Time Traveling from 2024: Im so surprised at all these people who are (re)discovering this movie in 2021+. I first saw this film as a youngster in the early 1970s. Maybe 1973. It has always been a favorite of mine. I also read the novel and the 2 sequels. It was more than just thrilling - but also prophetic. Great review! Glad you liked it. Glad I found your review.
I was a projectionist when this was released and it didn't do very well in theaters. The much more hearlded "The Andromeda Strain" came out a few months later, and was only doing moderate business, so Universal brought in "The Forbin Project" as a second feature. Back in those days a big production often opened by itself, but after some time theaters would go to a double bill. In this case this really pushed attendance up, as people started "buzzing" about the second feature that had slipped under the radar the year before. Everybody I talked to was far more impressed with "The Forbin Project" and word of mouth really boosted business of this bottom half of the double feature. But all the box office receipts were credited to "The Andromeda Strain" inflating its actual success.
I love this movie and I love Andromeda Strain. When they recently said they were bringing back material from a comet all I could think of was Andromeda Strain. WHY would they take that chance?????
I saw The Andromeda Strain in the theater as a kid when it first came out. Amazingly it was rated G despite all those dead bodies, animal experimentation and that brief glimpse of the topless dead hippie chick. The disclaimer on the poster went: "Rated G but may be too intense for younger children" lol
"Colossus" has always been a favorite of mine. For those interested Hans Gudegast aka Eric Braeden has some TH-cam video interviews he did where he talks about his career and how he came to "Colossus." Short version is he liked the script but balked at changing his name until his wife tartly said "Do you want to play Nazis the rest of your life?" It also turns out to be a favorite of a lot of film makers. James Cameron specifically cast him in "Titanic" so he could meet Braeden and greeted him first meeting with the words "Never." Braeden was puzzled until Cameron reminded him that was his last line in "Colossus." I never have watched his "Victor" although I've seen clips and couldn't be happier he found a long-running gig. He seems to be one of those actors unimpressed with stardom and just wants to raise his kids and be content with life. Bravo, Dr. Forbin...
The screenplay was riveting to me as a veteran R&D employee. The concept of turning over global defense to a dispassionate unbiased, inhuman 3rd party is horrifying/fascinating. BTW, I'm the SuperChatter who asked The Critical Drinker about this movie. Subscribed
Colossus has always been one of my very favorite films, probably second only to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is interesting to think that two of my all time favs happen to have homicidal computers, but that is a discussion for a different day. :-) Thank you very much for doing this review. I think you got it spot on. Eric Braeden is a favorite actor, and I was honored to get to meet both him and Joe Sargent at a special screening of Colossus several years ago. I watch this movie every year or two, and have shown it to many friends to make new fans over the years as well. It deserves a high spot in the history of sci-fi.
I should add, if anyone is interested, you can actually visit the location that was used as the Colossus Programming Office in the movie. They did both exteriors and even some interiors at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California. We've visited there several times over the years, and it is a wonderful science center. We had lunch in their cafeteria, and they were cooking chocolate chip cookies, so we indulged in piping hot cookies while looking out over the San Francisco Bay. Well worth the visit.
@@x15galmichelleevans You'll never have a problem with a homicidal computer if you just decide well in advance, as a species, not to build powerful computers. Oh, wait....
I saw "Charly," "Colossus: The Forbin Project" and "The Andromeda Strain" when they premiered at the theaters. The aforementioned films were well done, but somewhat neglected over time.
This is one of my favorite movies. (Also, The Taking Of Pelhem One Two Three.) This movie contains a few timeless themes that will make it a great movie for many years to come.
A very articulate review. I read the book recently after hearing about it in an MIT lecture series on AI. I look forward to watching the movie. Thank you!
I remember taking 'Computer Programing' classes in the early 1970s. Our instructor said to us, "computers don't make mistakes... people do". Many years later, I learned to rebuild desktop computers. I found out that Yes, computers DO make mistakes (although rarely). I agree with your skepticism about 'the machines' managing our daily lives. Thanks for your Review, and Yes... I am a fan of "Colossus: The Forbin Project".
I always liked Eric Braeden, thought he had a wonderful and unique presence. Currently 80 years old and still looking for that dastardly Rat Patrol. I only have a vague memory of this movie so I'll have to give it a spin again sometime. Thanks as always.
I downloaded & watched this movie so I could follow along with your review. I enjoyed both the film and the review so much I might start doing this more in the future...that is, if Colossus allows it
Glad you kept your comments vague to avoid spoilers. I saw this on the big screen the first time and it scared the hell out of me. Years later I showed it to a game developer friend of mine who I thought would love it, but he hated it and thought it was silly. His response bothered me, because I could see how he might laugh at the dated technology, but the basic concept is more relevant today than ever. In many ways machines are taking over our lives. Some things like machines that can deactivate bombs are good, but ordering dinner from a machine that comes to your table is not an idea I relish, though it’s happening in many places now, not to mention self driving cars and airplanes. I’m scaring myself just thinking what can go wrong in those scenarios. Great film and I will keep recommending it to friends.
@FalkinerTim 0 seconds ago "On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
Your feelings toward/comments about the AI question----the whole "turn over our needs to machines" thing---are well and beautifully presented, and I share same, even though I'd spent so much of my life around it all. ;-7
Speaking of names, Colossus was also the name of the highly top secret computer used in WWII to decode the Nazi messages made by their Enigma machines. That computer was ordered to be dismantled and destroyed after the war, and even the records of its existence have been difficult to come by. That said, I loved this movie too. Two more I'd add to the list of movies with this theme are Demon Seed and Avengers Age of Ultron. In fact, Ultron reminded me of an upgraded version of Colossus.
Great review! I first saw "Colossus" on TV as a teenager decades ago and it made a deep impression on me. I watched it again on TH-cam a few years back and once more enjoyed it immensely. As ChatGPT and other AI applications take off, the film is more relevant than ever before. While I don't know whether AI can really become sentient or will remain a tool that's vulnerable to abuse by bad actors, we soon won't know the difference. Regarding parallels, "Colussus" reminds me a lot of "War Games," an exciting film that is also gaining in relevance by the day.
I loved this movie! It's so well done! I particularly enjoyed the scene when the good doctor throws a folder into a monitor, out of frustration, and smashes it to bits. That scene conveyed so much about the hopelessness of controlling the monster he created. I also enjoyed Fail Safe, War Games and Terminator - all great movies. Thanks for sharing your review.
After a friend and I saw I Robot, I introduced him to Colossus. Later he encountered the movie is a Scifi class and was the only student in the class that heard about it. Eric Braeden was also in Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
The era this movie came out in is filled with movies that mirror events and systems that were classified and kept secret from the rest of society. Colossus was also the first electronic fully programmable computer and was used to decrypt German military communications in WW2. The Colossus program was not declassified until 1988. Like the CRM-114 in Dr Strangelove, the storyline of Ice Station Zebra, Hollywood and screenwriters were plugged into the classified world.
Thank you for an excellent commentary on this movie. Very articulate, smart, friendly style that you have. I could listen to you talk about movies all day. Thank you
I always loved this movie. The first time I watched on TV in the 70s. I didn't knew that Eric Braeden was German. Notice a thing: how Forbin was detached, almost mechanical like his own creation and he gets more humanized as the movie goes on.
