ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

A story based on the idea that a second Earth-sized planet is hidden behind the sun. Roy Thinnes (of the TV series "Invaders") commands a space mission which is sent out to confirm the existence of the hidden planet, but he crashes when he tries to land on it. He wakes up in the hospital and finds himself back on Earth!

His superiors want to know why he returned to Earth in only half the time his mission was supposed to take.

Roy is pretty confused by all this until he notices one day that all printed material is backwards. And that's when Roy realizes that he isn't back on Earth at all -- he's on a reverse-image duplicate of Earth, complete with duplicate-wife, duplicate-friends, etc.

Meanwhile, back on his own Earth, a reverse-image Roy Thinnes makes the same discovery. Everything that happens on Earth happens at the same time on reverse-Earth!

It's a fun concept, but you have to ignore the logical flaws. Like, how could astronomers on opposite sides of the sun be looking at the same planets in their telescopes?

Still, high production standards, good photography, and good acting grace this English effort from director Robert Parrish. Produced and written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, the folks who created the "Thunderbirds" super marionation series. That explains why the special effects in "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun" look a bit too much like a puppet show (miniatures on wires), but they get the story across well enough.

[Also released as: "Doppleganger"]
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

[orzel-w]

[scotpens]

The miniature FX work in JTTFSOTS (aka Doppelganger) is excellent, but the story is beyond preposterous. It's physically impossible for another planet to share the same orbit as our Earth -- planets "clear their orbits," meaning they remove other nearby objects by either slinging them farther out into space or pulling them toward their surface. And making the other planet an exact duplicate of Earth, only with everything reversed? That can perhaps be taken as myth or allegory, but it sure ain't science fiction.

The jeeps and futuristic cars built for this movie were later used in Gerry Anderson's UFO TV series.

[Bud Brewster]

Agreed. The story tries to propose a parallel universe without having a second universe involved.

If someone doesn't know the things you described about the effects gravity has on the other orbiting bodies in a star system, the idea of a planet perpetually hidden by the sun is very appealing. Sort of like Burroughs' Pellucidar inside a hollow Earth. It's so much fun to think about that wacky inverted world 500 miles below the surface, you just want to ignore the impossibility of it.

The problems with Journey to the Far Side of the Sun could easily be fixed by explaining that a dimensional doorway in space accidentally transports the two spacecraft from both Earths to their respective parallel universes without the astronauts knowing it.

If the story had been done this way, there would be no need for a duplicate Earth on the other side of sun, and the spacecrafts could be on any kind of mission we choose.

Other than that, the story could remain exactly the same.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[orzel-w]

[Gord Green]

There was an excellent comic strip from the 50's called TWIN EARTHS by the great artist illustrator Alden McWilliams.

[Custer]

Not the only time the "Actually there's another planet in the exact same orbit as us, but always obscured by the Sun being between us" idea has been used, though how the gravity of another planet would go undiscovered is a bit of a reach. Am I right in thinking John Norman's planet of Gor is over there too? Probably a more fun place to visit, at least for the males of our species...

[Gord Green]

The "twin Earth" idea started with Ptolomy, the Greek philosopher. At one time it was thought of as a counterbalance to the Earth and designated (I kid you not!) as the planet Vulcan !!!

[Bud Brewster]

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"That concept is quite illogical."



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[bulldogtrekker]

I saw this movie again about a month ago and I liked the story and the FX. It is always available at the library. The library bought it at my suggestion.

[Bogmeister]

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___________ Journey to the Far Side of the Sun


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This is the one about the discovery of an Earth-like planet in orbit on the other side of our sun. A direct view of the planet is always blocked by the sun. Only, it turns out to be more than that — the other planet is revealed eventually to be a mirror image of our Earth.

I guess in this wild premise, the sun acts like some giant reflecting device and all actions on each planet are duplicated, as if looking at a mirror. All writing, for example, is reversed, as if looking at it in a mirror.

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There's a nice DVD release of this film which came out a couple of years ago . . .

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I don't have the previous DVD for comparison and there's no mention of the film being remastered on the DVD cover itself. However, the picture quality is brilliant, even stunning in places (I do have a fairly new widescreen TV and combo HD/Standard player which provide optimum picture, so this should be kept in mind). It looked great to me, considering this was nearly a 40-year old picture. It seemed almost like new — bright color, sharp quality.

