Soylent Green

Soylent Green fiction,

Soylent Green
theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Fleischer
Produced by	Walter Seltzer Russell Thacher
Written by	Harry Harrison (novel) Stanley R. Greenberg(screenplay)
Starring	Charlton Heston Leigh Taylor-Young Edward G. Robinson
Music by	Fred Myrow
Cinematography	Richard H. Kline
Editing by	Samuel E. Beetley
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	April 19, 1973 (NYC) May 9, 1973 (US)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Soylent Green is a 1973 American science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the brutal murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution, overpopulation, depleted resources, poverty, dying oceans and a hot climate due to the greenhouse effect. Much of the population survives on processed food rations, including "soylent green".

The film, which is loosely based upon the 1966 science fiction novel Make Room! Make Room!, by Harry Harrison, won the Nebula Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and the Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film in 1973.

Plot

In the year 2022, the population has grown to forty million people in New York City alone. Most housing is dilapidated and overcrowded, and the homeless fill the streets and line the fire escapes and stairways of buildings. Food as we know it in present times is a rare and expensive commodity. Most of the world's population survives on processed rations produced by the massive Soylent Corporation, including Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow, which are advertised as "high-energy vegetable concentrates." The newest product is Soylent Green — a small green wafer which is advertised as being produced from "high-energy plankton." It is much more nutritious and palatable than the red and yellow varieties, but it is--like most other food--in short supply, which often leads to food riots.

Ty Thorn (Charlton Heston) is a New York City Police Department detective who lives in a dilapidated, cramped one-room apartment with his aged friend and roommate, Solomon "Sol" Roth (Edward G. Robinson, in his last film). Roth is a former professor who searches through the now-disordered remnants of written records and books to help Thorn's investigations. Roth and his like are known as "books." He tells Thorn about the time before the ecological disaster and population crisis, when real food was plentiful, although Thorn is generally not interested in the stories, finding most of them too hard to believe.

Thorn is assigned to investigate the murder of William Morris Simonson (Joseph Cotten). At the crime scene, he finds Simonson lying in a pool of blood due to being struck multiple times in the back of the head. Instead of looking for clues, the poorly paid detective helps himself to the wealthy man's food, liquor, shower (with real hot water and soap), and books. He questions Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young), an attractive 20-something year old "kept woman" (euphemistically known as "furniture") who comes with the apartment, and Simonson's bodyguard, Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors), who claims that he was told to escort Shirl on a shopping trip when the attack took place.

Returning to his apartment, Thorn gives Roth the Soylent Oceanographic Survey Report, 2015 to 2019, a two-volume work which he took from Simonson's apartment. Thorn returns to work and talks to his superior officer, Lieutenant Hatcher(Brock Peters), telling him that he suspects it may have been an assassination, since nothing was stolen from the apartment and the murder seemed professional. He finds it odd that the luxury apartment's sophisticated alarm and monitoring electronics happened to be inoperative on the night of the murder, and his bodyguard just happened to be out of the apartment at the time.

After questioning Fielding's live-in "furniture," Thorn returns to his own apartment to eat a meal of the purloined food, where Roth tells him that Simonson was a member of the board of directors of the Soylent Corporation. When he presents Roth with a spoon of strawberry jam surreptitiously palmed from Fielding's apartment, Roth tastes it and declares that Fielding's "furniture" is eating some "$150 a jar" strawberry jam, which is an out-of-place luxury for the mistress of a bodyguard. Thorn returns to question Shirl, who tells him that Simonson became deeply troubled in the days before his death, even taking her to church. Thorn later attempts to question the priest about Simonson's confession, but the priest is almost catatonic with exhaustion and has a hard time remembering Simonson, even though Simonson, as a rich man, would have stood out among the impoverished people who normally frequent the church. When the priest remembers Simonson, he tells Thorn the memory of what Simonson told him was haunting him, and is unable to describe what Simonson said to him. Fielding later murders the priest to ensure he never talks. After Thorn begins uncovering evidence as to why Simonson was murdered, New York State's Governor, Joseph Santini(Whit Bissell), who was once Simonson's partner in a high-profile law firm and who is running for re-election(as shown in the campaign posters on such walls as that of Hatcher's office), instructs Hatcher to close the investigation. However, Thorn continues his investigation into the murder. When Thorn is on riot duty during the distribution of rations, Simonson's murderer fires several shots at Thorn, but then the attacker is crushed under the "scoop" of a riot control vehicle.

Roth examines Soylent's oceanographic reports at the "Supreme Exchange," a library and gathering place for fellow "books." The "books" and Roth finally realize that the reports indicate a "horrible" truth which, despite reading it for themselves, they find nearly impossible to believe. Unable to live with what he has uncovered, Roth opts for assisted suicide at a government clinic, a process referred to as "going home." As Roth is dying, he watches video clips of Earth long ago when animal (sheep, deer and horses) and plant life was thriving and there was no pollution, while listening to classical music. Thorn forces the staff to allow him to see and talk to Roth. During Roth's final moments, he begs Thorn to divulge the horrible truth about the Soylent Corporation.

