Is this the end of Rico?
Edward G. Robinson, who was propelled to stardom as Caesar Enrico Bandello in 1931’s “Little Caesar,” made his final screen appearance 42 years later, in “Soylent Green.”
Richard Fleischer’s adaptation of Harry Harryson’s dystopian novel “Make Room! Make Room!” is that rare film that can be spoiled by revealing but a single line. So we’ll save it for tomorrow, when Roy Bjellquist and I will be joined by special guest – and Roy’s wife – Shari Bethman-Bjellquist, for a discussion of this ‘70s sci-fi classic, a horror story set in the year 2022, now getting just a little too close for comfort.
Robinson’s scenes are lent an added poignance, when you realize he was already aware that he was terminally ill. In fact, he died only twelve days after shooting his final scene. His character, Sol, is a cultivated dinosaur, much like the real-life Robinson, an art connoisseur who spoke seven languages. Sol the librarian puts on a recording of Mozart’s “Kegelstatt” Trio as he introduces Charlton Heston’s Frank Thorn to honest-to-goodness vegetables and beef stew. Then, when it’s time to “go home,” he departs to a medley of Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, and Grieg.
Interestingly, a few years earlier, Robinson was cast to play Dr. Zaius, opposite Heston, in “Planet of the Apes,” but already, health concerns caused him to drop out.
Climate change. Greenhouse gases. Dying oceans. Pollution. Poverty. Overpopulation. Depleted resources. Corporatocracy. And gruesome solutions. If anything, this film has become more chilling – and more likely – with the passing of the years, than it ever was in 1973.
All hail plankton! Green is the new black, on Roy’s Tie-Dye Sci-Fi Corner. Join us for this special three-way conversation. We’ll be looking for your comments, when we live-stream on Facebook, this Friday evening at 7:00 EDT.