So this week over at Star Trek Re-watch we reviewed the third season episode, The Mark Of Gideon and that put me in the mood for an overpopulation story done correctly. The best overpopulation film is the 1973 classic Soylent Green. Even if you disagree withe presumptions and politics of this film it is still one of the best Sf films out of Hollywood.

As I stated when I made Rollerball my Sunday Night Movie a while back, the 1970’s were a time for thoughtful and intelligent SF movies. Soylent Green is special beyond that because it is part of the Charlton Heston trifecta of SF movies, Planet Of The Apes, Soylent Green, and The Omega Man. These were A-list films not cheap sci-fi tossed off for the teenager drive-in market.

Soylent Green is set in the year 2022 (hey, only 11 years away!) in a  New York City with a population of 40 million and 50% unemployment. It is very loosely based upon the 1966 novel by noted SF author Harry Harrison ‘Make Room, Make Room.’

Heston plays Detective Thorn, an overworked and pettily corrupt police office. When a rich and power man is murdered during a thuggish robbery, Thorn draws the case to add to the other three murderers he is chasing down. The world in 2022 is vastly overpopulated with resources nearly exhausted. To discover any information Detective Thorn relies in his ‘book,’ Salomon Roth (Edward G. Robinson.) A live-in friend who has ‘a hand full of twenty year old reference materials.’ When the facts of the murder start to point to assassination and conspiracy Thorn knows he can’t sweep this case under the rug or it might mean his job. Without his job he’d be sleeping on the street, scrounging for survival. Amid political pressure and dwinliing time Thorn has to uncover a secret so terrible not only are some wiling to murder for it, but it makes the victim welcomes his assassin.

Soylent Green is a classic film and one often quoted. If you know the quotes then you likely know the secret as well. This film is frightening well put together. For the limitations of budget and period this film is convincing in the future it postulates. (though there is no indication that this future is coming to pass. New York has less than 20 million currently and unlikely to get to 40 in 11 years.) It is a film with a message about over population, rampant pollution, and dwindling resources. It’s something straight from Malthus’ heart.

I really like Heston in this movie. He’s not playing the typical clean good guy. Thorn is a poor corrupt public officialscamming and stealing to survive.  After all in this world a jar of Strawberries cost $150. We can forgive the man for stealing soap, towels, paper, and a rather poor cut of beef from the victim’s swank condo. As you can see from the screen-cap Thorn’s lifestyle is not something we’d envy today. (Though unlike the masses asleep on the stair he does have a home.)

Leigh Taylor-Young plays Shirl, the ‘furniture’ from William R. Simonson’s condo. By ‘furniture’ we mean live in prostitute. Though that is not exactly right. Shirl, and women like her are surviving the only way they can. She is part of the condo and is there as a benefit for owners, should they fancy her. It gives her a home and food, but hardly respect. Thorn, in the nature of film, falls for this girl with the hear of gold.

Chuck Connors playsTad Fielding, Simonson’s bodyguard. Clearly he’s not the best of bodyguards since his ward was assassinated.  Connors plays the flat character well, given the limitations of the script. At an hour and half the secondary characters are sketched not developed.

In a wonderfully sweet and nuanced performance Edward G. Robinson ended his career with the character of Solomon Roth, Thorn’s ‘book.’ His character is the heart and soul of the story. It is through Sol’s eye that we are introduced to this world. Everyone else are, as characters, too young to know how screwed up their world really is, Sol knows. Sol is the audience surrogate in the story. Robinson died a few weeks after making this film. He knew, everyone on set knew, he was dying and that added a level of bittersweetness that really powers his performance.

Brock Peters is Chief Hatcher, Thorn’s boss and the conduit for the political pressure to the close the case as a simple murder, unsolved. (This is a city with 137 murders per day.) Peters is know to genre fans for his work in Star Trek films and television shows.

The final notable cast member was Joseph Cotten. Cotten career stretches back to Orson Welles and Citizen Kane. (One of my favorite films.) As William R. Simonson he is quite credible for the small amount of screen time he gets.  This is a talented cast, working at the top of their game. Add in a smart script and an SF story that is actually about something and this is one of the set of SF films that I think you simply must see if you are going to be knowledgable about the genre.

No, I am not going to reveal the secret of Soylent Green. If you don’t know it, I sincerely hope you will rent the DVD (or soon to be released blu-ray) and learn it for yourself.