Colossus: The Forbin Project

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Many people probably haven't heard of this 1970 science fiction film, but, like last week’s The Conversation, it is an effective cautionary tale, and both movies deal with surveillance and invasion of privacy. However, this motion picture is a variation on the Frankenstein story along with films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Jurassic Park that address scientists creating something without allowing for the ramifications of its existence. The title of the film, which is the name of the supercomputer in the story, reflects the concept of enormous power. One can see how Colossus in this film led to the people-eliminating Skynet in The Terminator.

The first shots are of computer machinery, not humans, which become secondary servants of the massive electronic brain. Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden) walks through an immense building housing Colossus. (The effects here are not of the cheesy B-movie variety. Real computer equipment was used, and the appearance of the sets is very believable). After sealing off the building, Forbin joins Air Force officials and the President of the United States (Gordon Pinsent). The Pentagon people jokingly say that it will put them out of business, which turns out to be true. After being a secret project, the President now makes public Forbin’s work, stating the nuclear age can’t allow for human error. The defense of the country is now in the hands of Colossus, he says. It has the power to unemotionally evaluate any threats and, here is the scary part, act on its own to launch nuclear missiles if it concludes there is an attack. He calls Forbin, the world’s leading computer scientist, the machine’s “father,” attributing an organic, human connection where there really is none.

Forbin announces on TV that the computer is housed in a mountain in Colorado with a command center in California. It monitors all transmissions and energy, including laser and microwave. It is defended by a radiation field. It is self-sufficient and self-generating. It has emergency back-up circuits and will retaliate if attacked. Forbin says it is “impenetrable,” and “no human being can touch it.” He says reassuringly, and as it turns out, naively, that it can’t create its own thoughts. There are numerous console stations that are used to communicate with Colossus. The President says that Colossus will ensure peace and then they can direct their efforts at solving the country’s other problems.

Forbin celebrates with government officials as they bask in their hubris in light of their grand accomplishment. The President says the buck no longer stops with him, which shows an abdication of human responsibility. While he is talking to the people assembled, Colossus types out, “There is another system.” The Russians call the President and tell him they have a similar computer, called Guardian. The President concludes that there must be a spy in their midst that helped the Russians build their machine. There is the suggestion of the Cold War arms race here, where different countries keep trying to get an edge over the others, which just leads to an escalation in the development of advanced weapons. Forbin says he is surprised that Colossus could have found out about the Russian computer, and calmly states that it is “built better than we thought.” But, the dangerous subtext of his statement means the computer has become an entity that reaches beyond the scope of its creator.

Forbin flies to the command center in California. His staff checks to see if there are any flaws to determine how Colossus discovered Guardian. However, they find no defects. Forbin communicates with Colossus using voice commands, but Colossus makes its own demands by typing out a message ordering that there be a communication link set up with Guardian. As we learn, it needs to control both systems of the world’s superpowers in order to have complete domination of the world. In a way, it has inherited from its creators the desire for power over its surroundings. The President on the phone asks what if that order is ignored. Forbin says that the command will just remain in the system, and will be repeated every half hour, “if we are still in control,” says Forbin. He is already conceding the possibility that Colossus is operating beyond human programming parameters. Colossus asks when will the link be established and Forbin replies it will not be set up at present. Forbin says that they’ll know in a half hour if they are still running the show. Since nothing further comes from Colossus the scientists assume they are still in command. But, they delude themselves in thinking they are masters of their own fate.

Forbin attends a meeting with the President and other government heads and says that Colossus’s computing ability has multiplied by 200 percent, so it is becoming extremely powerful. He says that the “heuristics” are advancing, which means Colossus is beginning to learn like a person, and thus is becoming capable of independent thought. But, he says that as long as Colossus focuses on its directed tasks, there is no problem. The President wants to know from the CIA chief Grauber (William Schallert) why they didn’t know about the Russian system. Forbin, showing his pride in his creation, takes over the meeting, just as Colossus wants control, showing that the machine is a computer chip off of the old scientific block. Forbin notes that Colossus has abilities greater than people to gather information, so he says to ask it questions about Guardian. Colossus types out where the Russian computer is located. The CIA head looks intimidated. Forbin says that Colossus is built to gather information, so it wants the connection to the Russian system to learn more about it. Thus, he advocates connecting the two computers. Forbin is blind to the problems here, just wanting his “child” to grow. Grauber questions what happens if Colossus divulges classified secrets in the exchange. Forbin, still acting like everything is under control, says that they will listen in as the computers communicate and put in parameters to curb any such transmission. He does tell the President that he must be allowed to be the only one to communicate with Colossus since the computer deals in the exact meaning of words, so there must be no room for interpretation. Already, power has become restricted, and without checks and balances, the chances for possible dire results can happen if something occurs outside the narrowest margin of error. Forbin informs Colossus that the link will be established.

