2018 sure was violent, wasn’t it? 😂
Yup yup
5:18 imagine that the head was looking the other way
Also shows the hatred and bitterness towards other human beings in the ‘game’
Roller champions
Does anyone survive a game 🤔👍
Early in the film the sport is shown to be rough but tight on rules, as the season progresses and Caan's character Jonathan gets too popular the rules are rescinded one by one in the hope he'd retire early.
By the final it is just a death arena.
Ordinarily yes. Most, possibly all the players, albeit some might be injured, would survive. They kept changing the rules in order to get Jonathan to retire or get killed and subsequently the game got more and more violent. The reasons for them doing this are one of the main themes of the film.
in tha short story tha movie is based on, matches is even more violent & gruesome: they remove all time limits, tha ball is made oblong so as to become more chaotic, & tha players is mandated to clean-kill anyone they cripple under threat of penalty. tha narrator, jonathan, describes players skating through ponds of blood by tha end of matches
Even in the future, there will be some sort of racism. Moon Pie joked about the little men but paid the ulitimate price for his comments. Johnathan touched his friend gently with his skates, knowing Moon Pie was gone forever.
Can anyone please tell me of any films similar to this please? Would be appreciated
Google
Death Race 2000 is one of them, Logan’s Run too
That's funny the Japanese uniforms are yellow
9:35 I can't stop laughing I have made a short of this
What's so funny about that scene? 🤔
Y el VAR?
When no one cares a pitcher invader jump the fence and then gets knocked you know this ain’t no normal sport.
Damn good film. people watch for all the action but it's a great film about one man standing up to giant corporations that control all our lives. A good take on the modern world.
By Tucker Carlson, they needed to see you go.
Totally unrelated but thanks Bernie bro
@@diamonddave16 I agree totally unrelated. Bernie Bro?
東京チームのカラーが黄色ねぇ〜
察するわ
Pac man colours gone
to much trut
This is weird
Why?
This is comical in some ways ... a combination sport of players roller skating on a banked roller skate track, with players on motorbikes, with American football helmets and pads, contact like football or rugby, a goal as in hockey or soccer, and metal ball.
I was a kid back then and Big time wresting and Roller Derby were both popular on TV. Roller Derby was just like this movie only they did not use motorcycles.
The movie was just feeding off the popularity of Roller Derby they added motorcycles for effect.
this is a good movie.,, but this guy caan is the borerst actor in the world.. damn jew..!!
My apologies to your mother that you were the child that lived.
I find it pretty f*cked up that you put up a video even using the name (James Caan) just because he died! SAD
Haven't you ever head of the word tribute? This was one of his best roles.
This Is A Political Film ,... Who Controls The Sport ? ... And Winning Is Bad For The Corporation . ....... ... Who Are The Corporation ,....... They Dont Want Jonathon Winning Anymore . ... To Keep On Winning Is Boring ........ ... YOU NEED TO LOSE !
*I wish they'd codify the rules and make this a real sport ....*
*James Caan was on "Wide World of Sports" one time after the movie came out.*
*He sat down with an interviewer explaining rollerball rules, method of play, etc.*
*RIP, Jimmy ....*
😢♥️
Various companies tried to buy the rights to make it a real sport, but the whole point of the movie was to show the brutality and exploitative nature of contact sports, so the director refused.
*Oh wow, that's fascinating! I had no idea that that had happened*
*The only story anything like that that I'm aware of is that during filming in Munich,*
*they put on some exhibition matches for the crowds and they had to turn people away!*
*Gee, I wonder if companies now are still interested in doing that and would Jewison react differently.*
*Or maybe Jewison's estate'll have a change of heart once he shuffles off this mortal coil.*
*Well, he's ninety-six now, so I guess we won't have that long to wait, I suppose ....*
🤷🏻
@@CaryMGVR The entire point of this movie was that the sport they're playing is inhumane and brutal, and it was meant to be a criticism of the way most major contact sports exploit their players for audience entertainment. If you walked away from this movie thinking "rollerball is so cool it should be a real sport" you entirely missed the point. Kinda like watching Fight Club and thinking Tyler Durden was a hero.
I read the rules somewhere on-line a while ago. The game seemed pretty well thought out. I think you had to circle the track three times with the ball before attempting to score. If you scored, or failed to score, a new ball was fired and the process started again. I think there were rules against hitting the riders and players who were off the ball, something like that, anyway. This kind of made sense to me because if the game was routinely as violent as the Tokyo game and the New York game even more so, who would want to play it? Teams would quickly run out of decent players and it would be VERY expensive. It is a team game after all and, as Bartholemew said, it was designed to show the futility of individualism., ergo the teams needed to be well drilled and skilful which wouldn't be possible if half the team got killed every time they went on the field. In theory a player could have a reasonable and lengthy career with a little skill and a lot of luck. That is, of course, until the Corporations started to change the rules to get rid of Jonathan.
@@davidcasper3746
*lol I didn't miss the point.*
*How can anybody??*
*I still want to see it as a real sport.*
*The two aren't mutually exclusive.*
*It'd be MMA with scooters.*
👍🏻