OUT OF COMPETITION

Vertiges

Rollerball

Norman Jewinson
1975 - United States - 2h05
int. -12 ans

Screenings : monday 22 - 7:30 pm - Pathé - 1 - presented by Gautier Roos - journalist

In the year 2018, corporate executives have replaced politicians, and countries have been replaced by six global departments: Energy, Luxury, Food, Housing, Communications and Transport. With this organisation, everyone enjoys unrivalled material comfort. But a peaceful society needs to purge the violent impulses of its members. That is why Rollerball was created, a highly violent sport that combines hockey, boxing and American football...

“William Harrison had only giving a sketchy outline of Rollerball in his short story. Jewison and his team spent a great deal of time literally designing the environment and rules of the game. Rollerball exacerbates the most brutal aspects of roller derby, ice hockey and American football, and incorporates more unexpected elements such as motorised vehicles. The various elements of the game were shot in the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle (now the Audi Dome), the only circular track in the world at the time. The steadycam was not yet widely used and a hand-held camera was used to film the Rollerball jousts (performed by skilled stuntmen, experienced sportsmen and also actors, including James Caan who performed his own stunts). Jewison manages to capture the speed and brutality of the action with an impressive sense of movement, helped by the sterling work of editor Anthony Gibbs (with almost 900 cuts, a record at the time). The further the plot progresses, with the corporation taking control of the game (and the rules changing according to its desires and the public's thirst for blood), the more jarring its illustration becomes with the multitude of inserts on the fouls committed. The opening game of the film has a theatricality which underpins the spectacular, while beneath the violence the sport itself nevertheless seems to demand a form of strategy and virtuosity. When the political stakes take precedence over the show, only barbarity remains dominant, particularly in the terrible final massacre of which Jonathan is the target.” (Justin Kwedi; Dvdclassik.com)

CAST AND CREW

Cast : James Caan , John Houseman, Maud Adams, John Beck, Moses Gunn, Pamela Hensley
Screenplay : William Harrison
Cinematography : Douglas Slocombe
Editing : Antony Gibbs

Production : Algonquin, United Artists

French distributor : Park Circus