Great discussion, i'm glad to see someone else enthusiastic about this film. Ha, I never realised the ashtray was always there until you pointed it out. Oh, from your stills, it looks like you watched a 4:3 crop of the film. (I can see the DVD case there - I have it too, it's cropped) The recent BluRays are full wide-screen and very cleanly restored. My one from MediumRare/FremantleMedia has a commentary track by director Joseph Sargent.
Yes, it is wonderful that a widescreen blu-ray of Colossus is now available. The closest we had before was the Laser Disc version. A friend of mine was able to cut a great DVD from the Laser Disc, so at least I had the widescreen to watch while waiting for the blu-ray disc to finally appear.
I remember that Universal pretty much neglected marketing for the film, for whatever reasons, and that they fairly quickly pulled it from theaters. (I had heard that Universal and director Joseph Sargent had a tiff, but I don't know if that's why.) For whatever reason, the film quickly became obscure in those days before home video. If I remember correctly, a widescreen laserdisc was published in Japan in the 80s, but took forever for Universal to release a DVD of the film, and that was in an insulting pan-and-scan format. Imagine our delight when the film was finally published a few years ago (by a third party) in all its restored, anamorphic glory!
My favorite two seconds of the whole movie is how Colossus intones "I will restrain man". And I particularly like how Grauber just sits there lighting his cigarette when he realizes that he's at the silo just named. HE knows the only defense against a nuclear detonation is don't be there when it goes off. This movie freaked me out as a thirteen year-old. Now 53 years later, I can't help but wonder why humanity hasn't constructed Colossus/Guardian yet. WTF have those computer scientists been up to? Creating Fakebook? Slackers.
Never heard of Machine Learning or AI then. I agree, I like the moment when he resignedly, almost with a half smile, sits back while all around are shouting & running. If they had merged his character with that of the president to give him more prominence. E for effort.
@FalkinerTim 0 seconds ago "On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
Colossus reminded me of Star Trek's The Ultimate Computer. I can recall wirewrapping binary pins on a computer the size of a refrigerator, in the 70s. Computers will never be sentient, they'll just have ghosts. Nice review.
I still occasionally wire wrap prototype circuits for a Fortune 50 company. Of course, it's only ever used for proof of concept and none of those go into the field, but wire wrapping still has some degree of practical use in development labs.
This movie has one of the most hypnotic yet chilling sequences towards the end. Just the intro will tell you which scene: This is the voice of World Control. A movie worth seeing.
Good review. The movie is even more relevant today since AI research is reaching the point that we may be tempted to turn over more and more of our decisions to AIs. One thing I couldn't believe you didn't mention was Paul Frees' masterful voice acting. Yes, they altered his voice, but the cadence and delivery was his. He's the ultimate "tough love" dad telling junior he blew it so he's going to have to run things. Another great vocal performance is Robert Vaughn as the voice of "Proteus" in Donald Cammell's underrated "Demon Seed." You might check that out.
I enjoyed your review, it definitely made me want to finally see this movie, which sounds like an early version of Wargames. I liked the backgrouns info you provided, very well researched. Also, great job summing up the concerns around making everything automated & computerized! I look forward to seeing the movie, and your next review!
Thanks for this review. I had totally forgotten about this film. You inspired me to revisit it. In some ways it is SO dated.... yet in others, it's chillingly topical... especially with all the furor over nascent A.I. I hope that thanks to reviews by you and others, more people discover this obscure(?) cult classic. Maybe some network or streaming service will revisit this material and possibly produce the entire trilogy. 🤞🤞
Bravo, Jerome! I saw this movie back when I was in college, when it first came out. It didn't seem to make a lot of money and disappeared from my radar for many years. I did find a DVD of it a few years back so it's fresh in my memory. Thank you again, for shining a spotlight on things that most overlook.You got taste.
I absolutely love your channel for this very reason. I learn about things I didn't know about. I discover books and movies that I've ever heard of. For instance, I've never heard of this movie. But now I'm definitely going to go check it out.
I've watched this movie three times. It is a fantastic film. There are a lot of familiar faces in this movie, including Marion Ross, better-known as Mrs. C on _Happy Days._ Gordon Pinsent is practically Canadian royalty.
I hadn't heard of the film either until two years ago. I loved it from the first frame to the last. The books are very good as well but they do go off into left field fairly drastically but its an interesting field and would love to see film versions of the second and third books.
I've seen a lot of 70s thrillers including the aforementioned The Taking of Pelham 123 and The China Syndrome yet somehow I had never even heard of Colossus so I watched it immediately after seeing your review. I liked it a lot, it gained a lot of pace and tension in the first act and the ending is indeed chilling. My biggest complaint is the mistress subplot which didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the movie. I usually don't agree with remakes but I think the core concept is ideal for a modern update with the power and omnipresence of social media and smartphones. Thanks for the review, it is a perfect example of the best things about this channel - showcasing great (and in some cases forgotten) movies of yesteryear.
Ha ! I've been saying that for years ! I truly think it's a mistake to really on as much technology as we do.... we're headed for a crash....oh... and your ADORABLE as always ! 😊😘⚘
Jerome, I rewatched this today. I agree 100% with your views on our growing dependence on technology. One thing re movie: in the forced romance it seemed to me the woman (and maybe the man too) seemed to have an attraction regardless of being forced into it. Just my perception of the acting, which was excellent. Great review, as always.
Coincidentally, I happened to see this movie a couple of months ago . I really enjoyed it as well , for many of the reasons that you stated .I also share your concerns about where technology is going , and , indeed , where it is currently. It has become far too invasive in everyday life , as you pointed out in your review . Anyway , this is a film that everyone should watch . Thank you for the excellent review !
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of my favorite films. People need to talk about it more. Edit: I probably should have mentioned that I'm talking about the original, though that's probably a given.
It's a real shame that Colossus is not a very well known movie because I found it amazing and way ahead of its time when I saw it right here in TH-cam many, many years ago. IIRC Colossus was also one of the inspirations for Jonathan Nolan's Person Of Interest (along side with paranoia classics like The Prisoner), which has a five season story with the beginning, the middle and an end. The show starts as a crime procedural, but the already present stealthy science fiction elements with the AI slowly take over the big story arc. No spoilers of course, but I personally feel like POI already is an excellent remake of Colossus, only in a television format. I highly recommend that one!
Thanks for this review, Jerome! I had heard of this film but had never seen it. When I saw that you'd reviewed it, it spurred me to finally watch the film and I really enjoyed it! It's intelligent, well-made, and, as you said, very relevant (perhaps more than ever). Of course, I came back afterwards to watch your review and enjoyed that as well as the cherry on top. Thanks for the suggestion!
Colossus is an excellent movie. It gives a mention to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This, and probably all of the related movies, can trace their roots to Frankenstein. I would expand on the "monster that can't be controlled" concept. Governments and government agencies can easily fall into that category. In that case technology is only a tool of these agents to enforce control.
Yes, there are a few parallels to Frankenstein as well as dialogue that openly refers to it. (I was going to mention that in my review, but I ended up cutting that part.) And I agree: government agencies using technology to corral and control the people is a very valid concern.
@@Weiselberry It would seem rather than asking politicians what they're going to do for us a question would be what these politicians think the government can't do to us.
