Tomorrow Calling (TV 1993)

Bill is shooting architectural photographs of "futuristic" buildings of the 30's for a coffee table book commissioned by Dialta. But as he frames up a deco bingo hall, a vast airship looms ... See full summary »

Director:

Tim Leandro

Writers:

William Gibson (short story "The Gernsback Continuum"), Tim Leandro (screenplay)

Stars:

Colin Salmon, Don Henderson, Toyah Willcox

Cast

Cast overview:
Colin Salmon	...	Bill
Don Henderson	...	Mervyn Kihn
Toyah Willcox	...	Dialta Downes
Sara Stockbridge
Jack Raymond

Storyline

Bill is shooting architectural photographs of "futuristic" buildings of the 30's for a coffee table book commissioned by Dialta. But as he frames up a deco bingo hall, a vast airship looms over him. Is it a dream? His friend Mervyn tells him it is a manifestation of the mass unconscious, a "semiotic ghost". Bill next sees people dressed like extras from "Things to Come", the futuristic fantasy. Mervyn advises Bill that there is no future, only a futuristic dream invented in the present, and that the cure is a large dose of pornography. Bill goes straight to the video shop and its top shelf.

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Short

---

Details

Official Sites:

channel4 [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

12 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Good adaption of an interesting short story

Everyone seems to know about Johnny Mnemonic, very few have seen this far superior rendering of a William Gibson short story. Short, clever and appealing this is a must for people who like their sf intelligent.

The feel of the film captures the slightly psychotic aspects of the short story, the viewer is never sure what is real and what is the product of the protagonist's stress.

The special effects are minimal, the story is about inner space, rather than outer space, but it is nice seeing the 30's future done with '90s sensibilities.

For the trainspotters out there, Toyah Wilcox makes an appearance, although when I watched the film I didn't spot her.