Soylent Green — Soylent Green( Blu Ray/ UHD)

Soylent Green is a telling, relevant and at times troubling dystopian thriller from the early 1970’s. It shows us a future where humankind has well and truly ruined the planet- temperatures are constantly boiling, and the air is hazed/ polluted. Vegetation, plants, and trees have all but gone- as have most animals. The general public have to queue to get rationed portions of Soylent in various colours) a bland processed food, and hope in general is in very short supply. The film centres around a weary/ jaded detective played by Charlton Heston (The Omega Man, Ben-Hur) who’s investigating the death of a very wealthy man, which ends up revealing an awful truth. Here from Arrow Video- both in the UK & Stateside- is a release of the film. It comes as either a UHD or Blu-Ray, with a new 4k scan of the picture, new commentary, and archive extras.

Soylent Green is a US production from 1973. It was based on the 1966 Harry Harrison novel Make Room! Make Room!. It was directed by New York born Richard Fleischer- he has forty-seven credits. These include the likes of fantasy adventure 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954), sinisterly low-key serial killer film 10 Rillington Place (1971), and Sword ‘n’ sorcery Conan The Destroyer (1984).

After the credits, which track America's industrial revolution, growing cities/ road networks, and the downfall. We find out the year is 2022, as we drop down into the dank/ cluttered apartment of a baseball-capped & neck hanky-wearing detective Thorn (Heston) and hunched/ worn out/ greying bearded Sol Roth (Edward G. Robinson) who deals with the research side of things.

Torn gets called up to the plush apartment of rich man Simonson (Joseph Cotton), who has seemingly been attacked/ killed during a gone-wrong robbery. Also living in the apartment is Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young), somewhat of a female pleasure prisoner who comes with the apartment, and stern/ but seemingly loyal bodyguard Tab (Chuck Connors).

As the film unfolds, the constantly sweating Torn moves between his apartment-its staircase piled up with down-on-their-luck folk. Out onto the hazy streets, where the different coloured Soylent are sold, and riots happen when it runs out, with huge trucks pick-up ‘n’ dump the rioters. Into the crowded ration office/ come police station where his shouty big side-burned boss tries to get Torn to toe the party line. To finally discovering the factory where soylent is made, and the reality of what it’s really made of.

Heston really gives his role emotional depth and believability- at points he’s very Gung-ho, liberally taking things from the houses of the rich; at others he’s clearly worn out/ beaten down by the world around him, and on a few occasions, he seems to be genuinely falling apart. The rest of the cast is good/ effective in their roles.

The world of the film is very well portrayed, going from the hazy and crowded streets. To Thorn's dingy, powered-by-bicycle apartment, onto the bright/ large apartments of the rich, and squalid, sweaty confines of the police office/ comes benefit offices.

I’ve been aware of Soylent Green since the 1980’s, but for some reason haven’t got to see it until now. And I must say it’s a well-made & impactful slice of dystopian sci-fi, with more than a few things ringing true with the world of today.

The new release features a 4K restoration from the original 35mm camera negative. This nicely enhances the sweaty, hazy, and grim tone of the film.

There is only one new extra on the disc- a commentary track with film historian Michael Brooke and author Johnny Mains. It’s a well-researched and informed affair. They start by commenting on the pre-credits depicting America's decline, and the appearance of face masks- which, of course, were very much in use in the real 2022. They discuss the build-up to the release of both the novel and the film. They point out the use of largely dingey colours, with sudden jolts of bold colour. They talk about the use of CCTV in the picture, as well as giving a potted history of it; we find out it was invented in Germany in 1942. Later on, they comment on the building conspiracy in the picture. They discuss the career of Richard Fleischer, who was seen as a pair of safe hands by the studios. They point out bit-part actors and other notable pictures they were in.

On the archive side, we get a good selection of things. A commentary with director Richard Fleischer and star Leigh Taylor-Young. Charlton Heston at the BFI, an archive on-stage interview with the star of Soylent Green.Richard Fleisher at the BFl, an archive on-stage interview with the director of Soylent Green. A Look at the World of Soylent Green, a vintage featurette. MGM's Tribute to Edward G. Robinson's 101st Film, a vintage featurette. Theatrical trailer. Image galleries

The finished release comes with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh. A booklet featuring new writing by Frank Collins and Alexandra Heller-Nicholas.

Soylent Green remains an important and impactful slice of cinematic sci-fi, and it’s wonderful to see Arrow Video putting it back in print once again.