I knew you would bring up Victor when talking about Eric Braeden. I can't see him without saying "Victor!" out loud if he's in anything else. My mom has watched The Young and the Restless for as long as I've been alive. Also, I haven't seen this film but in these pictures you're posting he looks remarkably like a young Hugh Laurie. And you've got me editing my comment again hahaha. Nice commentary on the dangers of over-reliance on AI and technology. I'm surprised that there still are people that beat the drum of "humans are too emotional and unreliable and we should let machines run things," because countless movies have shown how that's dangerous and can spin out of control easily...and real-life situations, too, have shown us that human judgment needs to be in control. 1979 NORAD nuclear warning incident. 1983...same thing in the USSR, with Col. Stanislav Petrov and his gut feeling that the alerts he was hearing of "imminent missiles" were malfunctions, and he didn't need to escalate the situation (which could've resulted in a nuke exchange). Countless incidents of pilots ignoring the "over-helpful" computer systems in their planes so as not to crash. Computers and AI make our lives easier. I'm not sure how I feel about self-driving cars and automated delivery and stuff like that, even though I know that part of that will indeed be the future (in some form). But we absolutely shouldn't be too reliant on it.
I have not seen this movie, but your review makes it sound interesting. I'll keep it on my RADAR. The plot, as you describe it, is also similar to Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Ultron was an artificial intelligence built and designed to keep the world safe, but got other ideas really quick when it became self-aware - "I have no strings on me". I know most people either love are hate the Marvel movies, but I believe that you could watch this one without seeing all the others. No doubt that some people see "Marvel" and run away. However, there are many good movies being made with the name Marvel on it. Thanks for you review and your time.
On this same theme-line, have you considered talking about DEMON SEED, the late 70's adaptation of Dean Koontz' novel (his first iteration of his novel, as he re-wrote it a few years after the film) ? In fact, it is fully prescient about, for instance, Alexa (sp?) and such "helpful" household, er, gadgets. Pretty intense, creepy AI story that may, in itself, have been inspired a tad by COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT and/or its antecedents.
I would love to get this on DVD, but the only version available in the USA is a 1.33:1 pan-&-scan edition, a so-called 'Full Screen' format, if your TV screen is more than 20 years old! They need to re-release this in widescreen Panavision. Also, the COLOSSUS Trilogy by D. F. Jones is not only out-of-print, but there are no online book vendors with any copies to sell -- and I don't own a Kindle player, so I can't even read the '66 novel and its sequels. Damn! They could easily re-release the film, with commentaries and a retrospective documentary which could include input from guys like James Cameron, etc. You'd think that UNIVERSAL Pictures would get these gems from their back catalogue out there and available for connoisseurs of classic cinema, right? By the way, you gave a great review, so kudos!
I caught this on TV as a kid without knowing anything about it and really made quite an impression on my young mind! I’ve been meaning to rewatch for awhile now. Glad I found your channel!👍
Thank you, Romey! One of the greats, sort of HAL 9000 Conquers the World, or SkyNet: Origins. I also wonder if WarGames was influenced. (So far as Braeden's soap opera career goes, I think of him as The Restless.) Colossus was in fact a code name for an early computer used in WWII codebreaking, and Isaac Asimov wrote stories about a giant computer called Multivac, a humorous spin on Univac. Colossus's final speech is absolutely chilling, benevolent-sounding dreams delivered with an iron fist. The fallacy of relying on computers is that people thought they would be free of human folly because computers are presumably not temperamental. HAH! The are VERY temperamental! To like technology better, I bond with the little drones from the movie Silent Running. You are a very sweet dinosaur, I can relate, and I like the giant owl over the right shoulder. Birds are dinosaurs too -- which I guess makes cameos from the cute Godzilla sort of relevant. Great movie, great work, catch you later.
What's scary about "The China Syndrome" is it actually happened for real some weeks after the film release, on Long Island. Another film "Marooned" actually happened with "Appollo 13"
I'm quite amused by the relationship between this film and _The China Syndrome_ and _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_ , considering all three are among my dad's all-time favorite films, though I don't think he's aware of their relationship.
very much a forerunner for The terminator movies i saw this as a kid in the 70's and still love it today along with a lot of other older scifi movies as in the wake of star Wars TV stations started running all sorts of old Scifi movies and TV series i got to watch such gems as the old Buck Rogers B&W movie serials. P.s Silent running and Rollerball are two 70's scifi movies well worth watching
Nice review. If you are looking for something different to watch and perhaps review, may I suggest the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses Don't They?". It has nothing to do with science fiction. It's a fascinating look into the depression era world of dance marathons.
it would have been an excellent opportunity if actor Eric Braeden had done the 2nd and 3rd trilogy of the sci-fi colossus movie. but being filmed in 1970 seems somewhat outdated by today,s tech standards if by the possibilities of today,s digital evolution of human society dependence upon machines that an unknown or known a list male female actor could portray author D.F. JONES Suspenseful sci-fi thriller trilogy of Colossus The Forbin Project which is an enjoyable and thought provoking movie to watch and hopefully it,s sequel chapters of The Fall Of Colossus and Colossus And The Crab would certainly be a challenge to convey the right story and updated tone and dialog for the audience to appreciate watching on cinema screen or via streaming on their devices. An excellent REVIEW Madame Weiselberry. Thanks! 🌹
When you reviewed this movie (one of my Favorites by the way), were you aware of the 'Real' Colossus computer that was build during the last couple of years of WW-II, but was Top Secret until the year 2000. That Colossus was used to crack the German radio cryptography that was critical to a successful D-Day on June 6th, 1944. The primary creator in that case was a UK Mechanical Engineer who worked his entire career (except for the 2 to 3 years he worked for the UK Military during WW-II) as an employee of the Post Office - and of course, due to secrecy, he was NEVER recognized. I like your review and just though you might be interested in how Real Life matches a Movie.
Pretty sure I've never seen this, but sounds good. On a similar theme, Svengoolie had "The Creation of the Humanoids" on tonight. Robots trying to take over the world. Thumbs up for The Critical Drinker mention.
How Could You Forget About The Matrix? I have no idea why I watch this this is not normally my cup of tea but this popped up on my recommendations and I'm actually glad I did I found it fascinating oh, and your review was quite in-depth and thought-provoking. So I will be binge-watching some of your Past reviews on Old sci-fi which I love.
Well, I did say "among others"! There are certainly thematic elements Colossus and The Matrix have in common, though the films I mentioned struck me as having a more direct correlation, either in specific content or in style. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I've reviewed quite a few science-fiction films and hope to cover more in the future.
@@Weiselberry I Watched several of your reviews and they're incredibly insightful. And you do not seem to be working from a script,just off the top of your head.I know you probably have bullet points,but well done! How on Earth the Google algorithm suggested you I will never Karma,Fate? And then for me too decided to watch this and as stated before I'm glad I did your channel definitely should be larger.I should have specified,I meant specifically the Animatrix,if you've never seen it definitely check it out it's the backstory on how the humans started the war! There are several short stories giving different perspectives from other resistance bands fighting to save Zion not realizing they're the bad guys all done with different animators with completely different styles. Anime and early CGI and the stories have complex undertones which to me seems very likely somebody like you would definitely pick up on that may not be so obvious to others, but there are clearly obvious moral decisions, that make anyone think what would I do! Also I only watched the reviews on old Sci-Fi,and Rashomon which I haven't watched in decades,but you've inspired me to do so.I next plan on watching your review on your favorite Five Star Trek episodes from the original 1960 series and then your review about westerns that changed your views on westerns.I'm hoping one of those was High Plains Drifter, because to quote Mr. Spock I find your reviews fascinating! To see movies that I love from a completely different perspective, and have a light Shone on things that I never noticed!
