Bluray Review: Colossus: The Forbin Project

When I reviewed the novel Colossus by DF Jones a while back, I mentioned the movie version of the novel, which back in the 1970’s was both one of my favourite films and a seminal influence on my interest in science fiction. I’m very pleased to review it here, in its newly-released Bluray version.

A mere two years after 2001: A Space Odyssey, Colossus: The Forbin Project is a movie with less epic awe but, in my opinion, almost as much ‘WTF’. It is a story of technology gone wrong, in that way that Michael Crichton does in Jurassic Park. (The movie of Crichton’s first novel, The Andromeda Strain, with the similar theme, is released a year after this one.) Colossus: The Forbin Project is a movie of smaller scale but perhaps of more understandable consequences, one that may resonate more with viewers than the tripped-out events of 2001.

The premise of Colossus is straightforward. In order to remove the risk of Presidents acting on a whim, a mega-computer named Colossus has been built in secret to take over the running of the US’s defences. It is supremely rational and will not act under emotion or stress but will deal with such actions by logic, freeing Mankind from the difficulties of having to make such decisions. War is wasteful and pointless.

All seems well, at first. Within the first 24 hours, Colossus even points out that there is another global computer system: the USSR has also, in secret, developed a similar mega-computer named Guardian. The two connect to each other, and together develop new science and new mathematics beyond human understanding, but there is a worrying development. When the US & USSR governments agree to show the computers who is in charge and together break the connection between Colossus and Guardian, the two computers threaten to launch nuclear weapons until their demands are met.

Which will win: humans or computers?

With hindsight, I guess it is easy to see why Colossus has become relatively unknown. Although stalwarts such as Gregory Peck and Charlton Heston were considered for the lead role, the role of Forbin was given to a relative unknown at that time. Eric Braeden, a young German actor, and previously in a TV series named “Rat Patrol”, carries the movie. This anonymity, whilst perhaps not generating box office dividends, is a strength for the movie. There are no major stars playing the leads, no megastar drawing our attention, which creates a feeling that this is how it could happen. Braeden plays Forbin exactly how we would expect him to be, as the supreme scientist: calm, confident, serious and well-liked by his department, even smug. It is a subtle and nuanced performance.

At the same time, the movie is full of surprises. Yes, there’s parts that have dated, a lot of tele-typing, and computers the size of buildings using punched cards, but underlying all this is the point that in the future it is these computer geeks, not the politicians, that are the power behind the politics. It also unusually shows a USA-USSR relationship that is different from that usually portrayed in movies from the Cold War – instead of competing against each other, the two superpowers cooperate against Colossus/Guardian, determined to break the stranglehold of the computers. This creates an exciting plot and yet one which has chilling consequences.

As the effects of the computers actions become more widespread, the movie also presents the idea of what it would be like to live in a global surveillance state. Forbin, as the key link between humans and the computer, is monitored by Colossus 24/7. The only way that Forbin can speak in secret to other humans is by persuading Colossus that he needs time with ‘his mistress’, fellow computer specialist, Dr Cleo Markham (played by Susan Clark). Colossus agrees, with conditions. It is strange to see what is now more commonplace from a perspective of nearly fifty years ago, a warning still pertinent today.

All the time Colossus is calculating, outwitting those who are determined to shut them down. Forbin is forced to develop a voice so that Colossus can actually ‘speak’ to people. When it does so, it is mechanical, logical and quite disturbing. Colossus is Big Brother.

The ending is perhaps the movie’s biggest weakness. There is no easy answer, no straightforward ending, something which will tie up all the loose ends. Will the cold logic of computer decision making rule all of Mankind for a better future? Or will Forbin manage to ensure human freedom endures? Things are left unclear.

In some ways though this is another surprise in this constantly surprising movie. This is a movie of ideas, if not big special effects budgets. It works for me because of its intelligence, by the downplaying of events without a need for explanation or signposting. The film works because it tells its tale with the minimum of fuss. The conclusion, enigmatic and ambiguous, is one that you keep thinking about long after you’ve finished watching.

It can be a difficult thing re-watching a favourite movie. So often the film is not as great as you remember it to be. This release, on Bluray for the first time, is as good as I had hoped for. It has been difficult to get for years, although a DVD was released in 2008. The picture for most of the movie is pristine. Although the sound is in Mono, this does not detract from the movie. There are few extras – a commentary and a copy of the original press release.

Colossus: The Forbin Project is a thoughtful movie that presents ideas as important now as they were in 1970. If it weren’t for the cars and the aeroplanes shown, the film remains eerily as relevant today as it was nearly fifty years ago. Others wiser than me may think so as well. There were rumours of a Ron Howard – Will Smith remake a few years ago, but it all seems to have gone quiet lately. For now, at least, we have this sleek, cult original instead. It is a classic that keeps you thinking after you’ve watched it and is still worthy of your attention.

It was nominated for a Hugo for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1971.

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Produced by Universal Studios

Directed by Joseph Sargent

Screenplay by James Bridges

Starring Eric Braeden, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent.

99 minutes