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Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

5/1/2017

28 Comments

 
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Today is an odd period for science,  I think.  People in social media proclaim that they "effin'" love it,  and more often than otherwise,  the new breed of Evangelical atheist fundamentalist speaks of science in near anthropomorphic terms.  To hear the phrase, "science tells us..." is an everyday occurrence now,  and one wonders in which sense the speaker means this to be understood; especially so in the same environment in which specific scientific observations by Charles Darwin are often taken out of context and used as homilies for the improvement and clarification of one's moral character.

Things are getting weird.

Especially,  in my opinion,  as we have historically looked upon the dangerous potential of science with a suspicious eye.  The cautionary tale of Frankenstein's corpse reanimation project is emblematic of this feeling,  and really, literature and film are full of dystopic nightmares which virtually begin and end with the unfettered reach of the scientific mind.  Those secular fundamentalists laugh at this idea as backward and silly,  but historically,  it was exactly this type of creative mind that concocted this line of thinking in the first place.  Is the post-apocalyptic theme,  for instance,  that far removed from our experience?  I don't believe it is,  and so apparently do a huge number of writers of speculative fiction in film, radio drama, pulps, comic books and novels.  The fear of the damaging potential of science is always at hand.  Beginning with Hiroshima and Nagasaki,  the toxic excesses of science are all over modern history,  in spite of attempts to place the blame on the users of these ideas;  greenhouse gasses, GMO's, global warming (internal combustion engines weren't invented by the cowboys), predator drones, heat-seeking missiles, nuclear power plant disasters (Chernobyl, Three-mile island, etc.), firearms of all kinds, bacteriological weapons, advanced privacy invasion tech, and on, and on, and on.  Currently, flying robots are actually killing humans, and if one considers the fact that the original Atomic bomb testers didn't know if they would set fire to the atmosphere,  or later, whether the Large Hadron Collider would open up an Earth-swallowing black hole or not,  we really must question the judgements of what is being done in the name of this odd and rapidly growing new religion.

Science has a lot to answer for; if one puts relatively godlike power in the hands of what are virtually children, then one should logically be responsible for the result.

These are very much the issues that the 1970 (1969 in the credits) film COLOSSUS, THE FORBIN PROJECT deals with.  Based on the COLOSSUS trilogy of dystopic novels by science fiction author D. F. Jones,  it stars the  soap opera star Eric Braeden (who, besides his role on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, also played charismatic German officer Hans Dietrich  on the classic WWII-era TV show THE RAT PATROL) as the calmly serious Dr. Charles Forbin.  Forbin has created the titular super-computer COLOSSUS as a sort of missile defense shield,  devised for the protection of America against the ever present cold war threat of then-Communist Russia.  Forbin,  in conjunction with his team of scientists (populated by hilariously recognisable sitcom actors like Dolph Sweet and Marion Ross),  present Colossus to the White House in what they hoped would be a spectacular demonstration of what their new machine can do.

To paraphrase the words of Forbin,  Colossus was designed infinitely better than they thought.

Immediately Colossus detects another super-computer named Guardian;  apparently the Russians have also been in the game,  and though a step behind,  their computer is advanced enough to take notice.  Colossus and Guardian begin to communicate.  Within hours,  besides formulating tons of "new knowledge for mankind",  the two machines develop their own language,  and one that only they can understand.  This creates a panic.  The president orders the connection cut off, and Forbin is told to reel Colossus back a few steps.  Not a good plan. Colossus makes the ominous threat that, if communications are not restored,  then "action will be taken".

Nuclear action.

This is the beginning of a tense and arduous journey into a terrifying future for the human race. Forbin concocts scheme after scheme to thwart his nearly-godlike creation,  but in spite of great caution and guile, Colossus eventually and gradually turns him into a prisoner.  There are deaths and assassinations,  nuclear detonations,  and when Colossus is finally given a voice (and a chillingly cold one at that),  the future seems bleak and without hope.  It's intense stuff,  and when one considers the missile defense "shield" that we actually had not long after this film was made,  it's two notches closer to reality than one would like to consider.

