A Parallel Time Movie Comes to DVD

[David]

 

I've always wondered in Dan, Sam & Gordon got the idea for the DS PT stories from the very interesting Sci Fi chiller
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969).

In the film, Roy Thinnes (91 Roger) plays an astronaut who returns not to his world, but to a parrallel Universe!

The film comes to DVD next month.

David

[MagnusTrask]

The parallel universe idea, where alternate characters live another life in the same space at the same time, had been bouncing around television for a few years.   Star Trek used it of course, and even Lost in Space had used it before 1970.

"Journey to the Far Side of the Sun" is great, and I haven't seen it since the 70s, I guess.   I hope to see it again.   It was made by Gerry Anderson who did UFO and Space:1999.    In this case, it's a sort of parallel existence idea, but technically it's a physical (mirror-image) duplicate of Earth Roy Thinnes ends up on, which physically exists in our universe, on the opposite side of the Earth's orbit, so that's why we never saw it in our sky-- the Sun was in the way.

[Gothick]

I seem to recall a Twilight Zone episode involving an astronaut or airplane pilot landing in a parallel time Earth, as well.

At one time, I was working on an essay about the DS Parallel Time storyline (which I still think is among the best and yet most underrated of the series' storylines) and collected a lot of different Parallel Time stories on different TV shows of the 1960s.  I'm less aware of PT science fiction short stories and novels which presumably explored the idea far in advance of TV and the movies.

G.

[Gerard]

I saw that movie in the theater when it first came out.  It actually was not bad and had quite a few marks of intelligence with it (especially the ending).  I remember that the kids of my age in the theater were expecting more of a movie-monster type of thing and were somewhat disappointed that it centered more on the astronaut's trying to deal with a completely mirror-image parallel world where his wife was not really his wife and other asundry things.  While many kids got bored and spent much of the time at the popcorn and candy stand, I found it all rather fascinating.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

While many kids got bored and spent much of the time at the popcorn and candy stand, I found it all rather fascinating.

You were obviously mature and discriminating beyond your years. 

[Gothick]

I saw some of this movie on television in my early teen years and am eager to see it again, being a huge fan of Gerry Anderson's UFO series.

G.

[Gerard]

While many kids got bored and spent much of the time at the popcorn and candy stand, I found it all rather fascinating.

You were obviously mature and discriminating beyond your years. 

Unfortunately, as I got older, it went in the reverse direction!

Gerard

[MagnusTrask]

While many kids got bored and spent much of the time at the popcorn and candy stand, I found it all rather fascinating.

You were obviously mature and discriminating beyond your years. 

I second that.   I correspond on tape with someone who is just as dumbfounded or at least discouraged over lack of depth in science-fiction viewers in recent years, and we generally pine for the 60s/70s style SF in films and TV, what little of it got made that is.   

UFO is growing on me.   How about Space:1999 (I'm talking about year one of course)?    Off topic, right, I know....

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I found a torrent of the film, downloaded it on Friday, and just finished watching it (a nice, crystal clear, widescreen print). I was impressed - and probably would have been even more so if I hadn't read in this topic that Thinnes found himself on a mirror image Earth rather than discovering that as the film teased it before making it clear (even via backwards writing/reading). I was even impressed with the special effects, which seemed more sophisticated than I seem to remember them being back in the '60s. But then, being a theatrical film as opposed to a TV show, I suppose they had a bigger budget. Even the clothes and technology weren't as ridiculous as some '60s' visions of the future were (though computer punch cards and paper tape ). And it was also very interesting to see the usual suspects that seemed to populate all the Pinewood Studios movies of the time (Herbert Lom, always so hysterically funny in the Pink Panther movies, had some decidedly creepy moments with his, uh, camera). But I could very easily see why some kids would have been bored silly with the film because it was heavily character as opposed to action oriented - a strong plus for most adults, not so much so for most kids - especially kids overly hyped on sugar. 

Somehow, though, I doubt the film inspired much of DS' own idea for Parallel Time because, except for everything (including people's internal organs) being backwards, the people living on the mirror image Earth all lead the exact same sort of lives as their counterparts did on our Earth. And as DS oft mentioned in its opening voiceovers, the people of 1970PT and 1841PT looked the same but lead different lives. And obviously nothing in either of DS' PT stories was backwards. 

[madscntst]

I remember this movie!  I remember loving it.  I will have to look for the DVD to watch again- thanks for the heads-up!

Cathy

[MagnusTrask]

I was impressed - and probably would have been even more so if I hadn't read in this topic that Thinnes found himself on a mirror image Earth rather than discovering that as the film teased it before making it clear

Sorry....

[Gerard]

In England (where the film was produced) as well as the rest of Europe, it used its original name of Doppelganger.  Only for its US release was it named Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (probably as a marketing tool, IMO, it make it sound more "science-fictionish" for the kiddie demographics).  However, it became more popularily known by its American title and even in Europe it's used there now, although one can still see it called by its original British name.

Gerard

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I was impressed - and probably would have been even more so if I hadn't read in this topic that Thinnes found himself on a mirror image Earth rather than discovering that as the film teased it before making it clear

Sorry....

Oh, I didn't mean it like that, Magnus. The details you provided were necessary to differentiate the concept of the film from DS' concept of PT. And even if you'd put those details in a spoiler, I still would have read them because Midnite and I read everything.    You didn't do anything wrong as far as my exposure to the truth goes...

[MagnusTrask]

Only for its US release was it named Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (probably as a marketing tool, IMO, it make it sound more "science-fictionish" for the kiddie demographics).

It may be unecessary for me to say this, but I'm going to point out that science-fiction is an adult genre, especially when the film was made.   SF was generally considered too dry or "intellectual" for mass audiences.   Star Wars changed that, but that was 1977.    Just semantics I guess, since there was always poorly-made space adventure for the kiddies.    So let's just say my urge to jump in and defend science-fiction is on too much of a hair-trigger these days.....

[David]

Hey MB:
thanks for posting the info on this film.

I did see it at the Mayfair Theatre in Brooklyn in 1969, (the same theatre where I saw Night of DS) but that was 39 years ago,  and I was just a wee lad of 13.
I'd forgotten a lot of the details.

I never saw the film again & look forward to the DVD.

I guess it does differ from DS PT quite a bit, but the film still has a DS connection: Roy Thinnes!

David