Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writers:

James Bridges (writer)
D.F. Jones (novel)

Release Date:

10 July 1970 (West Germany)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

We built a super computer with a mind of its own and now we must fight it for the world!

Plot:

An artificially intelligent supercomputer is developed and activated, only to reveal that it has a sinister agenda of its own.

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Scientist | Super Computer | Threat | U.S. President

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Eric Braeden	...	Dr. Charles Forbin
Susan Clark	...	Dr. Cleo Markham
Gordon Pinsent	...	The President
William Schallert	...	CIA Director Grauber
Leonid Rostoff	...	Russian Chairman
Georg Stanford Brown	...	Dr. John F. Fisher
Willard Sage	...	Dr. Blake
Alex Rodine	...	Dr. Kuprin
Martin E. Brooks	...	Dr. Jefferson J. Johnson (as Martin Brooks)
Marion Ross	...	Angela Fields
Dolph Sweet	...	Missile Commander
Byron Morrow	...	Secretary of State
Lew Brown	...	Peterson
Sid McCoy	...	Secretary of Defense
Tom Basham	...	Thomas L. Harrison

Also Known As:

The Day the World Changed Hands
The Forbin Project

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:X (original rating) | UK:12 (DVD rating) | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Lawrence Hall of Science - Centennial Drive, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

D.F. Jones worked with computers in Britain during WWII and knew about Colossus

Goofs:

Continuity: When Colossus is learning math, Harrison is standing across from Forbin. He is asked to get a printout. When he comes back to Forbin he stands next to him, yet there is a quick shot of him standing across from Forbin and then in the next shot he is standing next to Forbin.

Quotes:

Colossus: You are fools.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja II (#4.24)" (1992)

Mankind is his own worst enemy

This underrated science fiction/suspense drama, though arguably dated in terms of technology, is still a frightening allegory about humans allowing our technological creations to rule us.

Eric Braeden stars as Dr. Charles Forbin, who has created a supercomputer named Colossus, built solely for the purpose of controlling the nuclear defenses of the Western alliance. It isn't too long after, however, that the Russians announce that they too have built a similar computer for those same purposes on their side--Guardian. And when the two machines begin sharing information at a speed nobody can believe, an attempt is made to disable them.

This unfortunately just raises the machines' ire; and in retaliation, they launch their weapons at each other's home nations. The result is a chilling scenario that is potentially becoming all too real these days.

COLOSSUS: THE FORBIN PROJECT was not a big hit at the box office for various reasons. One is that its cast wasn't exactly well known. Another reason is that its ending isn't exactly a happy one. Still a third reason is that Universal had trouble trying to promote it in the wake of the huge success of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. The latter reason is obvious: Colossus and Guardian, like HAL in the Kubrick movie, become central characters here. The difference here is that while HAL malfunctions due to a programming conflict, Colossus and Guardian remain all too stable, convinced beyond a doubt that they know how to protect Mankind better than Man himself. As the computers point out: "One inevitable rule is that Mankind is his own worst enemy."

Joseph Sargent's direction is efficient, and the special effects work of Albert Whitlock still manages to work despite its obvious age. An overlooked gem in the sci-fi genre, this should be given a revival.