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| '''''Soylent Green''''' is a classic ] ] starring ], ] and ]. | '''''Soylent Green''''' is a classic ] ] starring ], ] and ]. | ||
| Soylent Green is also a fictional food product featured in the animated TV series Futurama. | |||
| ==Movie== | ==Movie== | ||
Revision as of 08:51, 19 July 2004
Soylent Green is a classic 1973 science fiction movie starring Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson and Chuck Connors. Soylent Green is also a fictional food product featured in the animated TV series Futurama.
Movie
The movie, set in the year 2022, was based on the 1960s science fiction novella about overpopulation by Harry Harrison, Make Room! Make Room! describing a future dystopia of the Malthusian catastrophe that might be awaiting us if humanity does not pursue sustainable development. Charlton Heston plays Thorn, a New York City cop, investigating the suspicious murder of William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotten), a former member of the board of the Soylent corporation. Thorn's roommate is Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson), who is also his police "book," a police researcher.
In the novella, real food is too expensive, and the government dispenses rations of food substances made by the Soylent corporation: Soylent Yellow, Soylent Red, and the newest product, Soylent Green.
The latter apparently includes recycled bodies of people murdered by the government for food. It also shows bodies being delivered to the Soylent Plant from an assisted suicide facility. However, this was not in the original novel: Soylent, as the name suggests was derived from Soya and Lentils. Note also that the original book was set in the year 2000, suggesting that some of the projections may have been askew somewhere.
As a side topic, it may be noted that the movie is one of the first to show the emerging pop cultural phenomenon of video games, in that a character is briefly seen operating a Computer Space arcade game. The movie is also Edward G. Robinson's last.
Music
Soylent Green is also the name of a progressive rock music band. Spelled slightly differently, Soilent Green ("soil" being a synonym for human wastes being the intent behind the misspelling) is a grindcore rock band.