12 September 2006

Soylent Green (1973)

this page is dedicated to Alex 'Buum' Boerema


a set of screenshots taken from:
































Directed by
Richard Fleischer

Tagline:
It's the year 2022... People are still the same. They'll do anything to get what they need. And they need SOYLENT GREEN.

Plot synopsis:Charlton Heston plays Detective Thorn. Thorn is one of the few "good" New York cops in the famine-ravaged year of 2022. At this point in the future, overpopulation is problem number one, so much so that Thorn has to climb over a carpet of sleeping bodies every time he takes the stairs outside his apartment. To feed the sprawling masses, new types of food have been introduced by the Soylent corporation, which distinguishes between the various soy and plankton products by color. Soylents red and yellow have been joined by a new flavor, soylent green, which is "made from the finest undersea growth."

Thorn, a homicide detective, is called upon to investigate the death of William Simonson (Joseph Cotten), one of the highest members of the Soylent corporation. Although it initially looks like the work of a burglar who broke into Simonson's apartment, Thorn uncovers facts that reveal Simonson's death to have been an assassination. Thorn is occasionally assisted in his investigation by Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young), a young woman who lives in the apartment as "furniture" for its tenant. Shirl's presence is not the only indication that Simonson was a rich man: the apartment has hot running water, plenty of real food, and books made from real paper. Thorn is a good cop, but he's not above "liberating" as many of these amenities as he can during the course of the investigation -- including Shirl.Thorn takes all the evidence he can find back to his "book," a sort of live-in researcher for detectives, named Sol. Sol (Edward G. Robinson in his final role) remembers the world before the famine struck. "When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere!" he says. Thorn, who has no such memories, humors him and brings him what small luxuries he can in exchange for Sol's services. Sol is our link to this sordid future; he is as horrified as we are at the state of the world. He is also as disbelieving and frustrated as we might be with those who accept the state of things in this bleak horror-show of a life. [source: stomptokyo.com]


Cast:
Charlton Heston.... Detective Robert Thorn
Leigh Taylor-Young.... Shirl
Chuck Connors.... Tab Fielding
Joseph Cotten.... William R. Simonson
Brock Peters.... Lt. Hatcher, Chief of Detectives
Paula Kelly.... Martha Phillips
Edward G. Robinson.... Sol Roth
Stephen Young.... Gilbert
Mike Henry.... Sgt. Kulozik
Lincoln Kilpatrick.... Father Paul
Roy Jenson.... State Security Chief Donovan
Leonard Stone.... Supt. Charles
Whit Bissell.... Gov. Santini
Celia Lovsky.... Exchange Leader
Dick Van Patten.... Usher #1
Morgan Farley.... Book #1
John Barclay.... Book #2
Belle Mitchell.... Book #3
Cyril Delevanti.... Book #4
Forrest Wood.... Attendant
Faith Quabius.... Attendant
Jane Dulo.... Mrs. Santini
Tim Herbert.... Brady
John Dennis.... Wagner
Jan Bradley.... Bandana Woman
Carlos Romero.... New Tenant
Pat Houtchens.... Fat Guard
Joyce Williams.... Furniture Girl
Erica Hagen.... Furniture Girl
Beverly Gill.... Furniture Girl
Suesie Eejima.... Furniture Girl
Cheri Howell.... Furniture Girl
Kathy Silva.... Furniture Girl
Jennifer King.... Furniture Girl
Marion Charles.... Furniture Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Robert Ito.... Shoe seller (uncredited)
Ida Mae McKenzie.... Woman Calling for Revolution (uncredited)
Richard Sterne.... TV announcer (uncredited)