Thank you for clarifying--I have not seen The Animatrix. Aw, thanks! I do have a script, but I put a lot of effort into the presentation so I'm not just reading it, and every once in a while I go off-script completely. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the other videos you've checked out!
Thank you so much for this. There is a great catalog that is not reviewed… and looking at your upload list… I can see that you’ve gotten into some of already. Keep going. Nobody is doing this material. Perfect for your pleasant appraisals. 😘 PS your parents sound like groovy cats (watching The Prisoner )
Superlative review, as always! The only regrettable part (not your fault) is that the DVD you watched (a library loaner?), and from which you took the screenshots, was Universal's older DVD edition, which is pan & scanned from its original (excellent) widescreen Panavision framing. Fortunately, the newer U.S. blu-ray release from Shout Factory rectifies this issue. Of course, I first watched it pan & scan, like you, but in my case on local TV (with commercial breaks) on a Sunday afternoon, as a kid, around 1979-80, and it easily held my attention and left a lasting impression. Though a very different movie, if the notions of technology and invasion of privacy getting out-of-hand are of particular interest to you, I'd definitely recommend the satirical comedy (with some sci-fi details), THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST (1967), starring James Coburn, which, like COLOSSUS, is both very much of its time, but also very prescient, in several ways.
Well now I need to track down this movie, looks great!!! Gordon Pinsent is very well known up here in Canada....to folks of certain generations of course, will be very interesting to see him playing the president! I am also not the biggest fan of modern technology, and I just want to say I think you are in fact very cool! The coolest dinosaur I've seen (I mean that sincerely and positively)
was watching the day the earth stood still w/ commentary and they mentioned this movie. i just finished it. the abrupt ending left me kind of baffled so i came online to check what others thought. thanks for reviewing.
Jerome - You are a delight and I like the fact that you referenced The Critical Drinker, another of my favorite movie critics. Yes, I have seen this film twice and it was partly filmed at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley which I visited when I was a student there. I am still impressed by this more than 50 year old film and you described several of its qualities which still ring true. In our time we have to worry about the greatly accelerating power of Artificial Intelligence. I really appreciate your skepticism about the pervasiveness of technology which is supposedly so good for our "lifestyles". I will never join Facebook and I happen to believe that "social media" is frequently a contradiction in terms. Thanks again and I will watch your other reviews. I'm sure they will be as insightful as this one.
I tried to watch this once back in the 80’s in my teens and didn’t really absorb it back then, but now I see the huge influences for War games Terminator Skynet etc…
This movie is prophetic. If you had asked 1000 people back when it came out if they thought it would come true, 999 would say no way. If you asked 1000 torrow, all would say it's just around the corner. Everything about this movie is excellent!
@FalkinerTim 0 seconds ago "On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
I saw C:tFP when it was shown on NBC in a lightly edited version during the mid 1970s. Also clips from the C:tFP were used whenever Night Gallery did a science fiction story and needed some futuristic establishing shots (nothing unethical since both were Universal properties).
Happy to find your channel! Wonderful movie, great review. As to the question, "which was first, 2001 or Colossus?" I'd say they bih derive from Mary Shelley, a tale of scientists creating life, and that life is monstrous.
A very thorough and fascinating analysis of THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970). You might be interested in what I have to say about this movie in a modest review I wrote and published on the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB). I'll see if I can't dig up the link for that for you. I was disappointed in the resolution to the piece and felt it deserved a better ending with a debate between Forbin and the COLOSSUS computer similar to the way Carl Sagan resolved his COSMOS Science Documentary or the stirring speech Orson Welles gave in COMPULSION (1959)...
Braden was an excellent actor. On the Rat Patrol they tended to cast German-American actors to play Germans (who could speak German). However, Braden, who spoke excellent English, spoke the North German dialect, which actors from Bavarian really could not understand. The odd thing I remember from seeing an episode of The Rat Patrol after I returned from the 1990-'91 Gulf War (and learned GI Arabic) was that the Arab characters spoke actual Arabic, probably in the same way (actors who are native speakers).
Very good review of a good, solid movie. The movie has good suspense and good tension. I like understated movies with quiet, reflective characters- as captured at the end with the CIA agent at the missile silo. The movie is based on only the first book and is better than the book. The other books get even weaker, though the "Fall of Colossus" has a good twist at the end. The books get progressively more absurd and over the top. Keep up the good work- your book/movie selections and associated observations are great.
I've been a big fan of this feature since its release when I was just a pre-teen (right up to the shocking conclusion)😮 and was mildly disappointed when it did not seem to receive the love as others in this genre,thx,even with it's (then) celebrity-studded cast. Then again I've always liked the B side of the 45 rpm and the greatest operas are tragedies. Later Susan Clark would be hounded by Lieutenant Columbo but that's another retro affair 😅
Time Traveling from 2024: Im so surprised at all these people who are (re)discovering this movie in 2021+. I first saw this film as a youngster in the early 1970s. Maybe 1973. It has always been a favorite of mine. I also read the novel and the 2 sequels. It was more than just thrilling - but also prophetic. Great review! Glad you liked it. Glad I found your review.
I was a projectionist when this was released and it didn't do very well in theaters. The much more hearlded "The Andromeda Strain" came out a few months later, and was only doing moderate business, so Universal brought in "The Forbin Project" as a second feature. Back in those days a big production often opened by itself, but after some time theaters would go to a double bill. In this case this really pushed attendance up, as people started "buzzing" about the second feature that had slipped under the radar the year before. Everybody I talked to was far more impressed with "The Forbin Project" and word of mouth really boosted business of this bottom half of the double feature. But all the box office receipts were credited to "The Andromeda Strain" inflating its actual success.
Ah, interesting! Thanks for that additional information, Brian!
I think they're both great movies and kudos to whoever thought of combining them. What a great, unnerving double bill...
I love this movie and I love Andromeda Strain. When they recently said they were bringing back material from a comet all I could think of was Andromeda Strain. WHY would they take that chance?????
I hope you add this info to the Wikipedia entry for both movies. About the bottom lines being unduly credited to the Strain.
I saw The Andromeda Strain in the theater as a kid when it first came out. Amazingly it was rated G despite all those dead bodies, animal experimentation and that brief glimpse of the topless dead hippie chick. The disclaimer on the poster went: "Rated G but may be too intense for younger children" lol
"Colossus" has always been a favorite of mine. For those interested Hans Gudegast aka Eric Braeden has some TH-cam video interviews he did where he talks about his career and how he came to "Colossus." Short version is he liked the script but balked at changing his name until his wife tartly said "Do you want to play Nazis the rest of your life?"
It also turns out to be a favorite of a lot of film makers. James Cameron specifically cast him in "Titanic" so he could meet Braeden and greeted him first meeting with the words "Never." Braeden was puzzled until Cameron reminded him that was his last line in "Colossus." I never have watched his "Victor" although I've seen clips and couldn't be happier he found a long-running gig. He seems to be one of those actors unimpressed with stardom and just wants to raise his kids and be content with life. Bravo, Dr. Forbin...
The screenplay was riveting to me as a veteran R&D employee. The concept of turning over global defense to a dispassionate unbiased, inhuman 3rd party is horrifying/fascinating. BTW, I'm the SuperChatter who asked The Critical Drinker about this movie. Subscribed
I had read the novel long before the movie came out and was was pleased with how faithful it was to the original.
I read the sequel. In the end, Colossus refers to Forbin as 'Father', revealing its regard for Forbin, as far as it could understand that.
I'm glad you posted. I was wondering how close it was to the book. Thanks!
