While “Green Sun” is broadcast tonight on Arte, do you know what the title of this great science fiction classic, directed by Richard Fleischer in 1973, refers to?
Broadcast this evening on Arte, and directed by Richard Fleischer in 1973, Green Sun is one of the essentials of science fiction.
Absolutely chilling and disconcertingly topical (the plot is supposed to take place in 2022), the film plunges us into a vastly overpopulated world, where traditional foodstuffs are almost impossible to find, and where humanity is nourished almost exclusively thanks to a new synthetic product: the green sun. Or, in the original version, the Soylent green.
This artificial food, whose actual composition constitutes the final twist of the feature film (which we will not reveal here), therefore gave its name to Fleischer’s film, unlike Harry Harrison’s original novel, with its significantly different plot, and entitled “Make Room! Make Room!”
Warner Bros. Entertainment France
But by the way, where exactly does this name “Soylent green” come from? From the mysterious Soylent company, which manufactures the famous foods on the chain, of course. But still ?
The term “soylent”, invented by the author of the original work, is in fact a compound word, fusion of “soy” (soya) and “lentils” (lentils).
No doubt this is a way for the company producing foodstuffs to indicate the composition of its synthetic products. Of course, as you know if you’ve ever seen the Richard Fleischer movie, the staple of “Soylent green” isn’t soybeans or lentils, but something else more sordid.
For those who are still unaware of the truth on the subject, go to Arte tonight, or (re) discover our Top 5 of the futures we don’t want to know…