The kids, Mr13 in particular, like to ask me what I think life will be like in the future. I usually give them a very unsatisfying answer, which is that some things will always be the same, some things will be so different that you can't even imagine it, and that for sure our life now will look weird and quaint 50 years from now.
I came across this oddity today: a film co-produced by Philco and Ford Motor Company called "1999 A.D." Made in 1967, it shows the wondrous changes that 30 years into the future will bring to the average family, specifically how computers will revolutionize the home. Of course, it looks hilarious to us now, but it's actually kinda right. What's always wrong about these future-prediction things is fashion and decor, and 1999 looks pretty darn 1967-mod here. The nuclear family in the film is headed by former DJ/game show host Wink Martindale, and I think his wife and son might be robots. It's all a bit creepy and grim, to me anyway. The pace of the film is pre-MTV slow, but hang in there to see personal computers, microwave ovens, Big Brother education, and a Puerto Rican singer with an...unusual voice.
1999 A.D. part one
1999 A.D. part two
1999 A.D. part three
© Copyright 2008- Marianne Spellman