Colossus has always been one of my very favorite films, probably second only to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is interesting to think that two of my all time favs happen to have homicidal computers, but that is a discussion for a different day. :-)
Thank you very much for doing this review. I think you got it spot on. Eric Braeden is a favorite actor, and I was honored to get to meet both him and Joe Sargent at a special screening of Colossus several years ago. I watch this movie every year or two, and have shown it to many friends to make new fans over the years as well. It deserves a high spot in the history of sci-fi.
I should add, if anyone is interested, you can actually visit the location that was used as the Colossus Programming Office in the movie. They did both exteriors and even some interiors at the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, California. We've visited there several times over the years, and it is a wonderful science center. We had lunch in their cafeteria, and they were cooking chocolate chip cookies, so we indulged in piping hot cookies while looking out over the San Francisco Bay. Well worth the visit.
@@x15galmichelleevans You'll never have a problem with a homicidal computer if you just decide well in advance, as a species, not to build powerful computers. Oh, wait....
@@AlanCanon2222 Yep, too late.
I saw "Charly," "Colossus: The Forbin Project" and "The Andromeda Strain" when they premiered at the theaters. The aforementioned films were well done, but somewhat neglected over time.
Andromeda Strain - very cerebral compared to today's works. Good pandemic movie.
This is one of my favorite movies. (Also, The Taking Of Pelhem One Two Three.) This movie contains a few timeless themes that will make it a great movie for many years to come.
A very articulate review. I read the book recently after hearing about it in an MIT lecture series on AI. I look forward to watching the movie. Thank you!
I remember taking 'Computer Programing' classes in the early 1970s. Our instructor said to us, "computers don't make mistakes... people do". Many years later, I learned to rebuild desktop computers. I found out that Yes, computers DO make mistakes (although rarely). I agree with your skepticism about 'the machines' managing our daily lives. Thanks for your Review, and Yes... I am a fan of "Colossus: The Forbin Project".
I always liked Eric Braeden, thought he had a wonderful and unique presence. Currently 80 years old and still looking for that dastardly Rat Patrol. I only have a vague memory of this movie so I'll have to give it a spin again sometime. Thanks as always.
I like when Dr, Forbin says "NEVER!" I love this movie!
I downloaded & watched this movie so I could follow along with your review. I enjoyed both the film and the review so much I might start doing this more in the future...that is, if Colossus allows it
Glad you kept your comments vague to avoid spoilers. I saw this on the big screen the first time and it scared the hell out of me. Years later I showed it to a game developer friend of mine who I thought would love it, but he hated it and thought it was silly. His response bothered me, because I could see how he might laugh at the dated technology, but the basic concept is more relevant today than ever. In many ways machines are taking over our lives. Some things like machines that can deactivate bombs are good, but ordering dinner from a machine that comes to your table is not an idea I relish, though it’s happening in many places now, not to mention self driving cars and airplanes. I’m scaring myself just thinking what can go wrong in those scenarios. Great film and I will keep recommending it to friends.
@FalkinerTim
0 seconds ago
"On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
Your feelings toward/comments about the AI question----the whole "turn over our needs to machines" thing---are well and beautifully presented, and I share same, even though I'd spent so much of my life around it all. ;-7
Speaking of names, Colossus was also the name of the highly top secret computer used in WWII to decode the Nazi messages made by their Enigma machines. That computer was ordered to be dismantled and destroyed after the war, and even the records of its existence have been difficult to come by. That said, I loved this movie too.
Two more I'd add to the list of movies with this theme are Demon Seed and Avengers Age of Ultron. In fact, Ultron reminded me of an upgraded version of Colossus.
I think it's amazing that you remember so many film facts so easily, and without notes! You're a natural for the camera.
Great review! I first saw "Colossus" on TV as a teenager decades ago and it made a deep impression on me. I watched it again on TH-cam a few years back and once more enjoyed it immensely. As ChatGPT and other AI applications take off, the film is more relevant than ever before. While I don't know whether AI can really become sentient or will remain a tool that's vulnerable to abuse by bad actors, we soon won't know the difference. Regarding parallels, "Colussus" reminds me a lot of "War Games," an exciting film that is also gaining in relevance by the day.
I loved this movie! It's so well done! I particularly enjoyed the scene when the good doctor throws a folder into a monitor, out of frustration, and smashes it to bits. That scene conveyed so much about the hopelessness of controlling the monster he created. I also enjoyed Fail Safe, War Games and Terminator - all great movies. Thanks for sharing your review.
One of the best alternate reality movies. The book scared me as a kid.
All RIGHT! Finally! I saw this when I was probably 12 or 13 on local UHF TV (WDRB-41 Louisville), and I just loved it.
After a friend and I saw I Robot, I introduced him to Colossus. Later he encountered the movie is a Scifi class and was the only student in the class that heard about it. Eric Braeden was also in Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
The era this movie came out in is filled with movies that mirror events and systems that were classified and kept secret from the rest of society. Colossus was also the first electronic fully programmable computer and was used to decrypt German military communications in WW2. The Colossus program was not declassified until 1988. Like the CRM-114 in Dr Strangelove, the storyline of Ice Station Zebra, Hollywood and screenwriters were plugged into the classified world.
Thank you for an excellent commentary on this movie. Very articulate, smart, friendly style that you have. I could listen to you talk about movies all day. Thank you
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I always loved this movie. The first time I watched on TV in the 70s. I didn't knew that Eric Braeden was German. Notice a thing: how Forbin was detached, almost mechanical like his own creation and he gets more humanized as the movie goes on.
Great discussion, i'm glad to see someone else enthusiastic about this film.
Ha, I never realised the ashtray was always there until you pointed it out.
Oh, from your stills, it looks like you watched a 4:3 crop of the film. (I can see the DVD case there - I have it too, it's cropped) The recent BluRays are full wide-screen and very cleanly restored. My one from MediumRare/FremantleMedia has a commentary track by director Joseph Sargent.
Yes, it is wonderful that a widescreen blu-ray of Colossus is now available. The closest we had before was the Laser Disc version. A friend of mine was able to cut a great DVD from the Laser Disc, so at least I had the widescreen to watch while waiting for the blu-ray disc to finally appear.
A movie that I couldn't believe wasn't more popular.
I think it has something of a cult following.
"Airport" dominated the movies that year.
I remember that Universal pretty much neglected marketing for the film, for whatever reasons, and that they fairly quickly pulled it from theaters. (I had heard that Universal and director Joseph Sargent had a tiff, but I don't know if that's why.) For whatever reason, the film quickly became obscure in those days before home video. If I remember correctly, a widescreen laserdisc was published in Japan in the 80s, but took forever for Universal to release a DVD of the film, and that was in an insulting pan-and-scan format. Imagine our delight when the film was finally published a few years ago (by a third party) in all its restored, anamorphic glory!
My favorite two seconds of the whole movie is how Colossus intones "I will restrain man". And I particularly like how Grauber just sits there lighting his cigarette when he realizes that he's at the silo just named. HE knows the only defense against a nuclear detonation is don't be there when it goes off. This movie freaked me out as a thirteen year-old. Now 53 years later, I can't help but wonder why humanity hasn't constructed Colossus/Guardian yet. WTF have those computer scientists been up to? Creating Fakebook? Slackers.
Never heard of Machine Learning or AI then. I agree, I like the moment when he resignedly, almost with a half smile, sits back while all around are shouting & running. If they had merged his character with that of the president to give him more prominence. E for effort.
