This was on my web site back in the late 1990's. I couldn't find it on the Internet currently and felt that it was too good not to share.
LOGAN’S RUN NOTES Last rev. 01-09-99
COMPARISON OF 4/30/75 GOODMAN SCRIPT TO FINAL CUT OF
FILM
WITH GENERAL COMMENTS, GOOFS, ETC.
jrauner@monmouth.com
INITIAL COMMENTS:
This essay is intended to be an aid to those who are fans of
the film Logan’s Run (MGM, 1976). It is
a comparison of the 4/30/75 David Zelag Goodman script (abbreviated herein as
“SCR”) with the actual final cut film (“LR” = “Logan’s Run”), which I have
transcribed under a separate file (abbreviated herein as “XSCR”). I have not had access to any other edits of
the Goodman script, several of which are known to exist. There was much on-site editing as filming
progressed, as well as the infamous cuts that were done in post-production (and
after pre-screening) to trim the total length to 2 hours, and to ensure a PG
rating. The source of the script is
Steve Grimes’ scan as posted on his website “Scattered Reviews” (see [1] at
end). My transcript is also posted
there. I have also occasionally added
references to comments from Michael York (Logan), Michael Anderson (Director)
and Bill Thomas (Costume Designer) gleaned from the Special Edition LaserDisk
(SE-LD) release of October 1997 (also on DVD as of September 1998). Abbreviations for character names here are
the same as in the XSCR.
To detail every single difference between SCR and film would
be very tedious and beyond anyone’s attention span to wade through – including
my own. It would also not be of much use
to do so, since there were numerous versions of the script anyway. Thus, I have undertaken to highlight only
those areas that made a difference in how we perceive the film – things that
affect concept, plotline and the like.
All opinions expressed are purely my own. I claim no special or unique knowledge of the
materials involved. The purpose of this
is to aid research and to stimulate discussion, especially in view of the new
interest in Hollywood for a movie re-make (see Nolan in gatefold of the SE-LD,
and the "Coming Attractions" website (see [2] at end) for latest
rumors). If there are any demonstrable
errors of fact, I would appreciate knowing.
See also WRAP-UP at end which includes Goof List and
Discussion of Time Problem.
"LOGAN'S RUN ... IT'S DUMB, BUT FUN!" Here goes ...
************************
SCR XSCR of LR COMMENTARY
======== ========= ===============================================
---- Intro.
text This text not in
SCR. This is the only explicit indication
as to why the City even exists. As we
will see, this intro. in effect covers an awful lot of ground, owing to the
lack of any detail in the remainder of the film regarding the City and its
denizens. It was supposedly added on due
to the pre-view in San Diego in May 1976.
Uses secondary spelling "carrousel", though the SCR uses
"carousel" wherever referenced, with the exception of 3 places.
Intro. note ---- SCR states the
crystal will be in the left hand of all characters. This supercedes several subsequent refs. to
the crystals being in the right hand.
Oddly, mention of lifeclocks being in the left hand is still present at
SCR 63X2, 125 and 306. No mention of clothing;
according to the SE-LD, Thomas was allowed to develop this theme, the idea that
the City denizens' clothing would match their lifeclocks.
1-2 1 SCR has “moon and
stars”, not visible in LR.
4-16 ---- The first of the 3
scenes deleted from LR. SCR has
“elevator” element here not used in LR elsewhere until the scene just before
Box. Note 12-16 of SCR where the crowd
yells and applauds F. This crowd
reaction shows something of the ethos of the City, valuable info. virtually
non-existent in LR. Most of the people
are evidently “true believers” who agree wholeheartedly with Sandman
methods. This would have given LR a
slam-bang intro and helped set up the Carousel scene. SCR 16 match dissolves into the beginning
scene of LR.
19X1,X2 2-6 L is identified as 25 (years old) in
SCR. Also says 3 infants in Nursery
(only 2 in LR). Dialog about terminated
runner deleted in LR (continuity). SCR
has L call baby “idiot” (establishes callousness). Oddly, LR has L think it will also be a
Sandman, but SCR only says baby is a “Sandman son”. LR, F: “he’s not yours anymore” missing from
SCR. SCR has F “pry at panel”, but LR
has F bang on glass with gun. Sleep-time
voice and lots of dialog missing from LR.
In LR, right-hand baby gets flipped right-side up just before F and L
exit! In SCR, F uses “card key” and both
exit Nursery through a door.
---- 18 F says “One is
terminated, one is born” is possibly a GOOF (see list at end). We see the rotating Hand for the first time;
not in SCR.
26-28 ---- Here’s the review of the Arcade shops that
would have helped us understand a lot about the City. Apparently deleted for time, this also made a
lot of set construction a wasted effort!
(Set even had Crazy Lift, etc. buttons for the Hallucimill! – glimpse
seen in SE-LD stills section).
Hallucimill (nearly) invisible in LR; no reference or clear shot of
it. Woman breathing “yes…yes…” out of
the Love Shop deleted for rating, or never filmed? Joke about "seed-mother" intact in
LR.
29 ---- Second deleted
scene. More detail of the social life of
the City totally absent from LR. In SCR,
F mentions “damned Yellows” and Cathedral which was a good setup for later Cathedral
scene. In LR, this entire beginning of
the film was shortened about 10 minutes.
This section was reduced to just providing an excuse for L and F to walk
toward Carousel! Seems like an
incomplete setup -- and a precursor of worse to come.
31-32 27-28 No computer voice in SCR
(this is true throughout the rest of it), but has “deep and thrilling TONE”
here (LR has a church gong sound). SCR
has F and L talk with “Daniel”. LR shows
some talk with Daniel, but he is not identified. Daniel's line (XSCR 28) is not audible on
SE-LD, but is clear on the MGM tape of movie.
One line in the script (SCR 29), Woman: “Only if I make it to the top of
Carousel”, lent support to Anderson's interpretation of Carousel (see next
entry).
