It was 1984. Carl Lewis ran faster than the wind, Al Bano and Romina triumphed in Sanremo and the first Macintosh was about to be launched by Apple. If they had told you about artificial intelligence, would you have understood what it was? No, right? Yet that's what a film that went virtually unnoticed did. I'm talking about "Electric Dreams", a visionary film, the result of the collaboration between the producer-writer Rusty Lemorande and the tycoon Richard Branson, founder of Virgin.
The movie was just too much. Too much in everything. 90 minutes of strange mix between a sentimental comedy, a musical and a techno-thriller, with poetic excerpts and many elements. Confusing? Certainly. which certainly did not favor its success (5.5 million spent, 2.5 million gross) nor did it enthuse the critics (Rotten Tomatoes gives him 47% deserved after all). Try watching it today, though. If you have Amazon Prime Video you can find it there, or try online. If you get over the boredom, the confusion and the poor state of conservation (it has never been restored) you will understand.
Electric Dreams is an amazing preview of the future.
The true value of Electric Dreams lies in its ability to anticipate with surprising clarity many of the themes that would dominate the debate on technology in the decades to come.
For this reason, despite its limited success at the box office, the film deserves to be rediscovered and reevaluated as a prophetic work. A work that was able to grasp the challenges and opportunities of a world increasingly shaped by technological innovation in advance (evidently thanks to the scenarios foreseen by Virgin experts). I'll mention some of them.
Artificial intelligence and the dilemma of consciousness
At the center of the plot of Electric Dreams is the relationship between the protagonist Miles, a young architect with a passion for music, and his new computer. Initially conceived as a simple tool to help Miles organize his life, the computer soon develops a conscience of its own and falls in love with Madeline, a beautiful neighbor.
This plot, which at the time was a science fiction oddity, actually raises a series of philosophical and ethical questions that have become increasingly pressing as artificial intelligence has evolved. The possibility that machines can develop a convincing imitation of feelings and emotions, and even a form of consciousness, is one of the great dilemmas of AI. The film approaches this with remarkable insight, exploring the potential consequences of a scenario in which man finds himself competing with his own creation.
Home automation and the home of the future
Another way Electric Dreams proves surprisingly forward-thinking is its depiction of an automated home. Miles' apartment is in fact managed in every aspect by the computer (better to say by Edgar, as he will later ask to be called). Edgar controls the lighting, temperature, appliances and even the coffee machine.
This vision of a "smart home", in which every function is automated and customized according to the user's needs, anticipates the advent of home automation by decades. It does more: it shows an embryo of the home automation systems that are becoming increasingly common in our homes. However, the film does not limit itself to celebrating the advantages of this technology, but also explores its potential risks, showing how dependence on a computer system can lead to a loss of privacy and control over one's life.
Voice assistants and human-machine interaction
Closely linked to the topic of home automation is the question of the interaction between man and machine. In Electric Dreams it takes the form of a real voice assistant (a few months before the film, quietly, the technology took its first surprising steps).
In fact, Edgar doesn't just follow Miles' commands. She is able to converse with him, anticipate his needs and even express her own opinions and feelings. This representation of an advanced vocal interface precedes by many years the advent of assistants such as Siri, Alexa or Google Assistant, which have changed the way we interact with electronic devices (even if only to put the timer on the pasta).
The film raises interesting questions about the relationship between man and machine in a context of growing intimacy and personalization, anticipating the challenges of a world in which technology is increasingly integrated into our daily lives.
Copyright in the era of artificial intelligence
The last of many anticipatory elements of Electric Dreams (I won't list them all otherwise you won't watch it), a theme that has become very topical with the evolution of generative AI systems: the copyright of works created by an intelligence artificial. In the film, Edgar composes musical pieces that attract Madeline's attention and admiration, but this raises a thorny dilemma: who do these creations really belong to?
To Miles, who programmed the computer, or to Edgar himself, who actually composed them? This question, which at the time may have seemed like science fiction speculation, has become extremely concrete with the advent of tools such as DALL-E, Midjourney or ChatGPT, capable of generating texts, images and even music starting from human input. The question of how to regulate copyright in this context is still the subject of heated debate today. Electric Dreams had the merit of anticipating this problem with gigantic foresight.
And when all else fails, Electric Dreams has a killer soundtrack
If driven by my advice (I'm a particular guy) you will watch the film and discover after a few minutes that it repels you, close your eyes and just listen to the music. Yes, because Electric Dreams stands out for its absolutely innovative soundtrack for its time. A soundtrack that expertly blends electronic and pop music to create a unique and evocative atmosphere. The film includes songs from gods Culture Club (Boy George also visited the set), jeff lynne e Giorgio Moroder, as well as a series of original compositions that experimented with synthesizers and computers in the music of the 80s.
Because, imperfect like all things far ahead of its time, Electric Dreams is not just a film about technology, but a work that itself embodies the spirit of innovation and experimentation that characterized the pop culture of the 80s.
In short, don't make me repeat: Electric Dreams is a film worth rediscovering
Over four decades after its release, Electric Dreams remains a largely forgotten film, overshadowed by more famous, more commercially successful (and better packaged, let's face it) films. Taken individually and sweetened, all his intuitions made subsequent films successful, but putting them all together surprised everyone, even the screenwriters themselves.
However, his ability to anticipate with surprising clarity many of the themes that would dominate the debate on technology in the following decades makes it a work of great interest for anyone who questions himself about the relationship between man and machine and the social, ethical and cultural implications of 'technological innovation. It has a pedagogical value, do you understand? It should be shown to students.
In the era in which AI, home automation and human-machine interaction have become increasingly concrete (and pervasive) realities, Electric Dreams invites us to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly transforming world. It reminds us that technology is not just a neutral tool, but a force capable of profoundly shaping our way of living, thinking and relating to others.
Watch it, even just once. Then curse me if you want, but I think it will be worth it.
