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The Film That Was Profitable Before Anyone Watched | Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Golden Flicker

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The film Universal Pictures made for free, and then hid from the world. In this episode of Golden Flicker, we uncover the strange, contradictory production history of Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970).

We explore how a remarkable corporate sponsorship filled a soundstage with millions of dollars in real computer hardware , why a lead actor was forced to erase his own identity to secure the role , and how a studio's apathy buried a prophetic masterpiece about artificial intelligence. From the presence of a young Steven Spielberg on a closed set to the classified military technology used to create a machine's voice, discover the secrets behind the grandfather of the modern AI thriller.

Chapters
00:00 - The Prescient Warning of Colossus
01:46 - The Disastrous 1970 Box Office Release
03:31 - D.F. Jones, James Bridges, and the Script
04:57 - The Control Data Corporation Hardware Deal
06:30 - Hollywood's 1970 Financial Crisis
07:45 - Albert Whitlock's Matte Paintings & Authentic Sets
09:08 - The SIGSALY Vocoder and the Voice of Colossus
09:51 - Eric Braeden's Name Change & Steven Spielberg
13:02 - Censorship and the Infamous "Sex Requirement" Scene
13:45 - James Cameron's Connection & The Alignment Problem
16:43 - Why Universal Pictures Abandoned Colossus

#GoldenFlicker #ColossusTheForbinProject #CinemaHistory #ClassicSciFi #BehindTheScenes

20 Comments

@in4m1 6 months ago

I saw this movie on TV as a teenager in the 1970s. I knew how important it was then. I have the DVD and consider it even more important now.

@JohnSmith-zn5nw 6 months ago

One of the many great 70's films most people have never heard of.

@x15galmichelleevans 6 months ago

Great way to wake up on a Saturday morning. Colossus is my second favorite film of all time, right behind 2001 A Space Odyssey. I have copies on Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-Ray. The Laserdisc was signed by Eric Braeden when I went to a special showing at the Aero Theater in Hollywood several years ago. Definitely a prized possession. When I find a friend that has not seen the movie, I'll sit them down and pull out the Blu-Ray immediately. First saw it with my dad at a drive-in theater when the film was originally released, then sat on the floor at Equicon '73 and watched it projected on a wall during my first sci-fi convention. Love this flick!

@morgangallowglass8668 6 months ago

This movie intrigued me as a child and now terrifies me as an adult.

@cshortridge1 6 months ago

Wow. No smoking in 1970? Now that's dedication! No joke! 😮

@ThunderWarrior01 6 months ago

What the absolute hell?
Golden Flicker, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it yet again, you keep on covering some serious classics, fantastic work yet again 🙌

@DonnaLMinar 3 months ago

A note: D. F. Jones wrote two sequels to "Colossus;" "The Fall of Colossus," and "Colossus and the Crab."

@Truckngirl 6 months ago

I saw it in the theater and it stuck with me all these years. That so many later films drew their premise from it is not accidental. From The Terminator to The Matrix to Wargames, its influence is undeniable.

@AdrianBeatsTheDevil 6 months ago (edited)

I'm literally trying to figure how to make my Home Assistant speak with Colossus' voice via Alexa at the moment. And when we get this rolling, the first thing I'm gonna have it say is: "This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content or the peace of unburied death.":face-purple-crying::text-green-game-over:

@necrotoaster94 6 months ago

Caught this on late night TV when I was a kid. Was chilling then, have watched it many times since, and is exponentially more chilling now.

@iancroft1447 6 months ago

Love Colossus-1st saw it on tv in the early 70’s. It & The Andromeda Strain were in heavy rotation on NYC local tv. Also on occasion was Fantastic Voyage. Great vid Mr. GF-thanx ! 📽️

@ObsessedCollector 6 months ago

THANK YOU SO MUCH for this! Awesome you took my suggestion! I adore this film so much!

@mtnimt4724 6 months ago

In my 50's and only heard of this film a few years ago. Obviously it was a massive influence on The Terminator and War Games. Awesome film.

@obsoletebutneat 4 months ago

This movie has some of the best sound design ever.

@ntodd4110 6 months ago

"The choice is yours — obey me and live, or disobey and die".

@walesdad 6 months ago

An absolute classic film that I came across by accident, as relevant now as the day it was made.

@PatrickCallahan-wg2sh 3 months ago

I first saw this movie when it first came on TV in the 1970.s just by accident switching channels. As a young teenager who loved history and science fiction I was amazed by it. I still am. This movie was ahead of its time. I believe it could be released today if the studio backed. A remake would have a lot of extra bells and whistles but most remakes suck.

@bani_niba 6 months ago

One of my favorite films and an unknown gem. A hard sci-fi about the dangers of AI, made in 1970 - fantastic!

@montylc2001 6 months ago (edited)

I guess I was one of the lucky ones who got to see it in a theater when it was first released. Saw it at a Saturday matinee in San Jose, California in 1971 when first released. Been one of my favorite movies ever since....and even as a 10 year old boy when I saw it, it made a big impact on me. Have it on DVD now.