53 34 The famous Carousel
scene. An excellent special effect not
in the book. (The book had a Sleep Shop. A set for this was originally built for LR,
but was requisitioned for Sol Roth's (Edward G. Robinson’s) death scene in
“Soylent Green” when production of LR was on a hiatus). Since a set for this was actually built for
LR, presumably an earlier draft of the SCR (perhaps a script from an earlier
scriptwriter) had the Sleep Shop scene.
SCR seems to imply that Lastday people are incinerated only after
“toppling into the blackness” after straining for the “rainbow”. LR has incineration at the very top of
flight. No mention of central, white
crystal here in SCR (it is mentioned in the second Carousel scene near film’s
end). Anderson, in the SE-LD, made the
statement that Lastday people only renewed if they TOUCHED the white crystal,
and that no one ever did! (This was made
in his commentary later in the film, corresponding to the last scene in the
Senate chamber). This was supposedly
what Logan finally realized once he figured out that there was no renewal and
no Sanctuary. One of the perplexing
things about this theme is that if this were true, all the City denizens could
see that no one ever renewed. Sure,
Carousel is represented in LR as a "chance", not a guaranty, of
renewal (see L's and J's first meeting dialog), perhaps only for true believers
(note F thinks "Sandmen always renew", implying that perhaps some
others don't). But, what would be the
source of all those infants in Nursery, which must be numerous in order to
replenish the population and which are directly linked to renewal
("one-for-one")? Almost no one
ever visited Nursery to verify what was going on, but all the citizens must be
coming from somewhere. We are left with
the conclusion that renewal must have been viewed as a purely metaphysical
event, where one couldn't tell whether it happened or not.
58 35 SCR has “MAN: RELIVE
STORE 14”. LR has “RUNNER, GREAT HALL,
ENTRANCE WEST”. In SCR, L and F leave
together, but LR has L leave first and be surprised by F when he’s in the Main
Hall.
59X11-N 39 SCR makes it clear Runner is forced to
plunge without being hit. LR is
ambiguous on this. Body on floor appears
undamaged by flamegun, but back and left side not visible. Wow, that runner sure fell a long, long way
considering he only climbed up one story to escape from L and F! (see goofs section).
63X2-X6 39 SCR says specifically that a black
lifeclock is seen in the Runner's left hand; not in LR. LR has L and F verbally taunting Runner; not
in SCR. L's identity check and voice commo
are reversed in LR.
63X7-X13 43 "Stickmen"
identified as such in SCR; not in LR.
SCR has crystals being sucked up into machine; LR just has them
disappear into thin air -- not too realistic.
One of the cheesiest moments in LR.
More Arcade-hopping here in SCR, totally gone from LR (starting to see a
pattern?)
63X20 44 SCR has L fiddling with a game. Interestingly, a still picture exists that
shows J doing this (was this filmed?).
J's appearance is another pretty chintzy special effect that is
technologically implausible -- see Wrap-up at end.
63X22 44 In LR, once J appears we see she's not
wearing any footwear. This is apparently
the only place where she wears no footwear; not mentioned in SCR. In some subsequent scenes, they seem to
disappear, but only because they're wet -- see GOOF comments at end.
64 45-86 The important first meeting
of L and J. SCR has L call J an
"Available"; not in LR.
Generally, LR follows the SCR closely here. York stated that this was unrehearsed due to
lack of time and director's MO, and that he was satisfied with that arrangement
during filming. SCR has L say
"playfully": "... But if you're one of the misfits ...",
but in LR he is quite menacing. J says
she's Green-6, to go Red next year in both.
SCR has the green crystal actually being shown; not in LR. Dialog at end (XSCR 83-86) appears
extemporaneous.
64X2 105-107 LR has termination of Runner in
power center; not in SCR here. Seems to
be something intended for later (see SCR 94A1).
69 102 SCR has same colors for
clocks as in LR. Interestingly, SCR
states “these contents are the ones from the runner Francis has killed at the
beginning of the film”. Because that
scene was deleted, we are left to presume that those possessions are just from
some unknown earlier termination. Also,
in SCR L and F enter together; in LR, separately (this mirrors the earlier
scene when they leave Carousel to hunt the Runner).
69 112-137 L’s big briefing scene. SCR had no computer voice. Many differences in computer messages. In SCR, C positively says “ZERO” people
reached renewal. After C says to destroy
Sanctuary, L says simply “I will”.
Oddly, L says “six Red”, not “Red six”.
L says “ten days to Lastday” after lifeclock starts blinking, a nice
detail left out of LR (like so much else).
“Premillenial” used in SCR; “pre-catastrophe” used in LR.
69X1 138-150 The Hydro-toner / Sandman
Gym. More of this scene was supposedly
filmed (according to some sources), but if so it cannot be discerned from the
SCR.
70 ---- L uses his
communicator to search for J outside the Sandman building; not in LR.
73X1 151-185 J is escorted by a Sandman to
L’s pad; not in LR. Later in dialog, L
lies about terminating Runner; in LR, he admits “it was my job”.
89X1 187 SCR refers to Arcade Station, LR to the
Hand.
94X14-106X3 200-204 Lots
of differences in this scene. In
general, SCR has more detail. LR
introduces a slight discontinuity. After
getting the Runner alarm, L first says to J “c’mon”, then says “you better go
home” at the maze car. Of course, L
could have simply changed his mind.
121 215 J says
“meccano-breeders” in SCR, but only “breeders” in LR.
122 222 SCR detail “Skidmore,
Rosenfelt, Hennesy architects” not in LR.
I guess modesty got the best of them!
Hennesy was the art director.
