Friday Five: Westworld
Get to Know the Original Film
This past October, HBO launched the dramatic series, Westworld—an odyssey that takes viewers into a world where every human appetite, whatever the desire—be it noble or depraved—can be indulged. But our Westworld of today (well, really tomorrow since it’s set somewhere in the near future) wouldn’t be possible without the Westworld of yesterday; specifically, Michael Crichton’s 1973 experimental sci-fi look into the future of filmmaking: the original Westworld.
1. The Creator
The film was written and directed by the late Michael Crichton, perhaps most well-known as the best-selling author of Jurassic Park. But 20 years earlier, when Westworld was released in 1973, Crichton had already written the enormously successful 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, which was also made into a film. Dr. Crichton received his M.D. from Harvard Medical School and had written 25 page-turners between 1966–2006, 13 of which had big-screen adaptations. He was also the creator of the long-running series ER, which enjoyed 15 seasons on primetime television.
Crichton checks a shot on the set of Westworld.
2. The Park
Westworld is just one area of an expansive "playground." Delos’s robot-driven theme park comprises three worlds: Westworld, Medieval World, and Roman World. Because the budget for Westworld was so mind-bendingly small, Crichton was okay with being a little fuzzy on some of the more technologically accurate details. In his director's notes to his production team, he wrote: “I hesitate to state this so bluntly, but this movie is fantasy and in the end, I don’t really care if the equipment surrounding each table is “appropriate” or not, so long as the total effect is impressive and organized in some way. There is a fine line between a thrown-together look and an organized look.”
A conceptual map of Delos Park diagramming the three worlds: Westworld, Medieval World and Roman World.
3. Special Effects
Though the 1973 version may look dated now, the film used some of the most advanced technology available at the time. Over the course of four months and processing only seconds of film per day, John Whitney Jr. was able to digitally process motion picture film from the Gunslinger/android’s (Yul Brynner) perspective. Westworld was the first film to ever use computer digitized images as part of a feature film.
The Gunslinger gets a tweak from one of the Delos technicians.
4. Reception
Reception was overall positive, and the film has a solid 86 rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety called the film “excellent” and “superbly intelligent.” Westworld was MGM’s top-earning movie of the year in 1973.
Linda Gaye Scott as Arlette with Richard Benjamin as Peter Martin.
...this movie is fantasy and in the end I don’t really care if the equipment surrounding each table is “appropriate” or not, so long as the total effect is impressive and organized in some way.
- Michael Crichton
5. Trivia
Westworld is the first movie to use the term “computer virus.” The Delos park supervisor uses the phrase to explain why robots are “infecting” each other with malfunction errors.
Richard Benjamin (left) in a barroom brawl with a Westworld robot.
Visit our Westworld page for more photos, videos, and information. Judge for yourself if you would take the vacation of a lifetime to Westworld!
Watch the original theatrical trailer.
Still can't get enough Westworld? The original 1973 soundtrack is now available through WaterTower Music. Composed, conducted, and arranged by Fred Karlin, you'll think you're really wandering the streets of Delos.