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Rollerball (1975)

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Commentaries on this disc:

Commentary 1: Director Norman Jewison Rating:4.8/10 (11 votes) [graph]Login to vote or review
Reviewed by Disco Stu on August 4th, 2008:Find all reviews by Disco Stu
Jewison easily has the most annoying voice to ever grace a commentary. No way to manage more than five minutes of this.
Reviewed by lvcambot on January 23rd, 2012:Find all reviews by lvcambot
I think it is UNFAIR to give a BAD commentary rating because you didn't care for the academy award winners' voice!

I really enjoyed the director's commentary. It was clear and provided much information for current filmmakers as well as film historians.
Reviewed by Jonathan E on December 18th, 2012:Find all reviews by Jonathan E
I also really enjoyed this commentary. I thought Norman Jewison covered as many details that could be covered and I personally loved his voice. This is one of my favorite films of all time and with the commentary only adds to my enjoyment. On the special edition R2 DVD there is also a second audio commentary from writer William Harrison which I also found interesting and well worth my time. This obviously delves into the differences between his writing and what eventually ended up on film.
Reviewed by Kgprophet79 on June 21st, 2013:Find all reviews by Kgprophet79
The Dystopian world is described in more interesting detail by Jewison. The tidbits, like choosing a hockey announcer for the play-by-play, show how these small touches helped elevate this film. This is the type of commentary that helps improve watching a film, because the ideas behind the story give you new insights.

Of course, always watch the film without commentary first.
Reviewed by Station51 on May 3rd, 2016:Find all reviews by Station51
There was a review that Jewison's voice is grating and annoying. That is partly true. He does sound a bit nasally. Thankfully I could adjust the EQ on the sound and balance it out. Jewsion doesn't normally sound that bad , it's more about the mic or mix on the sound.
Despite that the commentary is mediocre. He delves into a lot of the story and shooting but he takes a lot of time to do it, often repeating himself in the process. It's stilted and not really engaging.
He does explain the odd style of the movie which was in some ways a Hollywood/anti-Hollywood film. It's a peculiar movie with an interesting plot. It plods along very slowly and so does Jewison's commentary. He's usually quite good with commentary. This isn't one of his better ones. 6/10 is about right although some jokers on here like to come on and vote zero on things. Whatever.
Reviewed by Station51 on May 3rd, 2016:Find all reviews by Station51
I should have added that although the film feels dated and low on great effects the film had a cult following and made a cultural impact. There are echoes of the story in 'The Running Man', 'Braveheart' and ''The Hunger Games'. Jewison hints at this but misses some likely connections. One person's destiny becomes to no longer play by the rules which are enforced by an oppressive state and ultimately becomes a champion and a symbol of freedom. Hey wait, that could be 'Footloose ' too. Ah well.