Soylent Green

Soylent Green is a classic 1973 science fiction movie starring Charlton Heston, Edward G. Robinson and Chuck Connors. It is credited as being based on the 1966 science fiction novella about overpopulation by Harry Harrison, Make Room! Make Room!, but only maintains a loose structure of that work, and diverges into its own plot points and ideas.

Movie

The movie, set in the year 2022, depicts a future dystopia, a Malthusian catastrophe that takes place because humanity has failed to pursue sustainable development and has not halted population growth. Global warming and pollution have produced a year-round heatwave, food and energy resources are scarce, housing is over-crowded, and government-sponsored euthanasia is encouraged as a means of reducing over-population. Charlton Heston plays Thorn, a New York City police detective, investigating the suspicious murder of William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotten), a former member of the board of the Soylent Corporation. Thorn's roommate is Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson), who is an elderly police researcher.

Related Topics:
2022 - Dystopia - Malthusian catastrophe - Sustainable development - Population growth - Global warming - Pollution - Heatwave - Euthanasia - Charlton Heston - New York City - Joseph Cotten - Edward G. Robinson

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In the movie, normal meat and vegetables are too expensive, and the government dispenses rations of food substances made by the Soylent corporation: Soylent Yellow, Soylent Red, and the newest product, Soylent Green. As the name suggests, Soylent is derived from soya and lentils

Related Topics:
Soya - Lentils

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However, Thorn gets wind of a secret conspiracy, which will be revealed if he views what goes on behind closed doors at the euthanasia centers. When his roommate Sol opts for euthanasia, Thorn forces his way in at gunpoint and makes two shocking discoveries. First, he sees footage of the unspoiled Earth of former times, which is shown only to those about to be euthanized. He is startled to see how beautiful the Earth was before it sank to its current state.

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Second, when he follows the disposal of Sol's corpse he discovers that Soylent Green includes the recycled bodies of people who have used government-sponsored euthanasia centers, as well as those murdered by the government in an attempt to keep knowledge of this cannibalism from the populace.

Related Topics:
Recycled - Euthanasia - Cannibalism

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Thorn's anguished cry of "Soylent Green is people!" has become an iconic catch phrase and is frequently referenced/parodied in many other works. Reasons for this extensive use in popular entertainment are difficult to pin down to a single explanation. Some "blame" has been pointed to the film's trailer, which indirectly revealed Soylent Green's main ingredient by using quick cuts of body bags being carried across a conveyor belt over spoken narration: "What is the secret of Soylent Green?" The resulting spoiled surprise may have contributed to popular culture's tendency to refer to the movie (see Cultural impact below).

Related Topics:
Catch phrase - Parodied - Trailer - Body bag - Narration - Spoiled - Popular culture - Cultural impact

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