FIVE TOMORROWS (1970)

FIVE TOMORROWS – On February 5th 1970, Kurt Vonnegut Jr. hosted an NET Playhouse presentation of five short films which presented grim visions of the future. Vonnegut was interviewed and offered comments on the international shorts from the high flux beam reactor in Brookhaven (NY) National Laboratories’ center for advanced experimental research.

As NET itself described the 90-minute production, the theme was “the shape of our daily lives should the present trend toward conformity, violence and mindless motion continue unabated.” The films:

L’urlo (The Scream) – This 1966 Italian short – later remade in 2019 – was directed by Camillo Bazzoni. In L’urlo a man of the future struggled to maintain his identity in a super-state which demanded total suppression of the individual. Emotions were forbidden, but a defiant young man (Francesco Barilli) tried to express his love only to wind up a fugitive.

De Overkant (The Other Side) – 1966 Dutch language film from Belgium, directed by Herman Wuyts. In this dystopian future a powerful yet enigmatic force subjugates an entire community in the name of law and order. The oddest regulation requires that people walk sideways down sidewalks, pressed up against the walls as they go. They are forbidden to look at each other or to cross the street.

Silo 15 (1969) – Australian short directed by John Alaimo and starring THE Jack Thompson as Lieutenant O’Donnell. Two military men stationed in an underground missile silo face the prospect of unleashing a nuclear holocaust when they lose contact with their superiors. Finalizing the launch requires cooperation from both officers. Adapted from a 1967 West German short. 

La Caduta di Varema (The Fall of Varema) – Another short from Italian director Camillo Bazzoni, this one from 1960. A city of the future lies in ruins from escalating violence and irrational hatred.

Plus Vite (Faster, Faster!) – Animated 1966 French short directed by Peter Foldes. A businessman and his secretary are at the center of a tale of high-speed, bustling activities which amount to nothing but obsess future humanity. The frantic pair try to travel around the world.