Somehow it is much more satisfying for me to find one of these classic promo items than a current made for DVD short documentary. This is because I remember back in the days before digital versatile discs, when there were some trailers for other films on video tapes but nothing else. Short subjects such as this 'Look at the World of Soylent Green' would be shown on television in some markets to promote the film and may even have been part of a theatrical presentation, but afterward would never be seen again - until it was found and resurrected on DVD.
And since it's only purpose is to wet the viewers appetite for an up and coming new film, there is very little information about the actual plot. It starts off surprisingly enough with a clip from the finale of 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' before moving on to clips of subsequent Sci Fi classics 'Forbidden Planet' and '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Afterwards the cast is introduced, with some special attention laid upon Edward G. Robinson (Eddie to his friends and colleagues) celebrating his 101st (and ultimately, last) motion picture appearance.
The narrator manages to explain what kind of scene is being filmed on screen while giving away next to nothing about the film it self. Sure, he mentions the overpopulation and shortage of food, but keeps everything else vague, exactly as he should. However, in this future world of 2022, we see Charlton Heston using of what is most likely the first cordless telephone ever put on screen (it's one of those police phones in a box that Top-Cat always used without permission). This is especially noteworthy because no other SF picture before or after ever managed to predict the cell phone before it became a reality. Does this mean that in 12 short years, we'll all be fighting over our ration of Soylent Green each Tuesday?
7 out of 10
And since it's only purpose is to wet the viewers appetite for an up and coming new film, there is very little information about the actual plot. It starts off surprisingly enough with a clip from the finale of 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' before moving on to clips of subsequent Sci Fi classics 'Forbidden Planet' and '2001: A Space Odyssey'. Afterwards the cast is introduced, with some special attention laid upon Edward G. Robinson (Eddie to his friends and colleagues) celebrating his 101st (and ultimately, last) motion picture appearance.
The narrator manages to explain what kind of scene is being filmed on screen while giving away next to nothing about the film it self. Sure, he mentions the overpopulation and shortage of food, but keeps everything else vague, exactly as he should. However, in this future world of 2022, we see Charlton Heston using of what is most likely the first cordless telephone ever put on screen (it's one of those police phones in a box that Top-Cat always used without permission). This is especially noteworthy because no other SF picture before or after ever managed to predict the cell phone before it became a reality. Does this mean that in 12 short years, we'll all be fighting over our ration of Soylent Green each Tuesday?
7 out of 10