Prompted by Roth, Thorn sneaks into the basement of the assisted suicide facility, where he sees corpses being loaded onto waste disposal trucks. He secretly hitches a ride on one of the trucks, which is driven to a heavily guarded waste disposal plant. Once inside the plant, Thorn sees how the corpses are processed into Soylent Green wafers. Thorn escapes and heads for the "Supreme Exchange," but is ambushed by Fielding and several other gunmen. He retreats into a cathedral filled with homeless people. After a desperate fight through throngs of sleeping homeless, Thorn kills Fielding.

When police backup arrives, the seriously wounded and nearly hysterical Thorn confides to Hatcher the horrible secret behind Soylent Green, finally urging him to spread the word: "Soylent Green is PEOPLE!! We've got to stop them--SOMEHOW!!!"

Cast

Charlton Heston as Thorn

Leigh Taylor-Young as Shirl

Chuck Connors as Tab

Joseph Cotten as Simonson

Brock Peters as Hatcher

Paula Kelly as Martha

Edward G. Robinson as Sol Roth

Stephen Young as Gilbert

Mike Henry as Kulozik

Lincoln Kilpatrick as The Priest

Roy Jenson as Donovan

Leonard Stone as Charles

Whit Bissell as Santini

Celia Lovsky as The Exchange Leader

Dick Van Patten as Usher #1

Production

The screenplay was based on the 1966 Harrison novel Make Room! Make Room!, which is set in the year 1999 with the theme of overpopulation and overuse of resources leading to increasing poverty, food shortages, and social disorder as the next millennium approaches. While the book refers to "soylent steaks," it makes no reference to "Soylent Green," the processed food rations depicted in the film. The book's title was not used for the movie since it might have confused audiences into thinking it was a big-screen version of Make Room for Daddy

The director Richard Fleischer, who began by shooting film noir thrillers after World War II, learned to do special effects in the 1950s and 1960s when he did a number of Science Fiction films such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Fantastic Voyage (1966). In the years before and after Soylent Green, Fleischer did films centering on famous serial killers and capital punishment (1968's The Boston Strangler and 1971's 10 Rillington Place) and the controversial and provocative Che Guevara biopic Che! (1969).

This was the 101st and last movie in which Edward G. Robinson appeared. He died from cancer twelve days after the shooting was done, on January 26, 1973. Heston was the only member of the crew that Robinson told (just before filming the scene of Robinson's character's death). Robinson had previously worked with Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956).

Music

In the film, after the aged Roth learns the truth about Soylent Green, he decides he "has lived too long," and states that he is "going home." By this, he means that he is going to sign up for government-assisted suicide. When Roth arrives at the clinic, he is asked to select a lighting scheme and a type of music for the death chamber. Roth selects orange-hued lights and "light Classical" music. When he goes to the death chamber, a selection of Classical music (Tchaikovsky, Beethoven and Grieg) plays through speakers and films are projected on large screens.

The "going home" score in this part of the film was conducted by Gerald Fried and consists of the main themes from Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique") by Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 ("Pastoral") by Beethoven, and the Peer Gynt Suite ("Morning Mood" and "Åse's Death") by Edvard Grieg. As the music plays, scenes of majestic natural beauty are projected on film screens: "deer in woods, trees and leaves, sunsets beside the sea, birds flying overhead, rolling streams, mountains, fish and coral, sheep and horses, and lots and lots of flowers — from daffodils to dogwoods." Amidst the music and the scenes of nature, Roth remembers the world as it once was. Yet, he cannot peacefully take his last breath as he is pained by the beauty lost and cannot stand the awfulness of the real world. Roth struggles to tell Thorn about the secret of "Soylent Green," urging him to "prove it" before taking his dying breath.

Analysis and impact

Thematic analysis

In the film, police detective Thorn learns of horrifying results of the overpopulation of human beings and agricultural disaster. Thorn is the tragic hero of the film, willing to speak up and resist homogenizing forces as an individual. In the film's depiction of corporate corruption and police complicity in the cover-up, Thorn's morality transcends all those around him as he becomes the sole voice of reason, yet he stands alone. After Thorn learns of the use of human bodies to make food, his main concern is with the future implications: that the Soylent Corporation, the company controlling Earth's food supply, will eventually "raise humans like cattle." After Thorn is shot by Soylent Corporation gunmen, he appears to be mortally wounded, and so his warnings about the horrors he witnessed in the Soylent plant seem to be all for nothing, making him a classic "tragic hero." Those he tells do promise to pass his message on.

