Colossus: The Forbin Project

A Supercomputer Movie That Will Make You Think

Last night I couldn't help but re-watch "Colossus: The Forbin Project", because it beckoned to me as an island of sanity in a sea of miserably mediocre movies.When recent movies fail me in the imagination department, I revert back to the "old standards" of science-fiction movie excellence. "Colossus" is one of those beauties that often gets passed up in the lists of greats - and it's only because it was eclipsed by "2001". It's a crying shame that more people don't know about it. I'll do my best to convince you, if you haven't seen it.

Forbin

Leading the cast is a fellow with a slight but indeterminable accent. For 1970's standards, he's positively metro-sexual, sporting hair that's never out of place, suits that are always perfect, and of course, he loves a dry martini. As a scientist, he's a quiet fellow with great leadership skills. Back in the 60's and 70's there was no word for computer engineer. In fact, there were very few "computer scientists". When one spoke about them they were considered to be mathematician crackpots, fellas who spent their time writing programs that took forever to load, and then calculated things like how stocks and bonds were doing on Wall Street. They rarely had government backers, being funded mostly by famous universities.

As Forbin, Eric Braeden pulls off the role with quiet dignity. He impresses us, grabs us with his hushed manner of speaking, and draws us into his strange world of computing, scientific family, and government approval. We want to know who this man is, how he became what he is, and where he's going.

The rest of the cast is a mad jumble of familiar faces! Marion Ross, who we all remember from "Happy Days", Georg Sanford Brown, from "The Rookies", "Roots", and "Nip/Tuck", Martin E. Brooks, from "The Six Million Dollar Man" (remember Rudy?"), William Shallert, who was in so many series that I dare not go into it; and James Hong, from "Kung Fu" and "Blade Runner" - and a million television series appearances. It feels like family.

The surprising supporting actor is Susan Clark, who plays Forbin's right hand gal, Dr. Cleo Markham. She's very '70's, with her hairstyle, makeup and dress being so perfect it almost hurts. She's pretty and accomplished, and in the early '70's, that was saying a lot. Women were rarely portrayed in this manner.

It felt a little like Star Trek. In fact, it seemed like it had been written by Roddenberry. But Colossus: The Forbin Project was based on the novel, "Colossus", by D. F. Jones. There are two more books in the series, and one has to wonder why they haven't been done as well. Actually, there's a remake doddering around in someone's house, waiting to be re-written again. Producers have shown interest, but the writers can't seem to make it work. I'd like to see it made, but Will Smith as Forbin? Oh, right, they decided to go with "I, Robot" instead.

I can recall watching this film as a kid and being absolutely terrified of Colossus' new synthesized vocal box. Back then, something as robotic-sounding as that was so new as to seem satanic. I genuinely frightened for Forbin, and for humanity.  Certainly I'd never head David Bowie's take on the super-computer, "Savior Machine" (1971), in which a supercomputer took over the world, but I'd seen "2001: A Space Odyssey", in which Hal 2000 wreaked havoc. This was another of those "computers will destroy the world" movies, but in the end, it seems that Forbin will be the only one to suffer noticeably from his interaction with Colossus. The rest of humanity would reap the benefits of lack of war, sickness healed, and famine obliterated, while dealing with being watched 24/7. Big Brother Colossus would be there, forever.

There's lots of '60's and '70's references to alcoholism, smoking, the Cold War, and sexuality in the movie. One has to laugh at the occasional carefully orchestrated nudity. The sets are pure '70's, and the feeling of nostalgia (including the use of the buildings seen in "Logan's Run") give it a '60's air of Star-Trekian futurism.

Having worked in a building with a computer server farm, I am tickled at the realism that the opening scenes give - that sterile, secure area where only the computer geeks get to go. I remember the floors in Globix that freaked me out - some of which sported large halon tanks, poised to flood the floors to prevent fires from spreading and save valuable servers. Perhaps it was the lack of gas masks that concerned me. We were all warned to evacuate as quickly as possible in case of a fire. Colossus' massive data banks were pictured in this film decades before we'd ever dreamed up server farms. It was that ahead of its time.



If you haven't seen "Colossus: The Forbin Project", seek it out on the web or in your local library. It's a film that no self-respecting science-fiction geek or computer nerd should go without.