Forty-three years ago, Norman Jewison made a film
about future where governments are gone and whole world rules by corporations. They
control all sides of life: food, medicine, transport and of course sport. The
big popularity of the last has a rollerball. The game is not only famous in running
for ball on roller skates and motorcycles on a round arena, but also happening cruel
scenes between players.
In this film, as we can see, the Earth a
peaceful place without troubles with a famine and deceases, where the last war
was a far time ago and it was between corporations. Also we can see a some of authoritarian
elements when hero of the film Jonathan E tries in libraries to find an
information about Corporate Wars. Books is part of past now and all information
went to a computer system.
Society became indifferent to life. Similar
to kids they’re using a gun as a toy and when a bursting shell was shot near to
them – only laugh from their mouths and no thought about a vulnerability. A
non-stop smiling doctor easily ready to take a life and he only asks your sign.
In “Rollerball” a woman is using as a
furniture for man (similar function they have in other flick of seventies “Soylent
Green”.) and like any thing is changing. No one female has an against word on
this.
The film occurs in 2018. Now is this year as
we remember. I’ll take only a Western civilization model, because a peace are
different and action of “Rollerball” happens in those countries eventually.
We still have governments, but authors didn’t
make a mistake on corporations. They have a great influence on all spheres of
life. If you want to get a salary – you must open an account in one of them
banks. Troubles with health – pay one of them for treatment. When you’re
watching news this network belongs to one of corporations. Any device that you’re
using were created in one of those corporations. Any film studio is part of
conglomerate now – the structure controls different industries. In modern world
everything went to a business where no place for art and only for money. Corporations
had influence on politic before “Rollerball”, but not on all. Any sport game is
about business in 2018 as going FIFA World Cup shows it from beginning.
We haven’t the rollerball, but have a mixed
martial arts in cruelty. Full contact fight on near to bare hands with all
almost possible tactics except kick under belly and to a knee.
In wars, the planet isn’t a peaceful. In
Syria and Iraq goes different struggles between many sides inside of one nation,
Kurdish nation wishing the independence, bordering and far-away countries have
their goals. Not quiet in Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and sometimes happen bloody
collides between Israel and Palestine. Many conflicts in Africa and Asia. The government
of Mexico more ten years fights with drug cartels. Role corporations in wars lies
through private military companies as infamous Academi (Blackwater in past.).
Of course, examples with corporations not connected with armed weapons also
exist as it was before “Rollerball” with, for example, notoriously United Fruit
Company’s actions in Latin America, but cases similar to the film are never
happen.
In reality the troubles with starving people
are staying on sharp position and the last news talking about Yemen and Africa.
Medicine went far since 1975 and found a cure
from some stages of cancer and AIDS (in time of film this word didn’t exist.),
but not ideal as in “Rollerball”.
Today at home, you can find any information
and read any book from the device. Paper format is still exist, but not a
popular. Everything is going to take a digital form as similar was in film.
However, you mustn’t go to somewhere and asking a machine to find something
when it possible to do through a computer or a smartphone. The United States
isn’t have the authoritarian control, but some books can’t to appear because it
goes against politician views of men who belong to it, for example. In books
were written long time ago you can’t find in libraries, because can contain description
of sexual scenes, drug using, offensive language and et cetera what goes versus
their puritanical and political correct life.
NB. Also in curse words,
American Library Association including “nigger”, which can’t be a swear,
because it always meant a description of man of black race. It looks strange when
representors of those people use that word between talks with themselves. “Wrong
words” in books are correcting as it was in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn of
Mark Twain and Ten Little Niggers of Agatha Christie was changed on And Then
There Were Gone. Same as rewrite history.
Fortunately, most of the Western people aren’t
indifferent to others, but society of 2018 has an own negative sides. It
expresses in far positions to minorities, women and non-white races. You can be
sued if say without any curse just a little disagreement in any aspect with those
kind of people. Free of views are very problematic thing now as shows the win
of Donald Trump on the last presidential election where disappointed in result
people wished the impeachment to incumbent when in past after this event everything
went to quiet. Modern society is subject of sissy, some share of infantilism
and faith to socialism.
“Rollerball” appeared in cinemas 25th June
1975. In same day, forty-three years later, after re-watch of the film, I look
back on 2018 in the movie representation and in the fact. Would I prefer 2018
created by William Harrison and directed by Norman Jewison? Definitely so! Some
things aren’t good as existence of authoritarian elements, attitude to women
and indifferent society, but not all people similar to that. A lot of them with
a commonsense. I like this world for absence of the smartphones and far
political correct society. About personal taste, I’ll say that interior of home
of Jonathan E, buildings, inside appointments are more likeable than contemporary
design which tries to be a specific, but uncomfortable and too fast is becoming
a tedious. However, but most of all, I like 2018 in view of “Rollerball”,
because I never see the sportsman who can go against of corporation (in real
cases also a dictatorship country.). Who prefers honor to career and willn’t participate
in games are taking a place in a criminal state.
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