Search - Rollerball on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language Movie Release: 1975 DVD Release: 03/10/1998 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Studio: MGM Total Copies: 6 Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action, Sports Drama

In the year 2018 violence has been outlawed and corporations have replaced government as the ruling party following the demise of politics. With the absence of war or conflict, a forcibly passive population's bloodlust is satisfied by a brutal new sport known as Rollerball. A high-octane melding of the outlawed sports of the past, the worldwide phenomenon of Rollerball has resulted in a corporate-backed sensation. The most popular athlete in the world, Jonathan E. (James Caan) has steadily risen through the ranks to become a legendary veteran of the sport. When the corporate backers of Rollerball begin to fear that Jonathan's popularity has instilled him with a potentially dangerous amount of power, a thunderous struggle between man's free will and the oppression of the masses threatens to shatter the fragile strings that the puppet masters use to manipulate mankind. His determination to remain with the sport flying in the face of the very reason Rollerball was conceived, the corporate rulers hatch a plot to abandon the rules in hopes that Jonathan will be killed and their grip of power will remain an unyielding chokehold on an increasingly bloodthirsty populace. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

James Caan - Jonathan E.
John Houseman - Bartholomew
Maud Adams - Ella
John Beck - Moonpie
Moses Gunn - Cletus

The Canadian director Norman Jewison got the idea for the futuristic world of Rollerball after seeing hockey fans go wild at the sight of blood on the ice. But while the film was meant as a warning against such spectator bloodlust, this DVD edition shows that Rollerball works best on a violent, visceral level. Included in this edition is the original promotional "making of" documentary from 1975 and Jewison's slightly unfocused commentary on a separate audio track. While he does a decent job of walking viewers through the making of the film, his voice over doesn't share the verve or insight that he put into his Thomas Crown Affair DVD commentary. Jewison states that, to his dismay, filmgoers ended up loving the violence in Rollerball. Investors even approached him about creating a league for the rollerball game that was invented especially for the film. Jewison's comments mirror the fact that the incredible sets, the film's look, and the excitement of the game itself all work better than the muddled dramatic elements. Indeed, Rollerball's greatest scenes involve the playing of the game itself; the movie shows how cheap and tacky the computerized violence of such modern films as Ridley Scott's similar Gladiator seem in comparison. So while Rollerball fails as science fiction, the film remains quite powerful nevertheless. The DVD features a spotless widescreen transfer, a new Dolby Digital 5.0 soundtrack, and a diverting interactive "Rollergame." ~ Nick Dedina, All Movie Guide