In the film, Thorn's assistant Roth "serves as the reminder of better times." The aged researcher, a former professor, tells Thorn about the past, when "'real' food was plentiful and the natural environment thrived." Real food is a symbol of the past; as a result, when Thorn investigates the murder of Simonson, a Soylent board of directors member, Thorn takes "lettuce, tomatoes, apples, celery, onions, and even beef" from the wealthy man's luxury apartment. These rare and expensive luxuries were out of reach for all but the most powerful members of society. When Thorn shows Roth the red filet of beef, Roth weeps at his realization of how much society has lost due to pollution and overpopulation. Now that most humans subsist on processed ration wafers, when Roth sees the "real" food, he asks mournfully, "How did we come to this?.

After Roth discovers that Soylent Green wafers are made from human flesh, and decides to end the horror by signing up for government-assisted suicide, he is shown a montage of beautiful natural images in the death chamber: flowers, deer, mountains, and rivers. When Thorn rushes to the active, voluntary euthanasia clinic to try to stop Roth, he is too late to save his friend, but he is able to share Roth's final moments. In Roth's last minutes alive Thorn shares Roth’s nostalgic moment as Roth asks "Can you see it?" and "Isn’t it beautiful?", which helps Thorn to realize what he and the rest of the world have lost.

Critical response

Soylent Green has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of February, 2010.

Cultural impact

The term "soylent green" and the last line "Soylent Green is people!" became catch phrases, in part due to a Saturday Night Live parody where comedian Phil Hartman parodies Heston's acting in the final scene of the movie.

On the sitcom NewsRadio, in Season 3, Episode 24 titled "Space," newsreader Bill McNeal, played by Phil Hartman does an advertisement for Soylent Green which he closes with the line; "Made from the best stuff on Earth -- people!"

Soilent Green is a grindcore and sludge band formed in 1988 that hails from New Orleans, USA. They are signed to Relapse Records USA.

Soylent Green is referred to in a number of television series and other media, either for dramatic or comedic effect. The film was referenced in an episode of the US television sitcom Barney Miller (1975–1982), which was set in a New York City police station in Greenwich Village.

The animated American sitcom Futurama, which is set in the year 3000, presents soylent based foods as being normal parts of human diet, with their cannibalistic nature fully accepted. The show, created by Matt Groening, depicts billboards that advertise a variety of "soylent" foods, including "soylent cola" (the taste of which, according to Leela, "varies from person to person"). In "The 30% Iron Chef", Bender takes part in a cooking contest in which the contest theme ingredient is soylent green.

Groening also makes references to soylent green food in several episodes of the animated comedy show The Simpsons, including in an episode which parodies the film by depicting a food shortage in an overcrowded elementary school detention hall, and Abraham Simpson also attempts assisted suicide by 'Die-pod' in a similar fashion to Roth, unsuccessfully.[citation needed] In Itchy and Scratchy: The Movie, a scene depicts Bart (now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) and Homer seeing the Itchy and Scratchy Movie in the year 2032. Homer passes somebody asking for "one Soylent Green, hold the butter", and replies, "Mmm...Soylent Green."

In Doublemeat Palace, an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy suspects that the meat used at her new job at the local fast food joint is in fact people—she runs through the customer seating area knocking food off people's trays repeatedly yelling "it's people!"

"Soylent Bars" are also available for replenshing energy in the game Deus Ex.

In the American crime drama television series Millennium (1996–1999), the main character Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) uses the phrase "Soylent Green is people" as a login to the Millennium Group Database.

German industrial band :wumpscut: has a song called "Soylent Green" and incorporates samples from the dubbed German film.

Australian comedian Shaun Micallef makes frequent references to Soylent Green in his various projects, including Micallef Tonight, The Micallef Program and Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation.

Soylent Green is mentioned in the Electric six song "Bite Me" from their second album Señor Smoke.

In the Nickelodeon cartoon series Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, the garbage trunks at the dump under which the monsters live have "SOILENT GREENE" painted on the sides.

In the Japanese RPG, Xenogears, there exist a location called the Soylent System where the corpses are turned into food products.

In the song by Jonathan Coulton called "Chiron Beta Prime," he makes reference to humans enslaved by robot overlords, who feed them Soylent Green.

In the DLC campaign for Left 4 Dead 2, The Passing, Zoey sometimes proclaims "And remember, Soylent Green is people!"

Soylent Green was parodied in Operation: H.O.M.E., an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door. Numbuh 3 decides to put her My First Rainbow Monkey (which she has had since she was a baby) in a retirement home. But it soon turns out that Nurse Claiborne is using Rainbow Monkeys to make a popular cereal called Rainbow Munchies and tricked Numbuh 3 and Numbuh 5 into believing it was a retirement home for Rainbow Monkeys (Numbuh 3 makes a reference to the final scene of the movie when she exclaims "Rainbow Munchies is Rainbow Monkeys?!"). In the end, Numbuh 5 punishes Nurse Claiborne by forcing her to fix all the Rainbow Monkeys by hand all by herself.

Soylent Green was also parodied in an episode of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law when Phil Ken Sebben raided the firm's cafeteria screaming 'It's people! The Mediterranean wrap is people!' referencing the famous scene. Later realizing that the ingredient was merely baba ganoush.

(source:wikipedia)