KAMN Show #29: Colossus: The Forbin Project

by Summer
May 13, 2007, 9:00 am | In Shows |

Welcome to Show #29!

Summer, David and Brian join forces to discuss the 1970 feature film, Colossus: The Forbin Project.

Voicemail: caller is excited about the possibility of the Ninjas talking about “War of the Worlds”, and wants to know who does our theme song. The song is “Ninja” by 7 Seconds of Love, and while I have neglected to credit them in the show, they are completely credited on the Special Features page, where we link to the MP3 and the cute music video they created for the song.

C2 calls in with sentiments about Joe’s passing; Woody comments on the “Highlander” discussion and the retconning that happened in the sequels (that never really happened), and Summer comments on the breaking that happened in the Matrix sequels (that should never have happened); Trevor from MMM Commentaries calls in also letting us know about the HG Wells collaboration with Starship Sofa on the books and movies; Lucid Dream from Anime Roundtable offers his condolences on Joe’s passing. David reads an email from John about “Fire Upon the Deep”, and how our commentary inspired him to go out and buy the book, and the theory that the Slow Zone also affected the mental abilities and acuities of the people living there.

Feature Discussion: Summer, Dave and Brian give an overview of the film, and discuss some of the relatively groundbreaking computer usage (for 1970), and talk a bit about the understated acting performances and how they help create create the slow build up of human desperation in the face of an powerful and inscrutable adversary.

The Ninjas also talk about the original book, it’s two sequels, and the plans for an upcoming remake of the movie; one potentially directed by Ron Howard and one that would incorporate story elements from all three novels, to give the story a longer storyline with more depth, and possibly an ending that doesn’t seem quite as desolate as the original film.

Consumer warning: this film is NOT in widescreen format on the DVD. The only known widescreen home video version appears to be the laserdisc. Summer suggests merely renting the DVD, in the hopes that a widescreen version may be released as the remake gets closer to completion.

Promotional Notes: David’s pop culture show, Moldawer in the Morning, is a new member of the FarPoint Media Network!

The next KAMN show will cover “Galactic Patrol” by E. E. “Doc” Smith, and Tim Callender from The Babylon Podcast will join us for that commentary.

If you have a promo you’d like us to play, send it or send a link to it to us!

Listener Feedback: Give us some! You can leave comments here for the show, or at the Kick-Ass Mystic Ninjas Forum. If you want to leave a voicemail comment on anything we’ve discussed, you can call us at 206-666-5266.

Movies and Books mentioned:

Promo: Podcasting: Now and Beyond: The Dragon*Con Podcasting Track
Promo: George Hrab: Geologic Podcast
Wikipedia: Dennis Feltham Jones
Wikipedia: Colossus: The Forbin Project

 

 KAMN Show #29: Colossus: The Forbin Project [1:09:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5636)

9 Comments »

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1. OK, I agree that the Matrix seqeuls were inferior to the first one, but why all the hatred? I admit they were disapointing (although I thought Reloaded was pretty cool in spite of the fact that the set-up it gave wasn’t truly paid off), but really, do you think there were truly bad movies, or are you just upset that they weren’t as good as the first one? I mean, I get not liking them, I didn’t like Revolutions very much at all, but the abject anger those sequels seem to inspire in many people confounds me. Summer in particular, your comment was so vitupritive I actually got offended and wanted to leap to Revolutions’ defense, and this is keeping in mind how I liked it least of all three films!

   Comment by Brian — May 14, 2007 #

2. Although I haven’t seen the film in ages, I managed to get a copy of Colossus by DF jones. The film is more faithful to the book than a lot of film adaptions. Major differences between film and book are:

   In the book Forbin is concerned that the Project may get out of control and tries to convince the President that it shouldn’t go live, the President overrules him and Colossus is given control of US missiles.

   There is no attempt to try and overload Colossus with data (in the first book at least).

   Forbin does not meet his Russian counterpart in the book, Guardian orders the man killed before any of Forbin’s staff can meet him.

   Forbin doesn’t really lose it at the end in the book, but he becomes defiant when Colossus states that in time Forbin will come to respect and love Colossus.

   The pace of the book is slower, the missile exhange when Colossus’s communication link with Guardian is cut doesn’t come till chapter 13 (the book consists of 22 chapters).

   Anyway I enjoyed the novel, even though it is dated. I still find it strange though that an author can imagine a future with flying cars and a super computer than can take over the world, but can’t imagine any improvement in how humans communicate with computers. So until Colossus gets a voice box at the end of the book, Forbin communicates with Colossus via teletype…

   Comment by Vanamonde — May 14, 2007 #

3. According the zip.ca (Canadian equivalent to Netflix, where I rented the movie):

   http://www.zip.ca/Browse/Title.aspx?f=titleId(128762)

   Colossus: The Forbin Project was filmed in Canada. I did notice that the President was played by Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent who’s a well known in Canada. He’s been in many Canadian movies and television shows (90+ entries in IMDB).