123-128 223-251 SCR gives explanation as to what “Muscle” is. No hint in LR. This really confused me the first few times I
saw LR. I assumed that when Billy said
“muscle” he was really asking for the others to attack, like saying “muscle
[him]” or something. No “Dazzle Chamber”
in LR. For no apparent reason, J’s line
“don’t be afraid” is transferred to Mary in LR (?). Jewelry taken from J (by Mary 2) was to be a
pin on her clothing; ended up as a bracelet in LR. Thomas says in the SE-LD that the fact J’s
bracelet was returned to her was forgotten by the continuity person, and thus
introduced discontinuities in some later scenes which then had to be
re-filmed! They probably didn't need to
re-film much, however, since J quickly loses her bracelet in the New You, see
below. L’s line “If you try to stay the
young ones will gut-rip you apart!” somehow became “…will rip your guts
apart!” Sounds a bit childish -- bad
one. SCR implies Cubs attacked woman
Runner. (Billy: "We’ll have that one later”, then, “We
HEAR A SCREAM … and HEAR the Cubs who’ve ... obviously found and attacked
someone"). SCR has L kick down a
door to find woman Runner.
131 254-259 In SCR, woman Runner attacks L
twice; in LR only once.
137 ---- The two men following
L and J form a minor sub-plot in the SCR, as to how much they believe that J
will do her duty to the cause and help do away with L. The SCR even has one say "I almost
believed her" at this point. This
is another item that is mostly nullified in LR, but formed a parallel to what
we're wondering about L at the same time:
Is he really a convert, or still a Sandman at heart? (see SCR 218-233
below).
139X1-X2 ---- The woman Runner's items show REJECT on
the C's screen! (Because she had no
ankh?) Here's a whole little scene
missing from LR, though it may not have been filmed.
142-157X3 279-307 Here it is -- the famous New You #483 scene, with
one of icons of the '70s, Farrah Fawcett (-Majors at the time). In SCR, she's "Holly 13", but in LR
only "Holly", thus interesting line "In ancient times they said
my number was unlucky" left out.
SCR only has mirrors and wall photos, not the machine that subs in
different hair, eyes and chin that "woman customer" sits at. LR pretty close to the script here. Can’t tell exactly what Holly says at XSCR
305. Sounds like “spinning”, but the SCR
says “scrambling”. Good continuity: Notice that J loses her bracelet (worn on her
left wrist) while fighting with Holly.
It can be seen lying on the floor to the left of Holly when L grabs J to
get away. Sure enough, for the rest of
the movie she has no bracelet.
166X1 ---- SCR has F get off a shot at L and
J!!! Not in LR.
167-174 314-315 One of the rare moments where there is material in
LR, but NOT in the SCR. J's line was
obviously over-dubbed in post-production, as J's lips don't move! This was apparently thought necessary since
nowhere else in the movie is the term "Love Shop" actually stated by
anyone.
175-185 316 The infamous Love Shop scene. This scene was cut down to only 1/3 of its
original length, according to Anderson.
SCR uses the term "Wanton", not in LR. SCR has L and J "in darkness" prior
to the exit door opening. SCR says
noises continue after they exit, but LR has total silence after passing through
the secret door.
200X2 328 SCR says that Logan activated his locator
signal “as he fumbles …”
In
LR he seems more purposeful. Anderson
states that right up to this point Logan is still really a Sandman at heart,
and is still beholden to the C's instructions, even after the rude awakening he
received during his Retrogram session.
Both SCR and LR seem to support this.
200X3 329-334 Sandman ready room -- Dialog
added in LR, not in SCR.
205-211 336-365 The Sanctuary Voice and the attack on
"Sanctuary HQ". SCR indicates
spear points must actually touch the person to burn. Also, L gets hit "in a dozen
places". Holly required to give
code. Voice never says "the way is
always down" (a good Voyage-to-the-Underworld motif that works in LR). This phrase is however used as a stage
direction at SCR 213. Voice says J only
can go as far as the lock. XSCR 365, F
could be screaming “Runner!” -- hard to tell.
214-216 366-371 J and L at the lock.
Lots of little differences here.
In SCR, J says "every key only works once ... and only a Lastday
key must open this door ...", etc.
SCR has a spinning wheel feature as part of the lock. Also a big explosion is heard here. SCR has J actually try the first key in the
slot; in LR she just fumbles with it and drops it (with L).
217X1 374 SCR says F has a light -- not worth
bothering with during filming, apparently (would have been awkward with
gun?).
218-233 376-380 J utters classic line "it must have been a
savage world" in both SCR and LR. L
and J see F's light as F hunts them. In
SCR, L turns a wheel to actuate machinery, not related to elevator. He also starts a generator going. After tank bursts, elevator appears to start
up by itself after the waterlock door closes in SCR, but in LR, L cranks on a
lever. In SCR, elevator moves "at
an extremely high speed", but LR has an easier-to-film slow speed! In LR, footage from "The Wreck of the
Mary Deare" used here for machinery.
A whole sequence was here (SCR 233), which had L and J starting in
darkness, then being "blinded by a brilliant light" as they enter the
Ice Cavern -- analogous to their first entry into Sanctuary HQ with its
"blinding spotlight". J and L
have lots of extra dialog about the idea that L has just now become a true
Runner. J: "You're really one of us now, aren't
you?" and L: "...for the first
time in my life I killed ... and I didn't like it". More important stuff apparently hacked out
for time. One particularly fake sequence
in LR is the intense shivering J and L exhibit here when they first enter the
frozen world ... but not much thereafter, even after putting on freezing cold
furs!
239-270X11 380-402 LR
has L and J take off clothes and put on skins immediately, just before meeting
Box. SCR has Box’s head “half flesh…half
metal”. LR had entirely metallic motif. In SCR, one hand is a permanent cutting
tool. The ice sculpture sequence is
deleted (this constitutes the “third deleted scene”). The aforementioned strip-down sufficed to
maintain interest while still allowing a PG rating I suppose, but the ice
sculpture was a great scene that functioned well in the context of the story
line. It showed L’s and J’s love for
each other long before the outside pond scene.