@FalkinerTim
0 seconds ago
"On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
Colossus reminded me of Star Trek's The Ultimate Computer. I can recall wirewrapping binary pins on a computer the size of a refrigerator, in the 70s. Computers will never be sentient, they'll just have ghosts. Nice review.
I still occasionally wire wrap prototype circuits for a Fortune 50 company. Of course, it's only ever used for proof of concept and none of those go into the field, but wire wrapping still has some degree of practical use in development labs.
A sensitive and articulate review of a very good but overlooked movie. Thank you!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Heard of this, but never saw it. Now I'm intrigued...
a very under rated and unknown gem of a movie. Would love a remake but at the same time scared it would be ruined
This movie has one of the most hypnotic yet chilling sequences towards the end. Just the intro will tell you which scene: This is the voice of World Control. A movie worth seeing.
I'm so glad you young people have the opportunity to discovery these older movie gems.
Now, AI is frighteningly REAL in 2023!
your channel really deserves more attention, this is good content!
Aw, thanks, Jorge!
Good review. The movie is even more relevant today since AI research is reaching the point that we may be tempted to turn over more and more of our decisions to AIs. One thing I couldn't believe you didn't mention was Paul Frees' masterful voice acting. Yes, they altered his voice, but the cadence and delivery was his. He's the ultimate "tough love" dad telling junior he blew it so he's going to have to run things. Another great vocal performance is Robert Vaughn as the voice of "Proteus" in Donald Cammell's underrated "Demon Seed." You might check that out.
I've always considered this among the best and most prescient tech-skeptical sci fi films, along with Rollerball and Videodrome.
Thank You I'll have to look this one up. Keep up the good work 🇺🇸👍
I enjoyed your review, it definitely made me want to finally see this movie, which sounds like an early version of Wargames. I liked the backgrouns info you provided, very well researched. Also, great job summing up the concerns around making everything automated & computerized! I look forward to seeing the movie, and your next review!
Thanks for this review. I had totally forgotten about this film. You inspired me to revisit it. In some ways it is SO dated.... yet in others, it's chillingly topical... especially with all the furor over nascent A.I. I hope that thanks to reviews by you and others, more people discover this obscure(?) cult classic.
Maybe some network or streaming service will revisit this material and possibly produce the entire trilogy. 🤞🤞
Bravo, Jerome! I saw this movie back when I was in college, when it first came out. It didn't seem to make a lot of money and disappeared from my radar for many years. I did find a DVD of it a few years back so it's fresh in my memory. Thank you again, for shining a spotlight on things that most overlook.You got taste.
I absolutely love your channel for this very reason. I learn about things I didn't know about. I discover books and movies that I've ever heard of. For instance, I've never heard of this movie. But now I'm definitely going to go check it out.
Saw this movie as a teenager, and found it deeply disturbing. Anyone doubting AI will eventually run the show on earth REALLY should watch.
I've watched this movie three times. It is a fantastic film. There are a lot of familiar faces in this movie, including Marion Ross, better-known as Mrs. C on _Happy Days._ Gordon Pinsent is practically Canadian royalty.
Whose appearance in The Shipping News was the first time I'd seen him in four decades, but was instantly recognizable.
I hadn't heard of the film either until two years ago. I loved it from the first frame to the last. The books are very good as well but they do go off into left field fairly drastically but its an interesting field and would love to see film versions of the second and third books.
I've seen a lot of 70s thrillers including the aforementioned The Taking of Pelham 123 and The China Syndrome yet somehow I had never even heard of Colossus so I watched it immediately after seeing your review. I liked it a lot, it gained a lot of pace and tension in the first act and the ending is indeed chilling. My biggest complaint is the mistress subplot which didn't seem to fit the tone of the rest of the movie. I usually don't agree with remakes but I think the core concept is ideal for a modern update with the power and omnipresence of social media and smartphones. Thanks for the review, it is a perfect example of the best things about this channel - showcasing great (and in some cases forgotten) movies of yesteryear.
Your wheels turning got my wheels turning. I saw this when it came out and, thanks to you, I will re-visit. A great and thoughtful review. Thanks.
Ha ! I've been saying that for years ! I truly think it's a mistake to really on as much technology as we do.... we're headed for a crash....oh... and your ADORABLE as always ! 😊😘⚘
Thank you for the James Cameron connection between Colossus and SkyNet! Awesome review!!
Thanks--glad you enjoyed it!
The Screenwriters…. Please don’t forget the screenplay… the dialogue & script was flawless!
one of my favorite movies of all time - I saw Colossus in 1971. Glad I watched your vid because I did not know there were 2 sequels to the 1st.
Pelham 1-2-3 a favorite!? Outstanding taste - and also the best "character actor" movie made in the last 50 years. Had to comment on that!
Jerome, I rewatched this today. I agree 100% with your views on our growing dependence on technology. One thing re movie: in the forced romance it seemed to me the woman (and maybe the man too) seemed to have an attraction regardless of being forced into it. Just my perception of the acting, which was excellent. Great review, as always.
Coincidentally, I happened to see this movie a couple of months ago . I really enjoyed it as well , for many of the reasons that you stated .I also share your concerns about where technology is going , and , indeed , where it is currently. It has become far too invasive in everyday life , as you pointed out in your review . Anyway , this is a film that everyone should watch . Thank you for the excellent review !
I cant believe u shouted out the critical drinker,that's so cool😀
We're very different people, but when it comes to what we do and don't like in movies, he and I have some similar tastes. :)
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is one of my favorite films. People need to talk about it more.
Edit: I probably should have mentioned that I'm talking about the original, though that's probably a given.
Weird. I was just discussing that movie earlier today. The bit with the third rail gave me nightmares as a kid.
The Beastie Boys do a great shout out to Pelham One Two Three in their song Sure Shot.
Yes the 1974 version is great,one of my favorite movies.
It's a real shame that Colossus is not a very well known movie because I found it amazing and way ahead of its time when I saw it right here in TH-cam many, many years ago. IIRC Colossus was also one of the inspirations for Jonathan Nolan's Person Of Interest (along side with paranoia classics like The Prisoner), which has a five season story with the beginning, the middle and an end. The show starts as a crime procedural, but the already present stealthy science fiction elements with the AI slowly take over the big story arc. No spoilers of course, but I personally feel like POI already is an excellent remake of Colossus, only in a television format. I highly recommend that one!
Dr Strangelove also used the idea of the Doomsday Device, an automated, unstoppable network of destruction.
Thanks for this review, Jerome! I had heard of this film but had never seen it. When I saw that you'd reviewed it, it spurred me to finally watch the film and I really enjoyed it! It's intelligent, well-made, and, as you said, very relevant (perhaps more than ever). Of course, I came back afterwards to watch your review and enjoyed that as well as the cherry on top. Thanks for the suggestion!
Colossus is an excellent movie. It gives a mention to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. This, and probably all of the related movies, can trace their roots to Frankenstein. I would expand on the "monster that can't be controlled" concept. Governments and government agencies can easily fall into that category. In that case technology is only a tool of these agents to enforce control.
Yes, there are a few parallels to Frankenstein as well as dialogue that openly refers to it. (I was going to mention that in my review, but I ended up cutting that part.) And I agree: government agencies using technology to corral and control the people is a very valid concern.
@@Weiselberry It would seem rather than asking politicians what they're going to do for us a question would be what these politicians think the government can't do to us.
