Re: Rollerball

A movie from the 70s (terrible recent remake) with James Caan and John Houseman in which nation states had been replaced with corporate states. The Rollerball team of which Caan was a part was the home team of Houston which was the "capital" of something like Petroleana. (Update: apparently it was something much duller: the Energy Corporation.)

Not exactly Bobbitt's "market states" but that is what came to mind.

I saw Rollerball at a drive-in in the 70s. There is a line in the movie that comes up when the shady muckety-mucks are discussing rollerball and Muckety 1 calls rollerball a "game."

Muckety 2 replies, "Game? It was never intended to be a game." He implies that it is really the current equivalent of the Coliseum and it is one of the key lines of the movie.

Seeing it at a drive-in, here is what I heard Muckety 2 say:

Game? It--the snack bar will close in 5 minutes--game.

LJ and Michael have probably heard me tell that story a dozen times. Can't help it.