Westworld
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Westworld ( 1973 ) (Theme: SciFi) Starring Yul Brynner (IMDB# 0070909) |
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| Starring | Yul Brynner Richard Benjamin James Brolin | |
| Directed by | Michael Crichton | |
| Produced by | Paul Lazarus III | |
| Written by | Michael Crichton | |
| Music by | Fred Karlin | |
| Cinematography | Gene Polito | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| Released | November 21, 1973 | |
| Runtime | 88 min. (theatrical) | |
| Country | United States | |
| language | English | |
| Followed by | Futureworld Beyond Westworld | |
| AMG Info | All Movie Guide | |
| IMDB Info | 0070909 on IMDb | |
Westworld is a 1973 science fiction film written and directed by Michael Crichton. It stars Yul Brynner, Richard Benjamin, and James Brolin. It was followed by a sequel, Futureworld, and a short-lived television series, Beyond Westworld.
Plot summary
The film is set sometime in the near future, in a fictional high-tech amusement park called Delos. The park is divided into three zones: WesternWorld, MedievalWorld and RomanWorld. The entertainment in all three areas consists primarily of interaction by the guests with androids programmed to act in character (the Old West, medieval Europe, and pre-Christian Rome, respectively). The androids are indistinguishable from human beings, apart from minor flaws in their hands, and guests are encouraged to indulge in any fantasy, including killing the androids. The androids are programmed to respond positively to guest requests, specifically including requests for sex. Delos's guests pay $1,000 a day for the experience.
Peter Martin (Benjamin) and his friend John Blane (Brolin), who has visited previously, visit the WestWorld zone, where one of the main attractions is the Gunslinger (Yul Brynner), a robot programmed to start duels. Thanks to its programming, humans can always outdraw the Gunslinger and kill it. The guns used are electric six-shooters that can sense when they are pointed at a human being, in which case they will not fire.
Gradually, the technicians running Delos begin to notice problems with the androids. First, the robots in MedievalWorld begin suffering an inexplicable number of systemic failures. Then, a robot rattlesnake strikes Blane. Against her programming, a female servant android refuses a guest's request for sex. The failures increase until the robotic Black Knight kills a guest in a swordfight in MedievalWorld. The resort's supervisors, in an attempt to regain control, shut down power to the entire park. Unfortunately, this results in trapping them in the control rooms, while the robots run amok.
Martin and Blane, who have been passed out drunk after a barfight in WestWorld, wake up unaware that there has been a change for the worse. The two men are confronted by the Gunslinger, who challenges them to a duel. Blane treats the confrontation like a joke, until the robot shoots him. Martin runs for his life as the robot implacably follows him.
Martin flees to the other areas of the park, but finds only dead bodies and damaged robots. He manages to open an access panel to the underground control area, but finds that the resort's technicians have all suffocated since the ventilation shut down. The Gunslinger pursues Martin through the corridors, arriving at the robot repair facility where Martin lies in wait, pretending to be a disabled robot. Martin ambushes the Gunslinger by throwing a beaker of sulphuric acid, found amongst the repair materials, into the machine's face. Thinking he has disabled the Gunslinger, he leaves the service area and enters MedievalWorld.
However, Martin is followed by the Gunslinger, whose face has melted but who is still functional, though its visible spectrum optics were destroyed by the acid. The robot can still see Martin, but only via infrared backups, and is confused when he moves in front of several flaming torches, something it would not have been programmed to deal with in WestWorld. The Gunslinger begins to leave the room, but Martin accidentally makes a noise, allowing the Gunslinger to zero in on him again - when it lunges to strike (its electric pistol is exhausted), Martin seizes the opportunity to set fire to it with the overhead torch.
Thinking this has destroyed the robot, Martin leaves the burning Gunslinger and wanders out of the great hall, finding a female guest chained up in the dungeon. He releases her and gives her a drink of water, whereupon her face bursts into sparks, revealing she is a machine. Backing away in shock, he is confronted by the still moving burned hulk of the Gunslinger, which continues its attempt to attack him. However it falls off a high set of steps in the process and, finally succumbing to damage, shuts down.
Production details
The Gunslinger's appearance is based on Chris, Brynner's character from The Magnificent Seven. Both characters wear the same costume.
In the scene when Richard Benjamin's character splashes "The Gunslinger" (Yul Brynner) in the face with acid, Brynner's face was covered with an oil-based makeup mixed with ground Alka-Seltzer. A splash of water then produced the fizzing effect.
Computer graphics
Westworld was the first major feature film to use 2D computer-generated images (CGI) during scenes showing the point of view of the robotic gunslinger. The first use of 3D CGI in a feature film was Westworld's sequel, Futureworld, in 1976.
Information International, Inc., or better known as Triple-I, created the digitized shots of The Gunslinger's point of view for the movie. According to Turner Classic Movies, some of the shots took eight hours to render completely, and many tests were made to get the right look.
Music
The music in last part of the movie (the pursuit) was created by Fred Karlin.
Sequel
A sequel to Westworld, Futureworld, was filmed in 1976, with only Brynner returning from the original cast to reprise his Gunslinger character. Four years later, in 1980, the CBS television network aired a short-lived television series, Beyond Westworld, expanding on the concepts and plot of the first film with new characters. Its poor ratings caused it to be canceled after only three of the five episodes aired.
A remake of Westworld is in development as of 2007, and a director is still not attached to the film. Quentin Tarantino was approached as director, but turned it down. The film has been announced, but has not begun pre-production. The remake was originally speculated to be star vehicle for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael Crichton and Billy Ray are currently listed as writers on the early screenplay of the film.
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A great movie about an amusement park with robots to entertain you and for you to experience life in the three different worlds. Yul Brynner as the gunfighter is truly excellent and yes, scary as hell.
To nitpick a movie from the 70s is truly childish. It was interesting, action/sci-fi. Well paced, reasonably written well. Great chase scene at the end, because if the Gunslinger was coming after me, I'd be scared. And, as far as I know, the first movie to mention a 'virus' in the machines.
You might as well complain about the bombs in Dark Star having intelligence. Why would a bomb need AI? But if it didn't, the ending wouldn't have been as interesting.
It's like complaining about movies from the 50s, like 'War of the Worlds' or 'Forbidden Planet'. They worked with what they had and had no ideal about what would or could be done in the future. OMG, 1984 didn't happen like Orwell said. Guess we should toss his book in the trash. Too many people nitpicking silly things. Ever heard of entertainment?
If your a REAL sci-fi fan, watch it. You won't be disappointed!
Why is this article included on the SM-201 site?
This film has Yul Brynner as a gunslinger robot with attitude. He enters a ladies hotel room and does a "dance with a whip" with a lady dressed in corset and petticoats.
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