As Dr. Forbin,  Eric Braeden was excellent.  He was stable and serious here,  and combined with his naturally charismatic good looks and charm, he really came across as the kind of person who could not only conceive of and produce such an advanced contraption,  he also projected the confidence that turned Forbin into the stern anti-Colossus warrior that he needed to be. The rest of the cast,  in spite of whatever other transgressions they might have done on screen, were fantastically interesting as very human characters in this science-driven technological fiasco.  It was a smoothly directed and dramatically plotted project from beginning to end,  and the funky soundtrack (and I mean, like, wikky-wikky guitars) had a fantastic use of the rapid notes of the Indian Tabla drum to illustrate the technical coldness of computer thought.

This is one on my personal list of childhood movie discoveries,  and other than the best friend that I myself introduced it to,  I hadn't met anyone who had seen it until just a few years ago.  It's easily as good as any of the science fiction films of it's era, like WESTWORLD or THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN,  but seldom gets the love or attention it deserves.  Frankly,  it's this film and others of it's philosophical like that have turned me into the semi-Luddite that I am today;  anything more complex than a Blu-ray player gets a bit of the stinky eye, and that's a fact.  So, considering that guys on the level of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and super-physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking have flatly stated that artificial intelligence is the single greatest existential threat to the future of humankind, COLOSSUS, THE FORBIN PROJECT may end up being a prophetic film in a long list of such...and I don't "effin'" love that possibility.

ADDENDUM
:  It occurred to me to mention the 1997 chess match in which Garry Kasparov,  a player who many consider the greatest of all time, was defeated by the IMB computer DEEP BLUE.  This was considered the tipping point in AI advancement, due to the (incorrect) assumption that chess is the prime indicator of human intelligence (in spite of the fact that many grandmasters are little children who know next to nothing about life in general,  and that illiterate, homeless players are often virtuosos). It's chilling to know that it has become an accepted routine that computers beat grandmasters on a daily basis. Jump forward one hundred years,  when robotics and satellite tech has advanced to beyond current imagination,  with computers/robots linked worldwide,  faster and stronger than us,  physically able to perform feats that only comic book superheroes can do,  with brains that can think billions of times faster than the smartest human...we're screwed.

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Kasparov VS Deep Blue
28 Comments
Patricia Nolan-Hall (@CaftanWoman) link
2/18/2016 07:14:07 pm

Chills me to the bone, and makes me think too much. I like to enjoy the marvels of technology and occasional utter "we're living in a science fiction movie", then I recall this one. Covers of the head time.

On a side note, how many tanks a week did Capt. Dietrich lose? How did he keep his job? There should have been a crossover with Major Hochstetter giving him a hard time.

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Clayton
2/19/2016 02:17:53 pm

Chills me, too! Lots to think about. Also, I'm not certain about the Cappy's tank losses; you would have thought the Nazi bosses would have kept a tighter count!

Thanks for your comment!

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Christina Wehner link
2/19/2016 10:25:28 am

Thanks for a thought-provoking post on the nature of science and how it is viewed today! And how what we intend for good can come back to bite us...or even control us. Very ironic. I will have to look for this one; it sounds fascinating.

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Clayton
2/19/2016 02:19:10 pm

Thanks back for the great Blogathon! This is one very much worth watching; very tight and dramatic, with a cookin' little script.

Thanks for your comment!

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Silver Screenings link
2/19/2016 12:28:53 pm

Wow! You really packed a lot into this post. Here are my thoughts, in no particular order:
1. I've never seen Eric Braeden in anything outside of Young & Restless which, I confess, I watched for about a year in my misspent youth.
2. I had never heard of this film before, and now I can't wait to see it. The premise sounds creepy and unsettling – just the type of dystopian movie my husband would like.
3. You raise some interesting points about revering science, and the consequences of doing that. Is suspect I may join you in Luddite-ville after watching this film.
4. Thanks so much for joining the blogathon and for the introduction to this film. This is exactly the kind of post we hoped to see when we originally talked about it. :)

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Clayton
2/19/2016 02:21:53 pm

1) Shame on you! Tsk, tsk. :)
2) It's an excellent Sunday movie...with popcorn.
3) Luddite-ville is pretty nice, especially once you hear the voice of Colossus!
4) Well, Silver Screenings always seems to be attached to my favourite blogathons! Great fun all around!