It also explained that those animals standing around were ice
sculptures, carved by Box. Without this
explanation, one might assume that they were real animals frozen in place. One of the great lost scenes of SF. L and J not “hungry” in LR (part of
chopped-out dialog). Minor discontinuity
introduced in LR by deletion of scene: suddenly, Box is holding sculpting
implements, for no apparent reason! Lots
of good detail in SCR, like frozen people have black crystals, and exact number
frozen is 1056, corresponding to the number the C said were missing
Runners. (Oddly, SCR 253 says that a
“voice” in Sandman’s HQ indicated this, but the SCR only had the C’s screen say
this, with no voice!) SCR implies much
more explicit destruction of the Cavern with refrigeration coils being burst
with lots of out-gassing, etc. All gone
in LR (actually, the black crystals are visible, but barely noticeable). The scene they ended up with in LR is very
unsatisfying. We are left wondering how
L and J were so easily able to get around Box when no other runner ever
had! Yes, L had a gun, but we can't
assume that no other runner ever had one, or could not have found some other
way around Box. All that remains is a
short scene with a funny robot, and a very cheesy destruction scene that uses a
simple optical overlay effect to simulate destruction while L and J look dazed.
273-301X16 403-447 SCR
has wind, also an insect attack instead of lizard. Has rabbit darting by. Has L and J eating berries. J has great line “Where do you think that
heat-ball went?” F “blasts a rabbit to
smithereens”(!!) F tempted by berries
but doesn’t eat any. In LR, J and L jump
into the water from what looks like 25 feet at least, without checking first to
see how deep the water is, or what obstructions may be present. Not too smart! L and J swim in a brook in SCR, not a pond as
in LR. Revelation about clear crystal
the same in both. In SCR, after the cemetery
they hear a man’s voice shouting (J thinks it’s F). As J and L walk toward the Capitol Building,
we see that J is wearing white undies!
This is really a small GOOF, because previously (Ice Cavern), it was
shown that she definitely had nothing on under her dress.
301X24-308X1 448-529 In
SCR, we first see OM with cats on his lap; in LR, he’s just standing
there. Lots of dialog differences. York seems to credit Ustinov with lots of
wonderful ad-libbing in this scene, but it appears that nearly everything was
scripted for him ahead of time. Per
Anderson, he supposedly did ad-lib a few lines, like a reference to “Tricky
...” when looking at a picture of Nixon (it didn’t end up in LR anyway -- too
politically touchy at the time).
Admittedly, Ustinov gives an affecting performance here, though. Also according to Thomas, OM’s buttons were
made from real pennies, and he lamented that it’s not possible to discern this
detail in the film. SCR had J leafing
through a book and giving a comment -- could she have known about books? Wisely deleted from LR.
309-331 530-541 SCR has F “start to tear off [J’s] clothes…obviously
to rape”. LR not quite so strong
here. J screams "Logan!!!"
here in SCR. SCR has interesting OM line
“How nice…more company” when he first sees F!
In SCR, F refers to J as an “available”.
F's line at XSCR 535 "Why did you let her?" sounds disjointed
here; maybe a dropped line? SCR had
"She did this to us" just before it which made more sense. Lots of character detail in SCR: F: “There’s
over two hundred years of Sandman’s blood in you, Logan…and now you’ll spill it
for a stinking Runner!”, etc. In SCR, F
drops his gun, but J doesn’t throw it away as in LR. Some bad stunt choreography (or editing) here
when F jumps down (see GOOFs at end).
SCR has OM enjoying fight! SCR
has detail that flag had 61 stars on it (obviously not visible in LR). SCR has L whack F only once; LR, 3
times! Classic line “Logan! You renewed!” intact in LR – a good line they
didn’t delete!
332-339X2 542 Extended
burial scene in SCR. Some extra lines by
OM (also mentioned by Anderson). LR just
has them standing by the grave for a few seconds.
339X3-361X1 543-575 SCR
has L being awoken to hear of J’s promise to OM to “bury him when his time
comes”. In LR, he’s just sitting
there. SCR has OM accept their leaving
very casually, but for some reason he’s really angry in LR. Ustinov had a few genuine ad-libs during
journey. L, J and OM all eat wild
veggies in SCR, not in LR.
361X1B 582-596 In SCR, L has a “deep” line (not in LR) that
indicates his realization of the nature of Sanctuary: “Sanctuary is the right
to live…nothing more. But nothing less,
either…” Is it really possible for him
to realize this? A good line as long as
we interpret it as part of L’s overall emotional development, along with his
nascent love for J. Informal “marriage”
has L kissing J in SCR, inexplicably missing from LR.
362-367 602-614 SCR has the 3 walking close up to the City so that
they “appear as ants in front of redwood trees”. In LR, we never see them close up against the
City dome. In SCR, L says he expects the
OM to turn around and go back, and J says “goodbye”! This scene is far more believable in LR by
having L say “Stay here as long as you can.
We’ll bring them to you”.
369X2-X3 616-619 The Great Speech on the Balcony scene. According to York, this was one of the first
scenes filmed (York had not yet paced himself).
In SCR, J has no speech! SCR has
some Sandmen knocked over the railing, and others firing a gas tranquilizer
which subdues L and J, also the crowd cheers here (again!!); all not in LR.
370-412 620-624 The final scene.
LR follows SCR closely during debriefing. SCR says L is "writhing in agony",
but it's toned down in LR. Some have
noticed rather old-looking Sandmen in this scene, but the SCR doesn't mention
it. Here SCR makes reference to the
white crystal in Carousel, although no reference was made to it in the first
Carousel scene. SCR refers to
Chandeliers in Arcade. SCR had a shot of
pandemonium in Love Shop. Also more of J
and L running out of the City. SCR has
the City dome shown torn, with people walking through the crack produced. Also, the people's "crystals have
disappeared from their palms"! (Why
didn't they just turn white?). SCR has
this scene during nighttime. SCR has
wind start to blow, a superb metaphorical device that was either never filmed,
or hacked out later on. (Of course, this
tracks the SCR’s earlier use of wind for L’s and J’s first taste of
Outside. It still would have worked as a
separate element here). No “Timid Girl”
in SCR; played by Ashley Cox in LR. (Ms.
