For the happy man! - Collected writings DEPRESSION: Ed Atkins

The film ends with the three deciding to use their powers
to erase their own memories before being debriefed,
in order to prevent the knowledge about the sphere from
falling into the wrong hands. Thus, Harry’s paradox, in
which they are alive yet no one has learned about the “unknown
event,” is resolved. As they erase their own memories
of the “unknown event,” the sphere is seen emerging
from the ocean and flying off into space...* ETC. ETC.
[...]
Then we watched ‘Westworld’ – another Michael Crichton
movie adaptation. He
might have even directed
this one. It’s much
better. Brutal and certainly
less intellec-
tually pretentious.
There’s no attempt
to explain the
intricacies of the
robot cowboys,
knights and Ro-
mans that wander
about the three
themed Worlds for
the titillation of the
human guests. At
this time, technol-
ogy is sufficiently
advanced for this sort
of shit to go on, that’s
all. Of course – and this the same lesson provided in ‘Jurassic
Park’ – the robots go wrong, and the film swings into its
moral, paranoiac finale. Best of all is Yul Brynner as a cowboy
robot baddie, who plays the fall-guy robot for the wealthy
tourist’s sheriff fantasies – turning mass murderer and terrifying
nemesis to the film’s heroes when the robots malfunction.
Afterwards, we talk about his perfect bald head, so easily confused
with a latex, industrial product; his handsome, serious
face moving in with animatronic uncaring. Lifting his face off
to fiddle with the thicket of wires and glowing LEDs behind
it; flinging a flask of hydrochloric acid at his face. Both these