10/18/06: Z.P.G. (1972)You finally really did it. You copulating maniacs--you blew up
the Population Clock! There are now over 300 million Americans!
Good work, everybody. Now let's celebrate by goofing on more Leftist horrors.
You'll always find references to
Logan's Run and
Soylent Green when reading about
Z.P.G. You won't, however, find references to
Z.P.G. when reading about
Logan's Run and
Soylent Green. This fun oddity is one of the forgotten eco-horror sci-fi films of the '70s. Unfairly so, too.
The movie stars Oliver Reed and Geraldine Chaplin in a futuristic tale of population control and general contriteness. The couple live in a small city that barely survived one of those military weapons designed to ruin the environment for children and other living things. Civilization was pretty much wiped out--to the extent that Reed and Chaplin work as a living museum exhibition that recreates the typical life of a '70s couple.
That part is as fun to watch as it sounds.
To protect the planet, all reproduction has been banned for a few decades. That only seems dumber the more you think about it. Chaplin has some serious maternal urges, though, and the couple almost gets away with having a kid. Things go sour once a fellow museum couple figure out there's a baby on board. Then there's enough blackmail and craziness to make for some fine daytime television.
Z.P.G. mainly works thanks to Reed and Chaplin, who take the script more seriously than it deserves. There are also plenty of imaginative moments. Today's graphic is unusually large so that we can all enjoy the Dome of Gotcha that so enthralled RightWingTrash as a mere lad.
The movie's also more relevant than ever. Try not to think about how funny the plot would seem to a couple in today's China.
The world of
Z.P.G., however, is Al Gore's happy fantasy. The populace has their food intake monitored, so there'll be none of that horrible excess food that Gore despises. Everybody has a handy abortion kit around the house, so you don't have to worry about the local pharmacist getting all moralistic about filling your prescription. The whole point of the '70s exhibit is to show the many excesses that ultimately prove Al Gore to be morally superior--at least, as far as bad sci-fi goes.
And the government is sympathetic enough to ensure that would-be parents have access to ugly little android babies. In the remake, the dolls would all look like Al Gore and say, "I told you so!"
Z.P.G. may mostly be forgotten, but let's not ignore its impact. The movie finally managed to shame
the real Z.P.G. folks into changing their name to Population Connection. They're not fooling anybody. We know they're looking at us like we're just something to be put in a museum. Now, why are you reading this when you could be procreating?
Make it your own: The few
VHS copies out there are pricey. Maybe the film's available on DVD in Singapore or someplace. Let's all fly around the world and see.
