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IMDbPro

Soylent Green

  • 19731973
  • PGPG
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,805
159
Soylent Green (1973)
Trailer for this classic sci-fi thriller
Play trailer3:27
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Mystery
  • Sci-Fi
A nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.A nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.A nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
64K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,805
159
  • Director
    • Richard Fleischer
  • Writers
    • Stanley R. Greenberg(screenplay)
    • Harry Harrison(novel "Make Room! Make Room!")
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Edward G. Robinson
    • Leigh Taylor-Young
Top credits
  • Director
    • Richard Fleischer
  • Writers
    • Stanley R. Greenberg(screenplay)
    • Harry Harrison(novel "Make Room! Make Room!")
  • Stars
    • Charlton Heston
    • Edward G. Robinson
    • Leigh Taylor-Young
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 332User reviews
    • 119Critic reviews
    • 66Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Soylent Green
    Trailer 3:27
    Soylent Green

    Photos200

    Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston in Soylent Green (1973)
    Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green (1973)
    Stephen Young in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston and Brock Peters in Soylent Green (1973)
    Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston and Leigh Taylor-Young in Soylent Green (1973)
    Charlton Heston and Chuck Connors in Soylent Green (1973)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Charlton Heston
    Charlton Heston
    • Detective Thornas Detective Thorn
    Edward G. Robinson
    Edward G. Robinson
    • Sol Rothas Sol Roth
    Leigh Taylor-Young
    Leigh Taylor-Young
    • Shirlas Shirl
    Chuck Connors
    Chuck Connors
    • Tab Fieldingas Tab Fielding
    Joseph Cotten
    Joseph Cotten
    • William R. Simonsonas William R. Simonson
    Brock Peters
    Brock Peters
    • Chief Hatcheras Chief Hatcher
    Paula Kelly
    Paula Kelly
    • Marthaas Martha
    Stephen Young
    Stephen Young
    • Gilbertas Gilbert
    Mike Henry
    Mike Henry
    • Kulozikas Kulozik
    Lincoln Kilpatrick
    Lincoln Kilpatrick
    • The Priestas The Priest
    Roy Jenson
    Roy Jenson
    • Donovanas Donovan
    Leonard Stone
    Leonard Stone
    • Charlesas Charles
    Whit Bissell
    Whit Bissell
    • Gov. Santinias Gov. Santini
    Celia Lovsky
    Celia Lovsky
    • The Exchange Leaderas The Exchange Leader
    Dick Van Patten
    Dick Van Patten
    • Usher #1as Usher #1
    Morgan Farley
    Morgan Farley
    • Book #1as Book #1
    John Barclay
    John Barclay
    • Book #2as Book #2
    Belle Mitchell
    Belle Mitchell
    • Book #3as Book #3
    • Director
      • Richard Fleischer
    • Writers
      • Stanley R. Greenberg(screenplay)
      • Harry Harrison(novel "Make Room! Make Room!")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scene where Thorn and Roth share a meal of fresh food was not originally in the script, but was ad-libbed by Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson at director Richard Fleischer's request.
    • Goofs
      The piece of meat Shirl buys for Simonson is clearly not the same piece Thorn unwraps in front of Sol.
    • Quotes

      Sol: [Thorn is seeing the beautiful images shown in Sol's euthanasia chamber] Can you see it?

      Det. Thorn: [choked up] Yes...

      Sol: Isn't it beautiful?

      Det. Thorn: Oh, yes...

      Sol: I told you.

      Det. Thorn: [humbly] How could I know? How could I... how could I ever imagine?

    • Alternate versions
      Deleted scene: When Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors) goes shopping with Shirl, he is mugged, and wins the fight. This scene was filmed, but deleted.
    • Connections
      Edited from Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)
    • Soundtracks
      Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op.74: 'Pathetique': I. Adagio - Allegro non Troppo
      Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

    User reviews332

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Soylent Green Is...
    The world of the 1973 sci-fi drama SOYLENT GREEN is what we could be seeing if we aren't careful. It is a world in which New York City's population has topped the 40 million mark in the year 2022. Overpopulation, air pollution, year-long heat waves, and food shortages are the rule. The only hope comes from a food product called Soylent Green. But what is this particular food stuff really made of? That question is at the heart of this admittedly somewhat dated but still intriguing film, based on Harry Harrison's 1966 novel "Make Room! Make Room!" Charlton Heston stars as Thorne, an NYPD detective who comes across the murder of a top corporate executive (Joseph Cotten). As it turns out, Cotten was on the board of directors of the Soylent Corporation, the people responsible for all those food stuffs that the people have to consume in lieu of the real thing. Heston believes that this wasn't just a garden-variety murder, that Cotten was bumped off for a reason. He gets a lot of help from his slightly cantankerous but very astute "book" (Edward G. Robinson, in his 101st and final cinematic appearance), and a few timely reminders of what the world used to be like. What Robinson finds out about Soylent Green shocks him beyond all imagination; but before he can tell Heston all of what he knows, he has himself euthanized. And when Heston does indeed find out the secret of Soylent Green...well, that part has become immortalized into cinematic history.

    Under the very professional guiding hand of director Richard Fleischer (THE BOSTON STRANGLER; FANTASTIC VOYAGE), SOYLENT GREEN is a fairly grim but thought-provoking look at a Dystopian future that humanity might be living if we don't curb our tendency to strip our planet of its natural resources. Indeed, this was a project that Heston himself had had in mind for filming as far back as 1968, after he had struck gold in the sci-fi genre with PLANET OF THE APES--a fact that probably gets lost whenever his ultra-conservative political philosophy comes up in conversation (after all, SOYLENT GREEN is hardly a tract for unrestrained capitalism). Robinson, as always, is the consummate professional in his last role; the sequence where he is euthanized (as he looks at video of the world from a better era, set to the music of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Grieg) is quite simply heartbreaking. The film also benefits from solid supporting help from Chuck Connors (as a very convincing heavy), Brock Peters (as Heston's superior), and Leigh Taylor-Young as the woman who tries to help Heston in his inquiries.

    It must seem easy these days to dismiss SOYLENT GREEN for being dated. But those who do it ought to think twice; for this film's world may end up becoming ours in actuality if we don't watch what we do with what we have today.
    helpful•21
    11
    • virek213
    • Jul 25, 2007

    FAQ8

    • Who killed William R. Simonson & why?
    • Why did Martha Get scared when she looked down and saw the spoon when Detective Thorn was at her apartment?
    • Is "Soylent Green" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 9, 1973 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • HBOMAX
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Make Room! Make Room!
    • Filming locations
      • Chevron Refinery Power Generating Station, 300 Vista del Mar, El Segundo, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $210
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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