Cox was Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for Dec. 1977!). SCR had L and J going to OM, inviting others
to touch him. Anderson says on the SE-LD
that "in the script it called for one particular girl to come
forward"; maybe so, but not in this version. Also per Anderson, this sequence was
unrehearsed (Cox just followed his spoken direction). The City denizens don't seem too wowed by
being released from their cocoon and seeing the natural world for the first
time. Final hug of L and J timed to the
final explosion in LR not explicitly directed by SCR – nice ending. Although the movie-makers saved themselves a
lot of time and trouble with this scene, the result is still satisfying -- an
understated scene that nonetheless has emotional impact. Saves the film, such as it is.
LOGAN’S RUN NOTES WRAP-UP
Starting with the script covered here, it appears that a
good ½ hour of material was axed out to form the final print of LR (15 minutes
alone due to the preview of May 1976 in San Diego). Alas, the hapless film opened nationwide on
June 23, 1976. Looking back now, nearly
all that was deleted would have made a much better movie, but MGM’s
pre-screening apparently told them otherwise.
What would have been a very good (maybe even excellent) 2½ hour SF flick
has been reduced to an unsatisfying 2 hour truncation that looks really jarring
once you know what was taken out. The
Review of Arcade Shops comes to mind, or the Ice Sculpture sequence. The Ice Cavern scene as a whole is difficult
to fathom without knowledge of the script.
Even several basic City “vocabulary words” such as
"auto-tender", "flameout", “Available”, “Stickman” and
“Wanton” which would have added some richness to the culture of the City were
nixed.
Many of LR’s ills have been blamed on Goodman’s script
through the years, but now that we can read the whole script in full it seems a
lot of that blame is unfounded. The
script filmed as-is would have had all basic film elements well explained with
good character development, even with all the obvious logical inanities: Why are there mazecars when they have
teleportation? Why are the police called
"Sandmen" with no Sleep Shop context to give the term meaning? (The same could be said of the use of the
term "Sleep Teacher" at XSCR 19).
Why do people have to die at 30, anyway?
Why couldn't balance be achieved with everyone dying at 60? There's apparently perfect, state-enforced
population control, so what difference would it make? What happens to the Cubs after they reach 16? Why does Runner HQ send over 1,000 Runners to
Box without checking to see what happened to them?, etc., etc. Lovers of the Nolan-Johnson book would still
be disappointed, but the end product would have at least been an artistically
complete work in and of itself.
The original book was a Blade Runner / 1984 sort of thing
with a "SkyNet"-like computer and a heavy dose of '60s youth
culture. It was really a VERY different
story from what became the film. The
novel explained that the world was in its present plight because of a war
that the young had won over the old. The
novel's big theme -- that youth without old age cannot form a viable culture
because the cultural continuity afforded by old wisdom is lost -- is totally
lost on the film. If anything, the film
is diametrically opposite this theme.
Old Man is lovable, but he is also a nincompoop who seems to know
nothing but old T.S. Eliot poems. How
will OM help the City denizens those first tough years outside the domes? The film is quite nihilistic in this
regard. The City folks are just
incidental props for the film's hero and "the woman who loves him" to
run amongst. Mr. David and crew followed
the old "hey, it's Sci-Fi, so it doesn't have to make sense" theory,
tossing in gee-whiz effects (like Jessica's entrance segment) and giving an
emphasis to the sensual delights of the City with the "Perfect World of
Total Pleasure" byline.
Consider too that many of the more bogus parts of the film
are related to special effects which were the result of film production, and
which can't be blamed on the script. The
special effects in LR are quite uneven, going from excellent (Carousel, City
miniature, matte paintings, the Ice Cavern itself) to only fair (dissolving
runner, first appearance of Jessica, destruction of the Ice Cavern, and those
much-ballyhooed laser holograms). The state
of the art in special effects just wasn't up to the task for a film of this
sort in 1976.
I'm being very kind to the script here. To be fair, the worst absurdity in the film,
the Computer blowing up just because it receives unexpected input, you CAN
blame on the script! Why would a writer,
in 1976, insist on using a plot device which by then was already a fly-blown
cliche?
With the often choppy editing, continuity errors and simple
story, LR seemed a disappointment to many, especially considering that it was
years and years in production, and cost $9M to make (see goofs below). It also seemed to squander what in 1967 was
one of the best new ideas in SciFi, forming a great film making "lost
opportunity". By the time it
finally appeared on screen, many other dystopian films such as Soylent Green
(MGM, 1973) and A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros., 1971) had already been
released and had stolen much of the freshness that LR would have had. George Pal (first producer to try his hand at
making the film), according to some accounts, would have used the original
Nolan-Johnson script and retained Michael Anderson as director. That combo could have been the ticket. Still, the version that came out was very
affecting to many people, especially those who first saw it as teenagers.
Note how in the SCR, both the "bad guys'" dogma
(Carousel, renewal) and the "good guys'" dogma (Sanctuary) were shown
to be based on lies. Thus, we see a
general anti-dogma, "be true to your own instincts" stance. This still comes across in LR, albeit
awkwardly. Thus, the release from state
control displayed in the closing scene is made so overwhelming (for our heroes,
anyway) that we are supposed to forget how hard that first winter is gonna be
outside those safe, warm domes!
OK, so all the things in the SCR but missing from LR have
been duly noted, but what about the other way around? Items in LR but not in the SCR are:
1. Costumes match lifeclock colors.
2. Introductory text ("Sometime in the 23rd
century …").
3.
