Starring:  Charlton Heston

Running Time:  97 minutes

Release Date:  May 9, 1973

Yes, indeed, it's the year 2022 and the world is suffering from global warming, overpopulation, an abundance of poverty, few crops, and few animals in existence.  The only people who can afford such luxuries are--you guessed it--the rich.  Everyone else is forced to eat soy products produced by the mega-corporation Soylent Corporation.  Soylent Green is its newest product (proceeding Soylent Red and Soylent Yellow), produced from plankton.

Charlton Heston stars as the antihero, semi-dirty cop Robert Thorn who finds himself investigating the murder of one of Soylent Corporation's highest executives.  Thorn's suspicions begin early on, when he realizes that the victim William R. Simonson doesn't seem to have struggled during the encounter.  However, over-worked and underpaid, Detective Thorn helps himself to many of the dead man's amenities--including the "furniture girl," a young prostitute who is included with the apartment and must remain after her patron's death.  Heston does well as a man who has nothing to live for, but nothing to die for either.  Hence, at times the audience finds his behavior completely understandable, and at other times he can be crude and violent.  His dedication to the case is strengthened by erratic and suspicious treatment he receives from those somehow connected to the Soylent Corporation.

Who is behind Mr. Simonson's death--and what does that have to do with Soylent's products?

This movie displays great foresight into what would be nearly our present.  Of course, its predictions are a little too soon and it neglects any major technological advancements.  Not attempting to give the movie too much credit, but I am assuming that this is because their economy wouldn't be able to profit from an influx of technology no one could afford.  Where there is technology, it is huge and clunky--usually gray or brown in hue.  I'm assuming this is due to budget constraints.

Another of the movie's faults?  It looks like the 70's version of the future.  The hairstyles and clothing are nearly the same as they would have been when the movie was in production.  Many science fiction films are guilty of this, yet it never ceases to frustrate me.

Check out the following trailer:

Essentially, Soylent Green is a very American cowboy-structured film meant to be a warning to the inevitable environmental factors that could possibly lead to humanity's demise.  Less than one percent of the Earth's species are documented and studied.  And in the next thirty to forty years, a great deal (possibly 40%) of species will be extinct due to drastic environmental change.

Ben Hur must rate very highly in anyone's ranking when it comes to a real epic tale, wrapped up with all that splendour and spectacle. It is no mean feat to turn out a movie like this and even those who aren't attracted to the story content of Ben Hur, can't deny the sheer artistry that went into the making of it.

It's the seventh year of Augustus Caesar's reign and in the Jews from Judea are making their way to their home cities for the census. A bright star in the Eastern sky announces the birth of Jesus Christ. A few years later a Roman Commander, Messala, who grew up in Judea, takes control of the area. His boyhood friend Ben Hur is there to meet him.

Ben Hur refuses to name Jewish patriots and is sent away on a slave galley and his mother is imprisoned. Ben Hur's search for revenge and to find his mother and sister are mixed in with biblical stories like the Sermon on The Mount and The Crucifixion.

The most memorable scenes are the chariot race where Ben Hur is pitted against Messala and the violent sea battle in the galleys.

The stars of this movie as Charlton Heston as Ben Hur, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet and Hugh Griffith. The director of Ben Hur was William Wyler and the composer of the fabulous soundtrack is Miklos Rozsa.

Ben Hur is the one movie everyone thinks of when they talk about a Biblical epic. It is certainly over done and much too long but it has earned itself a place in Hollywood history. The movie is 50 years old but it is still intensely watchable and somehow captivating with its hundreds of different sets and huge number of extras. It cost a small fortune to produce but its magnificence as a Hollywood production still holds good today.

Ben Hur Title Music 1959

Ben Hur On The Galley Ship