70 Years of Youth Revolt— Episode 1: 1949 to Late 1970s

Overview

A look back at the social movements, revolts and youth subcultures from the post-war period to the present day: after the World War II, the left-bank of Paris became a mecca for jazz and alternative living, youth culture was born with trailblazing American movies, and rock became the soundtrack to a generation that wanted to change everything.

Documentary War & Politics

Current EpisodeSeason 1 • Episode 1Aired: 2020-11-2153 min

1. Episode 1: 1949 to Late 1970s

In post-war Paris, jazz clubs became the landmark of a freedom-loving youth; the discomfort of middle-class youth is embodied for the first time in the cinema with James Dean. In the mid-1960s, the Brit pop wave exorcised the frustrations of youth. In France, independent cinema reinvented roles for young women; in the Netherlands the Provos collective invented the happening. From the hippie movement to the emergence of black pride and the rise of anti-capitalist revolutionary cinema, counter-culture accompanied the global rebellion against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Throughout the 1970s, the irrigation of revolt nourished creativity, David Bowie raised the question of multiple identities, the women’s movement challenged male domination, disco freed bodies and launched an LGBT culture. The appearance of mass unemployment seems to sound the death knell of hopes. The punks blow it all up: no future!