Thanks for your comment!

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Michael Grutchfield
2/19/2016 02:48:01 pm

An old after-school TV favorite of mine. Recently read the novel.

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Clayton
2/19/2016 02:49:21 pm

I loved the novels! Have you read the following two? They get interestingly weird.

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Michael Grutchfield
2/19/2016 02:50:04 pm

Heh. No, I didn't even know there were others. Found someone selling the first one at a Con for fifty cents, and had to read it before I gifted it to friend with the last name "Forbyn."

Clayton
2/19/2016 02:50:33 pm

Nice! Yep, it's a trilogy. Great film.

Rick
2/19/2016 02:48:39 pm

One of the best sci fi films of the 1960s! And to think Eric Braeden would become a daytime drama superstar. Never knew there were sequels to the book.

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Clayton
2/19/2016 02:52:52 pm

It was one of those stories that cracked open my skull as a kid, along with Twilight Zone, Outer limits, and things like Animal Farm. smile emoticon I have a healthy suspicion of technology which originated in this film!

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Quiggy link
2/20/2016 01:10:47 am

I recently re-watched "Escape From The Planet Of The Apes" for a blog review project on my own blog. That was the only thing I can recall ever seeing Eric Braeden in. (I Never have been, nor ever will be a soap opera watcher) I gotta see this movie now. It's right up my alley.

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Clayton
2/20/2016 07:11:06 am

Ah, yes. Another science-based vision of a future apocalypse. It's interesting how we can see how early ideas of science in film (in even something as simple as Dick Tracy's two-way wrist radio and Capt. Kirk's flip-open communicator) coming true today, yet people seem so casual about the other, darker possibilities.

You'll dig this...even the soundtrack is cool!

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CineMaven link
2/20/2016 06:30:19 pm

I haven't seen this movie since it was a tv-movie airing eons ago. Scary. I remember Eric Braeden letting Colossus know he needed "alone" time with his girlfriend, when she really was a fellow scientist he was consulting with as to how to thwart this thing.

Past is prologue.

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Clayton
2/21/2016 11:12:54 am

The crazy part was that she wasn't actually his girlfriend (to begin with), but had to get naked with him to pass secret info in private! That was some clever stuff. I agree with that last bit, too.

Thanks for your comment!

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Giles link
2/21/2016 11:07:17 am

Great write up.

"I hadn't met anyone who had seen it until just a few years ago"

I STILL haven't. I'm still quietly amazed this film does not have the name recognition it deserves and remains more or less unknown.

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Clayton
2/21/2016 11:15:26 am

Thanks! Yeah, it's weird, how isolated a great thing can be; some people can be "so there" when it comes to junk like, say, EXPENDABLES 3, but completely lack any curiosity about these brilliant gems. The world, right? Hahaha...

Thanks for your comment!

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Tony Ogden
2/26/2016 02:02:58 pm

I must see this. It sounds likr the kind of thing that will give me nightmares, especially with the world in the condition it is today. Thanks for sharing this.

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Clayton
2/26/2016 02:25:11 pm

You are most welcome. It is a nightmare, for sure, and it's very well done, so you'll have some sleepless nights!

Thanks for your comment!

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Colin link
4/27/2016 11:40:36 am

I really enjoyed this write up, Clayton. I've never seen the movie myself but I think it does have a reasonable amount of name recognition in certain film enthusiast quarters, although that sounds slightly exclusive in itself.
Between the 50s and the mid-70s represent the heyday of Sci-Fi for me, even if the genre is notionally stronger now. STAR WARS ushered in a new kind of film that simply doesn't interest me in the same way - too soapy by far - and the more interesting aspects of Sci-Fi began to fade.

