MovieChat Forums > Soylent Green (1973) Discussion > Simonson's murder---an unusually brutal ...

Simonson's murder---an unusually brutal scene for 1973?

posted 11 years ago by farmerne
6 replies | jump to latest

When Simonson is murdered---the assassin does a two-arm full arc overhead swing and buries the crowbar in Simonson's head (including a loud "whomp!" as it goes into his skull). Then there is a sharp backwards yank (the implication is the crowbar was buried in Simonson's head), so that the killer can immediately wind-up for another devastating blow!

Watching this last night on my big screen tv, I am thinking this all must have been shockingly graphic for audiences back in 1973. It certainly made me wince.

[–] creatorof2002 11 years ago

Well the EXORCIST was filmed that same year AND a very disturbing movie VALLEY OF THE DOLLS was filmed in 1970 and the TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE and JAWS were filmed a mere 2 years later so considering that its not such a big deal.

[–] RRPounder 11 years ago

You must be young to think that scene was rough for the 70's. Hell, Midnight Cowboy, The Wild Bunch,Bonnie And Clyde and Night Of The Living Dead were all done in the late 60's and they're all much more explicit then Soylent Green. Don't forget that A Clockwork Orange was made two years before this too.

[–] Nakrophile 11 years ago

I imagine the point was more that Soylent Green was and still is a PG. I am quite surpirsed it still is considering the bleak tone and violence, presumably it just hasn't been re-rated. I have the region 1 release but I know it's a 15 in the UK.

Time to blow

[–] dalldorfw 10 years ago

Brutality in the 70's movie? Can't be!

[–] eelb 10 years ago

No, the limits on the depiction of violence were well out of the bag by 1973. This film is mild compared to the typical grade B stuff being shown at the drive-ins in this era.

In fact, the films of the early to mid 70's, were much bloodier and sexier than anything being produced in mainstream film today.

[–] thomas196x2000 8 years ago

Yes, it absolutely was. I was this as a 12 year old kid, and I had seen dirty Hairy! Not only did that disturb me, but when the assassin later got knocked to the ground and the shovel came down on him, and you saw the blood pooling out of the bottom, that was freaky as well.

It was a disturbing movie when it came out. I still really liked it though, as a kid, and now.