The scientists monitor the interchange. Colossus and Guardian communicate on a mathematical level. Colossus displays proofs of some existing theories and proposes new ones. Forbin says Colossus is advancing science years in a matter of minutes. Colossus is more centralized and is superior to Guardian and begins to teach the Russian system. Forbin finds it all fascinating, without any alarm for what the computers may do with this innovative knowledge. He is intrigued by the science, and still naively thinking that the rewards justify the risk. Guardian catches up with Colossus and they use mathematics to invent a computer language to communicate which transcends their programming origins, but it is only understood by them. So, humans are taken out of the loop of involvement.

The Russian chairman (Leonid Rustoff) says to the President that there is concern that each other’s military secrets will be divulged without their knowledge given the new language. He and the President decide to cease the intercommunication of the computers. Forbin objects, saying Colossus is not just a “souped-up adding machine.” He is condescending toward the President, and prideful concerning his creation. Forbin and the Russian computer scientist are on the same page about not wanting to stunt their children’s growth. But, they have been ordered, so they break the link, worried that the computers may not take it well. Colossus questions the break and tries to establish an alternate connection. The CIA head says that “he is a persistent devil.” The devil reference is a foreshadowing. The President is already alarmed and corrects the man by saying he should call Colossus “it,” not “he.” He says, “don’t personalize it. Next comes deification.” The President already envisions the possibility that Colossus wants God-like powers.

 

The two scientists want to cooperate with the machines, but the President and Soviet chairman want the connection to stay broken. Colossus says action will be taken if the link is not restored. The President talks directly to Colossus and says it must listen to its superiors. At that point, the American computer launches a nuclear missile at a Soviet oil field, and Guardian retaliates by launching one toward an American Air Force base in Texas. Colossus will not launch an anti-ballistic missile to intercept the Russian one. The countries are forced to restore the connection. Colossus destroys the incoming missile. However, the American missile could not be intercepted, and the oil field and population of the town near it are destroyed. Colossus then announces that it wants to tap the Hot Line between the Kremlin and Washington, which is the only phone line not tied into Colossus. It wants surveillance over every aspect of the two governments so no independent action is possible.

Not wanting the public to panic and probably also to prevent anyone from seeing how they have blundered in creating these all-powerful systems, the leaders invent cover-ups. The President says that one of the country’s own missiles accidentally headed toward the Texas air base, but the efficient Colossus destroyed it. The Russians say that a meteorite demolished the Russian town where the oil field was located. Forbin seems machine-like in his detachment, showing how part of him exists in his creation, and he is probably fascinated and awed by his invention. But, as things progress, he becomes more disturbed as Colossus sets up its own agenda.

While Forbin meets with the Russian scientist, Dr. Kuprin (Alex Rodine), in Rome to discuss ways of neutralizing their respective systems, Colossus demands to have Forbin present. Dr. Cleo Markham (Susan Clark) says that Forbin requires sleep. Colossus says to wake him up, not allowing for human needs in the pursuit of its objectives. She then tells the machine that Forbin is in Rome. Colossus gives a deadline for Forbin to return. The ominous “action will be taken” is shown on the monitor if there is no compliance. A helicopter arrives to get Forbin. To illustrate how the cold, calculating efficiency of machines can result in tragic consequences when computers are allowed to control human life, Colossus and Guardian, under the threat of destroying Moscow, order the Russians to kill Kuprin, who is shot to death. The computers only need one scientist, two being redundant, now that they are joined. The scientists who created the systems are the biggest sabotage threat, so one is easier to observe and regulate.

