As Time Goes by

'As Time Goes By' is a missing classic, about a policeman, a surfer and an alien in the Bush. Marked by a characteristically awesome poster, the surfer is seen sunbathing in the desert beside his surfboard. The policeman is haunted by the cricket match that killed his baby sun. The alien by the other past we used to live in - we lost the war, we were all eating sushi, and we didn't like it!

It's all about jumping back in time to make important changes, to stop tragedy. Time loops? Paradoxes? The complications are attacked obliquely in the neon lit setting of Max Gillies' greasy spoon diner.

It stuns me that we have no archived source of this movie. In spite of issues of copyright, the general public's interest has often acted as a kind of 'casual backup' that prevents the loss of good shows from memory.

I'm trying to teach a friend about what was good in '80s SF, and plan on showing her Repo Man, The Quiet Earth and As Time Goes By. ATGB stands up well in that company - they all have a certain feel - and will be missed if I can't find it.