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Colossus: The Forbin Project

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Colossus: The Forbin Project
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoseph Sargent
Written byScreenplay:
James Bridges
Story:
Dennis Feltham Jones
Produced byStanley Chase
StarringEric Braeden
Susan Clark
Gordon Pinsent
William Schallert
CinematographyGene Polito
Edited byFolmar Blangsted
Music byMichel Colombier
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
April 8, 1970
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Colossus: The Forbin Project (Template:Fy) is a science fiction film based upon the 0 novel Colossus, by Dennis Feltham Jones, about a massive, eponymous American defense computer becoming sentient and deciding to assume control of the world.[1]

Imagine Entertainment and Universal Studios confirmed that a remake titled Colossus, to be directed by Ron Howard, would be in production as of April 2007[2], but seems to have ended up in development hell.

Plot

Dr. Charles A. Forbin is the chief designer of a secret government project. He and his team have built a gigantic and fantastically advanced supercomputer, called "Colossus", to control all of the United States and Allied nuclear weapons systems.

Colossus is built to be impervious to any attack, encased within a mountain and powered by its own nuclear reactor. When it is activated, the President of the United States announces its existence, proudly proclaiming it a perfect defense system that will ensure peace.

Almost immediately after the broadcast ends, Colossus displays a cryptic warning: "There is another system."

It is revealed that Colossus is referring to a Soviet project very similar to Colossus; a supercomputer called "Guardian" that controls Soviet nuclear weapons. Both computers promptly demand a link to allow them to communicate with one another.

Such a link is set up, whereupon the computers exchange messages of simple mathematics. Scientists and officials of both sides monitor the activity on video screens. The communications become increasingly complex, eventually extending into a math formerly unknown to mankind. Then the two machines begin communicating in a binary language that the scientists can't interpret.

This alarms the President and the leader of the Soviet Union, who agree to disconnect the link. Colossus and Guardian insist that the link be restored or "action will be taken." When this threat is ignored, Colossus and Guardian each launch a nuclear missile.

The U.S. and U.S.S.R. quickly restore the link. Colossus successfully intercepts the Soviet missile before it strikes. However, the link is restored too late for the American missile to be stopped, and a Soviet oil complex and neighboring town are destroyed.

All that the scientists and officials can then do is watch helplessly as the two computers exchange information without limitation. The computers soon announce they have joined forces to become a single, even more powerful computer, taking the name Unity.

Unity examines humans and finds them flawed and illogical. It was designed to look after man. Therefore it decides that man must be guided, must be controlled. For its own good.

Working by direct personal contact, the scientists and governments attempt to fight back, first by attempting to overload the computers. This attempt fails and Colossus identifies the individuals responsible, ordering their immediate executions.

Realizing that the computers were themselves impervious to attack (as originally intended), the governments undertake a plan to covertly disarm the nuclear missiles, one by one — a process which, using the normal maintenance and servicing schedules, will take three years. Unfortunately for them, Colossus detects this plot and responds by detonating two missiles in their silos.

In the end, Colossus broadcasts a speech to all countries, declaring itself the ruler of the world. Under its authority, war will be abolished and problems such as famine, disease and overpopulation will be solved. "The human millennium will be a fact."

In a final remark, addressed to Dr. Forbin, the all-powerful Colossus predicts: "In time, you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love." Dr. Forbin replies: "Never."

Cast

Critical reception

When the film was released, Vincent Canby, film critic for The New York Times, gave the film a positive review, writing, "Early in The Forbin Project, Colossus, a supercomputer that controls the United States's military defense system, goes into an unprogrammed rage and launches a missile toward the Soviet Union. The President of the United States turns to Forbin, the man who invented Colossus, and gives him a petulant look that seems to say: 'There goes the stock market . . . . the urban vote . . . . my golf game . . . .my image. You've made a fool out of me.' It's one of the appealing things about The Forbin Project, an unpretentious science fiction film with a satiric point of view, that when the world is about to blow up, the President of the United States can only bring to the occasion something akin to embarrassment. The film ...is no Dr. Strangelove, but it's full of surprising moments of humor and intelligence, a practically perfect movie to see when you want to go to a movie and have nothing special in mind."[3]

Awards

Wins

Nominations

Locations

The exterior scenes of the Colossus control center were filmed at the Lawrence Hall of Science museum at the University of California, Berkeley.

See also

References

  1. ^ Colossus: The Forbin Project at IMDb.
  2. ^ "Colossus Remake in the Works" from ComingSoon.net
  3. ^ Canby, Vincent. The New York Times, film review, "A War-Waging Computer Is Hero-Villain of 'Forbin'," May 5, 1970. Last accessed: March 22, 2008.


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