Science Fiction Dystopian by Era: 1960s

A Clockwork Orange (1962)

I don't know where to begin with this.  It's strange and experimental and possibly brilliant, but since it's so complex you can never really get a handle on it.

Logan's Run (1967)  
When the percentage of people under the age of 21 reaches critical mass in the all important year of 2000 (sheesh! what a letdown that New Year's Eve was), the government begins to require that people are terminated at a certain age.  But most importantly the film adaptation is where we get the classic line: "I want to live! LIIIIIIIVE!"

Planet of the Apes (1968)

So if we were to name someone the greatest dystopian actor ever, it would have to be Charleton Heston, right?  Planet of the Apes for those of you who haven't seen is about astronauts who crash land on a strange planet where apes are in dominion over man.  It's twist ending is well known, but it's still the stuff of legend!




The idea for dystopian by era came from the song "In the Year 2525", so take a listen.  It's getting pretty clear that dystopian is more than a current trend, huh?