THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS (1968) (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

[Philip De Parto]

The following commentary is reprinted with permission from 

THE MT VOID
10/24/25 -- Vol. 44, No. 17, Whole Number 2403

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THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS (1968)  (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

Terry Frost recommended a film written by Nigel Kneale, THE
ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, but rather than commenting on that film, I
will talk about three of Nigel Kneale's television plays for the
BBC.

THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS (1968): Set in a future when war,
conflict, and other "tensions" have been banished, and the
government controls the population by broadcasting sex (and the
Sex Olympics) and telling people to "watch, not do." (They do the
same with food.)

And then when a protester dies and the audience responds, the
government invents what is basically "Survivor": three people on a
(supposedly) deserted island, and various threats against them.
Given that they have no idea even how to start a fire, or grow
food, this seems a bit redundant.

And whenever something bad happens, the only audience reaction is
laughter, because they have never learned any other emotions.

(It is true that CANDID CAMERA predated THE YEAR OF THE SEX
OLYMPICS, but that was a fairly minimal version of a reality show.
Not until AN AMERICAN FAMILY in 1973 did the reality show become a
full-fledged genre.)

THE YEAR OF THE SEX OLYMPICS is available at archive.org. (Avoid
the colorized version.)

Released televised 29 July 1968.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142001/reference>