Soylent Green (1973)

A nightmarish futuristic fantasy about the controlling power of big corporations and an innocent cop who stumbles on the truth.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Stanley R. Greenberg (screenplay), Harry Harrison (novel)

Stars:

Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson, Leigh Taylor-Young

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlton Heston	...	Detective Thorn
Leigh Taylor-Young	...	Shirl
Chuck Connors	...	Tab Fielding
Joseph Cotten	...	William R. Simonson
Brock Peters	...	Chief Hatcher
Paula Kelly	...	Martha
Edward G. Robinson	...	Sol Roth
Stephen Young	...	Gilbert
Mike Henry	...	Kulozik
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	The Priest
Roy Jenson	...	Donovan
Leonard Stone	...	Charles
Whit Bissell	...	Gov. Santini
Celia Lovsky	...	The Exchange Leader
Dick Van Patten	...	Usher #1

Storyline

In 2022, Earth is overpopulated and totally polluted; the natural resources have been exhausted and the nourishment of the population is provided by Soylent Industries, a company that makes a food consisting of plankton from the oceans. In New York City, when Soylent's member of the board William R. Simonson is murdered apparently by a burglar at the Chelsea Towers West where he lives, efficient Detective Thorn is assigned to investigate the case with his partner Solomon "Sol" Roth. Thorn comes to the fancy apartment and meets Simonson's bodyguard Tab Fielding and the "furniture" (woman that is rented together with the flat) Shirl and the detective concludes that the executive was not victim of burglary but executed. Further, he finds that the Governor Santini and other powerful men want to disrupt and end Thorn's investigation. But Thorn continues his work and discovers a bizarre and disturbing secret of the ingredient used to manufacture Soylent Green.

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Plot Keywords:

cannibalism | dystopia | overpopulation | conspiracy | food | 

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Taglines:

People need it...in the year 2022.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Thorn informs the priest in the overcrowded church that Simonson is dead, the priest says, "There should be a requiem Mass, but there's no room. Should I make room?" This is a wink to the source novel "Make Room! Make Room!" by Harry Harrison.

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Goofs

After Sol's Death, Thorn follows the bodies in the trucks by riding on top of one of the trucks. At a gate, the driver of the truck he is riding on exits the truck and replaced by a man dressed in all black. The truck doesn't pass any other gates or check points but after dumping it's load, as the truck pulls away, the driver of the truck is now a man in white again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Voice over PA: First stage removal. First stage removal. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour. Streets prohibited to non-permits in one hour.

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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.

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Connections

Referenced in WCW/NWO The Great American Bash (1998)

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Soundtracks

Trio in E-flat K. 498 'Kegelstatt': I. Andante
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

User Reviews

Very believable.

This movie paints a very bleak future for planet Earth. What makes this movie so good is that the future seen may very well be a reality someday. A poisoned environment, an overpopulated planet and total disregard for human life all seem to be in there early stages today. Soylent Green is a very good and very believable film.

Details

Official Sites:

HBOMAX Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 May 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Make Room! Make Room!

Filming Locations:

The Promenade Marina City Club Apartments, 4333 Admiralty Way, Marina Del Rey, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1