Soylent Green
The hope of infinite growth and prosperity and possibility without limit is a dream, a myth, with the resources required to fund it by definition limited and controlled by a few, waste building up in any unmanaged system and demand outpacing the ability to adapt, those at the top skimming the cream as they look down on those whose shoulders they sit upon, trampling the little people who have to make do with less, scrambling to survive.
In a world of dust it is easy to be tempted even by scraps; the population of New York City now 40,000,000 people with unemployment at fifty percent, unsympathetic Detective Robert Thorn clings to his job but is not averse to exploiting his position, knowing the penalty for striking a police officer means it is not worth the risk in a world tainted by pollution, homelessness, food and power shortages, leaving him effectively untouchable, taking whatever he covets.
Assigned to investigate the murder of one of the privileged elite, William R Simonson, his wealth conspicuous he was an obvious target for a thief, a burglary gone wrong, but Thorn feels that something is off, the incident tied with an outage of the security systems and nothing taken from the luxury apartment, further investigation revealing hidden ties between the victim and both the Soylent Corporation and the city governor, Henry Santini.
Based on Harry Harrison’s 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! and shifting the narrative from 1999 to 2022, Soylent Green, its name taken from the artificial subsistence foodstuff upon which the population is dependent, a miracle high-protein blend of chemicals and plankton which takes its name from soy and lentil, it was adapted for Richard Fleisher, director of the science fiction classics 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Fantastic Voyage, by Stanley R Greenberg.
Released in 1973, having previously worked with Charlton Heston on hostage thriller Skyjacked, Greenberg tailored the role to his star, brusque, masculine and unrefined, essentially the same character he played in Planet of the Apes and The Omega Man based on the novels by Pierre Boule and Richard Matheson, his shortcomings as an actor part of the story and balanced by his co-stars who give more depth, particularly Edward G Robinson in his final film as mentor Solomon Roth and The Andromeda Strain’s Paula Kelly as Martha Fielding, revelling in a rare jar of strawberry jam.
Hollywood tough guy Chuck Connors giving a surprisingly natural performance as bodyguard Tab Fielding, Simonson’s prestige apartment is provided with luxury “furniture” in the appealing form of Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young), while Star Trek guest stars Whit Bissell, Brock Peters and Celia Lovsky are Santini, Chief Hatcher, Thorn’s superior who warns him off the case, and the keeper of records at “the Exchange,” an archive of written material which holds the clues to the conspiracy, if they can be pieced together.
The title of the novel paraphrased by Lincoln Kilpatrick’s desperate priest, drowning even as he attempts to help the needy, Soylent Green is a grimly recognisable dystopia which stands as a companion piece to Silent Running and Logan’s Run, warning of environmental responsibility, consumption and population control, the last tree in Gramercy Park in a protected sanctuary, a film whose final scene, like The Wicker Man or The Empire Strikes Back, is known to even those who have never seen it, Thorn’s cry unheeded as was Kevin McCarthy’s in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the world moving on as lies are repeated to comfort and control the masses.
Restored from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, the new edition contains a single new supporting feature, a commentary by film historian Michael Brooke and author Johnny Mains, alongside a plethora of vintage material, an archive commentary by Fleischer and Taylor-Young, separate interviews of Heston and Fleischer at the BFI, a promotional behind-the-scenes reel and, most endearing, the on-set celebration of the legendary Robinson as he worked on his 101st motion picture, a trailer and a gallery.
Soylent Green will be available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray from Arrow from Monday 27th July
