Rollerball - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Rollerball or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Rollerball

[chris]

The organ song at the beginning and ending of the film is Toccata and Fugue in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. While many interpretations of the meaning of the piece have been offered, the marginal consensus is that it represents a storm. No hint of Bach's intent has ever come to light.As the piece barely survived past Bach's time and as no manuscript signed by Bach exists, there was even some doubt as to the author beyond anecdotal evidence, with scholars agreeing that it is far to simple to have been by Bach yet displaying such genius that no one else but Bach could have composed it. When taken in the context of the film, it can be seen in the light of the repeated statement by the librarian that Zero, the world's greatest computer, had managed to lose the history of the entire 13th century.Toccata and Fugue in D minor has in modern times been associated with horror films and during the silent film days was played during showings of the original Lon Chaney film, The Phantom of the Opera (1925). As for Rollerball, the darkness and majesty of the piece well serves the theme of powerful and evil forces of the corporations versus the murderous response of the anti-hero who remains steadfast in his dedication to his questionable cause.

[bessie]

In the liner notes to the Region 2 DVD, director Norman Jewison is quoted as being influenced by Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange (1971)." The influence is most obviously seen in the repetitive use of zooms, classical music, and modern (concrete and glass) architecture.

[janice]

Although Jonathan E's last name is never explicitly mentioned, one executive at the party tells another that "Evans is out." It seems unlikely he would be talking about anyone else.

[sylvia]

In the original short story, the primary goal of the game was murder. In the movie, murder is phased in to try and stop Jonathan.

[scarlett]

The movie imagines a world ruled by CEOs and companies, without heroic figures to inspire in ordinary people the will to fight for freedom and a better world. This is why Bartholomew asks Jonathan E. to retire from Rollerball, saying that "no player is greater than the game itself." Jonathan's refusal to retire, choosing instead to continue playing, turns him unwittingly into just such a hero. This creates serious trouble for the corporation, since his example threatens the totalitarian system.

[lonnie]

The game sequences were filmed in the Olympic Basketball Arena in Munich, West Germany. Munich citizens were invited to the filming to serve as spectators to the games. Director Norman Jewison intended this movie to be anti-violence, but audiences so loved the action of the game that there was actually talk about forming rollerball leagues in the wake of this movie, which horrified him.

[jesus]

In addition to the matches with Madrid, Tokyo and New York, the other "rollerball cities" mentioned in the movie are Manila, Rome, and Pittsburgh, although it is not mentioned if this comprises a comprehensive list.

[aaron]

Prior to the Tokyo game, the trainer states that the Japanese team use a mix of Karate and Hapkido. Hapkido is a Korean martial art.

[maureen]

Even before the rule changes introduced during the movie, the record number of deaths during a match was already nine (out of twenty-four).

[terry]

Norman Jewison said he cast James Caan as Jonathan E. after seeing him play Brian Piccolo, the real-life Chicago Bears running back in Brian's Song (1971).

[gerald]

The crowd scenes use sounds recorded from an Arkansas-TCU basketball game in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

[javier]

The film inspired the rock band Devo to write their own tongue-in-cheek "Devo Corporate Anthem" for their 1979 album "Duty Now for the Future". The anthem was often used an introduction during live concert performances.

[wallace]

The film takes place in 2018.

[bryan]

The helicopter at the Tokyo hospital is a German Boelkow Bo 105.

[frances]

In describing the Zero computer, the librarian says that the answers to questions have become so ambiguous that it seems that Zero knows nothing at all. This refers to the condition of extreme genius that so many facets can be perceived and so many varying interpretations of a question are recognized that the answer provided must cover so much ground that it becomes so general in nature that it has no value. An example of this is found in Douglas Adams' book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in which the greatest computer's answer to the meaning of life is "42".

[leo]

Although the credits list the Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni as the composer of the "Adagio for Strings and Organ in G minor", it has since emerged that the work has been a bit of fakery by the late Italian musicologist Remo Giazotto, who claimed that he arranged it from a fragment of Albinoni's work. Said fragment was never produced and closer examination of the work has led to general acceptance that the Albinoni attribution is a well-orchestrated hoax. The copyright was held by Giasotto and dates from 1958.

[amber]

Among the themes of this movie is empowerment of the individual. That theme was central to The Prisoner (1967), whose main character was designated "Number 6". In this movie, Jonathan E., (the "individual" in this story) wore shirt number 6. Moreover, it was revealed in the series finale of The Prisoner (1967) that "Number 6" was actually "Number 1". In this movie, Jonathan is the last active player after the climactic World Rollerball Championship, besides being the only player to actually score a goal throughout the entire game.

[nora]

The game of Rollerball was so realistic that the cast, extras, and stunt personnel played it between takes on the set.

[ella]

First major film release to use the short-lived United Artists logo featuring the blue lights and the sparkling gold 3-D lettering (which would only last until late 1976).