With the world slowly turning toward “green” technology, and recycling more, I thought, “What better thing to cover for a ‘green’ issue than the movie Soylent Green.”
The easy description of the film is that it is a dystopic, film noir film, with references to the zombie-horror film genre. The reasoning for this, is the fact that overpopulation has become a prevalent issue. The world economy is in shock, and is slowly dwindling. Over-consumption of the national resources is a cause of the increasing global conflicts, and food supplies have run thin. An example of this is: a jar of strawberries costs $150.
With the world going to hell, industry starts to improvise by making food out of the world’s cheapest, and most abundant, commodity, which happens to be people. Some of them are recently dead. Others die in the process of becoming food. Unlike a zombie flick, the dead aren’t going to rise up, save for a horrible case of food poisoning. Yes, that is the premise for this classic film.
So, why feature this film in a “green” issue? It touched on recycling, and responsible resource consumption, before it became the obvious concern that it is nowadays. It’s a film that says, “don’t let things get as bad as they do in this film.” Unfortunately, with the problems in the real world, it looks like we are on the same path. So, if we don’t start consuming responsibly and recycling, how much longer will it be until society hits bottom? How much longer until we have to find new and inventive ways to feed people?
This film was ahead of its time for the message. However, there is a big upside to the film, even though it’s based off of a frightening prospect, and a bit depressing. The upside is, that even with the hell the world has become in the film, there is still hope. There is hope in knowledge, and the willingness to try to change things for the better.
We can either change things, or continue to exploit resources that are finite in their amount. We can rape and pillage the land (over-farming, strip-mining, over-consuming natural resources, etc.), making the environment worse for us. We can force our own societies into a corner, making us need to think of new, inventive and cost-effective ways to replace what resources were lost.
Either that, or we can focus on making the world better. However, the choice lies with everyone, not just the government, but it’s the everyday person that can cause change for the better, as shown with Charlton Heston’s anti-hero character, Detective Robert Thorn. The hero/anti-hero of the film is your average person, who happens to fall across the truth, and in the case of the film, the truth is, the world’s most abundant food source, at least in terms of the film, is people. Through his sense of duty and revulsion regarding the truth, he risks life and limb to expose the truth and help people. People have to realize that every resource can run out. This is based off of current rates of consumption, which are always on the rise. So, we have to use the resources currently available to us, including food, in a wiser way.
Yes I know this is coming across as political propaganda, so, time for a change. Here are some facts about the film Soylent Green. Being filmed in 1973, it is the first “green” horror film. For those of you who don’t understand “green” horror, a more recent additive to this film genre is The Happening. Its technical consultant was Frank R. Bowerman, who was president of the American Academy for Environmental Protection at the time. Soylent Green, the food-substance that was the basis for the film, was meant to suggest a mixture of soy and lentils. It was the last film shot at MGM Studios, though MGM still does a lot with films to date. The skyline for the city that it was supposed to take place in, includes part of the Chicago and San Francisco skylines, though the film’s setting was New York City.
This classic is a must-see. Aside from being political commentary that was years ahead of its time, its dark worldview is incredible. It’s just a lot of fun to watch, even with its depressing and frightening overtones.
Jonathan Gronli can be reached at jon.gronli@gmail.com.