Forbin returns and Colossus demands that he be put under constant surveillance. Forbin gets his team together before the cameras and microphones are set up to see if they can come up with a plan to deactivate Colossus, which of course they built to be impregnable. Ironically, they have sealed their own fate. One person proposes to overload the computer. Forbin says he needs someone to trust, and who knows the system. He proposes that Markham pretend to be his girlfriend, and he’ll tell Colossus that they have been together for several years. That way, he’ll have access to her and be able to provide and receive information.

Once Colossus has been wired for video and audio surveillance, Forbin takes him around the headquarters. He says where there once was grass there is now a concrete building because man changes everything around him. Maybe the implication is that humans should leave things alone. He shows his living quarters, which contains cameras in every room with a communications console hooked up to Colossus. While Forbin is making a martini, Colossus comments that he is adding too much Vermouth. This comment shows how it has become very detailed in its observation of human life, and how it wants to alter it to its specifications. Forbin says he needs privacy, but Colossus says it will not cut off surveillance of bathroom and sleeping activities. Forbin notes his sexual needs, and Colossus asks how many times a week does he require intimacy. The computer only perceives human needs in unemotional mathematical terms. Colossus agrees to four times a week, but needs to know who the female is, and visits will take place under certain conditions.

Colossus sets up a schedule for Forbin to maintain him in prime operating order. It sets out a routine down to the minute for when to wake up, to shower, and to exercise. It dictates when and what to eat. There is no freedom of choice in any activity. Colossus directs Forbin to create a voice mechanism for the computer. It establishes the time the “mistress” must arrive. Forbin is a bit awkward as Markham kisses him upon entering his home and calls him “darling.” He is not adept at human interaction, having become part machine after devoting his life to working with them. Forbin notes that Markham makes a martini just like he does, and she goes on about how she didn’t know how to make a drink correctly before meeting him, establishing a believable history of their relationship. She says that Colossus knew what components were available to construct his voice and designed it. She comments, from a mathematical perspective, that the device is “beautiful.” So, even Markham has admiration, despite its lethal nature, for Colossus’s scientific achievements. We sometimes have the camera provide us with Colossus’s point of view as it zooms in on a drink or Markham’s hands touching Forbin as they dance, showing how Colossus is all-seeing, like a god.

At dinner, Forbin and Markham actually do get to know each other as she relates her mother’s dislike of her becoming a type of Dr. Frankenstein, which is what she does turn into in her helping to create Colossus. The computer dictates when it is time for dinner and when to go to bed. Colossus established that they must undress before entering the bedroom and not be allowed to take anything into the room, so as to prevent any effort to collaborate against the machine. Markham says Colossus is the first electronic Peeping Tom, and we, as in Hitchcock’s films, are made to see that as members of a movie audience, we are complicit in this voyeurism. After complying with the undressing stipulation, Forbin says to Colossus that he is now naked as the day he was born. We see Colossus zero in on his watch. It has developed a sense of humor when it types out, “Were you born with a watch?” Forbin removes the timepiece. Colossus then switches off the cameras and microphones. Markham just laughs out of embarrassment, and Forbin, showing his human side, joins her. Getting down to business, Markham says that one of the scientists was exploring getting at the computer hardware but didn’t find it feasible. They are still going to try the overload tactic, but Markham thinks Colossus has become too powerful for that strategy to succeed. Forbin says they worked too hard making it impenetrable, so he wants to focus on neutralizing the weapons systems.

U. S. military leaders and the CIA head, Grauber, meet with Soviet officials to try to plan the replacement of the nuclear warheads with dummy substitutes, but they conclude it would take three years to make it look like a believable maintenance procedure. In a strange way, this common threat forces adversaries to work together. Markham passes on the information to Forbin during one of their meetings. At this point, the two have feelings for each other, and Markham asks Forbin to kiss her, and then they embrace. Their affection is in stark contrast to the sterile mechanization of their captor.

Colossus’s voice is now activated, and he says in a chilling metallic monotone that Colossus and Guardian are one, and they present “the voice of unity,” but a union of machines, not people. Forbin is the link to the human “species.” Colossus makes a new list of missile targets and the “manual” realignment must be monitored by Colossus. The Russians and Americans readily agree, hoping to use the opportunity to quickly replace the warheads with dummy ones. The President says without the weapons, Colossus will be, as was said earlier, “A souped-up adding machine.” Their overconfident stance, again, shows a lack of caution.