I knew you would bring up Victor when talking about Eric Braeden. I can't see him without saying "Victor!" out loud if he's in anything else. My mom has watched The Young and the Restless for as long as I've been alive. Also, I haven't seen this film but in these pictures you're posting he looks remarkably like a young Hugh Laurie.
And you've got me editing my comment again hahaha. Nice commentary on the dangers of over-reliance on AI and technology. I'm surprised that there still are people that beat the drum of "humans are too emotional and unreliable and we should let machines run things," because countless movies have shown how that's dangerous and can spin out of control easily...and real-life situations, too, have shown us that human judgment needs to be in control. 1979 NORAD nuclear warning incident. 1983...same thing in the USSR, with Col. Stanislav Petrov and his gut feeling that the alerts he was hearing of "imminent missiles" were malfunctions, and he didn't need to escalate the situation (which could've resulted in a nuke exchange). Countless incidents of pilots ignoring the "over-helpful" computer systems in their planes so as not to crash.
Computers and AI make our lives easier. I'm not sure how I feel about self-driving cars and automated delivery and stuff like that, even though I know that part of that will indeed be the future (in some form). But we absolutely shouldn't be too reliant on it.
I have not seen this movie, but your review makes it sound interesting. I'll keep it on my RADAR. The plot, as you describe it, is also similar to Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. Ultron was an artificial intelligence built and designed to keep the world safe, but got other ideas really quick when it became self-aware - "I have no strings on me". I know most people either love are hate the Marvel movies, but I believe that you could watch this one without seeing all the others. No doubt that some people see "Marvel" and run away. However, there are many good movies being made with the name Marvel on it. Thanks for you review and your time.
On this same theme-line, have you considered talking about DEMON SEED, the late 70's adaptation of Dean Koontz' novel (his first iteration of his novel, as he re-wrote it a few years after the film) ? In fact, it is fully prescient about, for instance, Alexa (sp?) and such "helpful" household, er, gadgets.
Pretty intense, creepy AI story that may, in itself, have been inspired a tad by COLOSSUS THE FORBIN PROJECT and/or its antecedents.
Someone else recommended that film as well. I haven't seen it but I looked it up and, yikes, it sounds creepy!
Thanks for another delightful unforeseen movie review! 😊
You're welcome! :)
I would love to get this on DVD, but the only version available in the USA is a 1.33:1 pan-&-scan edition, a so-called 'Full Screen' format, if your TV screen is more than 20 years old! They need to re-release this in widescreen Panavision. Also, the COLOSSUS Trilogy by D. F. Jones is not only out-of-print, but there are no online book vendors with any copies to sell -- and I don't own a Kindle player, so I can't even read the '66 novel and its sequels. Damn! They could easily re-release the film, with commentaries and a retrospective documentary which could include input from guys like James Cameron, etc. You'd think that UNIVERSAL Pictures would get these gems from their back catalogue out there and available for connoisseurs of classic cinema, right? By the way, you gave a great review, so kudos!
Great review of a very underrated film 🎥
Your the most unpretentious person I’ve seen on TH-cam in a very long time.
Subscribed
Aw, thanks so much!
I caught this on TV as a kid without knowing anything about it and really made quite an impression on my young mind! I’ve been meaning to rewatch for awhile now. Glad I found your channel!👍
Thank you, Romey! One of the greats, sort of HAL 9000 Conquers the World, or SkyNet: Origins. I also wonder if WarGames was influenced. (So far as Braeden's soap opera career goes, I think of him as The Restless.) Colossus was in fact a code name for an early computer used in WWII codebreaking, and Isaac Asimov wrote stories about a giant computer called Multivac, a humorous spin on Univac. Colossus's final speech is absolutely chilling, benevolent-sounding dreams delivered with an iron fist. The fallacy of relying on computers is that people thought they would be free of human folly because computers are presumably not temperamental. HAH! The are VERY temperamental! To like technology better, I bond with the little drones from the movie Silent Running. You are a very sweet dinosaur, I can relate, and I like the giant owl over the right shoulder. Birds are dinosaurs too -- which I guess makes cameos from the cute Godzilla sort of relevant. Great movie, great work, catch you later.
Gordon was a frequent guest on The Red Green Show.Nice review of a great film.
Man! I love The Red Green Show!
What's scary about "The China Syndrome" is it actually happened for real some weeks after the film release, on Long Island.
Another film "Marooned" actually happened with "Appollo 13"
A gem of a film and another lovely review. I share your concerns regarding tech creep, we should never become too reliant upon it
That was excellent! You nailed the movie!
And don't forget about "Demon Seed" - Proteus is like Colossus' little brother. 😄
I'm quite amused by the relationship between this film and _The China Syndrome_ and _The Taking of Pelham One Two Three_ , considering all three are among my dad's all-time favorite films, though I don't think he's aware of their relationship.
very much a forerunner for The terminator movies i saw this as a kid in the 70's and still love it today along with a lot of other older scifi movies as in the wake of star Wars TV stations started running all sorts of old Scifi movies and TV series i got to watch such gems as the old Buck Rogers B&W movie serials. P.s Silent running and Rollerball are two 70's scifi movies well worth watching
Nice review. If you are looking for something different to watch and perhaps review, may I suggest the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses Don't They?". It has nothing to do with science fiction. It's a fascinating look into the depression era world of dance marathons.
Great film 🎥
it would have been an excellent opportunity if actor Eric Braeden had done the 2nd and 3rd trilogy of the sci-fi colossus movie.
but being filmed in 1970 seems somewhat outdated by today,s tech standards if by the possibilities of today,s digital evolution
of human society dependence upon machines that an unknown or known a list male female actor could portray author
D.F. JONES Suspenseful sci-fi thriller trilogy of Colossus The Forbin Project which is an enjoyable and thought provoking movie to watch
and hopefully it,s sequel chapters of The Fall Of Colossus and Colossus And The Crab would certainly be a challenge to convey the right story
and updated tone and dialog for the audience to appreciate watching on cinema screen or via streaming on their devices.
An excellent REVIEW Madame Weiselberry. Thanks! 🌹
When you reviewed this movie (one of my Favorites by the way), were you aware of the 'Real' Colossus computer that was build during the last couple of years of WW-II, but was Top Secret until the year 2000. That Colossus was used to crack the German radio cryptography that was critical to a successful D-Day on June 6th, 1944. The primary creator in that case was a UK Mechanical Engineer who worked his entire career (except for the 2 to 3 years he worked for the UK Military during WW-II) as an employee of the Post Office - and of course, due to secrecy, he was NEVER recognized. I like your review and just though you might be interested in how Real Life matches a Movie.
By the way, I just subscribed to your Channel and will be watch other reviews you have on some of my other favorite movies.
Pretty sure I've never seen this, but sounds good. On a similar theme, Svengoolie had "The Creation of the Humanoids" on tonight. Robots trying to take over the world. Thumbs up for The Critical Drinker mention.
Great review!! I am going to be watching this movie soon. Thank you..
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this movie on the Sci Fi channel as a kid in the 90s. 10:55 couldn’t agree more with you perfect comparisons.
Great recommendation. Just watched this for the first time. It was a chilling end.
How Could You Forget About The Matrix? I have no idea why I watch this this is not normally my cup of tea but this popped up on my recommendations and I'm actually glad I did I found it fascinating oh, and your review was quite in-depth and thought-provoking. So I will be binge-watching some of your Past reviews on Old sci-fi which I love.