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I have issues with the film story structure — the film is at just over 100 minutes long and the astronauts do not actually land on the other planet until the one-hour point.

There are some glaring plot holes if we are to take this premise literally. As one example, wouldn't the medical personnel on the mirror Earth have immediately noticed that the organs of the 2 arrived astronauts are reversed? The one injured astronaut was receiving intense medical care immediately (this is the future, with advanced techniques). Yet they only discover his reverse structure upon doing an autopsy.



The first hour is made more bearable for me due to the picture quality. Some of the scenes of the miniature landscapes and the interior sets are, as I mentioned, just stunning — a conceptually successful version of a futuristic landscape. There was an attractively coordinated use of color and composition in some of these scenes which now really stand out due to this new picture quality (again, I say it's new but I don't have the older DVD to compare).

BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Bud Brewster]

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Just a few thoughts about the whole "two mirror-image Earths" being on opposite sides of the Sun.

Meteors that fall on our Earth couldn't have duplicates falling on Earth II unless the whole solar system had a reversed version on each side of the Sun. That could only be possible if there were two of EVERY planet, all going around on opposites sides of Sun from each other.

But if THAT were true, astronomers would see each planet on the opposite sides of the Sun, as one planet headed for the far side while the other one appeared as it came in our direction!

As for Earth II itself, if it didn't have a Moon, it wouldn't have tides — which would have a profound affect on the planet. The shorelines would be different, ocean currents would differ, and ships wouldn't have to "sail with the tide", etc. etc.

And their version NASA would never have plans to go to the Moon . . . because there wasn't one!

Nope, sorry, this premise has got so many problems that it can't be taken seriously.

But it's fun finding ways to prove it's impossible! What can you guys come up with?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Fun Facts for "Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun."

Screenplay by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and Donald James.
Directed by Robert Parrish.

Shooting began on July 1, 1968 and ended on October 16, 1968.

The film was released in the US on October 8, 1969.

The Andersons & director Robert Parrish frequently clashed during the film's shoot. Sylvia Anderson stated that RP's directing was "uninspired."

The movie was shot at Pinewood Studios in England and on location in Albufeira, Portugal.

Filming in Portugal was originally scheduled to last a month.
Due to political instability in that country, the shooting schedule was reduced to two weeks.

The process of "Flop-over'' which flips the film negatives was utilized to depict the alternate Earth. This saved the budget by not having to reconstruct the entire sets on the other Earth as the duplicates for the original Earth.

In spite of careful planning and rehearsal by the actors when they are on the opposite Earth there are continuity errors.

The legendary special effects maestro Derek Meddings created more than 200 FX shots for the movie.

The six-foot model of the Phoenix spacecraft accidentally caught fire and had to be completely rebuilt.

The life-sized Dove module spaceship was constructed in Slough, England.

Due to union laws, the Dove was not allowed to be transported to Pinewood Studios for filming.

The entire module was destroyed and had to be rebuilt at Pinewood in order to film. Gerry Anderson felt that the reconstructed Dove module was inferior to the original version.

Some of the sets, props, costumes and vehicles would be recycled and show up on the Andersons 1979 sf TV show "UFO."

The cardiometer wrist-watches seen in the movie correctly predicted the fitness watches we'd see forty years later. The cardiometer wrist-watch was going to be recycled as an Amnesia-watch for the UFO TV series. It would have been used to make any visitors to the secret SHADO headquarters forget that they were ever there.

This concept would be dropped from UFO.

The film is set in the year 2069.

Derek Meddings designed three futuristic vehicles for the film. According to him ''the cars were awful to operate."
They would also appear on UFO. DM also designed three futuristic six-wheeled jeeps for the movie.

The film's original title was "Doppelganger" but released overseas as "Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun."

[Bud Brewster]

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Thanks for the great trivia info about this enjoyable movie!

Obviously there was a great deal of talent involved in the making of this picture. I just wish the flaws in the basic concept had been corrected during post-production.

So many science fiction movies get everything right . . . except for the science.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)