Computer voice (spoken by Lara Lindsay and uncredited as such).
4.
The rotating Hand (specifically added to dialog [XSCR 187] at one point
as well).
5.
Various brief snippets of dialog, like during the Runner hunt.
On to the GOOFs:
GOOFS IN LOGAN'S RUN (MGM, 1976)
First, let’s entertain what others have said.
The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) (see [3] at end) lists
the following supposed "goofs" in its database (current as of this
writing):
"Continuity
When Logan
and Jessica swim back into the city and pull themselves up out of the water,
Jessica's left palm does not have a lifeclock on it.
Jessica's
green stockings appear and disappear."
The first goof is correct, but Logan's left palm also has no
life clock on it. This can be seen
momentarily when he reaches over to help her out of the water. And Agutter did have a green lifeclock made
up for her; it can be seen momentarily when she walks out of Cathedral, on her
way to the maze car.
The second goof is difficult to be 100% certain about. Of course, this listing does not say exactly
WHERE this supposed discontinuity occurs, making it very difficult to
confirm. The only scenes I know of where
Jessica (and Logan, actually) have no footwear:
1.
In Logan's apartment. This makes
perfect sense, however, since she is there via the Circuit, which is there
blatantly to provide sexual partners to all askers. Thus, it would not appear there would be any
need for footwear on those occasions!
There is no loss of continuity, since this scene is separate from all
other scenes in time and space, before and after.
2.
Parts of the walk back to the City.
Here she and Logan have apparently removed their footwear because they
are trudging through water (the beach, the waterworks, etc.), an action which
is plausible.
Since the footwear is very sparse,
with just a thin strip of cloth going around the heel and ankle when viewed
from behind, and the fabric is translucent and clingy when wet, this could
account for Jessica seemingly having no footwear in some scenes, like the run
through the tunnels.
Now, my …
SUGGESTED GOOF LIST -- definite errors in continuity
or concept, in my opinion:
1. Physical
continuity. When Logan and Jessica
swim back into the City and pull themselves up out of the water, Jessica's left
palm does not have a lifeclock on it.
Neither does Logan's.
2. Plot
continuity. The age where one goes
Red does not agree in several areas of the film where such age is implied. It may be anywhere from 20 to 23 depending on
how one interprets the dialog and what suppositions one assumes (see expansion
on this idea below).
3. Conceptual
error. A statement that Francis
makes: "One is terminated [note the specific context here is
Sandmen in Carousel -- look at XSCR 14-18!], one is born. Simple, logical, perfect" would seem to
be in error because it conflicts with his later statement "He [the runner]
could have renewed on Carousel. Now he's
finished forever" (XSCR 43). If one
is "finished" after being terminated, how could he have been
"[re]born" after "termination" in Carousel? This theme is bolstered by F's assertion that
Sandmen will appear in Nursery tomorrow after renewing on Carousel
tonight (see XSCR 14, 16). He should
have said "One is renewed, one is born. Simple, logical, perfect". One could argue that this is a purely
semantic argument. It would still be
logical if renewal were a form of termination (i.e., if “termination” was a
generic term for the end of the present life, for whatever reason). Perhaps, but it's hard to believe that
"renewal" could be a form of "termination" given the
profoundly different religious significance with which its meaning is embodied
in the film. It's pretty clear that
"terminate" is what Sandmen, and only Sandmen, do! "Termination" results in the
permanent end of existence in direct contrast to “renewal”, which results in
new life in Nursery.
Note that Jessica objects that the two might as well be the
same [XSCR 57, 59]: "He was killed
[in Carousel], like the others ... isn't that what you [a Sandman who
terminates] do, kill?", but she's a member of the Runner underground. It would appear unlikely that a believer in
the system, like Francis, would think similarly.
The original film beginning (SCR 16) had the terminated
Runner's black crystal match-dissolve into the baby's white crystal. Although the composition of that scene could
be used as an argument for F's statement at XSCR 18, I believe that the writer
was using irony to contrast the terminated (and therefore
annihilated) Runner with a baby who had resulted from a renewed
citizen.
4. Physical
continuity. Box is suddenly seen
holding sculpting gear in the Ice Cavern scene for no apparent reason due to
the deletion of the Ice Sculpture sequence.
POSSIBLE GOOFS -- Highly subjective, of very short
duration or not enough info. In the case
of some supposed continuity "errors", the cinematic device of
"time compression" may apply, where every second of film time does
not necessarily have to track with every second in real time. If perfect continuity were demanded, every
movie would be of excruciating length!
Film makers are usually forgiven this kind of thing.
1. Physical
continuity. Mary 2 is way too young
to be asked "When are you Green.
When do you go up?" by Jessica in Cathedral. Mary is about 7, as the Goodman script
specifies (SCR 124). So, she is at best
an early Yellow (some sources indicate the date for going Yellow was intended
to be 9, so this would have made her still a Clear-White. This is supported somewhat by J's line
"Why aren't you in Nursery?" at XSCR 233). Here a young person of 7 is being asked about
something that will not happen for another 9 years, i.e., more than double her
age! Note the script does not have the
problematic line "When are you Green?" Another on-the-spot artistic impulse gone
awry? Incidentally, Mary was played by
Michelle Stacy, who showed up (a bit older) on "Airplane!" as the
"Young Girl with Coffee". She
supposedly also appeared in Peter Pan Peanut Butter television commercials in
the USA in the late 1970's, according to the IMDb.
2. Anachronism. Closing scene, one actor in the crowd
foreground gives the Vulcan "live long and prosper" sign as the
people gather around Old Man.
3. Physical
continuity. In New You #483, Doc
holds his hand up showing he's a Red. At
the very last two frames before the cut, his life clock blinks on! Hard to believe, but use freeze-frame or
extreme slow motion and you will see his lifeclock apparently light up. Impossible to confirm, because the motion is
blurred and one can't see if the lifeclock is being lit internally or is just
catching the glint from a stage light.
