Breathing Together: Revolution of the Electric Family

I first saw this movie when I started working in Buckminster Fuller's office in 1973 in Philadelphia. His archive, now housed at Stanford University, has a 16mm print of this film.

Most of the people featured in this film have passed away, including Bucky, Allen Ginsburg, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, William Kunstler, John Lennon and Timothy Leary.

Breathing Together is cultural and political commentary from some of the best known counter culture personalities of the 1960s and some of the most politically radical. After all, it was a radical time to be young in America. The country's corporate and political establishment was busy sacrificing the country's youth in a mindless 10-year war in Vietnam. This film captures their voices.

Bucky was getting on in years at 76, but he was always young at heart and never gave up on the potential for young people to cut through the bullshit, do their own thinking, and act with integrity.

I wish someone who owns the rights to this film would authorize a DVD re-issue so people living today can hear and see what 60s counter culture and radical politics were about.

This is something we must see. The date seems to be perfect. Shot in Canada for the already known reasons. Now, where on the Net lies this historic film?

Saw this back in the 90s some time. As I recall, a good number of the "thinkers" interviewed came off as completely incoherent. And when they did attain some level of clarity in their presentation, the ideas expressed often bore no relation to reality( eg. everyone should be released from jail because all criminals are political activists). Buckminster Fuller's observations were especially rambling.

But if you get the chance, this film is worth a look, if only to help you understand why the counterculture eventually fell flat on its face. Plus, proof positive that Fuller's reputation as a profound thinker was completely without basis.