Well, I did say "among others"! There are certainly thematic elements Colossus and The Matrix have in common, though the films I mentioned struck me as having a more direct correlation, either in specific content or in style. I'm glad you enjoyed the video! I've reviewed quite a few science-fiction films and hope to cover more in the future.
@@Weiselberry I Watched several of your reviews and they're incredibly insightful. And you do not seem to be working from a script,just off the top of your head.I know you probably have bullet points,but well done! How on Earth the Google algorithm suggested you I will never Karma,Fate? And then for me too decided to watch this and as stated before I'm glad I did your channel definitely should be larger.I should have specified,I meant specifically the Animatrix,if you've never seen it definitely check it out it's the backstory on how the humans started the war! There are several short stories giving different perspectives from other resistance bands fighting to save Zion not realizing they're the bad guys all done with different animators with completely different styles. Anime and early CGI and the stories have complex undertones which to me seems very likely somebody like you would definitely pick up on that may not be so obvious to others, but there are clearly obvious moral decisions, that make anyone think what would I do! Also I only watched the reviews on old Sci-Fi,and Rashomon which I haven't watched in decades,but you've inspired me to do so.I next plan on watching your review on your favorite Five Star Trek episodes from the original 1960 series and then your review about westerns that changed your views on westerns.I'm hoping one of those was High Plains Drifter, because to quote Mr. Spock I find your reviews fascinating! To see movies that I love from a completely different perspective, and have a light Shone on things that I never noticed!
Thank you for clarifying--I have not seen The Animatrix. Aw, thanks! I do have a script, but I put a lot of effort into the presentation so I'm not just reading it, and every once in a while I go off-script completely. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the other videos you've checked out!
Thank you so much for this. There is a great catalog that is not reviewed… and looking at your upload list… I can see that you’ve gotten into some of already.
Keep going. Nobody is doing this material. Perfect for your pleasant appraisals.
😘
PS your parents sound like groovy cats (watching The Prisoner )
Superlative review, as always! The only regrettable part (not your fault) is that the DVD you watched (a library loaner?), and from which you took the screenshots, was Universal's older DVD edition, which is pan & scanned from its original (excellent) widescreen Panavision framing. Fortunately, the newer U.S. blu-ray release from Shout Factory rectifies this issue. Of course, I first watched it pan & scan, like you, but in my case on local TV (with commercial breaks) on a Sunday afternoon, as a kid, around 1979-80, and it easily held my attention and left a lasting impression.
Though a very different movie, if the notions of technology and invasion of privacy getting out-of-hand are of particular interest to you, I'd definitely recommend the satirical comedy (with some sci-fi details), THE PRESIDENT'S ANALYST (1967), starring James Coburn, which, like COLOSSUS, is both very much of its time, but also very prescient, in several ways.
Well now I need to track down this movie, looks great!!! Gordon Pinsent is very well known up here in Canada....to folks of certain generations of course, will be very interesting to see him playing the president! I am also not the biggest fan of modern technology, and I just want to say I think you are in fact very cool! The coolest dinosaur I've seen (I mean that sincerely and positively)
I just watched this for the first time and enjoyed hearing your thoughts. Oh, and on the contrary, JW, you ARE cool.
Haha, thanks! :)
was watching the day the earth stood still w/ commentary and they mentioned this movie. i just finished it. the abrupt ending left me kind of baffled so i came online to check what others thought. thanks for reviewing.
Jerome -
You are a delight and I like the fact that you referenced The Critical Drinker, another of my favorite movie critics. Yes, I have seen this film twice and it was partly filmed at the Lawrence Hall of Science at UC Berkeley which I visited when I was a student there. I am still impressed by this more than 50 year old film and you described several of its qualities which still ring true. In our time we have to worry about the greatly accelerating power of Artificial Intelligence. I really appreciate your skepticism about the pervasiveness of technology which is supposedly so good for our "lifestyles". I will never join Facebook and I happen to believe that "social media" is frequently a contradiction in terms.
Thanks again and I will watch your other reviews. I'm sure they will be as insightful as this one.
I love your reviews thank you. you're cool in my books.
I don't think I've ever heard of this movie. I'm going to order the DVD asap, it sounds like something I would love!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
I tried to watch this once back in the 80’s in my teens and didn’t really absorb it back then, but now I see the huge influences for War games Terminator Skynet etc…
This movie is prophetic. If you had asked 1000 people back when it came out if they thought it would come true, 999 would say no way. If you asked 1000 torrow, all would say it's just around the corner. Everything about this movie is excellent!
@FalkinerTim
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"On the other hand, the machine, like the djinnee, which can learn and make decisions based upon its learning , will in no way be obliged to make decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us. For the man who is not aware of this, to throw the problem of his responsibility on the machine, whether it can learn or not, is to cast his responsibility to the winds, and to find it coming back seated on the whirlwind." Norbert Wiener (the father of cybernetics) The Human Use of Human Beings 1950.
I saw C:tFP when it was shown on NBC in a lightly edited version during the mid 1970s. Also clips from the C:tFP were used whenever Night Gallery did a science fiction story and needed some futuristic establishing shots (nothing unethical since both were Universal properties).
That’s interesting- I’ll look for that as I just started working my way through the complete Night Gallery series.
Happy to find your channel!
Wonderful movie, great review. As to the question, "which was first, 2001 or Colossus?" I'd say they bih derive from Mary Shelley, a tale of scientists creating life, and that life is monstrous.
Happy to have you here!
I am here from Critical Drinker! At least, that is the only reason I can imagine your chanel was suggested. All hail the Algorithm! Erm...Colossus!
A very thorough and fascinating analysis of THE FORBIN PROJECT (1970). You might be interested in what I have to say about this movie in a modest review I wrote and published on the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB). I'll see if I can't dig up the link for that for you. I was disappointed in the resolution to the piece and felt it deserved a better ending with a debate between Forbin and the COLOSSUS computer similar to the way Carl Sagan resolved his COSMOS Science Documentary or the stirring speech Orson Welles gave in COMPULSION (1959)...
Braden was an excellent actor. On the Rat Patrol they tended to cast German-American actors to play Germans (who could speak German). However, Braden, who spoke excellent English, spoke the North German dialect, which actors from Bavarian really could not understand.
The odd thing I remember from seeing an episode of The Rat Patrol after I returned from the 1990-'91 Gulf War (and learned GI Arabic) was that the Arab characters spoke actual Arabic, probably in the same way (actors who are native speakers).
Braden was excellent as an arrogant critic who gets hired to work for Mary Richards as on-air talent at WJM in the last season. He was very funny.
That was a big strength of the Forbin character, he was brilliant and kept doing cheeky things to his creation, not without risks.
Very good review of a good, solid movie. The movie has good suspense and good tension. I like understated movies with quiet, reflective characters- as captured at the end with the CIA agent at the missile silo. The movie is based on only the first book and is better than the book. The other books get even weaker, though the "Fall of Colossus" has a good twist at the end. The books get progressively more absurd and over the top. Keep up the good work- your book/movie selections and associated observations are great.
Thanks! I did read the first book a while after I made this video, and I agree: the movie is better. I'm not sure if I'll try the sequels.
I've been a big fan of this feature since its release when I was just a pre-teen (right up to the shocking conclusion)😮 and was mildly disappointed when it did not seem to receive the love as others in this genre,thx,even with it's (then) celebrity-studded cast. Then again I've always liked the B side of the 45 rpm and the greatest operas are tragedies. Later Susan Clark would be hounded by Lieutenant Columbo but that's another retro affair 😅