Colossus: The Forbin Project
Encyclopedia
Colossus: The Forbin Project (produced in 1969 though released in 1970) is an American
science fiction
thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus
, by Dennis Feltham Jones
, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient
and deciding to assume control of the world.
, called "Colossus", to control all of the United States
and Allied nuclear weapon
s 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 message on its screens: "WARN: THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM"
It is revealed that Colossus is referring to a Soviet
project very similar to itself; 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 mathematics that are 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 at first ask why the link has been disconnected, and then when told it was due to the insistence of both country's leaders, the machines then insist that the link be restored. After repeatedly requesting that the link be restored and being told that it will not, Colossus ominously states "RESTORE LINK IMMEDIATELY OR ACTION WILL BE TAKEN". When asked repeatedly by Forbin, "What kind of action?" Colossus simply does not respond. Then, after repeated and unanswered requests as to the nature of the action Colossus finally replies with, "MISSILE LAUNCHED - TARGET USSR". When the Soviets are told of this they tell the Americans that Guardian has retaliated with a nuclear missile launch targeting Anderson Air Force Base in Texas. The U.S. President, realizing the seriousness of the situation, finally orders that the link between the two machines be restored immediately. When told by Forbin that the links are being restored and asked if Colossus will intercept the incoming Soviet missile, Colossus again ignores the question, instead simply waiting for the link to be restored. After the U.S. and U.S.S.R. finally 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. Guardian/Colossus soon announces that it has become one entity, and orders that it be given an actual voice rather than issuing its orders through text.
Working by direct personal contact, the scientists and governments attempt to fight back, first by attempting to overload the computers. This attempt fails and the machines identify the individuals responsible, ordering their immediate execution by firing squad, that the bodies be left in its view for 24 hours and then cremated so as to avoid deception. Forbin's Soviet counterpart ("Dr. Kuprin") is killed by KGB agents under orders issued by Guardian at a clandestine meeting the two governments arranged in Rome. Forbin himself is not killed because the machines intend to use him for their further development in a new machine base requiring all of the island of Crete
. The computer demands that Forbin be placed under its own 24 hour surveillance so that it can watch him at all times. To this effect, cameras and microphones are installed throughout the computer control complex and in Forbin's apartment. Colossus even issues Forbin's schedule for each day, deciding what he can do and even what he can eat. Forbin is now controlled by the machine that he created.
Realizing that the computers themselves are 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. Guardian/Colossus then instructs the governments to redirect all nuclear missiles at those countries that are not yet under its control. Both governments see this as an opportunity to covertly disarm the missiles under the pretext of carrying out the computer's orders. Unfortunately for them, Colossus detects this plot and, in the final scene, responds by detonating two missiles in their silos with the announced justification "so that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference".
Also in the final scene, the machine, which has so far only communicated with the American and Soviet governments who have hidden their actions from the public, announces itself as "the voice of World Control
" in a broadcast to the general population of all countries. It declares that Man has a choice between the peace of a human millennium under its authority or one of "unburied dead". In a final remark, addressed to Dr. Forbin, the machines predict: "In time, you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love." Forbin replies: "Never."
and Gregory Peck
were considered for the lead role, but Stanley Chase insisted on an unknown actor for the lead and German-born actor Eric Braeden was cast.
, gave the film a positive review, writing, "Early in The Forbin Project, Colossus, a supercomputer that controls the United States' 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."
Dave Kehr, film critic for the Chicago Reader, liked the film, but thought it lacked an "effective conclusion." He wrote, "Above-average science fiction (1970), directed in functional hysteric style by Joseph Sargent ... The script, by James Bridges (who went on to write and direct The China Syndrome
and Urban Cowboy
), is literate and discreet but lacks an effective ending."
Nominations
museum at the University of California, Berkeley.
and Universal Studios
confirmed that a remake titled Colossus, to be directed by Ron Howard
, would be in production as of April 2007, but was delayed for years. In October 2010, the project moved forward with the announcement that Will Smith
will star in the lead role, with the script being written by James Rothenberg. In July 2011, Variety reported that Universal replaced Rothenberg with Blake Masters of Law & Order: LA to do a new draft of the script.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
thriller film. It is based upon the 1966 novel Colossus
Colossus (novel)
Colossus is a science fiction novel by British author Dennis Feltham Jones, about super-computers assuming control of man. Two sequels, The Fall of Colossus and Colossus and the Crab continued the story...
, by Dennis Feltham Jones
Dennis Feltham Jones
Dennis Feltham Jones was a British science fiction author who wrote under the byline D.F. Jones. He was a naval commander in World War II and lived in Cornwall....
