In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.In a corporate-controlled future, an ultra-violent sport known as Rollerball represents the world, and one of its powerful athletes is out to defy those who want him out of the game.
- Won 1 BAFTA Award
- 4 wins & 5 nominations total
- Bartholomew's Aide
- (as Rick Le Parmentier)
- Madrid Biker #1
- (uncredited)
- Houston Team Rookie
- (uncredited)
- Biker
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writer
- William Harrison(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis is one of the first films ever to include the stunt performers' names in the final credits.
- GoofsAt the beginning of the New York game, after in many moments of the film where different characters have repeated that there would have been "no time limit", the scoreboard shows the countdown (starting from 20.00). However, this is not actually a goof, as the game was still going to have 20-minute periods, but there was going to be no limit to the number of periods; hence, "no time limit".
- Quotes
Bartholomew: Sweet dreams, Moonpie. That's a bad habit you've got there. You know what that habit will make you dream, Moonpie? You'll dream you're an executive. You'll have your hands on all the controls, and you will wear a gray suit, and you will make decisions. But you know what, Moonpie? You know what those executives dream about out there behind their desks? They dream they're great Rollerballers. They dream they're Jonathan; they have muscles, they bash in faces.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Brubaker (1980)
- SoundtracksToccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565
(uncredited)
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Simon Preston and the London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by André Previn
Now, having just watched the movie twice in a night, the second time with the director's commentary, I have finally got to grips with the scenes between the action, and discovered that I like it more than ever. The view of the future is not highly original; tipping its hat to the stratified societies foreseen by Orwell and Huxley, amongst others; but nevertheless the portrayal is engaging. Jewison astutely realised that only by filling in the image of the future society, the characters, and the political background against which the tournament unfolds, would the game be seen as truly REAL for the characters. In the meanwhile, he also has the chance to build suspense, upping the stakes for both the heroic gladiator/combateur Jonathon, and his would-be puppet master Bartholemew. In this way, when we come to watch the actual contests, our enthusiasm is whetted, and by making the rules progressively more dangerous with each passing game, the stakes grow ever higher.
The central themes of the movie are (i) loss-of-soul/nihilism/sensual-vs-spiritual-happiness, and (ii) individuality vs state control. Perhaps the best scenes elucidating these themes are the famous `tree killing' scene, and the conversation between Jonathon and Ella in the forest. The use of imagery and metaphor is widespread; I will mention only the terrific concept of the roulette wheel as game arena, with the players INSIDE, instead of outside; and the Circus Maximus parallel. You may draw many interesting conclusions from this about the director's and writer's intent.
My final word is: watch it once, soak up the action, and be bored by the rest. Then view it again, feel yourself in Jonathon's dilemma, experience his wrenching disappointment with the people in his life who betray him, and try to tear yourself away if you can as he is pushed inexorably to his fate in the arena of ROLLERBALL.
- nico_wabe
- Aug 2, 2001
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Роллербол
- Filming locations
- BMW Building, Munich, Bavaria, Germany(Energy Corporation headquarters)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $6,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.75 : 1
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