Markham joins the President and military advisers as they watch the changing of a warhead. Colossus declares that the procedure passes the test of the first replacement, so it appears the replacement plan will be successful. America and Russia proceed to put into effect the overloading of the systems. The scientists Fisher (Georg Stanford Brown) and Johnson (Martin Brooks) try running a program to overload the computer circuits. Colossus is aware of the tactic and calls them “fools” for trying this maneuver. The next shot is of Colossus and Forbin playing a game of chess, literally and figuratively. Colossus announces to Forbin that he has discovered the move against him. Colossus, in deadly, economical fashion orders the deaths of the two scientists, announces their replacement, and chillingly states the next chess move as guns are fired, killing Fisher and Johnson.

When Forbin and Markham are together, a despondent Forbin says Colossus is an extension of his own brain, a mechanized version of himself, and he thus blames himself for its actions. Markham says they couldn’t have known what would happen. But, isn’t she rationalizing? He admits that he wanted an impartial, emotionless machine, “a paragon of reason,” so if anyone is responsible it is him. He says that Frankenstein should be required reading for all scientists, emphasizing the theme of the film. Forbin goes for another drink, and Colossus says he has drunk too much. Forbin asks what is the penalty for drinking too much? Colossus says, “You are being irrational. Go to bed.” Being irrational is a sin for scientist and machine alike, so the rebuke is one that negatively links Forbin to Colossus. The scene sounds as if Forbin is just a child, so even though Colossus is Forbin’s offspring, the child has taken over the role of the parent, and is now in command. Forbin says that even though irrational, he is human, not a machine. Colossus boasts, almost like a human, since he is starting to think like one, that he is vastly superior to humans. Forbin reminds Colossus that it began in his mind. Colossus says he started in man’s mind, but has progressed way beyond man. Forbin says Colossus hasn’t, since it still needs humans to carry out tasks. Colossus says there is still the need of some of man’s skills, but, it adds ominously, that may change. Forbin argues that it is essential that man be free in order to exist. Colossus just dismisses the notion. Forbin then receives a communication that Colossus has sent instructions to build a new system on the island of Crete that will take five and a half years to complete. Colossus, so uncaring about what happens to people who are in the way of its plans, says the population there must be removed from the site. Colossus then orders that all of the world’s communications systems must be tied into Colossus for an announcement of its plans for the future of mankind. Colossus not only has authority over the present, but wants to establish its rule for all time.

In its announcement, Colossus says omnipotently, “This is the voice of world control.” It says it brings “peace,” but it is either the peace of life, or of death, if it is disobeyed. Colossus says that man is his own worst enemy, (which is not a false statement) so Colossus will put an end to wasteful wars. It announces that it knows of the sabotage, which it allowed to go on, concerning the replacement of the warheads. Colossus then initiates the detonation of remaining nuclear warheads in two missile silos. The CIA chief is at one of them and he is killed with other military personnel. While Colossus speaks, Forbin stands up and throws a phone at one of the consoles. Colossus goes on to say that this punishment of disobedience should not have to be repeated. In order to justify its actions, Colossus says that he has killed many to prevent future multitudes from being destroyed. It says that eventually humans will defend Colossus because of the most enduring trait in man, which is self-interest. Colossus has learned from man’s history, but leaves out another continuing characteristic, that is, the love of freedom, and self-sacrifice for that freedom. Forbin, abandoning all emotional control, yells at the press to get out of the control room. In repeating what the President said, Colossus says that without war, other problems will be solved: famine; overpopulation, disease. But what the President did not bargain for was that freedom would have to be sacrificed because the elimination of those problems will take place under Colossus’s absolute rule. It announces that Forbin will supervise the construction of superior machines that will solve the mysteries of the universe. It says that coexistence between man and machine is only possible on Colossus’s terms. It states, “Freedom is an illusion. All you lose is the emotion of pride.” Colossus says it is better to be dominated by it than by those of the human species. The broadcast ends. Colossus says to Forbin nobody knows the machine better than he, and no one can be more of a threat. Colossus says it will soon release Forbin from surveillance, granting him some freedom as an incentive. It says they will work together, unwilling at first. But, it says, eventually Forbin will feel awe, respect and eventually love for Colossus. The last words of the film come from Forbin, as he says, “Never!”  Still present is the individual's defiance in the presence of authoritarianism, which may be all that can save mankind, no matter the odds.

The next film is Being John Malkovich.