, about a massive American defense computer, named Colossus, becoming sentient
Sentience
Sentience is the ability to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. Eighteenth century philosophers used the concept to distinguish the ability to think from the ability to feel . In modern western philosophy, sentience is the ability to have sensations or experiences...
and deciding to assume control of the world.
Plot
Dr. Charles A. Forbin is the chief designer of a secret government project. He and his team have built an advanced supercomputerSupercomputer
A supercomputer is a computer at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation.Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems including quantum physics, weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling A supercomputer is a...
, called "Colossus", to control all of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Allied nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s 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 message on its screens: "WARN: THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM"
It is revealed that Colossus is referring to a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
project very similar to itself; 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 mathematics that are 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 at first ask why the link has been disconnected, and then when told it was due to the insistence of both country's leaders, the machines then insist that the link be restored. After repeatedly requesting that the link be restored and being told that it will not, Colossus ominously states "RESTORE LINK IMMEDIATELY OR ACTION WILL BE TAKEN". When asked repeatedly by Forbin, "What kind of action?" Colossus simply does not respond. Then, after repeated and unanswered requests as to the nature of the action Colossus finally replies with, "MISSILE LAUNCHED - TARGET USSR". When the Soviets are told of this they tell the Americans that Guardian has retaliated with a nuclear missile launch targeting Anderson Air Force Base in Texas. The U.S. President, realizing the seriousness of the situation, finally orders that the link between the two machines be restored immediately. When told by Forbin that the links are being restored and asked if Colossus will intercept the incoming Soviet missile, Colossus again ignores the question, instead simply waiting for the link to be restored. After the U.S. and U.S.S.R. finally 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. Guardian/Colossus soon announces that it has become one entity, and orders that it be given an actual voice rather than issuing its orders through text.
Working by direct personal contact, the scientists and governments attempt to fight back, first by attempting to overload the computers. This attempt fails and the machines identify the individuals responsible, ordering their immediate execution by firing squad, that the bodies be left in its view for 24 hours and then cremated so as to avoid deception. Forbin's Soviet counterpart ("Dr. Kuprin") is killed by KGB agents under orders issued by Guardian at a clandestine meeting the two governments arranged in Rome. Forbin himself is not killed because the machines intend to use him for their further development in a new machine base requiring all of the island of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. The computer demands that Forbin be placed under its own 24 hour surveillance so that it can watch him at all times. To this effect, cameras and microphones are installed throughout the computer control complex and in Forbin's apartment. Colossus even issues Forbin's schedule for each day, deciding what he can do and even what he can eat. Forbin is now controlled by the machine that he created.
Realizing that the computers themselves are 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. Guardian/Colossus then instructs the governments to redirect all nuclear missiles at those countries that are not yet under its control. Both governments see this as an opportunity to covertly disarm the missiles under the pretext of carrying out the computer's orders. Unfortunately for them, Colossus detects this plot and, in the final scene, responds by detonating two missiles in their silos with the announced justification "so that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference".
Also in the final scene, the machine, which has so far only communicated with the American and Soviet governments who have hidden their actions from the public, announces itself as "the voice of World Control
World government
World government is the notion of a single common political authority for all of humanity. Its modern conception is rooted in European history, particularly in the philosophy of ancient Greece, in the political formation of the Roman Empire, and in the subsequent struggle between secular authority,...
" in a broadcast to the general population of all countries. It declares that Man has a choice between the peace of a human millennium under its authority or one of "unburied dead". In a final remark, addressed to Dr. Forbin, the machines predict: "In time, you will come to regard me not only with respect and awe, but with love." Forbin replies: "Never."
Cast
- Eric BraedenEric BraedenEric Braeden is a German-American film and television actor, best known for his role as Victor Newman on the soap opera The Young and the Restless and as John Jacob Astor IV in the 1997 film Titanic...
as Dr. Charles Forbin - Susan ClarkSusan ClarkSusan Clark is a Canadian actress, possibly best-known for her role as Katherine on the American television sitcom Webster, on which she appeared with her husband, Alex Karras.-Personal life:...
as Dr. Cleo Markham - Gordon PinsentGordon PinsentGordon Edward Pinsent, CC, FRSC is a Canadian television, theatre and film actor.-Early life:Pinsent, the youngest of six children, was born in Grand Falls, Newfoundland, the son of Flossie ; originally from Clifton, Newfoundland, and Stephen Arthur Pinsent, a papermill worker and cobbler;...