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Clayton
4/27/2016 12:03:02 pm

I really couldn't agree more; fiction in general has become infinitely more superficial...witness the western, in fact. It's either all superficial stuff designed for a quick buck, or a vehicle for social engineering, and sometimes both. Good stories have been left behind, I feel.

I think we have similar ideas along this line; it must be our generation! This is a film after my own heart; dystopic, yet full of stiff upper lip and hope.

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Colin link
4/27/2016 01:16:47 pm

Could be an age thing, probably is to some extent. Mind you. there are plenty of folks of our generation who would disagree on the points made - the whole space opera business seems to have plenty of appeal to 40 something guys, for example - so it's not completely "one size fits all" on these matters. All I know for sure is I like these kinds of ominous Sci-Fi stories and i wish they were still more popular.

Clayton
4/28/2016 08:58:46 am

I believe that it is a "one size fits all" situation. When a film asks important questions, when it doesn't thoroughly pander to current tastes (dating it beyond repair), when it's well-scripted and well-made, it goes beyond generations. Much of the stuff that you and I have discussed lie well before our generation, yet their qualities and stories reach beyond, in spite of their age and currency.

I recently became a fan of CHINATOWN, which, when I was young, struck me as not cool, not 'square-jawed' enough, and, as I see it now, too nuanced for me to understand. It's a perfect example of that generation of film, and if one alters the story into science fiction, it's entirely reflective of the type of story that our (so called) 'space operas' were.

The 70's were about human behaviour, and that will always be in currency...I hope that we can regain that.

Thanks for the great comments! :)

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Colin link
4/28/2016 09:39:47 am

I do think popular cinema has lost its way somewhat these days, tending to aim for very low brow entertainment at the expense of everything else. Go back the the 70s and before and there was plenty o entertainment on offer but filmmakers also seemed to be aware, even if they didn't allow preciousness to get in the way, of the artistic aspect of their trade. That's largely lost to genre filmmaking these days, where points (where they exist) about the human condition are incredibly bland and lacking any subtlety. There are the odd exceptions - I quite enjoyed The Two Faces of January, for example - but they are few and far between and it looks like nobody has a clue how to market them.

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Clayton
4/28/2016 10:20:56 am

That's the thing, I think...marketing. There seems to be a divide between genre and 'thoughtful', and, oft-times, the thoughtful stuff ends up close to social engineering or propaganda for a particular lobby, in some effort to convince us that we're wrong about this or that.

I like to have my brainwashing mixed in with the fun! :)

It works against westerns when they try to make them important now, transforming them into 'historical dramas set in the west', versus westerns with a brain, that manage to bring humanity and subtlety into a great and exciting story (Peck's BIG COUNTRY comes to mind). It would be great to see science fiction again that could compete on the level of realism with stuff like ALIEN, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. The storylines now are, if one will forgive the saying, "turned up to 11", sacrificing nuance and thought. Even the ones that I enjoy are a bit forgettable.

Given that people like Dr. Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates have stated that artificial intelligence is a clear existential threat, films like COLOSSUS are ripe stuff for the current time! I fear that they'd remake it (like they did with POLTERGEIST...shudder), instead of creating something new and legendary.

Colin link
4/28/2016 10:34:38 am

I reckon a lot of it boils down to finances these days. Everything costs so much that gambles rarely get taken, hence the reason we get so many "safe" genre efforts that just end up being a little dull. And when the think pieces get commissioned, usually because someone involved has a bit of clout and has to be humored, the "big idea" aspect has to be emphasized to the nth degree, like using a pile-driver on a thumb tack.

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Tomas
5/29/2016 09:35:49 am

Hello I watched this film at this suggestion, and I am finding it very a powerful one. So much important for this time in the history. I thank you very much for this suggestion.

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