Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969)

The European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts to explore a planet similar to the Earth but located on the opposite side of the sun.

Director:

Robert Parrish

Writers:

Gerry Anderson (story), Sylvia Anderson (story)

Stars:

Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Patrick Wymark

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Roy Thinnes	...	Colonel Glenn Ross
Ian Hendry	...	John Kane
Patrick Wymark	...	Jason Webb
Lynn Loring	...	Sharon Ross
Loni von Friedl	...	Lisa Hartmann
Franco De Rosa	...	Paulo Landi (as Franco Derosa)
George Sewell	...	Mark Neuman
Ed Bishop	...	David Poulson (as Edward Bishop)
Philip Madoc	...	Dr. Pontini
Vladek Sheybal	...	Psychiatrist
George Mikell	...	Captain Ross
Herbert Lom	...	Doctor Hassler

Storyline

A planet is discovered in the same orbit as Earth's but is located on the exact opposite side of the sun, making it not visible from Earth. The European Space Exploration Council decide to send American astronaut Glenn Ross and British scientist John Kane via spaceship to explore the other planet. After a disastrous crash-landing Ross awakes to learn that Kane lies near death and that they apparently have returned to Earth, as evidenced by the presence of the Council director and his staff. Released to the custody of his wife, he soon learns things are not as they seem.

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Plot Keywords:

2060s | female nudity | accidental suicide | dementia | tragic event | 

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Taglines:

Man has conquered the moon with the epic Apollo 11 flight! Now take another momentous journey!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Journey to the Far Side of the Sun

Filming Locations:

Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal

Box Office

Gross USA:

$332,750

Company Credits

Production Co:

Century 21 Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrick Wymark's character complains of heart trouble early in the film. Ironically, Wymark really did have a bad heart and died the following year.

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Goofs

The protagonist is surprised by a driver on the wrong side of the road but he does not even mention the fact that the steering wheel would be in the other side of the car than what he is used to if everything is reversed.

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Quotes

Jason Webb: We discover a NEW planet! In OUR OWN solar system! Military and scientific implications BEYOND comprehension! We ask our *friends*, for a *few* dollars, and it's "No Go!".
David Poulson: One *billion* dollars, Jason.
Jason Webb: Cheap at TWICE the price!

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Alternate Versions

Screenings of Doppelganger on British terrestrial television over the last ten years have featured an incorrectly produced print: the person responsible for creating this print was unaware of the film's central premise and performed a second "flop-over" on the 'mirror' planet footage, in the mistaken belief that it was the wrong way round. This, of course, made nonsense of this section of the film (particularly Ross' slow realisation that he has not returned to Earth after all) and thereby gave viewers the impression that they were watching the 'mirror' planet's Ross here on Earth.

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Connections

Featured in Filmed in Supermarionation (2014)

User Reviews

Love it or hate it

Most people who enjoy this film enough to sit through it multiple times probably first saw it, as I did, during their childhood back in the late 60's - early 70's. It was one of the first science fiction movies I saw as a child and it made enough of an impression on me for me to remember it decades later. It was more thought-provoking than your average 1960's "space opera" and the special effects were among the best of its time (second, at the time, perhaps only to '2001' which came out about a year earlier). And although the people behind it were definitely influenced by Kubrick's earlier masterpiece, it contains enough original thought to be fascinating in its own right. Most adults who didn't see this movie when it first came out will probably be too critical to be able to enjoy it if they were to watch it now. As for today's younger audiences, they would probably tend to measure it by the standards of today's movies with their much more advanced special effects and simply dismiss the film as too archaic for their tastes. Unfortunately, this movie is probably destined to languish in ever-increasing obscurity as its original audience gets older and eventually fades away...