Births forbidden
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Births prohibited ZPG - The earth is dying |
| Original title | ZPG |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1972 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Michael Campus |
| script |
Frank De Felitta Max Ehrlich |
| production | Thomas F. Madigan |
| music | Jonathan Hodge |
| camera |
Michael Reed , Mikael Salomon (additional camera) |
| cut | Dennis Lanning |
| occupation | |
| |
Births forbidden (alternative title ZPG - Die Erde dies , original title ZPG ) is an American dystopian science fiction film by Michael Campus from 1972 . He addresses the problem of overpopulation and its possible ecological and social effects. The abbreviation ZPG of the English original and German alternative title stands for the English word sequence Zero Population Growth (Eng. "Population growth zero").
action
In the 21st century, humans destroyed the environment. Fauna and flora have almost completely disappeared, the seas are contaminated and, due to air pollution, staying outdoors is only possible with the help of breathing masks. Overpopulation marks the planet. To solve the associated problems, the world government decides to ban births for the next 30 years. Women who are already pregnant must have an abortion . Violations of the decree are punishable by the death penalty. In order to give married couples the illusion of an orderly and happy family life, talking dolls can be purchased in special department stores, so-called baby shops.
Russ McNeil and his wife Carol cannot and do not want to come to terms with this illusory world, after all they father a child. Since both are aware of the constant danger that the child may be discovered, McNeil hides a rubber dinghy in the sewers directly below the execution site, with which they want to escape. The child is discovered by their neighbors and evokes feelings of envy. You want to share the child with them. When McNeil does not agree, they are denounced by the neighbors and sentenced to death.
At the execution site, an airtight hood lowers over McNeil, his wife and the baby who are supposed to suffocate the three. But McNeil manages to use a chisel to pave his way underground to the place where he had previously hidden the dinghy. They can escape through the sewers and finally reach a sandy beach across the open sea.
background
Births banned started on April 7, 1972 in San Francisco , USA . The film was not shown in cinemas in Germany , but first broadcast on television on April 7, 1979, and released on video in 1983 as ZPG - Die Erde dies .
Reviews
"Average science fiction film whose overwhelmed director largely gambled away the possibilities of the topic."
“The strip, which is not badly crafted in places, loses a lot of its impact by showing Geraldine Chaplin, who specializes in neurotics, as a suffering mother in endless close-ups, and it tore festival-goers into outbursts of amusement when Oliver Reed seriously prepared himself with a chisel to drill a tunnel through a road surface. "
"Unfortunately, a weak film was made out of a burning current topic, which doesn't shake you up, but in some places even has its lengths."
Web links
- Births prohibited in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Births forbidden in the online film database
- Trailer on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Births Forbidden on Turner Classic Movies, accessed October 22, 2012.
- ↑ a b Births forbidden in the Lexicon of International Films .
- ↑ a b Ronald M. Hahn, Volker Jansen: Lexicon of Science Fiction Films. 720 films from 1902 to 1983. Heyne, Munich 1983 (Heyne-Buch; 01/7236), ISBN 3-453-01901-6 , p. 205.