   Enjoyed the show and your analysis of the movie. I also enjoyed the movie. I also have worked with tape drives and removal disks in the past.

   Denis
   (who always ends up with the Ninja song stuck in my head anytime I listen to KAMN

   Comment by Denis — May 14, 2007 #

4. Brian, my anger comes from the fact that they blatantly said “Now, when you see the second movie, keep in mind that you haven’t seen everything… please keep an open mind until after you’ve seen the third movie, and any dissatisfaction or confusion you may have will be resolved.”

   They were begging for us to not analyze the second movie too hard because waiting for the third movie would answer all questions. Begging, not hyping the third movie, begging for fans and critics not to “unfairly” criticize the second movie until after you’d seen the third.

   Now, if they had just let things go, said not one thing about that, I wouldn’t have been quite as pissed off at what the third movie did. I would have been disappointed at a more reasonably normal level, just like a whole lot of other third movies in a franchise, and moved on without being so angry.

   But they begged us to wait 6 months, keep an open mind that entire time and reserve judgment. For that reason, Revolutions is fair game to be savagely vilified and Reloaded along with it because neither movie delivered what was promised, not for a 6 month investment in what was really a “shut up until you’ve seen both sequels” demand.

   I stand by my statement of several years ago that they should have made both sequels into one movie, and spent more time making that one movie a better story that tied into the mythology they built in the first movie.

   And yes, I think they destroyed the mythology created in the first movie. That in itself is criminal, and worthy of that level of anger… ask any Highlander fan about that

   Comment by Summer — May 14, 2007 #

5. The crew and I would be honored to provide you with some short anime reviews. Just let me know what you would like and I’ll see what we can do to provide.

   Comment by Lucid Dream — May 14, 2007 #

6. I guess I just find it funny that although I disliked Revolutions, I still seemed to like it better than everyone else on the planet.

   Comment by Brian — May 15, 2007 #

7. Getting back to Colossus.

   So, let me get this straight, a computer geek builds a giant computer for the military that takes over the world so then he gets to sleep with the girl. Not a bad plan for a nerd.

   I remember seeing Colossus: the Forbin project on television back in my teens. As to it production quality and acting, if anyone had asked me, I would have said it was one of those made for TV movies. I didn’t even realize that it was a theatrical release until your show.

   It was probably the first science fiction film I saw with more science than just spaceships and ray guns. The themes of a creation becoming more powerful than the creator (Frankenstein) and constant surveillance (1984) set me on the path of becoming the sci fi fan I am today.

   Thank you for your shows.
   Roger

   Comment by Roger from Minnesota — May 15, 2007 #

8. Some of the stories in Animatrix are prequels to the first Matrix movie so it’s only slightly tainted by the inferior Matrix sequels. It’s a keeper.

   Suggestion for the short anime review: Ghost in the Shell. It’s sci-fi, it’s over 10 years old, it influenced The Matrix, and the franchise is ongoing.

   Comment by ZorPrime — May 15, 2007 #

9. I have read all three books several times. I just wanted to comment on one of the points about the sequels, specifically, the destruction of the Mona Lisa.
   Colossus had set up a number of research laboratories, basic human behavioral study centers. People were chosen by Colossus (anyone was fair game) to undergo study. This could be as simple as two people who claim to be hopelessly in love with one another being offered large sums of cash/security/more attractive mates, until one of them abandons the other. The case with the Mona Lisa was Colossus testing a famous artist’s claim that art was more important than life. He could save the painting, but it would cost him his life. He basically had to dive through fire before the painting was incinerated. He actually dove at the last minute and both of them were destroyed. The Mona Lisa had no significance other than Colossus knew it to be widely regarded as the finest painting in the world.
   Colossus used these admittedly cruel tests to better understand human motivation and how to control it. His rationalization was that by better managing humanity, he could better manage its security. A few were sacrificed for the security of the many. Chilling in its implications.

   Also, Forbin is anything but Bond-like in the books. He is cerebral, bookish and seen as weak or effeminate by some of his more macho-type acquaintances.

   I very much like the books, and each one ends on a different note. The first is very pessimistic. The second is triumphant with a foreshadow of danger to come. The third ends with a compromise that is generally optimistic, but definitely leaves humanity in third place in the dominance of creation.The third book does suffer somewhat from the inclusion of aliens, but they are introduced in the second book, so they are not a wholecloth invention.

   Comment by keithcurtis — May 16, 2007 #

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