"Rollerball" and Other Movies Used to Take Their Time. Today's Movies Don't
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Recently I watched the original "Rollerball" movie. It's a movie that has been on my list for a while. I like sports movies, I like James Caan's acting and I like sci-fi. It kind of hits every note for me. So I sat down and watched the damn thing.
In the end I think that I liked it. It is definitely one of the weirder movies I have ever watched. It also isn't a "sports" movie. But in the end, after sitting with it for a while, I think I had a good time. I could do a whole review of it today, but I would rather talk about movies from that era.
"Rollerball" was released in 1975. I have been going back and watching movies from that era that many people consider classics. Some may be older, some a little newer. But most of the movies I have been watching were released in the mid 70's, and there's a running theme through all of these that we don't get in modern movies. Movies from the 70's will just let you sit in a scene for what feels like way too long. There were so many scenes in "Rollerball" where nothing was happening. Early on in the movie James Caan goes to the owner of the rollerball team he is on to have a conversation. He is escorted to his office, and this thing is clearly the vision of what the director thought offices would look like in 2018. It is all shiny and white and clear and there are chandeliers everywhere. James Caan even bumps into one, and then cuts his finger on another one. But, as the scene plays out, Caan walks into the room and the owner of the team has his hands over his eyes. And we sat there for a good solid minute with no one conversing. And when the owner finally does speak, he speaks in metaphors that make zero sense. And I walked away from that scene entranced. There is other stuff in "Rollerball" where Caan will turn on his multiple tvs, some classical songs will play and he will say nothing. We sat there and watched Caan watch his tv. Again, this goes on for a full minute. And it is not just "Rollerball" that does this. I recently watched "Rear Window", great movies by the way, and that movie opens with our lead character sitting in a wheelchair just eavesdropping on his neighbors. I understand that this is the point of the movie, because how else would he witness what he witnessed, but Hitchcock lets us live in that moment for a long, long time. "Easy Rider" is another fairly recent watch of mine where we just see dudes riding their motorcycles for endless amounts of time. And it is rad. They also have a full story arc in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and we get to watch the two main characters and two lady friends go on a drug trip, with little to no dialogue. The director just wanted us to feel like we were on the trip with them I suppose. There's also the whole hippy commune where we watch people swim in a lake. That's it. nothing else really happens for long stretches of time.
I cannot fathom a world where someone would make a movie nowadays where you watch full minute long scenes of nothing really happening. Even directors I really like wouldn't do something like this. Ari Aster has to fill his movies with the wackiest stuff you have ever seen. Also, he is clearly trying to terrify his viewers. Zach Cregger doesn't put things in his movies unless it is going to drive the story along even further. I cannot picture a world where Robert Eggers isn't trying to make you fully pay attention simply due to the dialogue and dialect of his actors. Jordan Peele's movies want to scare you and make you laugh, never "wasting" a second just to show you some cool scenery. The attention span we all have now is so diluted that movie makers simply cannot waste any time on screen. They need to keep everyone's full attention at all times.
It is kind of a bummer to be honest. We all watch videos, myself included, that are Tik Tok or Instagram length now. I will skip some videos if they don't grab my attention within the first 10 seconds. It has become a problem. But sitting back and watching these old classic 60's and 70's movies, I kind of like just staying in a scene for long periods of time. I get a good look at the set and can pick out things I dislike and like within a scene. I get a good look at what the actors are trying to do. I get a better feel for what the director is trying to say. It almost feels like a way for the directors to show off, and I mean that as a compliment.
I will be continuing to check off these classics that I have been watching more frequently now. And I will be looking hard for more of these scenes that just sit and stay for a long period of time. I have grown accustomed to them, and to be frank, I like seeing stuff like this in movies.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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