Note that Doc wasn't a Runner, so there should have been no reason for
the actor to have been wired up to blink.
4. Telling
mistake. Jessica says "we've
gotta go through the Love Shop" (XSCR 314) while running with Logan from
New You, but her lips don't move.
(Post-production overdub).
5. Physical
continuity/Telling mistake. When
Logan and Jessica approach the Capitol Building, we can see momentarily that
Jessica has on white underwear. During
the Ice Cavern scene it is definitely shown that she had nothing on under her
dress. Of course, this was modesty underwear
for the benefit of Ms. Agutter.
6. Physical
continuity/Telling mistake. At the
start of the battle between Logan and Francis in the Senate chamber, Francis
pushes Jessica aside and leaps down off the balcony. He lands at least 8 feet in front of Logan
(again, freeze-frame helps), with Logan walking toward him (?). Yet, after the cut he is shown right on top
of him (and still descending).
7. Telling
mistake. During the battle scene
among Logan and the other sandmen in the Computer debriefing area, look closely
with freeze-frame at one of the Sandmen Logan shoots (medium close-up, hit on
upper right shoulder). He is clearly
wearing a mask to protect himself from the pyrotechnic blast.
8. Physical
continuity. In Nursery, the
right-hand baby is flipped right side up in the foam cocoon just before Logan
and Francis exit (he was shown up side down previously to show off the white
crystal). There is no
"auto-tender" in evidence, and barely 40 seconds have elapsed in
(apparent) real time.
9. Physical
continuity. Here's a challenging
one! To Mark Worley (see [4] at end) may
be credited the following. Referring to
the scene where Logan tries to identify the terminated runner, he says: "If you watch carefully in the editing
of the scene, Michael York actually starts to put the Follower back on his
belt. Not towards the runner. The close-up shot was an after thought in the
production of the movie, and a working Follower was added." Yes, indeed, and that after-thought really
shows if you look carefully. Note that
Logan first removes the Follower from his belt with his left hand, then
switches hands to communicate. He then
retraces the same movements after he's done, so that he has just reversed his
hands back again at the cut. Yet after the
cut, the communicator is in his right hand, holding it next to the Runner's
head.
10. Physical
continuity. See XSCR 87-94. This is the short scene with L and F outside
Sandman HQ. Note how L's hair is jostled
by the wind. This reflects the actual
filming outside the Zales Headquarters Bldg. (now owned by Mobile Oil). Thanks here goes to J. Taylor-Coyle (see [5]
at end). I might add that at the very
beginning of the scene, the girls' hair and clothes are clearly
wind-tossed. Technically a goof, since
the Sandman HQ was inside the domes where there should have been no wind. To give credit, at least post-production
painted the cloud reflections out of the windows!
11. Physical
continuity. In the first Runner
hunt, the Runner only climbs up a single story to escape L and F. Yet he seems to fall at least 3 full stories after
F fires the last shot. I suppose this
comes under the heading of "dramatic effect". Again thanks to J. Taylor-Coyle for pointing
this out. Also, L is seen firing at the
Runner as the Runner climbs up the shrubbery and starts up the railing. But as soon as the Runner gets over the
railing (barely a second later in real time), L is right there to assail
him. How did L get up there so
fast? Choppy composition similar to #6
or #9 above.
THE TIME PROBLEM IN LOGAN'S RUN (MGM, 1976)
A "NEW IDEA", BUT NO SOLUTION
There are several areas where the timing of age-related
events in Logan's Run pose a problem since they are in conflict with one
another. This is annoying in a movie
where age and its consequences form the whole raison d'etre of the
scripted plotline.
The time when one turns Red in the movie is implied in
several areas, but do not agree with one another.
The point of this essay is to see if there is some way one
could finagle agreement amongst the various characters.
In general, the stated "age" of someone is always
problematic, as the English language introduces certain vagaries that we take
for granted in our culture, but which could change in a culture that has
progressed a few centuries into the future.
For instance, in our culture, during the first 364 days of life, you
have no age at all; you are called a "newborn", in your "first
year of life". This doesn't change
until the 365th day of life, on your first birthday, when you become "one
year old". After this, you enter
your "second year of life", and so on, so that your numerical age
always lags as much as 364 days behind the actual number of years you have been
alive. Fractional years old are
generally not referred to, except among the very young.
Thus, when we hear in Logan's Run of someone being
"16", does that make him "16 years old", or in the
"16th year of life", 15 in our modern parlance? This could be a source of some of the
confusion. For our discussion we will
have to assume that the English language is being used just as we use it today,
or it is not possible to establish any meaningful baseline. (Heck, two of the principals in the story,
Logan and Jessica, even have English accents, though rather odd considering the
location is in the former USA!).
First, all the quotes in the film that relate to age and age
thresholds, arranged chronologically as they appear in the film:
QUOTE SOURCE
===================================== ===============================
1. "Life must
end at thirty unless reborn Written
intro.
in the fiery ritual of carrousel".
2. "Year of the
City, 2274. Carousel begins" Computer in first
Carousel scene.
and "... born 2244.
Enter the Carousel". XSCR
27, 33
3. "But if for
some strange reason you want to Logan
to Jessica in his apartment.
be 31, then ... Carousel". XSCR
74
[This establishes that Lastday occurs on or about the 30th
birthday, although Logan's statement is a little odd. One could live for 364 days after the 30th
birthday and still not be 31. But more
importantly, the City's religious/state dogma does not claim that going through
Carousel can get you to 31, but rather that you will be "renewed",
i.e., immediately reborn as a newborn baby (ref. Francis: "Anyway,
there'll be a couple of new Sandmen in there [Nursery] tomorrow", then
"Some of our guys are on Carousel tonight, and Sandman always renew, I
know"). But 2 out of 3 statements
decree unambiguously that life is to end at 30.