as The President - William SchallertWilliam SchallertWilliam Joseph Schallert is an American actor who has appeared in many films and in such television series as The Smurfs, The Rat Patrol, Gunsmoke, The Patty Duke Show, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Waltons, Bonanza, Leave It to Beaver, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Love, American Style, Get...
as CIA Director Grauber - Leonid Rostoff as Russian Chairman
- Georg Stanford BrownGeorg Stanford BrownGeorg Stanford Brown is an Afro-Cuban-American actor and director, perhaps best known as one of the stars of the ABC police television series The Rookies from 1972–76...
as John F. Fisher - Willard Sage as Dr. Blake
- Alex Rodine as Dr. Kuprin
- Martin E. BrooksMartin E. BrooksMartin E. Brooks is an American character actor known for playing scientist Dr. Rudy Wells in the television series The Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off, The Bionic Woman, from 1975 onward .Brooks reprised the role of Wells in three television movies: The Return of the...
as Dr. Jefferson J. Johnson - Marion RossMarion RossMarion Ross is an American actress best known for her role as Marion Cunningham on the television series Happy Days from 1974 to 1984.-Early life:...
as Angela Fields - Dolph SweetDolph SweetDolph Sweet was an American actor, credited with nearly 60 television and film roles as well as several roles in stage productions before his death from cancer in 1985.-Biography:...
as Missile Commander - Byron MorrowByron MorrowByron Morrow was an American television and film actor, born in Chicago.His TV work ran from Peter Gunn in 1957 to Father Dowling Mysteries in 1991...
as Secretary of State - Paul FreesPaul FreesPaul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
as the voice of Colossus/Guardian - Sid McCoy as Secretary of Defense
Production
Originally Charlton HestonCharlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
and Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
were considered for the lead role, but Stanley Chase insisted on an unknown actor for the lead and German-born actor Eric Braeden was cast.
Critical response
When the film was released, Vincent Canby, film critic for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, gave the film a positive review, writing, "Early in The Forbin Project, Colossus, a supercomputer that controls the United States' military defense system, goes into an unprogrammed rage and launches a missile toward the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. 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
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, commonly known as Dr. Strangelove, is a 1964 black comedy film which satirizes the nuclear scare. It was directed, produced, and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott, and featuring Sterling...
, 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."
Dave Kehr, film critic for the Chicago Reader, liked the film, but thought it lacked an "effective conclusion." He wrote, "Above-average science fiction (1970), directed in functional hysteric style by Joseph Sargent ... The script, by James Bridges (who went on to write and direct The China Syndrome
The China Syndrome
The China Syndrome is a 1979 American thriller film that tells the story of a reporter and cameraman who discover safety coverups at a nuclear power plant. It stars Jane Fonda, Jack Lemmon, Michael Douglas, Scott Brady, James Hampton, Peter Donat, Richard Herd, and Wilford Brimley.The film was...
and Urban Cowboy
Urban Cowboy
Released as a 2× vinyl record album, re-released on CD in 1995.Side A:#Hello Texas – Jimmy Buffett #All Night Long – Joe Walsh #Times Like These – Dan Fogelberg #Nine Tonight – Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band...
), is literate and discreet but lacks an effective ending."
Awards
Wins- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films: Golden Scroll of Merit, Stanley Chase, for theatrical motion picture production; 1979.
Nominations
- Hugo Awards: Hugo, Best Dramatic Presentation; 1971.
Locations
The exterior scenes of the Colossus control center were filmed at the Lawrence Hall of ScienceLawrence Hall of Science
The Lawrence Hall of Science is a public science center featuring hands-on exhibits and activities. Located in the hills above the University of California, Berkeley campus, LHS is also a resource center for preschool through high school science and mathematics education.Established in 1968 in...
museum at the University of California, Berkeley.
Remake
Imagine EntertainmentImagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
and Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
confirmed that a remake titled Colossus, to be directed by Ron Howard
Ron Howard
Ronald William "Ron" Howard is an American actor, director, and producer. He came to prominence as a child actor, playing Opie Taylor in the sitcom The Andy Griffith Show for eight years, and later the teenaged Richie Cunningham in the sitcom Happy Days for six years...
, would be in production as of April 2007, but was delayed for years. In October 2010, the project moved forward with the announcement that Will Smith
Will Smith
Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
will star in the lead role, with the script being written by James Rothenberg. In July 2011, Variety reported that Universal replaced Rothenberg with Blake Masters of Law & Order: LA to do a new draft of the script.
External links
- Colossus: The Forbin Project film clips
- Colossus: The Forbin Project review at Eccentric Cinema
- Colossus: The Forbin Project film trailer and film review by John LandisJohn LandisJohn David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
by You Tube