Future Shock (1972) on YouTube
Written by Bill G on May 5th, 2007 in 70s, Movies, Periods, culture, surgeries.
Alvin Toffler, Orson Welles, and Future Shock
This is a little known documentary based on the book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. This short came out in 1972 and features Orson Welles as the narrator. I was most amused by the high amount of paranoia in regards to the future… some of the segments (like people choosing their own skin color) are downright hilarious.
You can read my review of it here.
Worth a look - at the very least for its historical value.
As far as I can tell, this documentary is in the public domain. I took the liberty of uploading my videotape transfer to YouTube. It is in 5 parts, and you can view them below.
Thanks to Glossolalia Black for uncovering this lost gem!!
~Bill G
August 15th, 2007 at 1:57 am
This is amazing. My father brought this film home when I was eleven years old and I remember sitting in the basement watching it several times. It made quite an impact on me. I’ve watched many films in my life but this one, after 35 years, was still fresh in my memory. A. Toffler’s predictions for how the world was going to change were very close to what has actually happened, and what is continuing to happen to this day.
August 30th, 2007 at 11:47 am
saw this in the early 70’s…always wanted to see it again…I’m so glad to have found this…thanks
October 27th, 2007 at 4:54 pm
Very good! A good complement to the book with the same title from the Tofflers.
Could you find/upload the video Third Wave?
Thanks.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
Is that it. I want to see all the episodes of Future Shock
Where is the scene with the mushroom houses?
Where is the scene with men wearing dressing and women wearing skirts!
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:43 am
Stellios: What “episodes”? To my knowledge Future Shock was only one documentary. Was there a series or something?
September 8th, 2008 at 6:23 am
To Bill:
Yes, there was a series on TV. It featured men flying around in jet packs in the future , people living in mushroom houses, men wearing the skirts in the future and women wearing the pants,
a man who was android walking down the street and no one could tell, cryonics!!
I DID NOT SEE ANY OF THAT IN THESE FIVE CLIPS!!
At the end of the series there were these three guys jamming out a tune as memorable… well …
maybe not as memorable… but as good if not better than the “Doctor Who” theme and the
“Chariots of the Gods” theme.
I saw the series when I was young!! I know it!! WHERE THE HELL IS THE TV SERIES!!
Who has got it!! I’m an impatient man!! Cough it up NOW!!