Blinking apparently begins some unspecified time on or about the 30th
birthday. The Goodman script says 10
days before (near the end of SCR 69), but this detail wasn't used in the movie]
4. "I'm a
6. I go Red next year". Jessica
in Logan's apartment.
XSCR
79
[This establishes that the highest number Green is a 6]
5. "I'm only a
Red 6 now ... But am I still Red 6? Logan
to Computer just before
But I had 4 more years!". Retrogram. XSCR 131, 135
[This would establish that Logan is 26 years old and a Red
6. The most problematic statement]
6. "What happens
when you're 16 and you go to Logan
to Billy in Cathedral.
Green?". XSCR
244
[Establishes that one goes Green on (or after?!) his/her
16th birthday]
7. "I'm 22. I should be Green ..." Woman
runner in Cathedral.
XSCR
254
[This would establish that one is still Green at 22 years of
age]
These are the only statements in the movie that relate
directly to age.
The "new idea" being presented by this essay is we
really don't know what a first year color is called numerically. For instance, is a first year Green called a
"Green 0" (or a "New Green", perhaps) or a "Green
1"? There's no way to tell either
from the movie or the Goodman script.
This impacts the analysis of Logan/Jessica/Woman Runner and the
"time problem", since if Jessica is a "6", it may be
erroneous to simply add 6 years to 16 and come up with 22 (the "simple
addition theory"), because that would assume that the first year Green is,
in effect, "Green 0". If the
first year Green is called "Green 1", you would not add 6 years, but
only 5! Ditto for Red. Thus, the error accumulates. See the table below.
Year(0&up) Color Year(1&up) Age (by numerical birthday)
======= ====== ==== ===
New "0" GREEN 1 16
1 2 17
2 3 18
3 4 19
4 5 20
5 6
* 21
6 * (RED) 1 22 **
New "0" RED 2 23
**
1 3 24
2 4 25
3 5 26
4 6 27
5 7 28
6 8 29
7 9 30
* 6 is the last
possible year to be Green, per Jessica (XSCR 79).
** These two rows are
separated to highlight the difficult transition period from Green to Red.
Logan (talking to Billy in Cathedral) establishes the time
for going Green as "16". We will
have to assume that this means what it means in our present culture, i.e.,
"16 years old". Jessica, who
is a Green, says in Logan's apartment "I'm a 6, I go Red next year". Now assuming the first year Green would be
"Green 1" and not "Green 0", she would be 21 and she would
go Red (Red 1) at 22. But Logan during
his computer briefing says "I'm only a Red 6 now ... But I had 4 more
years!" A Red 6 would make him 27,
by Jessica's reckoning. For agreement,
Logan should have said he was Red 5, or said he had 3 more years. Also by this reckoning, the Woman Runner in
Cathedral is wrong when she says "I'm 22.
I should be green..." At 22,
she would have already become a Red 1.
The problem with this regimen is that only one character is
"right", and two are "wrong". Majority wouldn't rule, but Logan would be
off by only one year. Unfortunately,
this new interpretation does not solve the time problem.
However, if first year Green is called "Green 0"
(the "simple addition" theory), there are still conflicts. Now Jessica (Green 6) is 22, and the Woman
Runner is "right" (at 22, she would still be a Green, albeit at the
last year possible). However, Logan
would now as a Red 6 be 29, which would lessen the reason for his Retrogram –
within a year he’d be blinking anyway.
To have 4 years left, he would have to be Red 3 (26 years old). The saving grace is that under this regimen,
two characters get to be "right", and only one "wrong", but
now Logan is off by a whopping 3 years.
Thus, under both types of analysis, there remains a basic
time problem in the movie that does not seem to be reconcilable. There is no fix that one could make at any
one spot to make it all work out. For
instance, being radical and changing the year to go Green from 16 to a younger
age would accommodate Logan, but make the woman Runner even more wrong.
Note the table above only illustrates the new regimen while
still trying to reconcile the disparate statements as much as possible. It does not show the worst-case
conditions. Worst-case conditions for
turning Red (i.e., assuming one character is right and all others wrong) would
be:
Bottom-up method: Let
Logan be Red 6, with 4 years to go until 30.
Assume the existence of a "Red 0". This would make a "Red 0" = (30 -
4) - 6 = 20.
Top-down method:
Assume the existence of a "Green 0". Thus, Jessica would be a "Red 0" at
(16 + 6) + 1 = 23. This assumes Logan
(referring to Billy) is right about going Green at 16, but we are forced to
presume this as otherwise there would be no basis for the calculation.
DOES THE SCRIPT HELP US?
In reference to the 7 citations from the film and XSCR
above:
1. No reference (no
intro. Statement).
2. No reference (no
Computer voice).
3. Same statement
(SCR 64).
4. Same statement (SCR
64).
5. Same statement
(SCR 69).
6. Same statement
(SCR 125X1).
7. Same statement
(SCR 131).
The SCR also says explicitly that Logan is
"twenty-five" (SCR 19X1), not in LR.
Since the SCR also says that Logan had 4 more years, we can only assume
that he meant, in effect, 4 more FULL years.
No other statements appear in the SCR that could help
out. It appears that the time problem
was scripted in, and is not the victim of last-minute changes or ad-libs.
Thus, it seems that it is not possible to wrangle out some
way to eliminate the “time problem” by number juggling or linguistic
reinterpretation.
RE-CREDITING THE UNCREDITED:
Per the TV Guide site (see [6] at end), the following
players were apparently part of the original filming, but were left unmentioned
in the film credits, because of the cuts or other reasons. Credit restored! A belated thanks, folks:
Denny Arnold Runner
Bob Neill Sanctuary
Man
Greg Michaels Ambush
Man
Roger Borden Daniel
Ann Ford Woman
on Last Day
"It must have been a savage world". Yep, it sure was, Jessica!
Many happy renewals,
J. RAUNER jrauner@monmouth.com
